Carne Asada Tacos

Got a craving for steak tacos, look no further than this Carne Asada Tacos recipe. It’s made with grass-fed steak, a super-easy wet rub and crowned with grilled avocados and tangy, crisp, tangy, pink pickled onions. This quick and easy carne asada recipe doesn’t take time to assemble (the steak taco marinade only takes 5 minutes), but the longer the marinade soaks into the beef, the better it will be. Best of all, you can find all the ingredients for tacos carne asada at your local Sprouts Farmers Market.

A grocery bag full of items for the steak tacos recipe.

This post is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market. All opinions are my own.

Ever since Sprouts Farmers Market opened in my area, it’s been my go-to spot for fresh, natural and organic produce, quality meats and seafood, bulk items and an array of baked goods and grocery products at great prices. Sprouts’ unmatched produce selection is what gives the store its broad appeal. Their produce prices are on average 20 to 25 percent below traditional supermarkets. 

Sprouts Butcher Shop has a great selection of house-made sausages and Grass Fed Beef. With smart buying and high volume, Sprouts is able to deliver all-natural, never frozen, grass-fed and USDA Choice beef, chicken and pork at affordable prices.  It was their wide selection that prompted me to this carne asada tacos recipe in the first place.

Newsletter Signup
Join our community of food lovers!

Get my latest recipes, helpful kitchen tips and more good things each week in your inbox.

What Is Tacos Carne Asada Made Of?

The short answer is “beef”. But traditionally, it would be a flap steak, skirt steak, hangar steak or even flank steak. That said, you can use anything from those humble cuts to as high falutin’ as you like. For this quick and easy carne asada recipe, I used a good quality grass fed sirloin steak from my local Sprouts Farmers Market.

Yellow corn tortillas, grass-fed steak, salsa verde, garlic and lime.

We don’t eat beef all that often, so when we do, I want it to be GOOD! You know what I mean? This Carne Asada Tacos recipe IS. And the grass fed beef makes it better for us too.

Why Use Grass Fed Beef For Mexican Steak Tacos?

  • It’s All Natural.  That means, minimally processed with NO artificial ingredients.
  • It contains NO antibiotics or growth hormones. EVER.
  • It’s higher in Omega-3 Fatty Acids than grain-fed beef.
  • It’s always, fresh – never frozen… at least at Sprouts, it is.
making the wet rub for the steak tacos.

In addition to the grass fed beef, they also had the rest of the ingredients needed for this quick and easy Carne Asada recipe. Start earlier on in the day or even the day before with the steak taco marinade.

Marinade Ingredients For Mexican Steak Tacos Recipe

  • Grass Fed Steak (I used Sirloin)
  • Lime Zest
  • Garlic
  • Cumin
  • Red Pepper Flakes
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Olive Oil

The wet rub for Mexican steak tacos is really easy to make and takes about 5 minutes, if you’re slow about it… Slather it over the grass fed beef and let those flavors really penetrate the meat.

I am marinating the beef in the wet rub seasoning.

Tacos Carne Asada Marinade

The marinade is a tangy, garlicky blend of lime zest (no juice), lots of garlic, cumin and a touch of red pepper flakes, plus salt and pepper. A little olive oil holds the marinade loosely together and coats the grass fed steak with amazing flavor.

Grilling the marinated steak on a grill and checking the temperature with a meat thermometer to verify it's medium rare.

Grilling  Mexican Steak Tacos

A charcoal grill would be the most authentic way to cook the grass fed steak and I certainly don’t want to dissuade you from that, however, to make this a quick and easy carne asada recipe, I opted for the gas grill AND enlisted my grill master for the task.  He used a good meat thermometer to grill the grass fed steak to our preferred doneness (medium rare) and the meat was resting on a cutting board in under 10 minutes. As the beef rested, he grilled the avocados and corn tortillas…

grilling avocados for the mexican steak tacos.

Grilled Avocados?

Yes! It’s so easy, takes even less time than the steak and grilling adds a smokiness and depth to the fruit (avocado are technically a fruit). Brushed with a little lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, grilled avocados take on a whole new dimension. The key to grilling them, is to cut them in halves or wedges and leave them in their skins to grill. It helps to maintain their shape and structure — and not mangle the wedges when flipping. When the  avocados have some good char marks, remove them and peel off the skins to slice them again into strips for garnishing the Mexican steak tacos.

Toasting the corn tortillas on the grill.

Heating corn tortillas on the grill

Warming the tortillas on a hot grill makes them more pliable, and those bits of char on the masa shell add flavor.

It only takes a few minutes, so you don’t want to leave the fire while they’re toasting.

Now, let’s get back to that beef! Just look at perfectly grilled cut of grass fed steak. I give my grill master BIG props for this one! We sliced it thin and piled it into the corn tortillas with the grilled avocados and the rest of the fixin’s.

The toppings for the carne asada tacos.

Favorite Toppings For Tacos Carne Asada

  • Pink Pickled Onions
  • Hatch Chile Salsa (From Sprouts Farmers Market)
  • Queso Fresco Crumbled Cheese
  •  Fresh Cilantro
  • Wedges of Lime

Other Optional Garnishes:

More Mexican taco and enchilada recipes:

A plate of dressed grilled steak tacos on corn tortillas with grilled avocado and pickled red onion.



Garlic & Zest is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and review.

Your comments and shares are invaluable to me and the thousands of readers who use this site daily. If you've made the recipe, leave a star rating and review. We want to hear how you liked it.

We'd love it if you shared the recipe with your friends on social media!

A platter of carne asada tacos with pickled onions.
Print Pin
4.67 from 6 votes

Grilled Steak Tacos

Take your tacos up a notch with these tangy, smoky grilled steak tacos. Top them with your favorite toppings like pickled onions, queso fresco and slices of avocado. Using grass fed beef makes these carne asada tacos a healthier alternative to conventional beef.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword sirloin, steak, tacos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

  • Gas or Charcoal Grill
  • Meat Thermometer

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE WET RUB

  • 1 lime zested
  • 3 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • pounds grass fed sirloin steak

FOR THE CARNITAS TACOS:

  • 2 Haas Avocados
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • sprinkle salt and pepper
  • 1 cup pickled onions
  • 1 cup queso fresco
  • 1 cup salsa verde (I used Sprout’s Hatch Chile Salsa)
  • 8 corn tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

SEVERAL HOURS OR ONE DAY BEFORE, MAKE THE RUB:

  • In a small bowl, combine the lime zest, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add the olive oil and stir to combine.
  • Place the steak on a rimmed pan or dish and coat both sides with the wet rub. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

GRILLING:

  • About half an hour before cooking, take the steak out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature.
  • Heat the grill to a medium high heat (about 450°).
  • Cut the Avocados into quarters, removing the pit but leaving the skin on. Brush the avocado with lime juice, olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Grill the steak to your desired doneness,(about 4-5 minutes per side for medium rare) Use a meat thermometer to assure the correct temperature. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing.
  • Grill the avocado, about 2-3 minutes per side and transfer to a platter. Grill the corn tortillas for 1-2 minutes to warm them and get some grill marks.

TO SERVE THE CARNITAS:

  • Slice the steak into thin strips and arrange on a platter. Peel the skins from the avocados and slice lengthwise into thirds. Arrange the avocados with the steak. Wrap the warm corn tortillas in a dish towel to keep warm and soft. Serve with queso fresco, salsa verde and pickled onions.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 774kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 1350mg | Potassium: 1413mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 783IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 298mg | Iron: 5mg

Pin “Tacos Carne Asada” For Later!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    OMG,love these tacos! Que Bueno!!!

  2. 5 stars
    These Tacos looks so amazing! I’ve never visited Sprouts, but I definitely have to go there once I find one in the area!

  3. 5 stars
    Now I want tacos for breakfast! That is a perfectly cooked, grass fed steak. YUM! Such a great recipe – love the grilled avocados too.

  4. 5 stars
    Oh. my. goodness. I could eat these every day! And now I want steak tacos for breakfast… haha!

  5. 5 stars
    Look like I need to swing by Sprouts and pick up all of the ingredients for this gorgeous recipe! Lisa, you’ve outdone yourself once again. These are beautiful!

  6. How amazing do these look! Living SoCal we love our tacos!