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This copycat Chipotle Steak recipe tastes even better than the real thing. The marinade is quick and easy and full of the smoky, spicy flavors you love!
Chipotle Steak has all the same flavors as Chipotle’s famous Chicken, but here it’s applied to your favorite inexpensive cut of steak like sirloin, round steak, or flat iron steak.
It’s a tasty way to add protein to your burritos, bowls, tostadas, and more. Or serve it like they do in Mexico: Tacos on corn tortillas with just grilled onions, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Adobo sauce: To make your own adobo sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon EACH smoked paprika and cayenne powder), ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
- Ancho chile powder: You can buy ancho chile powder online or buy dried ancho chiles and grind them to make your own ancho chile powder or soak them and add straight to the marinade (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through these links).
- Olive oil: Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but olive oil is more widely available (and probably already in your pantry).
- Oregano: Chipotle uses Mexican oregano, but you can use Italian oregano if that’s all that you have. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe.
- Steak: According to Chipotle’s customer service, the “beef” in their steak could be any number of cuts including part of the loin, ball tip, round steak, flat iron steak, top butt, clod, or knuckle.
Step-by-step instructions
- To make the marinade, in the bowl of a food processor or blender, add garlic, adobo sauce, ancho chile powder, olive oil, cumin, dried oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth (add water if needed to fully blend the marinade).
- In a large zipper-top plastic bag or bowl, add steak and marinade, tossing to coat. Let the beef marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add marinated steak to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 120 to 125 degrees F for rare or 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook the steak in batches.
- Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces.
- Season to taste with salt. Serve with your favorite burrito toppings such as rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 20 generous servings, about 1/2-cup each.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The steak can be marinated the day before you need it. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- To substitute dried ancho chiles:
- Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles (wearing gloves is recommended).
- In a dry skillet over medium-low heat, toast the chiles until fragrant but not smoking, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer to a medium bowl and add 4 cups (1 quart) water and 2 Tablespoons adobo sauce. Microwave on HIGH for 6 minutes. Drain well, then add the chiles to the food processor in step 1.
- Chipotle Burrito Bowls: Make your own copycat burrito bowls, tacos, and salads at home with my full collection of Chipotle Copycat Recipes:
- Proteins: Chipotle Chicken, Chipotle Barbacoa, Chipotle Carnitas, Chipotle Sofritas
- Sides:Chipotle Cilantro-Lime Rice, Chipotle Black Beans, Chipotle Pinto Beans, Chipotle Fajita Veggies
- Sauces: Chipotle Guacamole, Chipotle Tomato Salsa, Chipotle Corn Salsa, Chipote Tomatillo Salsa, Chipotle Hot Salsa, Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette
Recipe FAQs
Transfer to a bag or glass jar and freeze for future use, or 1-2 tablespoons with ½ cup mayo for a delicious Chipotle Mayonnaise. Or, use in Chipotle Chicken, Chicken Tinga, or Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers.
To make your own adobo sauce, whisk together 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon chipotle powder (or ½ teaspoon EACH smoked paprika and cayenne powder), ½ teaspoon ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
I swear by my instant-read meat thermometer, and follow these temperature guidelines for any beef preparation:
Rare: 120 to 125 degrees F
Medium Rare: 130 to 135 degrees F
Medium: 140 to 145 degrees F
Medium Well: 150 degrees F
Well: 160 degrees F
While many chefs (and I) prefer a slightly lower temperature for juicer, more tender beef, the USDA has a more conservative minimum safe cooking temperature of 145 degrees F. Cook to your desired doneness level.
Chipotle Bowl
Tonight, stay in and build your own Chipotle Burrito Bowl with the copycat recipes you know and love. Fluffy rice, black beans, tender chicken, sweet corn salsa, tomato salsa, and lots of guacamole. It’s great…
View Recipe
More Chipotle copycat favorites
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Chicken (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Guacamole (Copycat)
Chipotle Copycat Recipes
Chipotle Corn Salsa (Copycat)
Join Us
Chipotle Steak (Copycat)
Equipment
- Cutting board (I prefer this large plastic one!)
Ingredients
For the steak:
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons adobo sauce (see note 1)
- 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder (see note 2)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or rice bran oil, plus more for the cooking surface (see note 3)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (see note 4)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 pounds steak such as sirloin, round steak, or flat iron steak (see note 5)
Instructions
- To make the marinade, in the bowl of a food processor or blender, add garlic, adobo sauce, ancho chile powder, olive oil, cumin, dried oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Blend until smooth (add water if needed to fully blend the marinade).
- In a large zipper-top plastic bag or bowl, add steak and marinade, tossing to coat. Let the beef marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before cooking.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmering. Add marinated steak to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the temperature reaches 120 to 125 degrees F for rare or 130 to 135 degrees F for medium-rare. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook the steak in batches.
- Remove to a cutting board and tent with foil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces. Season to taste with salt. Serve with your favorite burrito toppings such as rice, beans, guacamole, and salsa.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Adobo sauce: To make your own adobo sauce, whisk together 1 Tbsp. tomato paste, 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar, 1 tsp. chipotle powder (or ½ tsp. EACH smoked paprika and cayenne powder), ½ tsp. ground cumin, and a pinch EACH of oregano, garlic powder, and salt.
- Ancho chile powder: You can buy ancho chile powder online or buy dried ancho chiles and grind them to make your own ancho chile powder or soak them and add straight to the marinade (Culinary Hill may earn money if you buy through these links).
- Olive oil: Chipotle uses rice bran oil, but olive oil is more widely available (and probably already in your pantry).
- Oregano: Chipotle uses Mexican oregano, but you can use Italian oregano if that’s all that you have. They have different flavors (Mexican oregano tastes more like marjoram) but both taste great in this recipe.
- Steak: According to Chipotle’s customer service, the “beef” in their steak could be any number of cuts including part of the loin, ball tip, round steak, flat iron steak, top butt, clod, or knuckle.
- Yield: This recipe makes 20 generous 1/2-c. servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: The steak can be marinated the day before you need it. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
Is it REALLY HALF AN ONION? or like half cup?
Hi Joel, it’s half an onion, probably around 1 cup. But, I list it as “half an onion” because you put it in a blender as part of the marinade. So, there is no reason to chop it up much (just quartered or whatever you need to make it blend evenly). The marinade makes enough for 4 pounds of steak. I hope this is helpful! If you have any other questions, just let me know. Thanks. -Meggan
Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to try it. What kind of loin steak would you recommend? Would top sirloin steak worK? Any other advice on what kind of steak to use? Thx
My kids want to eat at chipotle everyday. I followed instructions made steaks taste just like Chipotle but tender. Thank you very much for the recipe and instructions!
How many dried chilies would you need to use if doing that method?
Hi Jessica, sorry I didn’t have that written out! It’s 1 ounce of dried chiles. When I buy them, it’s usually a 2-ounce package and 3-4 chiles in it depending on the size. I’ve updated the recipe notes. Thanks for pointing that out, and sorry again! If you have any other questions, just let me know. -Meggan
This is awesome.. As someone who is just getting into cooking this was simple and easy to follow and was exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much for sharing this!
will this get too spicy if it marinades for 48 hours?
Hi Vanessa, I don’t think so. I’ve let this marinade for 4-5 days and the flavor does not get significantly spicier. You should be fine! Thanks.
Do you think I could cook the steak and the chicken version the day before and re- heat? Having a lunch graduation party.
Hi Jane, yes absolutely. With the steak, you just don’t want to cook it too much because you don’t want it to be tough and dried out. So cook it medium rare, perhaps, or medium if that’s more your taste. Does that make sense? And if you want to reheat in the oven, I would cover your pans with foil to keep the chicken and steak from drying out. Or, you could toss it in a hot skillet to heat it up. Thank you so much and please let me know if you need anything else.
To make the steak:
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet until shimmering (or preheat a grill over medium high heat). Add “CHICKEN ????” to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, until the temperature reaches 135 degrees for rare or 145 degrees for medium rare. Depending on the size of your skillet, you can cook the steak in batches.
D’OH!!! Thanks for being my proofreader, your check is in the mail. But seriously I appreciate you.
John,
This author stole this recipe from Browneyedbaker. Browneyedbaker’s recipe was chicken that why it said chicken in the first place. If you’re going to steal something, make sure you don’t literally COPY & PASTE IT.
FALSE.
Exhibit A: I first posted my Chipotle Chicken recipe on January 21, 2014 as documented by the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20140130023928/www.culinaryhill.com/chipotle-chicken/
I later changed the recipe to offer a version that used the ancho chile powder instead of working with the dried chiles since readers had trouble locating them. I still discuss how to work with the dried chiles in my post, though, since some people prefer this method.
Exhibit B: Brown Eyed Baker posted her version in May 2016 which was documented by the Wayback Machine in early 2017:
https://web.archive.org/web/20170519100906/https://www.browneyedbaker.com/chipotle-chicken-recipe/
As you can see from the record, she previously cited me as her source since SHE ADAPTED HER RECIPE FROM MINE (you’ll find it in the gray box marked “Did you make this recipe?” under her recipe). She doesn’t cite me as her source anymore. I don’t care either way.
While it’s true I had a typo and wrote chicken instead of steak in this post, it’s because I copied the steak marinade FROM MYSELF. So sorry for the typo. I also removed your sentence with f-bomb from your comment; there is really no reason to use that language on my site. Especially when you’re WRONG. And so very rude.
Is there a recipe for the adobo sauce? Would prefer to make it myself after reading the ingredients. And also would rather not waste the Chile’s. Thanks!
Hi Melissa! Sorry for my delayed reply. There are homemade adobo sauce recipes on the Internet and I’ll be posting my own in the next few weeks (thanks to your request!). In the meantime if you check google you might find one that looks good to you. Thanks for the question! I’m also going to make a homemade chili powder recipe which someone else requested. Take care.
chipotle steak recipe copycat is so delicious and yummy.I loved your way of cooking and recipes.Before this i made Chicken Keema Paratha for my husband its taste also funny and delicious.
Thanks for the recipe.