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Never worry about defrosting your steaks again with this Sous Vide Frozen Steak recipe! With a few basic seasonings and 3 hours in the sous vide water bath, you can have tender and juicy steaks with minimal effort!
We’ve all been there. It’s a few hours before dinnertime, and you realize you forgot to thaw the steaks for dinner.
It’s definitely happened to me more than once! But, thanks to sous vide cooking, I can cook the perfect steak and nobody ever knows it was cooked from frozen.
You can make this sous vide frozen chicken breast too!
While I try to cook with fresh steaks when I can, buying in bulk is a time saver. And when steaks are on sale, it’s a money saver too!
So, I often stock up on steaks and freeze them for future meals. In just 3 hours, they’re cooked to tender and juicy perfection using the sous vide!
If you have fresh steaks, you can check out this sous vide new york strip, sous vide ribeye recipe or this sous vide sirloin recipe!
**You might also want to read this in depth sous vide steak guide.
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Why this recipe works
- With sous vide cooking, the temperature of the water bath is set, so you have more control over how your steak is cooked.
- It’s difficult to overcook your frozen steak using the sous vide method. It thaws and cooks in the water bath and still cooks to your desired level of doneness.
- This recipe is versatile as it works with different cuts of steak like ribeye, New York strip or sirloin.
- It’s convenient and saves time. You don’t need to worry about defrosting your steaks and they cook in just 3 hours in the water bath.
- It’s perfect for meal prep as you can season your fresh steaks before you vacuum seal and freeze them. Then, when they come out of the freezer, they’re already prepped for cooking.
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What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide is basically a method of cooking using what is called an immersion circulator (i.e. the sous vide machine). This immersion circulator circulates water in a temperature controlled water bath at a certain temperature to perfectly cook your food every time.
Because the temperature doesn't change, and it keeps your meat (or dessert, veggies, etc.) at the same temperature, your risk of overcooking becomes very minimal.
To learn even more about sous vide cooking, head over and read "what is sous vide cooking and the benefits of sous vide cooking."
What is the Water Displacement Method?
The displacement method is where you slowly submerge a ziplock bag in water pushing the air out of the top of the bag (the bag should be slightly open at the top to allow air to escape).
Use a clip (I use sous vide magnets) to clip the bag to the side to keep it from floating and getting air and/or water inside.
Tools Used
You will also want to check out these posts on the best sous vide containers and the best sous vide bags for more information!
More sous vide beef recipes
Ingredients
You’ll need 2 frozen steaks for this recipe, or about 1 pound of beef in total. You can use ribeye, NY strip, sirloin or another type of steak with the same level of thickness.
The seasoning is basic. You just need 1 tablespoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
Once the steaks are cooked in the water bath, they’ll get seared with 1 tablespoon of avocado oil. You can use another type of high smoke point oil if you prefer.
Step by step instructions
Heat a sous vide water bath to 131F degrees.
Place the frozen steaks in a vacuum seal bag with the salt and pepper, distributing the seasoning as much as possible. Seal the bag.
Cook for 3 hours.
Remove and place in an ice bath for 10 minutes to stop the cooking.
Remove from the bag and pat dry.
Heat a skillet over high heat and add the avocado oil.
Add the steaks and sear for 30-60 seconds on each side until a golden brown crust forms (you can use a grill as well).
Remove and serve alone or with a creamy horseradish sauce (used in this sous vide filet mignon recipe).
Sous Vide Frozen Steak Temperatures
When cooking steak from frozen using the sous vide, you don’t need to increase the temperature. You just need to add extra cooking time.
This recipe calls for cooking frozen steak to 131F degrees. This will result in a medium-rare steak that’s tender and juicy. If you prefer your steak cooked another way, refer to the table below.
| Doneness | Temperature |
| Rare | 120°F to 126°F |
| Medium-rare (recommended) | 127°F to 134°F |
| Medium | 135°F to 144°F |
| Medium-well | 145°F to 155°F |
| Well-done (not recommended) | 156°F and above |
Expert tips
- To save time, when you buy your fresh steaks, season them and then vacuum seal before freezing. They’ll be ready for the sous vide straight out of the freezer!
- This recipe uses a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Feel free to change it up and use your favorite steak seasoning.
- For even cooking, make sure to seal the steaks in the bag in a single layer. If they’re overlapping, they will not cook evenly.
- Properly removing air from the bag helps to keep bacteria out of the bag and safely cook your beef.
- Air may get in the bag and cause the bag to float. If this happens, just open the bag, let the air out and reseal it.
- To prevent floating, you can also use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight.
- To get the best crust on your steak, use a paper towel to pat the steaks dry before searing them in the skillet.
- The skillet should be super hot before adding the steaks so they form a crust quickly without overcooking.
- Be careful not to sear the steaks for more than 30-60 seconds per side. They may start to overcook.
- Instead of searing the steaks in a hot skillet, you can also grill them over high heat until a crust forms.
Common questions
We normally cook our steaks to medium rare. To achieve this level of doneness using the sous vide, you’ll need to set the temperature of your water bath to 131F degrees.
To cook a frozen steak, it just takes 3 hours in the sous vide water bath. This is an hour longer than fresh steak. If your steaks are thicker, you may need to cook them a little longer.
You won’t be able to notice a difference. Steaks cooked from frozen using the sous vide are just as juicy and tender as steaks cooked from fresh.
It’s difficult to overcook steak using the sous vide method as the temperature of the water bath is controlled and precise. If you end up cooking your steaks past the recommended cooking time, they will eventually start to get soft and break down in texture.
Storage and reheating
Leftover steak can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
To reheat, just add the leftover steak to a skillet with a little broth and heat over low heat until warmed through. (The broth and low heat will help prevent it from drying out).
Serving options
Here are a few of our favorite sous vide side dishes to serve with steak:
- Sous Vide Mashed Potatoes
- Sous Vide Asparagus
- Sous Vide Carrots
- Sous Vide Brussels Sprouts
- Sous Vide Lobster Tail
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Recipe
Sous Vide Frozen Steak
Ingredients
- 2 frozen steaks about 1 pound beef total, ribeye, NY strip, sirloin, etc.
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil for searing only
Instructions
- Heat a sous vide water bath to 131F degrees.
- Place the frozen steaks in a vacuum seal bag with the salt and pepper, distributing the seasoning as much as possible. Seal the bag.
- Cook for 3 hours.
- Remove and place in an ice bath for 10 minutes to stop the cooking.
- Remove from bag and pat dry.
- Heat a skillet over high heat and add the avocado oil.
- Add the steaks and sear for 30-60 seconds on each side until a golden brown crust forms (you can use a grill as well).
- Remove and serve alone or with a creamy horseradish sauce (used in this sous vide filet mignon recipe).
Expert Tips:
- To save time, when you buy your fresh steaks, season them and then vacuum seal before freezing. They’ll be ready for the sous vide straight out of the freezer!
- This recipe uses a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Feel free to change it up and use your favorite steak seasoning.
- For even cooking, make sure to seal the steaks in the bag in a single layer. If they’re overlapping, they will not cook evenly.
- Properly removing air from the bag helps to keep bacteria out of the bag and safely cook your beef.
- Air may get in the bag and cause the bag to float. If this happens, just open the bag, let the air out and reseal it.
- To prevent floating, you can also use something heavy like a sous vide sinker weight.
- To get the best crust on your steak, use a paper towel to pat the steaks dry before searing them in the skillet.
- The skillet should be super hot before adding the steaks so they form a crust quickly without overcooking.
- Be careful not to sear the steaks for more than 30-60 seconds per side. They may start to overcook.
- Instead of searing the steaks in a hot skillet, you can also grill them over high heat until a crust forms.
Nutrition
Helen
I'm so glad I found this. Sometimes I just run out of time and it's great to know I can just throw a frozen piece of meat in and leave it!
Danielle
It's so convenient!