Selecting the right temperature and doneness is the most important step to sous vide cook a steak. Whether you like a super juicy and rare steak, medium, or a well-done steak, sous vide machine provides the precise temperature control. Here is a complete guide for cooking the best steak ever!
If you love juicy and tender steak, you’ll provably like medium-rare doneness, so set the sous vide temperature to 130°F (54°C). At this temperature, the steak’s muscle fibers start to contract, but there is still lots of ‘red meat’ that has the capacity to hold the juice. If you prefer a medium steak with a slightly more fiber, you can cook it to 140°F (60°C), although it’s slightly less juicy.
Table of Contents
Why sous vide steak?
What is sous vide cooking? Sous vide means cooking “under vacuum” in French. It’s a water bath method by vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking for a long time to a very precise temperature in a water bath.
The biggest challenge for cooking steak is that the meat often comes out over or undercooked, and the edges are always cooked more than the middle. But with sous vide method, you can set the exact temperature, and get the desired texture with even doneness edge to edge EVERY TIME. It also eliminates short windows of time for perfect doneness, and therefore is a low-stress cooking method.
Sous vide steak temperature and time charts
Before you start cooking sous vide steak, you need to decide what internal temp you’d like to cook the steak to. Note that different types of steak will need to be cooked to the different temperature for the best result. For example, it’s best to cook most tender cuts to medium-rare to medium, around 130°F (54°C) to 140°F (60°C). You can go up or down a degree or two depending on your preference.
For tenderloin:
| Steak Doneness | Sous Vide Temperature | Cooking Time |
| Rare (cool red center) | 125°F (52°C) | 45 minutes to 2 hours |
| Medium-rare (warm red center) | 130°F (54°C) | 45 minutes to 3 hours |
| Medium (warm pink center) | 140°F (60°C) | 45 minutes to 3 hours |
| Medium-well (slightly pink center) | 150°F (66°C) | 45 minutes to 3 ½ hours |
| Well-done (little or no pink) | 160°F (71°C) | 1 to 3 hours |
Tenderloin is one of the most tender cuts, but it’s also lean and lack of fat. Overcooking it will result in dry and tough meat. It’s best to cook it to rare or medium-rare.
For other tender cuts such as ribeye, sirloin, strip, t-bone and porterhouse:
| Steak Doneness | Sous Vide Temperature | Cooking Time |
| Rare | 125°F (52°C) | 1 to 2 hours |
| Medium-rare | 130°F (54°C) | 1 to 3 hours |
| Medium | 140°F (60°C) | 1 to 3 hours |
| Medium-well | 150°F (66°C) | 1 to 3 ½ hours |
| Well-done | 160°F (71°C) | 1 to 3 hours |
These cuts are tender with moderate level of fat, so it’s best to cook them to no more than medium for the super flavorful and juicy meat. To see more details about how to sous vide cook this type of steak, check our post Sour Vide Sirloin Steak.
For skirt and flank steak:
| Steak Doneness | Sous Vide Temperature | Cooking Time |
| Rare | 125°F (52°C) | 2 to 3 hours |
| Medium-rare | 130°F (54°C) | 2 to 4 hours |
| Medium | 140°F (60°C) | 2 to 4 hours |
| Medium-well | 150°F (66°C) | 2 to 3 hours |
| Well-done | 160°F (71°C) | 2 to 3 hours |
Flank and skirt steak are tougher than most center cuts, but much more tender than touch cuts such as chuck and round. It’s best to marinate them for a few hours to tenderize the meat first, and then cook them to medium-rare, and make sure not to cook them beyond medium. Check Sous Vide Skirt Steak to see how to sous vide cook this type of steak.
For tough cuts such as chuck and round steak:
For these touch cuts, you have two choices with sous vide method.
- You can cook them to the traditional doneness with the “fall-off-the-bone” texture by setting the temperature at over 160 °F and cooking for more 24 hours. See Sous Vide Short Ribs for detailed instructions.
- Sous vide method also allows you to cook these cuts to medium-rare, resembling the texture of tender cuts. See Sous Vide Chuck Roast for detailed instructions.
How to cook sous vide steak
- Season the steak with salt and pepper or your favorite seasonings. (You’ll need to marinate it for 30 minutes to 2 hours if cooking skirt steak or flank steak.)
- When the steak is ready, place it in a zip-lock bag. Vacuum-seal the bag using the “water displacement” technique.
- Set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to your target temperature and cook according to the temperature and time charts above.
- When the steak is cooked, remove the bag from the water and transfer it to the refrigerator.
- Let it chill for about 10 minutes and then grill or sear for about 1 minute per side, just to caramelize the outside.
- Slice your steak thinly against the grain and serve with your favorite sauce.
How long to sous vide steak?
In general, a 1-inch tender steak cut should be cooked in the sous vide water bath for about 1 hour for medium-rare, but you can leave it in the water bath for as long as 3 hours. It’s the beauty of sous vide cooking with the long window of cooking time. If your steak is thicker, you’ll need to add more cooking time (see the recipe for details). For other types of steak, see the temperature on time charts above for the cooking time guide.
How long to sous vide frozen steak?
You can add 30 minutes of cooking time in the sous vide machine if you cook your steak from frozen.
Can you overcook steak in sous vide?
Although you cannot overcook steak in the sous vide, cooking it longer than the suggested time range will cause it to be mushy.
Sous vide steak/beef recipes
Sous Vide Steak (Temperature and Time Guide)
Ingredients
- 1 pound steak sirloin, ribeye, strip, t-bone or porterhouse
- 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
- 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 Steak: Add water to the sous vide container or a large pot, set the Sous Vide Precision Cooker to (135°F/56°C) for medium doneness. If you’d like to cook it more or less, see the charts in the post.
- Add the seasoned steak to a zip-lock bag.
- Vacuum-seal the bag using "water displacement" technique: Seal all but one corner of the bag, and slowly place it into a container with water. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Place the bag into the water bath in the sous vide container. Make sure it is fully submerged.
- Cook for 1 hour for a 1-inch steak. (It takes 1.5 hours for 1.5 inches, and 2 hours for 2 inches.)
- Sear the steak: When your steak is cooked in the sous vide machine, 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 ziploc bag and wipe off the moisture with paper towels.
- 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 until nicely browned.
- Slice against the grain and serve with potatoes and veggies.
Notes
- Follow the charts in the post if you’d like to cook your steak to other doneness.
QUESTION: If you are having guests who like their steaks different, e.g. one medium rare and one medium well, can one sous vide the steaks ahead of time (separately and at different temps) refrigerate and sear off when company arrives?
Hi Louanne, you are right and that’s exactly how we serve guests with different doneness.