I tried Gordon Ramsay's recipe for air-fryer steak, and I got a perfect result in 20 minutes

• I made Gordon Ramsay's air-fried rib-eye steak with a coffee and chili rub and was blown away.
• The rub had 11 ingredients that resulted in a complex, spicy, sweet, and salty flavor.
• In 20 minutes I had a juicy, perfectly cooked steak — I can't wait to make this again. 

I never even thought you could — or should — cook a nice steak in the air fryer, but Gordon Ramsay's coffee-and-chili-rubbed rib-eye recipe has totally proved me wrong. 

I chose a thick rib-eye steak

I am a huge fan of rib-eye steaks. I love the fattiness of the cut and the tender juiciness of the meat.

This 2-inch-thick, 1 1/2-pound steak was hefty and it looked like it would be a pain to cook properly if I wasn't using an air fryer. 

The rub includes 11 different ingredients and is easy to put together

I combined ground coffee, ancho chili powder, paprika, dark-brown sugar, salt, pepper, ground coriander, ground mustard, ground ginger, and dried oregano.

The only ingredient I couldn't find was the Aleppo pepper so I substituted it with a bit of cayenne. 

Ramsay recommends letting the steak sit for 15 minutes with the rub on

I completely coated my room-temperature steak with the mixture, making sure to get the sides.

Ramsay suggests letting the steak sit for 15 to 20 minutes with the rub on because the longer it sits, the more the flavors of the spices soak into the meat.

I heated the air fryer to 390 degrees Fahrenheit and tried to cook my steak to a medium finish 

I slightly sprayed the basket with oil and cooked the steak for 10 minutes on each side. 

Before cutting into it, I let the steak rest for about 10 minutes.

The steak came out perfectly juicy and tender and the meat melted in my mouth

The steak came out absolutely delicious.

It was a solid medium with no blood but a light-pink center. If you wanted more of a medium-rare, you could cook it for eight minutes per side and it would equally be as good. It just depends on your preference.

The rub was complex and super flavorful. If you're someone who likes a salty, sweet, and umami flavor with a slight kick, you'll love it as I did.

The coffee really balanced the flavor profile of the rub and the peppers gave it a nice kick that contrasted nicely with the sweetness of the brown sugar.

As a bonus, this recipe was pretty much foolproof and required hardly any cleanup.

As long as you have the right temperature set, the cooking is done evenly. No parts got burnt or charred — it was just a perfectly cooked, juicy steak all around. 

If you want even more flavor, a garlic-herb butter on top can make it extra indulgent.

I absolutely would make this again and I recommend this recipe for anyone who doesn't like to handle high heat, sizzling pans, or hot oil.

This story was originally published on September 16, 2021, and most recently updated on April 25, 2024.