Air fryer steak works because the sealed chamber holds a steady, high temperature that pan-cooking cannot replicate indoors without smoke. Results can genuinely rival a grill. Most videos hand you a time and temperature and call it done; the problem is that every air fryer runs at a slightly different actual temperature, and a timer alone will not tell you when to stop.
Short verdict
Empowered Cooks (the 2024 seven-secrets video) is the one to start with. It explains carryover cooking (that steak keeps rising in temperature after it leaves the heat) and builds its timing advice around that principle rather than fixed minutes. If you only watch one, watch this one. For doneness temperatures across cuts, the Evolving Table video is the best quick reference.
The ranking
1
Best overall
The BEST Way to COOK STEAK - In the Air Fryer?
Empowered Cooks · 8:42 · Feb 2024
Kathy from Empowered Cooks walks through seven numbered secrets for a New York strip steak in a basket-style air fryer, covering cut selection, a 20–30-minute temper, patting dry, applying avocado oil, and a preheat at 450°F before dropping to 400°F to cook. The method centres on an instant-read thermometer rather than fixed cook times, with the pull point set 3–5°F below the target internal temperature to account for carryover cooking, and finishes with a garlic herb butter applied during the rest.
Why it ranks here: The thermometer-first approach separates this from everything else in the pack. At 6:47, Kathy explains carryover cooking: the principle that steak keeps rising in temperature after you remove it from the heat. The logic is tight. She sets the pull point for medium at 138–142°F rather than watching a timer. Every other video in this set tells you to cook for a fixed number of minutes without explaining why that approach is unreliable. The garlic herb butter (softened butter, fresh parsley, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic) is made while the steak cooks and added during the rest, so nothing goes cold. The 2024 update also pushes the preheat to 450°F, a genuine improvement over the same channel's 2021 version for achieving light charring.
~12–14 min cook time · intermediate · instant-read thermometer needed
2
Best temperature reference
Air Fryer Steak (Filet, Ribeye, or Sirloin)
Evolving Table · 3:41 · Feb 2023
Evolving Table cooks ribeye and filet mignon steaks in an Instant Pot Vortex air fryer and applies the same method to any cut, from filet mignon through sirloin. The key steps are a 30-minute room-temperature rest, a 400°F preheat, patting dry, liberal coarse salt and pepper, roughly 10 minutes of cook time per inch of thickness with a halfway flip, and a thermometer check throughout the final minutes.
Why it ranks here: The doneness chart read aloud at 2:30 is the clearest of any video here. Full stop. Rare sits at 120–130°F, medium-rare at 130–135°F, medium at 135–145°F, and medium-well at 145–155°F, all given on screen. The 10-minutes-per-inch rule is a genuinely useful starting point when you don't know your air fryer well. It also names three cuts explicitly (filet mignon, ribeye, sirloin) and confirms the same method applies to all, which no other ranked video does as directly.
~10–20 min depending on thickness · easy · thermometer recommended
3
Best complete recipe
How To Cook Steak in An Air Fryer
The Stay At Home Chef · 3:17 · Jan 2022
The Stay At Home Chef presents a bone-in ribeye seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder, paired with a full compound butter recipe (4 tablespoons of salted butter with minced garlic, parsley, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce) detailed at 1:21. The method is preheat to 390–400°F, six minutes per side, rest for ten minutes smothered in the compound butter, with a meat thermometer and an online doneness chart recommended throughout.
Why it ranks here: This is the most complete single recipe in the set. The compound butter formula is measured and specific in a way that looser versions elsewhere are not. The presenter's background as a self-described certified steak judge gives the method some authority, and the 197-second runtime means there is no filler. One caveat from the comments changes the resting step; see the flag below.
~12 min cook time · easy · 1–2 hr room-temperature rest recommended
4
Best for first-timers
Air Fryer Steak | Juicy and Tender Ribeye Steak
Rose Oatley · 6:17 · May 2021
Rose Oatley uses an Emerald 5.2-litre basket air fryer to cook two separate batches of ribeye: the first at 8 + 7 minutes reaching well-done to medium-well, the second at 8 + 5 minutes reaching medium-rare to medium. Steaks are brushed with olive oil, dipped in A1 sauce, and coated in Montreal steak seasoning before going in at 400°F, with a five-minute rest and a slice of butter and fresh parsley added at the end.
Why it ranks here: Showing two batches at different cook times is something no other ranked video does, and it gives viewers a direct comparison of doneness levels without needing a thermometer. The preheat and 20-minute room-temperature rest are both explained clearly at 0:45. Several commenters report first-time success, including people who describe having no prior steak-cooking experience. At 5:43, the second batch cuts open to reveal a medium-rare to medium interior, which is a reassuring visual for anyone uncertain about timing.
~13–15 min cook time · beginner-friendly · no thermometer required
