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Fajita Marinade

The best Fajita Marinade for steak, chicken or shrimp. This quick marinade is made with olive oil, citrus, pantry spices and brown sugar to add the most flavor to your favorite fajita meal.

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We love grilling steak fajitas and chicken fajitas every chance we get and when Mexican is on the menu, the whole family is coming over for dinner.

Fajita Marinated Steak Skewers on a platter.

Fajita Marinade ~ For Steak, Chicken or Shrimp

Make the absolute most flavorful and delicious fajitas that will rival your favorite Mexican restaurant. This simple marinade is made with just a few ingredients and no soy sauce. 

Ingredients for Fajita Marinade:

  • Olive Oil
  • Orange Juice
  • Brown Sugar
  • Granulated Garlic
  • Ground Cumin
  • Chili Powder
  • Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper

Ingredients for Fajitas:

  • Sirloin steak, boneless chicken or shrimp
  • Bell peppers
  • Onion
  • Flour tortillas, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro

How to Make Fajita Marinade:

Fajita seasonings with brown sugar in a bowl.

  • In a bowl combine the spices and brown sugar. 

Orange juice and olive oil added to fajita seasoning.

  • Add the olive oil and orange juice.

Bowl of fajita marinade.

  • Whisk together until well combined.

steak in a zip top bag with marinade poured over.

  • Next, add your meat to a zip top bag and pour marinade over the top. Close the bag, squeezing out the extra air. Turn the bag over several times, coating the meat in the marinade.

Marinating steak in a zip top bag with fajita marinade.

  • Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

How to Grill Fajitas:

  • Prepare a grill fire to 350° using hickory or pecan for smoke flavor.

sirloin steak cut into 3 inch steaks - marinated.

  • We used sirloin steaks cut into 3 inch pieces for this recipe that we skewered and added the vegetables into the cupped steaks. You can also just add the marinated meat and vegetables direct to the grill. We loved the presentation of the skewers for this recipe. 

marinated steak skewers with peppers and onions on grill.

  • Place the marinated meat and vegetables over direct fire and cook for 5 minutes with the grill closed. Flip the meat and vegetables and continue to cook another 5-8 minutes until desired temperature is reached using a digital thermometer. We cooked ours to about 145° for medium. 

platter of steak and pepper kabobs, bowl of rice.

  • Remove from grill and serve with Spanish rice and your favorite toppings. 

Notes and Variations:

  • Yield: Marinade for 2 pounds of steak, chicken or shrimp.
  • Citrus: Lemon or Lime juice or a combination can be substituted for the orange juice. 
  • Brown Sugar: The sugar is optional but helps to tenderize the steak and adds flavor but doesn’t make the fajitas sweet.

If you are loving the Hand Forged Skewers, check them out on Etsy! Our son makes them and they are a great addition to your grilling tools. 

plate of rice, steak and pepeprs.

More Mexican Dinners to Try:

platter of grilled steak and peppers.

If you are craving fajitas, try this easy Fajita Marinade for the most flavorful and delicious grilled fajitas you can make at home. It’s the perfect flavor combination for steak, shrimp or chicken. 

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Steak Fajitas on a platter.
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5 from 3 votes

Fajita Marinade

The best Fajita Marinade for steak, chicken or shrimp. This quick marinade is made with olive oil, citrus, pantry spices and brown sugar to add the most flavor to your favorite fajita meal.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Additional Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 20 minutes
Course: Marinades
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken fajita marinade, fajita marinade without soy sauce, marinade for shrimp fajitas, steak fajita marinade
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 302kcal
Author: Milisa

Ingredients

  • cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • ¾ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup orange juice

Instructions

  • In a bowl combine brown sugar, garlic, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
  • Add the olive oil and orange juice and whisk together.
  • Add your meat to a zip top bag and pour marinade over the top. Close the bag, squeezing out the extra air. Turn the bag over several times, coating the meat in the marinade.
  • Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Notes

Yield: This marinade makes enough for 2 pounds of steak, chicken or shrimp.

How to Grill Fajitas:

  1. Prepare a grill fire to 350° using hickory or pecan for smoke flavor.
  2. Place the marinated meat and vegetables over direct fire and cook for 5 minutes with the grill closed. Flip the meat and vegetables and continue to cook another 5-8 minutes until desired temperature is reached using a digital thermometer. We cooked ours to about 145° for medium. 
  3. Remove from grill and serve with Spanish rice and your favorite toppings. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 302kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 23g | Sodium: 674mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g

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