Name: Fajita Marinade
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 0.33333334326744 cup water; 0.25 cup lime juice; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon salt; 0.5 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring; 0.5 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper

Fajita Marinade

4.6

(846)

616 Reviews

31 Photos

This fajita marinade with lime juice and olive oil is spiced up with cayenne pepper. It adds so much flavor to the meat for delicious fajitas.

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

15 mins

Servings:

Yield:

2 cups

This fajita marinade recipe results in tender, flavorful, melt-in-your-mouth meat every time.

Fajita Marinade Ingredients

These are the simple, kitchen staple ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade fajita marinade ingredients:

Water: This easy fajita marinade starts with ⅓ cup water.
Lime juice: Lime juice lends bright flavor and helps tenderize the meat.
Olive oil: Two tablespoons of olive oil keeps the meat moist.
Garlic: Fresh garlic lends a bold flavor.
Soy sauce: You’ll need two tablespoons of olive oil.
Salt: A teaspoon of salt enhances the other flavors.
Liquid smoke: Liquid smoke adds umami-rich flavor.
Cayenne: A pinch of cayenne pepper gives the fajita marinade subtle heat.
Black pepper: Ground black pepper is the perfect finishing touch.

How to Marinate Fajitas

Simply whisk the ingredients together in a bowl. That’s it! You’ll find the full, step-by-step instructions (with marinating directions) in the recipe below.

Can You Reuse Fajita Marinade?

You may be tempted to reuse the marinade straight from the bag, but it will not be safe to use as-is. In fact, the bacteria from the raw meat could make you very, very sick.

All that flavorful fajita marinade doesn't have to go to waste, though: You can make it safe-to-eat by boiling the liquid for several minutes. This process will also reduce the liquid, resulting in a thick sauce that'll work well with your homemade fajitas. .

Learn more: How to Safely Reuse a Meat Marinade

Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise

“This is an excellent marinade, particularly if you have the time to do it overnight,” according to John McArthur. “When I have less time I add about 50% more lime juice so the acid breaks down the muscle better.”

“This recipe makes fajitas that are addictive,” raves one Allrecipes community member. “And I ought to know — I'm from Texas! I scaled this to 20 servings for a party and used half the marinade for top round steak and half for chicken breasts.”

“I love Mexican food,” says Medora Jensen. “This recipe has resurrected two dishes for my family. Quesadillas and fajitas. I use cooked, left over chicken and shred it with the marinade. I cook some peppers, onions and garlic, add the shredded chicken and voila!”

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Ingredients

⅓ cup water
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

Whisk water, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and liquid smoke flavoring together in a bowl. Stir in cayenne and black pepper until combined.
Use to marinate 2 pounds of meat; marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to overnight before cooking as desired.

Photo by Rachelle Shockey.