My homemade version of Chipotle’s Garlic Guajillo Steak tastes even better than the restaurant’s version. I love how easily I can recreate its superior flavor with just a few simple ingredients. The best part? It’s so easy to make at home and can be ready in less than 20 minutes. At a fraction of the cost, I’ll be making this recipe over and over for years to come.
Get ready for homemade flavors at your table with my Garlic Guajillo Steak recipe! I wanted to create a dish that delivers a twist on traditional steak night and also makes the perfect taco filling. The tender steak, infused with aromatic garlic and the smoky spice of guajillo peppers, makes each bite unforgettable. Whether I’m planning tacos for taco night or just craving a flavorful steak, this recipe always has me covered.
How to Make Garlic Guajillo Steak
- Mix guajillo powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt together in a bowl.
- Cut beef into 1-inch wide by 4-inch stripes.
- Toss with seasoning.
- Sear in a hot skillet until golden brown.
- Melt butter and stir in garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, and salt.
- Pour garlic butter sauce over steak and toss together.
- Serve steak in a tortilla with cilantro, onions, and hot sauce.
Making Your Own Guajillo Powder
Making your own guajillo powder is easy to do. Dried guajillo peppers can be purchased at most grocery stores in the dried pepper aisle or the international aisle. In addition, the dried peppers can be purchased at a Mexican grocery store or online at places like amazon. In addition to the dried peppers, a coffee grinder or spice grinder is needed to pulverize the peppers into a fine powder. To make your own guajillo powder, follow the steps below. I highly suggest using food prep gloves to eliminate the burning effects of spicy capsaicin seeping into the skin.
- Using a sharp knife, cut down the length of the dried pepper with a sharp knife. Alternatively, cut the top 1-inch off the pepper and roll and twist it upside down over a trash can to loosen and remove the seeds.
- Shake out or remove the seeds. The seeds contain a significate amount of capsaicin. This is where the hot spice or heat of the pepper comes from.
- Cut or tear the pepper into smaller pieces.
- Place the peppers into a spice grinder and grind into a fine powder.
- Pour ground spices into a fine mesh strainer or sieve and sift the spices into a small bowl.
- Repeat process until you have enough ground guajillo powder to use in the recipe.
Guajillo Steak Ingredients
BEEF: Chipotle uses sirloin tip steak to make their famous garlic guajillo steak. I am also using the same cut of beef to make a copycat garlic guajillo steak recipe version. Other cuts of beef that may be used include skirt steak or beef tenderloin.
- Jessica’s Insight: “I love how each ingredient in this dish brings its own unique flavor to the table. Don’t hesitate to experiment with different cuts of beef to find your favorite combination!”
GUAJILLO POWDER: Guajillo is a type of smoky chili pepper that’s popular in Mexican cooking. It is moderately hot but is much more mild in spiciness when the seeds are removed. The powder version can be found online at places like amazon or in grocery stores and especially in Mexican grocery stores. The pepper can also be purchased dried and grinded into a powder with the use of a spice grinder.
- Jessica’s Insight: “Grinding your own guajillo powder can make a big difference in flavor. If you have the time, I highly recommend giving it a try—it adds an extra depth of smokiness that you can’t always get from store-bought versions.”
SEASONING: Garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
LEMON JUICE: Citrus juice such as lemon juice or lime juice is used to brighten and enhance the flavor of the steak recipe.
GARLIC: Garlic greatly enhances the flavor of guajillo steak. It has a strong, sharp, spicy taste. I use garlic powder to dry season the steak as well as use freshly minced or zested garlic in a butter sauce to finish off the dish. Garlic flavor is much stronger in its raw form verses cooking it. Each bite of this Mexican steak is sure to pack a rich garlic flavor.
CILANTRO: Cilantro has many uses in Mexican dishes. It’s also a classic taco topping, along with onions. Cilantro is an herb and is a part of the parsley family. It adds a unique taste to popular Mexican dishes. Even if you are not a fan of cilantro, try adding just a little bit of it to finish the dish. My mom, who does not like cilantro, wasn’t able to notice the stubble addition of it in this dish.
- Jessica’s Insight: “I know cilantro can be divisive, but even if you’re not a big fan, adding just a touch can really brighten up the dish. It adds a fresh note that balances the richness of the steak.”
BUTTER: Serving steak with a pat of butter is nothing new. I’ve taken that same culinary concept and have applied it to this recipe. In addition, I add a few ingredients to the butter to enhance the flavors of this Mexican dish even more. The richness of the butter not only adds flavor but adds moistness to the meat. It also serves as the perfect vehicle to evenly coat the Mexican steak with additional spices, herbs, and citrus juice.
- Jessica’s Insight: “The butter sauce not only keeps the steak moist, but it also helps meld all the flavors together beautifully. Don’t skip this step—it takes the dish to the next level!”
How to Serve Guajillo Steak
Flavorful ingredient additions: Traditionally, garlic guajillo steak is served in a taco or eaten alone and served with Mexican rice and refried beans. I like to serve guajillo steak in a corn tortilla with chopped cilantro. diced onions, and hot sauce.
- cilantro
- onions
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- Mexican cheese
- lime juice
- corn tortilla or flour tortilla
- black beans or pinto beans
- cilantro lime rice
- Mexican rice
- hot sauce
Making Your Own Guajillo Powder
Making your own guajillo powder is easy. You can find dried guajillo peppers in most grocery stores, either in the dried pepper aisle or the international section. You can also buy them at Mexican grocery stores or online. Besides the dried peppers, you’ll need a coffee grinder or spice grinder to pulverize the peppers into a fine powder. Here’s how I do it:
- I recommend using food prep gloves to avoid the burning effects of spicy capsaicin seeping into your skin.
- I used a sharp knife to cut down the length of each dried pepper. Alternatively, you could cut the top inch off the pepper, then roll and twist it upside down over a trash can to loosen and remove the seeds.
- I shake out or remove the seeds, as they contain a significant amount of capsaicin, which is where the pepper’s heat comes from.
- I cut the peppers into smaller pieces, place them in a spice grinder, and ground them into a fine powder.
- Next, I poured the ground spices into a fine mesh strainer and sifted them into a small bowl. I repeated the process until I had enough guajillo powder for the recipe.
Other Mexican Recipes You’ll Love
Garlic Guajillo Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.75 lb sirloin tip steak
- 1½ tbsp guajillo powder
- ¾ tsp onion powder
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced or zested
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1½ tbsp cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp butter melted
Serving
- 9 corn tortillas
- cilantro chopped
- 1 white onion diced
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Cut steak into 1-inch wide by 4-inch stripes.
- In a small bowl, mix together guajillo powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt together.
- Sprinkle seasoning over steak and toss together until the beef is evenly coated.
- Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Pour in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil into the skillet per batch of meat.
- Add beef to skillet. Do not crowd the pan or the steak will steam instead of sear. You may need to repeat the process in batches. I usually wipe away the oil after each batch with a paper towel.
- Sear beef until golden brown on each side; about 4-8 minutes.
- Place steak into a large bowl. Remove any excess liquid.
- Melt butter in microwave.
- Stir in cilantro, garlic, salt, and lemon juice.
- Pour over steak and toss together.
- Serve garlic guajillo steak in a warm corn or flour tortilla with chopped cilantro and chopped white onions or in a bowl with cilantro lime rice and black beans.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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