Best Gluten Free Steak Salad With Avocado Dressing

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Best Gluten Free Steak Salad with Avocado Dressing

This gluten free steak salad recipe with homemade avocado dressing is both hearty enough to fill you up and filled with vitamins and minerals! 

This is also a versatile salad recipe. You can enjoy the beef steak salad recipe as written or modify it with the dairy-free, paleo, and keto modifications listed below.

SCROLL DOWN FOR THE RECIPE FOR STEAK SALAD WITH AVOCADO LIME DRESSING

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Are you new here? I also have the following posts to help you implement the gluten-free dietwithout the stress!

• The guide to eating out SAFELY when you’re gluten-free
• 20 of the best gluten-free snacks
• What’s the deal with gluten-free certification and labeling?
• The best tips for safe gluten-free travel

…and of course, you should join my EXCLUSIVE Facebook community “Stress-Free Gluten-Free” by clicking here!

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The gluten-free guide below is based on personal experience and research.  Always be sure to discuss any medical changes with your doctor for your personal medical needs. Additionally, this post contains affiliate links.  As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My full disclosure isn’t that interesting, but you can find it here. 

Why You’ll Love This Steak Salad

This is a healthy yet filling steak salad recipe!

The options to personalizing this salad are endless: the beef steak can be either grilled or pan fried before slicing and toppings can be customized to your dietary preferences!

The homemade dressing is a breeze to whip up and will become a staple recipe in your home!

Be sure to add this super-simple recipe to your weekly menu, and keep reading for the recipe!

The Best Steak for Salads

While you could use almost any beef steak for this salad, in my opinion, the best cuts of beef steak for salads are to use a rib-eye or flank steak. 

How to Prepare the Best Gluten Free Steak for Steak Salad

To prepare the steak, quickly marinate the steak according to the directions below and then either pan sear the steak or grill the steak to your preferred doneness.  If you grill the steak, be sure to let it rest before slicing so it remains juicy!

Pan Seared Steak

For pan seared steak salad, quickly marinate the steak with the quick and easy marinade below. 

Heat up a skillet (I prefer cast iron) to medium heat and add a high temp cooking oil or butter (I use avocado oil).  Once the oil heats, use tongs to add the steak into the pan.  It should sizzle! 

Cook each side for 2-3 minutes depending on the thickness of your steak and/or desired doneness.

Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Grilled Steak

To prepare a grilled steak salad, quickly marinate the steak with the quick and easy marinade listed in the grilled steak salad below.

Heat your grill to high and place your steaks on the grill and heat until slightly charred (this should take 4-5 minutes depending on the heat of your grill and thickness of your steak).  Flip the steak and cook on the other side for approximately 3 minutes (again, this depends on the heat of the grill and desired doneness).

Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Steak Salad Dressing

The dressing for this steak salad recipe is a simple and easy homemade creamy avocado dressing.  This recipe is both creamy and light with the refreshing tang of Greek yogurt.  The avocado pairs perfectly with the steak and veggies, and is a much healthier alternative to store-bought dressings!

Don’t want to add dairy?  Feel free to omit the yogurt entirely!

Customize this Steak Salad Recipe to Your Special Diet

This steak salad recipe can be easily modified to be dairy-free, keto, or paleo.

Dairy-Free Steak Salad

To make this salad dairy free, simply omit the crumbled cheese from the salad and the yogurt from the dressing.  You could substitute the cheese with a dairy-free cheese or something else entirely such as hemp hearts for some added protein and omegas!  

Keto Steak Salad

To modify the recipe to be a keto steak salad, simply swap the corn and black beans with keto-approved veggies such as chopped red onion or chopped bell peppers!  For an even lower carb count, omit the yogurt in the dressing or swap it with sour cream.

Paleo Steak Salad

To make a Paleo Steak Salad, omit the cheese from the salad and yogurt from the dressing.  Swap the corn and beans for paleo approved veggies such as red onion or bell peppers.

Not a fan of avocado?

Make another homemade dressing like this lemon herb green tahini instead.

Ingredients Needed for Steak Salad

his gluten-free steak salad recipe couldn’t be easier to prep and get cooking!  All these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store, but you’ll find great deals on organic meat, healthy cooking oils, and gluten-free spices Thrive Market.

Click here to learn more about Thrive Market and a promotional link to save up to $20 on your first order!

To marinate the steak you’ll need:

• 1 lb boneless steak (I used ribeye, but you could use flank, sirloin, or another favorite cut)
• juice from half a lime
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp avocado oil

For the salad you’ll need:

• 2 heads of romaine lettuce, washed and chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup prepared corn (canned, frozen, or fresh—I used frozen and simply thawed for the salad) (note: for keto or Paleo, sub in another vegetable)
• 1 15-oz can of black beans (note: for keto or Paleo, sub in another vegetable)
• ¼ cup cotija cheese, queso fresco, or other crumbly white cheese (omit for Paleo or dairy-free)

To bring this salad to the next level of perfection, you will whip up this simple avocado lime dressing using:

• 1 large avocado
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• juice from half a lime
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt (if Paleo or dairy-free, simply omit)
• 2-4 tbsp water (to desired consistency)

Tools Needed for Steak Salad

To make this recipe, you will need knives and cutting boards for chopping the veggies and a separate one for cutting the steak.  I like using these color-coded cutting mats, so we don’t get our cutting boards mixed up.

If pan frying your steak, you will also want cooking tongs and a cast iron pan for cooking your steak.  I love my cast iron pan and use it for cooking just about everything (except for eggs). 

To make the dressing you’ll use a blender or food processor.  Personally, I use this Ninja blender and use the single-serve smoothie cups to blend my dressing.

Also, I like to use this salad spinner to ensure my lettuce is dry after washing.  It’s seriously a game changer and makes it so easy to wash and prep lettuce—plus the basket strainer is dishwasher friendly!

Gluten Free Steak Salad Recipe

While there are 3 separate components to this dish to prep (the steak, the salad, and the dressing), this recipe truly does come together in 30 minutes or less from start to finish! 

Step 1: Marinate the Steak

If pan frying, slice the steak into thin strips and place into a bowl with the rest of the marinade ingredients.  If grilling, marinate your steak whole.  Let sit for approximately 10 minutes.  Optionally, you could let the steak marinate in the fridge for the day and take it out when you’re ready to cook!

Step 2: Prep the Salad

While the steak is marinating, chop and wash all your salad veggies and drain and rinse the black beans.  Layer in the salad bowl.

Step 3: Grill or Pan Fry the Steak

Grilling the steak:

Heat your grill to high and place your steaks on the grill and heat until slightly charred (this should take 4-5 minutes depending on the heat of your grill and thickness of your steak).  Flip the steak and cook on the other side for approximately 3 minutes (again, this depends on the heat of the grill and desired doneness).  Then let it rest 5-8 minutes before slicing.

Pan frying the steak:

Heat the frying pan on medium-high heat.  Once the pan is brought to temperature, add a bit of cooking oil and then the steak and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When the steak is cooked through, remove the steak and allow to rest for 5 minutes before adding to the salad.

Step 4: Prepare the Avocado Lime Dressing

In a food processer or blender, simply in all the ingredients for the avocado lime dressing and blend until smooth.  Personally, I recommend starting with only 2 tbsp of water and then assessing the consistency.  Add more water to thin it out.

Step 5: Finish Assembling and Serve!

Complete the salad by topping it with your steak and avocado lime dressing and serve!

Scroll down for the printable recipe, and take the FREE quiz to discover your personalized gluten free plan to claim back your love of food!!

Here are more easy gluten-free recipes you will LOVE:

• Microwave Lemon Mug Cake (grain-free and sugar-free)
• The EASIEST Steak Marinade (soy free–no added sugar)
• Microwave Apple Crumble (gluten-free, vegan, no added sugar)
• Cinnamon Swirl Protein Muffins (low carb)
• Simple & Easy Moussaka Recipe (low carb, vegetarian option)

Easy Gluten-Free Steak Salad Recipe

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