The marinade in this Grilled Asian-style Soy Marinated Flank Steak takes an uninteresting piece of steak and turns it into a mouthwatering dish!
Soy-Marinated Flank Steak
Soy-Marinated Flank Steak is a delicious and flavorful dish that combines the tenderness of flank steak with the savory taste of soy sauce. This recipe infuses the meat with a rich marinade, resulting in a mouthwatering steak that is perfect for grilling. Flank steak is a lean primal cut with wonderful beefy flavor which is perfect for grilling. Some of my other flank steak recipes you may love are this simple Flank Steak with Tomatoes, Balsamic and Red Onion, Flank Steak with Chimichurri, and Flank Steak with Black Bean Corn Salsa.
I met Culinary Scientist Jessica Gavin at a dinner in Salt Lake City. We got to talking about food science and the conversation was fascinating understanding how ingredients function together. This recipe is from her cookbook Easy Culinary Science (affil link) which is filled with easy to follow recipes, helpful cooks notes and the recipe science for each. I modified her recipe slightly to lower the sodium and fat, but keep in mind most of the marinade gets tossed which has been reflected in the nutritional analysis.
How To Make Soy Marinated Flank Steak
- To prepare the marinade, simply combine the soy sauce, minced garlic, grated ginger, honey, sesame oil, and the additional ingredients in a bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together.
- Place the flank steak in a resealable plastic bag or a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the meat, ensuring it is completely coated. Allow the steak to marinate for at least 60 minutes, but for optimal flavor, marinate it for several hours or even overnight in the refrigerator.
- When it’s time to cook the flank steak, you have a few options. Grilling is a popular choice as it adds a smoky char to the meat and enhances the flavors of the marinade. Preheat your grill to high heat and coat the grates with oil to prevent sticking.
- Remove the steak from the marinade, allowing any excess marinade to drip off, and place it directly on the grill. Cook for approximately 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare, adjusting the cooking time based on your desired level of doneness. Once cooked, transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing against the grain.
- Let the steak rest before slicing.
No Grill, No Problem
If grilling isn’t an option, you can also cook the marinated flank steak on a stovetop. Heat a grill pan over high heat and add a bit of oil to prevent sticking. Remove the steak from the marinade, allowing any excess marinade to drip off, and place it in the hot skillet. Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side, again adjusting the cooking time to achieve your desired level of doneness.
Recipe Science
The marinade adds flavor to the surface and inside of the meat, while salt makes the meat juicier. Water-soluble flavor compounds come from the garlic, ginger and green onion. Soy sauce provides an unami flavor which penetrates the meat with flavor. The oil allows the fat-soluble flavors from the pepper flakes to infuse the oil and stick to the meats surface for tremendous flavor. The honey aids in providing quicker browning and caramelizing for an intense smoky charred flavor.
Marinating Notes
When marinating meat, the aromatic compounds in the marinade will never fully penetrate the center. 8 hours is plenty of time to marinate so you can do this in the morning, then cook it in the evening. Any longer than 12 hours won’t add much benefit.
More Grilled Steak Recipes:
- Flank Steak with Chimichurri
- Flank Steak with Tomatoes, Balsamic and Red Onion
- Flank Steak with Black Bean Corn Salsa
Soy Marinated Flank Steak
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup 120 ml reduced sodium soy sauce or tamari (for gluten-free option)
- 1/4 cup 60 ml honey
- 2 tablespoons 30 ml vegetable oil, plus more for greasing
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp 10 g minced ginger
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp 6 g thinly sliced green onion, plus more for garnish
- 3/4 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 lb 907 g flank steak
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl, combine the soy sauce, honey, vegetable oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, black pepper, red chili pepper and green onions.
- Remove 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the marinade and combine with the rice vinegar in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.
- Place the remaining marinade and steak in a 1-gallon (3.6-L) resealable bag. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour by laying the steak flat, and flipping the bag after 30 minutes. The steak can be marinated in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
- Remove the steak from the marinade, drain any excess liquid and transfer to a pan. Discard the marinating bag.
- Set the grill to high. Add a small amount of oil on a folded piece of paper towel, carefully greasing the grill with the oil.
- Allow the grill to preheat for 15 minutes, and once the grill is very hot, add the steak.
- Cover and cook the steak until well browned, about 4 to 5 minutes, then flip and cook until desired doneness, about 3 to 4 minutes. For medium rare, cook the steak until the internal temperature reaches between 120 and 125°F (49 and 52°C). For medium, cook between 130 and 135°F (54 and 57°C).
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the steak against the grain into 1/4-inch (6-mm) thick slices. Pour the reserved marinade on top and serve hot.
Made this tonight – was absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Steak was super tender and flavorful. Family (and I) thoroughly enjoyed it!
Thanks for another wonderful recipe!
One of our favorite recipes from Gina!!
Thanks Kelly!
Absolutely delicious! Marinade complemented the meat perfectly. Was easy to put together in the morning and marinate while at work. The splash of marinade at the end after cooking really makes a difference – don’t forget it!
We love the recipe. I am confused about one part. The recipe says to put the marinade in a pan. What do we do with it?
I think you’re just supposed to drain any excess liquid when removing the steak from the marinade, place the steak in a pan/plate, and then proceed to grilling.
10/10! This was a huge hit with our family today! I had 8 lbs of skirt steak and decided to multiply the recipe and marinate it all. The only thing I did different was add a little more chili flakes and let it marinate close to 24 hours. Absolutely delicious. Like other reviews, don’t skip the sauce at the end. This recipe will be a keeper.
Great!!
I love this recipe! I have been making it for years ever since I bought her cookbook.
This was absolutely fabulous! So easy to do and the sauce afterwards was the perfect touch. One of my new favorites!!!
Has anyone marinated for 24 hours – that is what I’m planing consoling cause it is what I’ve done in the past- is the marinade ok for 24 hours?
Kicking myself for not trying this sooner! This was Heaven on a plate. I love a good flank steak and this marinade/sauce combo was superb!
I have made this several times throughout the years but am now curious if it is possible to add the marinade and then freeze the whole thing for later use.
What a delicious flank steak!! Such wonderful flavor I marinated 9 hours followed recipe to tee and perfection. Served with a nice tossed Salad. Definitely will make again.
This is my go to recipe for summer work potlucks. I also use the marinade on pork and chicken
My whole family loved this recipe!! Thank you!
This is delicious. The steak comes out tender and the sauce is out of this world!
I make a lot of Skinnytaste recipes and this one is by far the best one so far. The sauce at the end with the added vinegar. Don’t skip this step! Swoon!!!!!
I’ve made this repeatedly and my husband CRAVES it! Leftovers are great in a salad. I have a vacuum sealer with a marinater accessory, so it gets all that yummy flavor deep into the meat. Don’t forego the final sauce with the rice vinegar. I used to, but now that I’ve tried it, I find it really enhances the flavor! THANKS Gina fir another amazing “skinny” recipe!
Great dish. We picked up some grass fed flank steak at Whole Foods. Marinade was easy and flavorful. Followed the recipe exactly, flawless and foolproof
When using the green onion, do you use the green part or the white part? I don’t use green onions very much.
I love this recipe! By mistake I forgot to put the saved sauce and rice wine vinegar on it. The next day I ate the leftovers cold with the sauce. Yum! Try it with and without or reserve the sauce for dipping.
This was fantastic! I used New York strip steak, searing it in a cast iron pan and finishing it in the oven, it was perfect! Thank you Gina!
Hi Amy, I see you commented a while ago, but curious at what temp and for how long you put your steak in the oven after searing it. I was trying to google it and everything I read said to broil it. I’m new to cooking meat so any tip for what you did would be great. Thanks!
This is absolutely delicious! I used coconut aminos for gf.
Made this for dinner this past week. Big hit! It will be in my recipe rotation.
So good! Love the wonderful Asian flavours in the marinade and vinegrette! I could eat this everyday! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Excellent! Couldn’t find flank steak (pandemic thing….can’t always find what I want!), so I used sirloin tip. My husband has to control his sodium, so I used Liquid Aminos in place of the soy sauce. Used my indoor grill pan (the one Gina recommends). After searing both sides, I covered with a glass lid. Turned out so perfectly!
One of our favorite skinny taste recipes
PS I cut the honey in half and it still worked beautifully.
This was beyond delicious! Thank you!
Spectacular. Was looking for something besides jerk marinade. I should have known Gina would have something this tasty. A keeper.
This has become one of our favorite recipes. It is super flavorful, and the marinade does not overpower the flavor of the beef. It is so easy to put together, too.
OMG this was delicious. My preschooler doesn’t usually eat steak very well but she cleaned her plate and said this was the best ever. Will definitely be making this more frequently!
Great!
Amazing, so flavorful my entire family loved it.
This was ssooo good. The marinade creates the freaking delicious crust on the steak as it grilled. Definitely one of my new favs.
I’ve used several different marinades for flank steak and this one is the best one we’ve tried! It was a huge hit with my family and they’ve already asked for it again next week. It was juicy, tender and delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Great recipe! I broiled the flank for 9 minutes on each side. Less time would have been even better. And the marinade addition when serving was absolutely delicious. Will make this every time I buy flank!!! Saved the recipe on my favorites.
Any suggestions on a replacement for rice vinegar? It’s the only ingredient I do not have at this moment. Cannot wait to try this recipe though!
If I were to use a cast iron grill pan should I sear both sides & then put it in oven or just do it all on the stove top?
Cast iron grill pan is fine.
This recipe was a hit! It helped that the flank steak actually cooked perfectly for once, as well. I warned up the extra marinade before drizzling it on the steak and the entire family loved it. Thank you for sharing.
The steak was delicious and I will definitely make it again. However, when I added it into my weight watchers recipe creator, you came in at 10 smartpoints.
Got ahead of myself and mixed the vinegar into the marinade. Will the vinegar disrupt the marinating? I am out of honey now – only had the 1/4 cup that the recipe called for or i would ditch it and start over.
If you accidentally forget to reserve marinade, you can use the marinade from the meat as long as you put it on the stove and let it come to a boil to kill the bacteria (according to the USDA website). Also, don’t let the meat marinate as long in vinegar – some websites say 1-2 hrs tops – or it will get mushy.
OMG! So good. I marinated mine for 8 hrs. Cooked on barbaque (475) for 4 minutes one side. And 3 minutes on other. I then turned off grill and let it sit for 2 min. Then took it off and let it rest for 10 minutes. It came out perfect. Medium rare, juicy red. We made enough marinated for 2 lbs, but we only had a pound for the two of us.
planning to do this with beef tenderloin and add the last marinade after slicing it. Anyone try that?
This was awesome. The family gobbled it up.
I wish I could hug you!! My very picky, non meat eating 11 year old tried this steak and couldn’t stop eating it! She asks for it all the time now. This is definitely going to be a family staple for us!
Venison
Can I use molasses instead of honey? I don’t have honey but I have molasses from another recipe. Would it be the same amount?
This was a great marinade, with good flavors and tenderness. I didn’t use the reserved marinade with the vinegar on the meat, but I sauteed some Patty pan squash (any summer squash would do) and added the marinade at the end of the cooking. It tasted like the Zucchini they make when you go to a Hibachi grill restaurant. Yum!
This is excellent. Flavorful and easy. We served it with the mixed baby greens with pecans and blackberries, which is also a great recipe, and a small serving of rice. I will definitely make this again.
Has anyone made this without the ginger?
I have because I’m not a fan of Ginger …. it was INCREDIBLE!
Dinner for 12 … 6.5 pounds of Prime Flank Steak from Fresh Market. OH MY WORD. They ate it ALL and raved about it! I marinaded for approximately 6 hours … it was divine. So tender and flavorful. People were making noises all around the table! Thank you Gina for KNOWING … that if I make something out of your cookbook or off this site … the flavors will be exquisite. Never disappointed.
Gina, could I use tamari in place of soy? I’m not familiar with how the taste compares to soy sauce but have it in my kitchen for another recipe I made and would love to use it up!
Sure
This steak came out so tasty. I will make it over and over. Thanks for your delicious recipes and for figuring out Weight Watcher points.
What other kind of beef or steak can you use this marinade with?
I used version and it was fabulous
Had this for Father’s Day. The family LOVED it!
Great!
We are so grateful for your help in our dietary choices. This flank steak was amazing! It will be a regular when we want a great steak! The flavor was incredible! And I have to say my husband did a fine job preparing it on our green egg! Looked just like the photos! It resulted in me ordering two of your books – the second being the one planned for Fall 2018.
When I pour the extra marinade over the steak… is the marinade cold or do I heat the extra marinade before pouring it over the cooked steak?
Room temp
Had this last night! Delicious…. even though it was marinating 24 hours! The flavour was incredible. Will definitely do this one again
I love your recipes Gina!
Planning on making this Saturday. What do you recommend serving as a side dish to go with this?
Grilled veggies and salad!
The marinade was wonderful. I appreciated the science behind why you put all the different ingredients in it. The steak turned out very well. I used grass fed bison medallions this time, and they cook very quickly and are best rare to medium. The marinade made the recipe. We don’t eat beef often and this was a special recipe. Thank you.
I don’t have a grill or a gas stove. I’ve often wanted to buy a grill pan but thought you couldn’t use it on a glass stove top. Does anyone know it this is true.
I have used a high quality stainless steel grill pan on my glass top stove without any problem. I also use cast iron pans on it at times, no prob’s w/ either. I am careful not to “drop” them to be sure I don’t damage my stove top. If it is induction it requires a certain type of metal to be included in the pan, forget which one tho.
Is it ok to marinate overnight? I see you wrote more than 12 hours won’t add anything, but will it hurt?
sure
Awesome!!!! I used london broil and made the recipe. I put it in the bag of marinade around 9:30 am and it went on the grill about 5:30 pm. I followed the recipe to a tee. There was only 2 of us so I have lots of left overs. They won’t go to waste.
Thanks so much for the great recipe.
So far, what I like about the recipes I’ve looked at is the simplicity of ingredients added. So many of the weight watchers recipes have ingredients foreign to my cupboard. If I had to purchase the ingredients, I’d never use them but once. U just discovered your site and have not tried out any of the recipes, yet!
Gina,
Do you grill over charcoal or propane gas? I ask because your grilled dishes always look to be charred so nicely. We have an infrared gas grill and never seems to get that well browned look. Any suggestions!
We use a gas grill
Live in NYC and do not have a grill. Is it possible to sear the steak on a pan? If so any different directions?
You can use a grill pan
Which marinade goes on top of the steak after its cooked..the one with the rice vinegar or the marinade you put in a pan? Thanks!
The recipe reads: “Remove 1/4 cup (60 ml) of the marinade and combine with the rice vinegar in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.” This is what you will put on top of the steak afterwards.
Then why put liquid in a pan? I feel like something is missing.
Can I use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
Hi! Can you use coconut aminos in place of the soy sauce if you are avoiding soy or do you have to use tamari for it to flavor the meat properly? Thanks!
Sure
I would love to make this tonight but I do not have a grill. I do have a crock pot and stove. Any suggestions on what temp and time in the oven?
If you have a grill pan, you can make it on the stove.
You are not very helpful when instructing on stove or oven directions.
Coincidentally, I had planned on flank steak for dinner last night so this came at the perfect time! The meat was tender and delicious, full of flavor. This one’s a keeper!
My mom always scored both sides of the flank steak. Can’t wait to try this marinade!!