Ok, We know that country fried steak and gravy is not the most diet-friendly dish out there. However, we couldn't resist trying it out in the Air Fryer, just to see if we could make it a little healthier. And guess what? It worked! Not only did we manage to cut down on the calories, but the dish turned out to be absolutely delicious. In fact, we dare say that it tasted even better than the traditional method of cooking this kind of steak. This is a recipe that you should definitely try at least once a year, for those days when you just can't resist the craving for country-fried steak! Air frying is a great way to satisfy your cravings without feeling too guilty!!
A fun twist on Country Fried Steak and Gravy
Growing up, we often had country-fried steak for dinner, accompanied by creamy and buttery mashed potatoes. The gravy for the steak was made out of the drippings from the fried steak. I have fond memories of these childhood food experiences. This was one of those recipes we had to "re-imagine" …and add a few extra minutes of exercise the next day. So for the gravy, we made it with 1% milk which does save a few calories. We made Bacon Gravy, but you could also use sausage or hamburger gravy.
TIPS:
- Measure the amount of flour used on each steak. For a classic side dish, you can serve it with either Steak Fries or Mashed Potatoes.
- For time-saving, cook the Steak Fries simultaneously as the steak.
- Before air frying spray the steak with Olive Oil or Butter Cooking Spray this helps crisp the breading on the steak.
- When having something like country fried steak, you might want to track your calorie intake, during the day, and save them for dinner.
This recipe serves two people but can be easily doubled for additional servings. Remember that all air fryers are different sizes, so if you can't fit all the steaks into the air fryer, cook them in shifts. The dinner will take less than 20 minutes to make! While the steak is cooking in the air fryer, make the gravy. If the first batch of steaks finishes cooking before the rest, place them in a 250-degree oven to keep them warm.
Gravy is also delicious with Biscuits as a Sunday brunch! Of course, served with a Bloody Mary HAHA!!!! Have fun making Air Fryer country-fried steak.
NOTE:
- Air fryers can vary in their cooking methods and outcomes, depending on factors such as the model, brand, and size. Therefore, it is essential to keep in mind that different types and makes of air fryers may produce different results.
- We used a ½-inch round steak for this recipe. Cook the steak to your desired temperature. In our case, we cooked it to a medium.
- If you plan to make steak fries along with the steak, start preparing the fries first, as they take 10 minutes longer to cook than the steak.
Check out some of our other Air Fryer recipes. We'd love to hear from you, please let us know about some of your fun ways to use an Air Fryer.
Air Fryer Country Fried Steak
A Few Things We Use
Ingredients
Air Fryer Steak
- 8 Ounces Bottom Round Steak or Cube Steak
- ½ Cup Flour
- 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon Pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne This is OPTIONAL!!! Only if you want it spicy
Instructions
- Beat the Egg
- Mix together flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and (if you want spice) Cayenne pepper.
- Lightly salt and pepper steak on each side (APPX: ⅛ teaspoon of each per side)
- Dip the steak into the beaten egg.
- Place the steak into the flour mixture. Coat the steak with the flour mixture and then shake off any excess flour.
- To brown and crisp the steak, spray one side of it with cooking spray.
- Place the steak sprayed side down in the Air Fryer and coat the top with cooking spray.
- Bake in Air Fryer at 400° for 8 minutes
- Flip Steak Over. Lightly spray with cooking spray
- Cook the steak for an additional 7 minutes in Air Fryer at 400° (cooking time could be less or more depending on the thickness of your steak.)
- Serve with potatoes and Gravy.. (see Our Gravy recipe) (Mashed Potatoes and Steak Fries are the best)
- Enjoy!!!!
Yvonne Haggerty says
Looks yummy! Trying it tonight!
Amy says
Hi! Awesome!!! We hope you love it as much as we do. Let us know what you think!!
Vincent Carrigan says
cooking this now!!!
Amy says
Awesome! Thank you! Let us know what you think!!!
Shawn says
How did you make 4 steaks in 30 minutes? Do you have 2 air fryers?
Amy says
Hi! It would depend on the size of the cube steak and air fryer. Sometimes 4 won't fit all at once in the fryer. If that's the case, you may want to do them in batches to not overcrowd the basket of the air fryer. We have placed them on a cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven, to keep the done steaks warm, until the last two are ready. A lot of times the cube steaks will all fit together in the basket. Hope you enjoyed this recipe. We LOVE it.
Shaun says
I used 2 cube steaks and they ended up getting overcooked. For the next one I am going to reduce the heat and cooking time. I am going to go for a single layer of breading as well. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy says
Hi! Thank you so much for trying out our recipe. I hate to hear that it came out overdone. Every air fryer may need a little adjusting depending on the thickness of the steak. Also, we tried this with a bottom round steak, that we pounded out a little with a meat mallet. It turned out great. Please let us know how your next one goes.
Miriam Bell says
Made this tonight. Just used salt and pepper for seasoning. It is delicious!!
Sue says
So Glad you liked the Country Fried Steak. It's one of our favorites.
Lynette says
We loved this steak. My husband kept putting more bacon gravy on the steak and fries. He said. It was better than traditional since there was less grease. I used Kentucky Kernels seasoned flour and was a good addition.
Amy says
Thank you so much for trying our steak recipe! We're so glad you liked it. I've never had Kentucky Kernels, I'll definitely have to give it a try.