If you only remember one number: cook steak in the oven at 425°F, and stay inside the 400°F to 450°F range for a standard sear-then-oven method. The oven temperature sets how fast the crust browns. The internal temperature sets how the steak feels. They are two different dials, and mixing them up is why so many home steaks come out gray outside and dry all the way through.
I cook steak in the oven most weeks in this kitchen, usually a weeknight ribeye or a NY strip. The method below is the one I keep coming back to, updated for 2026, with the timing charts I actually use. The one habit that changed everything for me was keeping an instant-read thermometer within reach.
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What Temperature to Cook Steak in the Oven?
Short answer: 425°F, anywhere from 400°F to 450°F. At 400°F you get a gentler cook with more even heat. At 450°F the crust browns faster and the window for overshooting is shorter.
Below 350°F a steak stops searing and starts baking. The surface stays pale, the fibers tighten up, and a thick cut can dry out before the center reaches temperature. Above 450°F you gain very little crust color but risk burning the outside while the middle is still cold.
If you want a pink center and a hard sear without babysitting a hot pan, there is a second range worth knowing: 225°F to 275°F for a reverse sear. Low and slow in the oven, then a fast hard sear in the pan at the end.
Oven Temperature and Cooking Time by Steak Type
Times below assume a steak at room temperature, seared 2 to 3 minutes a side first, then finished in the oven. They are oven time only, not counting the sear or the rest.
| Steak cut | Thickness | Oven temperature | Rough oven time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribeye | 1.5 to 2 inch | 425°F | 12 to 18 min | Weekend cook, medium-rare |
| NY strip | 1.25 to 1.5 inch | 425°F | 10 to 14 min | Even cooking, easy doneness |
| Filet mignon | 1.5 to 2 inch | 400°F | 14 to 20 min | Tender, needs gentler heat |
| Sirloin | 1 to 1.25 inch | 425°F | 9 to 13 min | Everyday value cut |
| Tomahawk or bone-in | 2 inch and up | 400°F | 18 to 26 min | Long cook, low heat |
| Flank or skirt | Under 1 inch | 450°F or broil | 5 to 8 min | Fast, thin, chewy |
| Top sirloin | 1 to 1.25 inch | 450°F or broil | 6 to 9 min | Weeknight speed |
Convection ovens run hot by comparison. Drop the temperature about 25°F and check the steak a few minutes earlier than the table says.
Safe Internal Temperatures for Steak
The USDA minimum for beef steaks, chops and roasts is 145°F (63°C), followed by a 3-minute rest. That is the food-safety line, not a serving suggestion.
Most steak cooks stop well below it. Pull temperature is the number that matters, and carryover cooking adds 5°F or so while the steak rests.
| Doneness | Pull at | Rested temperature | What you see when you cut it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 120°F | 125°F | Cool red center, very soft |
| Medium-rare | 130°F | 135°F | Warm pink center, juices run |
| Medium | 140°F | 145°F | Firm pink, light juices |
| Medium-well | 150°F | 155°F | Mostly brown, slight pink |
| Well-done | 160°F | 165°F | Brown all the way through |
Probe the thickest part of the steak, side to side, and avoid touching the bone or the pan. A thermometer reads the center, which is the only number that tells you anything.
How to Cook Steak in the Oven
Pan sear, then oven finish
- Take the steak out 30 to 45 minutes ahead and salt it on both sides with kosher salt. A dry surface is what browns.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F with a heavy cast iron skillet inside it.
- Heat a tablespoon of high smoke point oil in the skillet over high heat until it shimmers and a drop of water skitters.
- Lay the steak away from you. Sear 2 to 3 minutes on the first side without moving it.
- Turn and sear 2 minutes on the second side. Season with salt and pepper now.
- Move the skillet into the oven and cook to temperature, checking every 2 minutes.
- Pull at 130°F for medium-rare, rest, then slice against the grain.
Reverse sear for an even pink center
- Set the oven to 250°F and put a heavy baking sheet or wire rack inside to heat.
- Place the seasoned steak on the hot sheet. Start checking at 20 minutes.
- Pull when the steak is 10°F below your target, so 125°F for medium-rare.
- Rest it 10 minutes, then sear hard in a smoking skillet, 60 to 90 seconds a side.
- The gentle cook means almost no gradient between the edge and the middle.
Do not keep opening the oven door during a low-and-slow cook. Each opening drops the temperature and costs you crust color.
Oven only, no searing
- Heat the oven to 425°F and put the cast iron skillet in it for 10 minutes.
- Pat the steak dry, season it, and lay it into the screaming hot skillet.
- Return the pan to the oven immediately and cook to temperature without flipping.
- A 1.5 inch steak lands around medium-rare in 11 to 14 minutes.
You will not get the crust a sear gives you, but a preheated skillet gets you most of the way there. This is the method to use when you do not want to stand over a stove. The pan matters more than people expect, so it is worth reading my picks for the best cast iron skillets for searing steak before you buy anything new.
How to Get Rare, Medium-Rare, Medium, or Well-Done Steak
Start from the steak temperature, not the oven temperature. A steak pulled from the fridge cooks about 10°F slower than one at room temperature, so cold-start steaks can drift a full doneness level if you cook on the clock.
For medium-rare from a room-temperature steak at 425°F, pull at 130°F. For medium, pull at 140°F. For well-done, 160°F. Multiply the oven time by roughly 1.5 for a steak straight from the fridge, and check two minutes early.
Where you measure changes the answer. A probe pushed into the fat cap reads higher than the muscle. Aim for the deepest part, halfway between the bottom edge and the top.
Should You Flip Steak When Cooking in the Oven?
Usually no. Once a crust forms, leaving it alone gives you deeper browning and a better release from the pan. Most of the cooking happens through the pan’s contact anyway, not the exposed top.
Flip for two specific reasons. The first is thick cuts over 1.5 inches, where flipping once halfway evens out the cook. The second is when the first side is browning much faster than the second, usually because the pan is tilted or the element runs hot.
If you flip, use tongs and lift rather than scrape, or a thin metal spatula slid underneath. Dragging the steak across the pan tears the crust you just built.
How Thick Should a Steak Be for Oven Cooking?
For beginners, 1 to 1.5 inches is the sweet spot. Thick enough to develop real crust, thin enough that the middle and the edge finish within a minute or two of each other.
Anything past 2 inches changes the math. Very thick steaks benefit from a lower starting temperature, around 400°F, and a longer cook with several thermometer checks. The outer 2 inches will hit temperature long before the center, and that is normal.
Bones, fat caps and shape all slow heat transfer. A tomahawk at 2 inches plus bone needs roughly 8 more minutes than a boneless 2 inch strip steak cut to the same thickness.
Common Mistakes When Cooking Steak in the Oven
- Cold pan. The steak sits and steams before it browns. Heat the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes first.
- Not preheating long enough. Give a conventional oven a full 15 minutes at temperature, 10 for convection. If you want proof rather than a guess, one of the best leave-in oven thermometers will tell you.
- Overcrowding the pan. Two steaks in one skillet drop the temperature and steam each other. One at a time.
- Wrong pan. Nonstick has no place here. Cast iron or heavy stainless steel only.
- Checking too early. Every peek before the halfway point resets nothing useful and adds time. Wait, then check every 2 minutes at the end.
- Cooking to time instead of temperature. A 2 inch steak and a 1 inch steak can share the same recipe and land an entire doneness level apart.
- Skipping the rest. Cutting immediately dumps the juice onto the board. Rest first.
Almost every one of those mistakes is the same mistake wearing a different hat: cooking on the clock instead of on temperature. My guide to cooking bacon in the oven runs into the identical problem, where the timing chart is a starting point and the thermometer is what ends the debate.
How to Rest and Slice Steak
Rest on a wire rack, uncovered, so steam escapes instead of softening the crust. Five minutes for a thin cut, 10 to 12 minutes for a 1.5 inch steak, and closer to 20 for anything over 2 inches.
The rest lets carryover cooking finish the center and lets the muscle fibers relax. Slice thin against the grain, where the grain is the fine lines running along the steak. On a round tenderloin the grain circles the center, so cut across it rather than straight down.
Cooked steak keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge. If you are not eating it right away, slice it and store it covered so it does not dry out, then turn it into a sandwich or bowl the next day. I keep a list of leftover steak recipes for exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
What temperature is best for cooking steak in the oven?
425F is the best all-round temperature for a standard sear-then-oven method, with 400F for thick cuts and 450F for thin ones. Below 350F the steak bakes instead of browning. For a reverse sear, use 225F to 275F instead, then sear hot and fast at the end.
How long should I cook a steak at 425F?
At 425F a seared 1 inch steak needs about 8 to 10 minutes in the oven and a 1.5 inch steak about 12 to 14 minutes. A 2 inch steak runs 16 to 20 minutes. These are oven times only. Check with an instant-read thermometer and pull 5F below your target for carryover.
Do I need to sear steak before putting it in the oven?
A sear is what gives you crust and browning, so yes when you can. Pat the steak dry, salt it early, and give it 2 to 3 minutes in a hot cast iron skillet per side. You can skip it and still get decent color by heating the skillet in the oven for 10 minutes first, then adding the steak hot.
Should I cover steak while baking it?
No. Leaving it uncovered lets moisture evaporate, which is what keeps the surface from turning grey and steamed-looking. Covering traps steam and softens the crust. Tenting loosely with foil is worth it only for a steak that is resting longer than 15 minutes.
How do I know when steak is done without cutting into it?
You need a thermometer. Touch and time both lie: a steak can feel firm and still be 20F under, and a 2 inch steak and a 1 inch steak rarely finish together. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part and pull at 130F for medium-rare.
Can I reheat cooked steak in the oven?
Yes, and low and slow beats high and fast. Set the oven to 250F to 300F, put the steak on a rack over a baking sheet, and warm it until the center reaches about 130F to 135F, usually 10 to 15 minutes. High heat dries it out and toughens the crust.
The One Number to Start With
Set the oven to 425°F, sear the steak 2 to 3 minutes a side in a hot cast iron skillet, then move the pan into the oven and stop cooking on temperature, not time. That single habit, an instant-read thermometer in your hand, is what separates a good oven steak from an overcooked one.
Once you have that down, the rest is adjusting for thickness and how you like it cooked. That is genuinely all there is to what temperature to cook steak in the oven.