Sous Vide Sirloin Steak is a no-fuss, no-fail recipe to cook this family-sized beef cut, turning it to a super tender and juicy dinner full of flavor! Sous vide machine cooks the sirloin steak to your targeted temperature precisely, and no more overcooked edges with the undercooked center!
It’s the most reliable way to get the perfect steak every time! Serve this sous vide top sirloin with potatoes and veggies for a complete meal.
Sous vide steak is a French cooking technique to cook the steak where the meat is vacuum-sealed in a bag, and then cooked for a long time to a precise temperature in a warm water bath.
When cooking a sirloin steak with traditional methods such as pan-frying, baking, or grilling, there is a small window of the perfect doneness. If we miss that window, the steak will taste dry and chewy. Sous vide cooking eliminates this issue. In addition, it cooks the food evenly from edge to edge. It’s my favorite way to cook a top-sirloin steak.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sirloin Steak: It’s a boneless cut coming from the sirloin section. Sirloin is divided into several types of steak. When buying a sirloin steak, look for top sirloin, which is a more prized cut than bottom sirloin or sirloin tip steak.
- Olive Oil: Regular olive oil works the best for this recipe. Avoid extra virgin olive oil as it has a lower smoke point.
- Salt & Pepper: I used coarse salt, but you can use regular table salt or sea salt. Freshly ground black pepper works the best.
- Garlic: You can use either freshly minced garlic or garlic powder.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs like rosemary and thyme add extra flavor to this recipe.
How to Sous Vide Sirloin Steak
- Set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare or other desired doneness and set the time for 1 hour.
- Rub the steak with oil and season on both sides with coarse salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic, and herbs.
- Place it in a zip-lock bag. Place the bag in the water bath and seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique.
- When the steak is cooked, remove the bag from the water and transfer it to the refrigerator.
- Let it chill for about 10 minutes.
- Remove it from the fridge and then grill or sear for about 1 minute per side, just to caramelize the outside. Add more seasoning if needed.
- Let the steak rest on a plate or cutting board covered with foil for 5-10 minutes.
- Serve the steak whole or slice against the grain.
Tips for the Most Tender and Juicy Steak
- Season generously with salt and pepper before sous vide cooking.
- You can use ziplock bags to seal the steak. Just place the steak in a ziplock bag, including seasonings, and seal all but one corner of the bag. Slowly place it into the water bath, and make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Let it cool down before searing. After sous vide cooking, it’s best to let the steak cool down in the refrigerator or ice bath before searing.
- Dry the steak completely. Wipe off any extra moisture as it inhibits proper searing.
Sirloin Steak Seasoning
There is no marinade needed for this recipe. I like to prepare my top sirloin steak by rubbing it with olive oil and season with salt, ground black pepper, minced garlic, fresh rosemary, and thyme.
Season generously BEFORE sous vide cooking for the best result! With this simple seasoning, this recipe is keto and gluten-free!
Temperature Chart
Set the sous vide machine to your designed doneness. For example, if you’d like to have a tender, juicy sirloin steak, don’t cook the meat past medium doneness (145°F/63°C).
Follow the chart below for other steak doneness:
| Sirloin Steak Doneness | Temperature |
| Rare | 130°F (54°C) |
| Medium Rare | 135°F (57°C) |
| Medium | 145°F (63°C) |
| Medium-well | 155°F (68°C) |
| Well Done | 165°F (73°C) |
Note: The safe internal temperature for beef cooked with traditional methods is 145°F (63°C) according to the USDA, but with sous vide your steak is safe to eat even the temperature is below this threshold as it’s cooked for a much longer time.
How Long Does it Take to Cook Sirloin Steak Sous Vide?
Sirloin steak is a relatively tender cut that doesn’t require long cook time. It takes about 1 hour to sous vide a 1-inch sirloin, 1.5 hours for 1.5 inches, and 2 hours for 2 inches.
It’s ok to leave it in the warm bath for an extra 1-2 hours.
Can You Overcook Sirloin Steak in the Sous Vide Machine?
Although you cannot “overcook” a steak with the sous vide method (you can leave the meat in a warm bath for an extra hour or two), the texture can become mushy if the steak is left in the machine for too long.
Can I Sous Vide Frozen Sirloin Steak?
Yes, you can sous vide steak straight from frozen. Follow the same instruction and add 1 more hour to the cooking time.
Sides to Pair with Sous Vide Sirloin Steak
FAQ
Why is My Sous Vide Sirloin Steak Tough?
Steak can be chewy when its internal temperature is too high. So if you set the wrong temperature, your steak can become tough and chewy.
Is Sous Vide Safe?
Yes, sous vide is a safe cooking method as long as you follow the instructions properly.
How Long to Sous Vide Cook a 1 ½ Inch Steak
Set your sous vide machine to your desired temperature, if you cook sirloin steak, it will take about 1.5 hours.
Is 4 Hours Too Long to Sous Vide a Steak?
It depends on the type of steak you cook. For sirloin steak, it takes about 1 hour to cook, but it’s ok to leave it in the water bath for as long as 3-4 hours.
Other Sous Vide Recipes For You to Try
If you’ve tried this sous vide steak then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know. I love hearing from you!
Sous Vide Sirloin Steak Recipe (+VIDEO)
Ingredients
- 1 sirloin steak (1 pound, about 1 inch thick)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 2 cloves garlic minced (2 teaspoons)
- fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the sous vide water bath: Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to (135°F/57°C) for medium-rare doneness. If you’d like to cook it more or less, see the note below*. (It's best to place the container on a cutting board or pad to prevent it from burning the surface of your counter.)
- Season the steak: Rub the steak with 1/2 tablespoon oil on all sides.
- Season both sides with salt, pepper, minced garlic and optional herbs.
- Sous Vide the steak: Add the seasoned sirloin steak to a zip-lock bag. (You can also use vacuum seal bags if you have a vacuum sealer.)
- Seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it into the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag. (Use a kitchen tong to help to push down the bag if the water is too hot.)
- Leave the bag in the water bath and make sure it is fully submerged.
- Cook for 1 hour for a 1-inch sirloin steak. (It takes 1.5 hours for 1.5 inches, and 2 hours for 2 inches. )
- Sear the steak: When the timer goes off, remove the bag from the water bath and transfer it to the fridge or an ice bath. Let it chill for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the steak from the ziplock bag and wipe off the moisture with paper towels. (It's very important to dry the surface completely, otherwise, it will interfere with the searing.)
- Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Place the cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add the remaining olive oil. Once hot, add the steak and sear about 1 minute per side. (You can also quickly sear the steak on the grill.)
- Slice against the grain and serve with potatoes and veggies.
Notes
- *Follow the chart below if you’d like to cook your sirloin steak to other doneness:
| Sirloin Steak Doneness | Temperature |
| Rare | 130°F (54°C) |
| Medium Rare | 135°F (57°C) |
| Medium | 145°F (63°C) |
| Medium-well | 155°F (68°C) |
| Well Done | 165°F (73°C) |
Video
Nutrition
Shadi Hasanzadenemati says
Everyone at my house loved it! Tasted SO good!
izzycooking says
Thanks Shadi. Glad you liked it!
Julie says
Awesome flavors! Thanks for sharing!
Jean-Pierre Brosseau says
Delicious!!!! One question. Can we keep the cooked steak in the sealed bag in the fridge for a 4 or 5 hours and then reheat it and sear it once its time to serve dinner? Thank you.
izzycooking says
Hi Jean-Pierre, great to hear you liked the recipe. Yes, you can store the cooked steak in the sealed bag in the fridge. To reheat it, place it in the sous vide machine for about 30 minutes and give it a quick sear. Hope it helps.
Dave says
I like to cool my steaks before searing to keep from overcooking. Personally, unless they are are over an inch thick I would not reheat them in the sous vide but instead just sear a bit longer after removing from the fridge and let the heat from the sear warm the centre of the steak. If really thick sometimes it’s hard to get the centre warm before over cooking the outside edge but then again you do get even a better sear so you can experiment.
izzycooking says
Hi Dave, thanks for sharing your experience with us. Sounds like you’ve perfected your sous vide technique 🙂
Bryan says
Izzy thanks for sharing that tasty recipe, now YOU have to try this…..I cook mine at 130F approx 1-1 1/2hrs with 1-1 1/2 thickness.
In the bag Butter and pureed garlic salt pepper or whatever you want. But it needs a fat-like Izzy used olive oil. Yes, olive is heart healthy but we are only talking a pat or two of butter. Butter has a bad rap :{ but I will admit I used a nice size pat of butter.
Heat the grill 500F before taking it out of the bath.
dry steak & poured some oil to make a flame and sear both sides quickly for that char flavor as this is happening I am preheating my cast iron to screaming hot then searing in the steaks char-grilled smoke and butter garlic flavor. My mouth is watering just recalling that event!
I sent my son a picture it was Picture perfect BEAUTIFUL color Red. A Less dark border than the picture above and No overcooking it even with the 2 step searing and oh so tender..It is as good as a Brazilian steakhouse ! but with a London broil price tag!
I also undertook my chicken breast 140F 1-1 1/2 hrs before a quick easy stirfry. Tender flavorful homemade teriyaki sous vide. I sous vide several bags with different flavors & keep them in the fridge /freezer for a quick stirfry or pop them in the oven with veggies and roast quickly. Also chicken low temp like that, is cooked pasteurized so very safe and so far I am living proof lol
Sorry Izzy did not mean to high jack your recipe BUT I had to share this with You & yours XOX
Jean-Pierre Brosseau says
Thank you very much.
LeAnn Szymanski says
I have a 2.58 lb Top Sirloin Filet Roast. It is long and about 4” thick. How long do I cook it sous vide?
Thank you!
izzycooking says
Hi LeAnn, you’ll need to cook it for about 8-10 hours.