Are you craving restaurant-quality carne asada? Save yourself a trip and make your own carne asada platter with perfectly grilled steak, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, and seared vegetables. We serve ours with Mexican rice.
Why We Love This Recipe
Growing up in the Southwestern United States, I was privileged to eat the food of some of the best Mexican chefs and home cooks. Moving to the South, finding Mexican food isn’t impossible (shout out to Guanajuato in Durham, North Carolina), but it’s not as easy as it used to be. With this fully loaded carne asada platter, you can make a restaurant-quality meal in the comfort of your kitchen.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Garlic: I suggest using eight fresh garlic cloves, but measure with your heart.
- Jalapeño: If you love jalapeños but crave more spice, leave the seeds and membrane intact when chopping them, or use serrano peppers.
- Onion: Slice the white onion, then add it to the marinade for the carne asada.
- Lime: Use the juice from two whole limes.
- Orange: Flavor the marinade with juice from one fresh orange, or use half a cup of store-bought juice without the pulp.
- Olive Oil: The oil helps distribute and carry the flavors of the other ingredients. It also keeps the steak moist.
- Dark Soy Sauce: Dark soy sauce is unlike light or all-purpose soy sauce. Dark soy sauce has a more intense flavor, and the saltiness is perfect for marinating.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Use apple cider vinegar to marinate the steak.
- Spices: Season the steaks generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Flap Steak: Flap steak, or ranchero de res, is the meat of choice. You can also use skirt steak or flank steak.
- Beans: Coo black or pinto beans until they are soft and tender. Garnish with cotija cheese for the perfect finish.
- Platter Ingredients: Finish the platter with shredded lettuce, guacamole, pico de gallo, grilled scallions, seared jalapeños, and Mexican rice.
- Corn Tortillas: Warm corn tortillas are the best way to enjoy the carne asada platter. Check out these tips and tricks for how to heat corn tortillas.
How to Make a Carne Asada Platter
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
For the Carne Asada:
Step 1: Combine crushed garlic, sliced jalapeño, sliced onion, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a resealable bag. Add the steaks and seal it. Combine it with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Step 2: Preheat the grill by setting all burners on high for about 10 minutes. Remove the steak and discard the excess marinade. Cook for 7- 10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Step 3: Remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
For the Platter:
Step 4: Grill the jalapeños and scallions with the carne asada. Cook the jalapeños for 3-4 minutes over the flame. Flip and move to indirect heat. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Then, remove them from heat and set them aside.
Step 5: Add the scallions to the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute, and set them aside.
Step 6: Add the pinto beans to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until they soften.
Step 7: Prepare Mexican rice, homemade guacamole and pico de gallo or buy them from the store.
Step 8: Spoon the beans onto the platter and top them with cotija cheese. Add one scoop of Mexican rice, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Arrange the carne asada onto the plate and finish with a few grilled scallions and a jalapeño. Serve with warm corn tortillas, and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes, but 1-2 hours in the refrigerator is best.
- Get your cooking surface very hot. You want the meat to develop a nice sear, so use a hot grill as I do, a grill pan, or a cast iron skillet.
- Cook the meat quickly over high heat. Carne asada cooks fast. If using thin meat like skirt steak, I recommend only 2-4 minutes per side; resist the urge to move it around too much, or it won’t get a nice char.
- Since carne asada plates have so many components, I like to prepare some elements ahead of time, like pico de gallo, guacamole, and Mexican rice. On the day of, grill the steak and vegetables and cook the beans.
If you love this recipe, try one of these Mexican favorites!
Serving Suggestions
In case you need help deciding, here are the best side dishes for carne asada:
- Side Dishes: Grilled Zucchini, Mexican Rice, Cilantro Lime Rice, Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad, Pickled Onions, Lime Wedges
- Salsa: Chunky Salsa, Mango Pico De Gallo, Corn Salsa, Avocado Lime Crema, Salsa Verde, Serrano Crema, Sour Cream
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze – Let the steak cool, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. The meat for the carne asada platter will freeze for 2-3 months.
- Thaw – Defrost the steak in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat – Wrap the leftover steak in foil and warm it in the oven or reheat individual servings in a skillet on the stovetop.
- Repurpose – If you have leftover steak, there are many ways to repurpose it! Of course, tacos are my go-to, but why not switch it up? Make quesadillas by melting cheese and the leftover steak, or try a hearty burrito bowl. And if you’re feeling snacky, whip up sheet pan nachos or cheesy carne asada fries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best meat for carne asada?
Out of convenience, most people use flank steak or skirt steak to make carne asada here in the U.S. Out of the two – I recommend skirt steak.
For best results, I recommend visiting your local carniceria to purchase flap steak or ranchera de res. Apart from a carniceria, I have only been able to find non-marinated flap steak at Whole Foods, but it’s usually quite expensive.
More Steak Recipes:
Carne Asada Platter
- 8 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 jalapeño, seeds and stem removed, sliced
- ¼ white onion, sliced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, coarse ground
- 2 pounds flap steak, or ranchero de res, ½-inch
- 2 cans refried black beans or pinto beans
- ½ cup cotija cheese
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 8 scallions, grilled with the carne asada
- 4 jalapeños, grilled with the carne asada
- 8 corn tortillas
For the Carne Asada:
- Combine crushed garlic, sliced jalapeño, sliced onion, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a resealable bag. Add the steaks and seal it. Combine it with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the grill by setting all burners on high for about 10 minutes. Remove the steak and discard the excess marinade. Cook for 7- 10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the meat.
- Remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice the beef against the grain.
For the Platter:
- Grill the jalapeños and scallions with the carne asada. Cook the jalapeños for 3-4 minutes over the flame. Flip and move to indirect heat. Continue cooking for 5 minutes. Then, remove them from heat and set them aside. Add the scallions to the grill and cook for 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 minute, and set them aside.
- Add the pinto beans to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until they soften.
- Prepare Mexican rice, homemade guacamole and pico de gallo or buy them from the store.
- Spoon the beans onto the platter and top them with cotija cheese. Add one scoop of Mexican rice, shredded lettuce, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Arrange the carne asada onto the plate and finish with a few grilled scallions and a jalapeño. Serve with warm corn tortillas, and enjoy!
- Let the steak marinate for at least 30 minutes, but 1-2 hours in the refrigerator is best.
- Get your cooking surface very hot. You want the meat to develop a nice sear, so use a hot grill as I do, a grill pan, or a cast iron skillet.
- Cook the meat quickly over high heat. Carne asada cooks fast. If using thin meat like skirt steak, I recommend only 2-4 minutes per side; resist the urge to move it around too much, or it won’t get a nice char.
- Since carne asada plates have so many components, I like to prepare some elements ahead of time, like pico de gallo, guacamole, and Mexican rice. On the day of, grill the steak and vegetables and cook the beans.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.