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Grilled flank steak tacos are flavorful and easy to make! This unique marinade contains tart cherry or pomegranate juice with garlic and smoked paprika for a delicious flank steak marinade.
The flank steak is then grilled for less than 15 minutes and sliced thin for tacos. Perfect in crispy corn or soft flour tortillas, this recipe pairs perfectly with salsa verde, cilantro, and queso fresco.
Serve these grilled flank steak tacos with Spanish brown rice, queso or roasted corn for a delicious dinner recipe. Don’t have a grill? Try these instant pot steak tacos.
Table of Contents
Grilled Flank Steak Tacos
As a Texan, I take my taco recipes very seriously. And starting a migraine diet was challenging to do with the elimination of citrus. I quickly discovered one of my favorite steak marinades is a tart cherry marinade with garlic. If you haven’t tried this yet, you’ll love it!
It compliments the spices here perfectly and gives a great balance of acidity and a little sweetness to bring down any heat. You’ll love these grilled flank steak tacos because:
- Quick – Once the marinade is finished, it’s just 15 minutes to grill them!
- Easy clean up – Grilled recipes make for minimal dishes.
- Healthy – Flank steak is a leaner cut of beef and a wonderful way to add iron to your diet, and this tart cherry marinade can be a brain health boost.
Flank Steak Marinade for Tacos
These grilled flank steak tacos are marinated for at least an hour, although I usually like to do about 6-8 hours. The more time you give it, the more flavor that will infuse, but I do find that 2-8 hours does give great results if you can’t do it all day. I’ve found both tart cherry juice and pomegranate juice works great for this recipe.
Be careful to not marinate the flank steak much longer than 24 hours as the fibers will begin to break down and the steak texture could change.
Ingredients
For the flank steak marinade:
- Flank steak – skirt steak can also be substituted. I recommend about 2 pounds for 4 people to have 2 tacos each.
- Tart cherry or pomegranate juice – provides a tart and slightly sweet base to the marinade. Can either be found in the juice aisle or where the refrigerated juices are.
- Olive oil – avocado oil will also work.
- Spices – fresh garlic, smoked paprika, and chili powder.
- White vinegar – adds a little acidity.
- Honey – Since pomegranate juice and tart cherry juice are lower in sugar, this balances the flavors and also the heat of the chili powder.
For the flank steak tacos:
- Corn or flour tortillas – Either can be used! I’ll teach you the best ways to reheat them below. Corn tortillas are naturally gluten free. My favorite ones are the homemade ones from Central Market/HEB.
- Green onion, cilantro, queso fresco, shredded cabbage, salsa verde – These all make great extras!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the marinade
Place all the ingredients for the marinade in a plastic bag or glass dish and mixed till fully combined. Then place the steak in the marinade, flipping to coat on all sides. Marinate for 2-8 hours, or overnight.
Step 2: Grill the flank steak
Preheat a gas grill to about 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Wipe the grill grates with a paper towel dipped into a little bit of vegetable oil, being careful to not add too much to prevent flairs.
Grill on the first side for about 8 minutes with the grill lid closed. Flip the flank steak and grill for another 6 minutes, or until desired internal temperature has been reached. Cover and let the steak rest for 5-10 minutes
Step 3: Slice the steak
Cut the flank steak against the grain into thin slices, then place into pre-cooked tortillas. Use any toppings you’d like.
How to Cook Flank Steak without a Grill?
If you want to make these flank steak tacos but don’t have a grill – no worries! There are a few ways you can do this. You can follow my instant pot directions (with an even easier recipe!) or make air fryer flank steak.
A grill pan will also work for this recipe. I recommend a cast iron grill pan.
How to Warm Tortillas for Tacos
Flour tortillas – My favorite way to warm these is over a gas grill or stove. Simply place the tortilla on the grill or over a gas stove flame for about 15-20 seconds, and flip. There should be a nice char in small spots! This allows the tortillas to get soft and also crisp up a bit in spots.
Corn tortillas – Older corn tortillas can be prone to cracking and breaking. To prevent this, place the corn tortilla in a shallow dish with water for about 5 seconds per side. Then place in a clean, dry cast iron pan that has been warmed. Warm over medium heat for about 20 seconds per side, or until soft and flexible. Stack the tortillas on top of each other so they stay warm.
Recipe Substitutions
- Flank steak – Can be substituted with skirt steak, or this marinade also works well with chicken!
- Vinegar – White vinegar can be substituted with lime juice (if tolerated).
- Honey – Can be omitted or substituted with a pinch of sugar.
Serving Suggestions
These grilled flank steak tacos are perfect as a whole meal, but for some easy sides, here are my favorite recommendations.
- Chips and queso or salsa
- Mexican rice
- Pear mojito mocktails
- Slaw*
- Santa Fe rice salad*
- Homemade guacamole*
The last 3 are not migraine diet recipes so please review for any personal triggers.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – Flank steak will keep for 3 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer. It is an amazing recipe to meal prep or freeze!
Reheating – Reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments till warmed through. You can also pan-sear over medium heat. To reheat from frozen, place in the fridge overnight to defrost, then reheat with the previous recommendations.
Taco Recipes
For more delicious taco recipes like these grilled flank steak tacos, don’t miss these posts!
Beef
Instant Pot Steak Tacos
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Grilled Flank Steak Tacos
Ingredients
Marinade
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/4 cup tart cherry juice, pomegranate juice can also be subbed
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2-3 tsp smoked paprika, can also use regular paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Tacos
- 1 1/2-2 lbs flank steak
- 4-6 tortillas
- queso fresco, optional
- tomatoes and cilantro, optional
- 2 green onions chopped, optional
Instructions
- Whisk all the marinade ingredients together and place in a large ziplock bag or roasting pan.
- Add the flank steak to the marinade and let sit in the fridge for 2-8 hours.
- Heat charcoal or gas grill to about 425-450 and add steaks 8 min on first side. Flip and grill about 6 min on other side for medium/well. Remove and place on cutting board.
- Cover steak and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing across the grain of the steak (rather than with the grain).
- Add toppings and enjoy!
Tortillas can be covered in tin foil and heated in the oven for 5 minutes or, if you have a gas grill, you can toast them over the open flame about 1 minute per side to get a nice char.
Notes
- If you can’t find tart cherry juice, I’ve also used cranberry pomegranate juice with good results.
- For gluten free, use your favorite tortillas like corn or cassava flour.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This salsa verde is THE BEST!! Thanks Alicia!
Can you recommend a gluten-free tortilla? Thanks!
Hey Jolie! Look for corn tortillas at your local grocery store. They are gluten free. I buy the Central Market brand if you’re in Texas, but many grocery stores just carry local brands.
Thank you! 🙂
SO delivery!! Thanks for the great recipe ????
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Alicia,
To make a long story short… I didn’t have the tomatillos handy for the Salsa Verde recipe, so I used regular tomatoes recipe instead and it turned out great. Husband loved that version of it too.
Nancy, what a great suggestion for others too!
Thank you so much for these recipes! I’ve made several now and my family is loving them. My neurologist gave me HYH book about four months ago and it has made so much sense. This website has save me from eating the same thing over and over . Really wonderful work and beautiful site.
Thank you so much, Melissa! That’s wonderful to hear. I just made these tacos last night too and they’re one of my favorites. 🙂 If you ever have any suggestions for recipes you’d like to see. Just let me know!
We use this salsa verde recipe every time we make Mexican now! Goes great on everything. Thank you!
Haha, I’m there with you! It’s got a great, tangy flavor without the citrus or onion.
What is the name brand of the hyh tortillas you use? I’m new to the dirt so I’m trying to find my usual “staples” that are hyh safe.
Thank you!
I am lucky to live near a Central Market, it’s a brand of HEB stores, but I believe they’re just in Texas. Their flour tortillas are fresh made in house and contain basic ingredients. But clean tortillas are tough to find. If you can find Tortillaland tortillas, they are clean http://www.tortillaland.com/tortillas/flour-tortillas. I’ve seen a few at Trader Joe’s, like their “Truly Handmade” tortillas, but you have to dig through all the different kinds. If you’re looking for gluten-free and can tolerate coconut, Thrive Market has organic coconut wraps that only have 3 ingredients. I’ve even gone so far as to get them from my local Mexican restaurant! I hope that helps a little bit.
I was able to find the tortilla land brand flour tortillas at my local market today, thank you!
Do you know if the Mexican type cheeses are okay on the hyh diet? Like queso fresco, what is it in the cheese that should be avoided? Thank you.
Yay! That’s wonderful. Queso fresco and queso blanco should be ok. Although it’s not specifically called out in HYH, it’s similar to farmers cheese which is cleared in HYH. I’ve also tried monterey jack with good results. American versions are only aged around 2 months.