Best Steak Seasoning Recipe
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 11, 2025 
The Best Steak Seasoning Recipe – This easy homemade steak rub recipe combines the best herbs and spices for beef steak for that perfect steakhouse finish!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
The Best Steak Seasoning Recipe
Over the years we have used many different steak seasonings with an endless list of herbs, marinades, dry rub blends, and seasoning mixes. Some store-bought and some homemade.
Although there is a time and place for beef marinades, I firmly believe that dry steak rubs are best for providing flavor and that perfect steakhouse taste and texture.
Our Best Steak Seasoning Recipe is a family favorite, with bold spicy notes, and a touch of tangy sweetness. It’s the perfect blend of salt, sweetness, robust herbs, smokey essence, spicy heat, and acidity.
Ingredients You Need
- Sea salt – or any coarse salt
- Brown sugar – helps to balance the flavors
- Smoked paprika – for a slightly smoky flavor, use smoked paprika
- Ground ancho chile pepper – or regular chili powder as a substitute
- Dried thyme – for an herby addition, you can add a little rosemary too if you’d like
- Black pepper – pepper and steak always go well together
- Garlic powder & onion powder – both provide a savory depth of flabor
- Ground mustard – for a hint of mustard
- Ground cumin – slightly spicy and floral
Together, these pantry staples make the most amazing steak rub you will ever try!
How To Use Steak Seasoning
If you rub the spices into the surface of the meat a few minutes before grilling, the seasoning has time to sneakily work its magic. This steak seasoning is the best because it gently infuses the interior of the beef with a mild level of flavor, so the rich beefy essence shines through. Plus, the exterior is left with a bold crusty texture that provides the perfect contrast to the luxurious center.
Find the full Steak Seasoning Recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Tips & Tricks
- Add some spice! If you like a little bit of spice in your food, you can add red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper!
- Make it ahead! This seasoning can be made ahead or made in large batches and saved for later. That way you’ll always have the tastiest seasoning ready for any BBQ or steak night. Store the homemade spice blend in a jar or airtight container and place it in a cool dry place for up to 3 months.
- Wrap it up and gift it! This is a great edible gift to share with friends. (Think summer party takeaways, Father’s Day or even holiday gifts!) It’s a thoughtful and flavorful gift that keeps on giving.
Serving Suggestions
Here are my favorite side dishes that go along with a fabulous steak!
- The Best Potato Salad Recipe – Potatoes are a staple with any steak dinner. This is a fan-favorite recipe that is sure to please a crowd.
- Roasted Cauliflower Rice – For a grain-free and healthier side dish, try this Roasted Cauliflower Rice!
- Oven Roasted Broccoli Recipe – Balance this hearty meal out with some broccoli. This recipe makes perfectly oven-roasted broccoli every time!
- Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad – For a Mexican twist, make this super yummy Street Corn Salad! Perfect for summer barbeques.
Frequently Asked Questions
I get this question a lot, because I think that a lot of people are scared to season their steak incorrectly and mess it up! Since steak is generally more expensive than other cuts of meat, I totally get it. You can season steak with a lot of different spices and seasonings, or you can go simple with just salt and pepper (heavy on the pepper)! I really like this bold steak seasoning blend though, which will enhance the flavor of the steak without taking over!
There are a lot of different steak seasoning options out there. If you typically use Montreal steak seasoning, it usually consists of garlic, coriander, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dill seed and salt. This steak seasoning differs a little bit and uses cumin instead of coriander, with the addition of bolder spices like paprika and chili powder!
Absolutely! This best steak seasoning recipe is great on chicken wings, burgers, pork chops, pork tenderloin or even fish! I also like this flavor combo on vegetables. You can really use it for all your grilled proteins. Feel free to experiment with your steak seasoning, and let me know how it turns out in the comments below!
If you need help grilling your steaks, check out our post on how to judge meat temperature and 10 perfect steak toppings!
Looking for More Steakhouse Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
- Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Steak Platter)
- Steak Fajita Stuffed Avocado Recipe
- Lieutenant Dan’s Steakhouse Salad
- Balsamic Steak Sheet Pan Dinner
- Grilled French Onion Steak Sliders
- Harissa Baked French Fries
- Oven Roasted Salmon with Peppercorn Sauce
- Best Homemade Refrigerator Pickles
- Truffle Parmesan Biscuits
- Warm Blueberry Sauce (For Ice Cream!)
- Market Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Best Steak Seasoning Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground ancho chile pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Either use immediately, or store in a small airtight container until ready to use. Makes enough to season 4 large steaks.
- When ready to use, rub the seasoning over all sides of the steaks, and allow them to rest at least 20 minutes before grilling or searing.
One of the best if not THE BEST seasonings my wife and I have ever tasted! I grill over charcoal all year long. I made this for some t-bone steaks the night before. We decided we will be making and using this probably from now on with all our steaks. Will try on chicken and fish too. Thank you for sharing!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It was amazing!!
I made this recipe in bulk and gave it out as Christmas gifts. I had never used it before….just kind of hoped it was good!
Our bottle sat in our spice cupboard for a good long while without being used(the story gets better! I promise!). Months and months later, my husband was grilling Salmon and pulled out the bottle I had made and said he was going to try it. I’m not a huge Salmon fan so my expectations were very low!
Fast forward to dinner….this recipe made me love Salmon! We have since used it for it’s intended purpose and it is so Good! But we always use it on Salmon….the only way I’ll eat it!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!! It’s Awesome!
This was the most amazing steak rub I have ever had !!! Wish I’d taken photos.
This will be the only steak rub I will use from now on . The A-1 sauce sat untouched on the table .
It’s delicious and addicting and complemented the steak perfectly.
without overpowering the steak .
Beautiful balance of flavors .
Put it on an hour before broiling and the only adjustment was a pinch of crushed red .
My husband is also a huge meat eater. We’ve been buying premade steak seasoning for years. I didn’t realize the difference that freshly made seasoning could make.
What a surprise! Been using homemade Montreal seasoning, and wanted to try something different. Glad I found this. Put it on a thick porterhouse, made one of the best steaks ever. Thanks for the recipe!
Omg I was sceptical doing this but gave it a go and I can honest say I agree this dry rub is best I have ever tasted I used on steak but defo will using on other meats too so thank you for this paul
Was wondering if after cooking the steak if a pat of garlic butter would go well with the rub?
I normally stick with strictly a Dalmatian rub for steak, but this was surprisingly outstanding on a ribeye. I made no changes at all to the ingredients, save I left out the salt, and used it separately, as I like to control exactly how much salt goes on the meat (I leave salt out of all rub recipes for that reason).
I’ve never been a fan of dry rubs, but with so many 5 star ⭐️ reviews I just HAD TO TRY THIS!
I didn’t have the ancho chili so used chili powder and no thyme but substituted an Italian seasoning mix. Now I will never make a steak any other way! I didn’t need to add anything to it once it was on my plate; it was PERFECT AND DELICIOUS!!
I even put some on my turkey burger (which are usually pretty boring) last night and scarfed it down so fast I’m not sure if I took any breaths between bites.
THANK YOU! You’ve rocked my world!
I had a really nice 10 oz Filet Mignon last night and was a little leery about using anything but my usual salt and pepper but I went for with this rub and I’m so glad I did! I can’t wait to try it on a porterhouse I have in the freezer right now. Next week! I did substitute New Mexican Chili Powder for the Ancho but it was still awesome. Thank you! I’m sure I’ll be using this for years to come!
I’ve got say thanks for the wonderful recipe, this is the first rub I have ever tried and it is magnificent. I have never made good steak I actually enjoyed eating until trying this. The two items I did not have were the ancho chile powder, I subbed a dash of cayenne and the dried mustard powder- I subbed Italian seasoning again just a couple shakes into the mix. Everything else I had and included in my mix and it really does give steak a fabulous taste. The only thing I felt lacking was a delicious wine compound butter but that’s my next project to learn. This is top notch and I will try other recipes from this site. There are so many people doing recipe sites it is so good to find one that is actually good. A+
God tier steak rub 👌🏽. The onlytweak I recommend everyone try is to add a tablespoon of powdered butter . It will change your life
Thank you for that great tip. I will look for that next time. Do you add the powdered butter into the rub mixture? I have cut a thin tab of my Irish butter to rub on my finished steak before. This really is a first class rub and it’s only better since I now have all the proper ingredients. I recommend buying extra smoked paprika as I go through a lot of it at around 1-2 steaks per week. I don’t always want toppings, but one time I added a bit of butter and sauteed some mushrooms in the steak pan with all the drippings and that I will say is extra yummy.