Learn how to make the PERFECT Sous Vide Ribeye Steak. With a timing chart for the perfect rare, medium, or well done steak, plus a delicious compound butter to top it with. You’ll love these tender steaks!
This post was originally updated in 2019. It was updated in 2022 to add new information.
Sous vide , which means “under vacuum” in French, refers to the process of vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it to a very precise temperature in a water bath. This technique is amazing because it makes it virtually impossible to overcook your food. Making it perfect for cooking your favorite cut of steak to your preferred temperature.
I’ve used my sous vide in the past to make a delicious sous vide filet mignon and sous vide short ribs, but today I’m taking on a new cut of beef – ribeye.
📋 How to sous vide ribeye steak
Season your steak with salt and pepper and place in a plastic bag. Remove the air from the bag and seal using a vacuum sealer or the water displacement method.
Place the sous vide in a vessel that’s large enough to hold enough water for your bag to be fully submerged and deep enough to ensure that the water level falls between the minimum and maximum level indicators on your immersion circulator. Heat it to your desired temperature (see below) and place your bag in the water.
🌡 Sous vide ribeye steak temperature
- Rare: 120°F (49°C) to 128°F (53°C)
- Medium-Rare: 129°F (54°C) to 134°F (57°C)
- Medium: 135°F (57°C) to 144°F (62°C)
- Medium-Well: 145°F (63°C) to 155°F (68°C)
- Well Done: 156°F (69°C) and up
Note that if you are cooking at below 130°F you should sous vide for no longer than 2 1/2 hours for food safety reasons.
Because of this, I prefer to cook my ribeye steak at 130°F for a perfect medium-rare. That way, if I’m out running errands, I don’t need to worry if I leave my steak in the water bath for too long.
🕕 How long to sous vide ribeye
The length of time it takes to sous vide a steak depends on its thickness. Most ribeye steaks will be around 1 1/2 inches thick. Below is a timing chart on the minimum time needed for your ribeye to reach temperature in the sous vide:
- Sous vide 1-inch thick (or less) steaks for 40 minutes.
- Sous vide 1.5-inch thick (and thicker) steaks for 1 hour.
Note that these instructions will work for other delicious steaks like porterhouse, strip steak, and t-bone steaks as well.
🔥 How to sear it
- Remove ribeye steaks from the bag and pat dry with paper towels.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add oil to a large cast iron skillet or heavy pan and heat over high heat. Working one steak at a time, sear steaks 1-minute per side.
- Then, using tongs, sear the sides of the ribeye as well, so that a nice crust forms.
I kept the seasonings simple, with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. But there’s an explosion of flavor at the end when you top your seared steak with a bit of compound butter. ⬇️ ⬇️ ⬇️
🧈 What is compound butter?
- Compound butter is butter that is seasoned with fresh herbs and garlic.
✔️ How to make compound butter
- Combine softened butter with garlic and fresh herbs
- Arrange the butter in the center of a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap.
- Roll the butter into a log.
- Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Slice into rounds.
- Enjoy on steak, or on bread, potatoes, etc.
You can season your butter in so many different ways. My favorite add-ins are garlic, lemon zest and fresh herbs. You can also add a bit of heat by adding in a pinch of cayenne, or some horseradish.
⭐️ How to use compound butter
Remove your seared sous vide steaks to cutting board and top each with about 1 Tablespoon compound butter. Let sit for a few minutes to allow the butter to melt into the steak. Enjoy!
ℹ️ Sous vide FAQs
Yes! Sous vide is the best way to ensure a perfectly cooked, tender rib eye steak every time!
Sous vide 1-inch thick (or less) steaks for at least 40 minutes, up to 4 hours..
Sous vide 1.5-inch thick (and thicker) steaks for at least 1 hour, up to 4 hours.
Overcooking is almost impossible with your sous-vide machine. However, it’s best to not leave a 1-inch steak in the water bath for any longer than 4 hours. After that, the meat may break down too much and become mushy. Your steak will never actually “overcook” as the meat will be held at the correct temperature. However, please note that if you are cooking at below 130°F you should sous vide for no longer than 2 1/2 hours for food safety reasons.
Yes! One of my favorite parts about sous vide is that you can reheat leftovers with it. It’s the perfect way to reheat a steak or other cut of meat because it will never overcook it.
Heat your water to just below the original cooking temperature. Reheat using the same cooking chart above (i.e. a 1 1/2-inch thick steak will need to reheat for 1 hour).
🍴 What to serve with it
Here are some great side dish options:
- Instant Pot Baked Potatoes
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Glaze
- Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Miso Cauliflower
- Easy Arugula Salad
- MORE —> 50+ of the best sides for steak
🍷 Wine pairings for ribeye steak
- Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah or aged Cabernet.
🥣 Sauce options
- Bearnaise Sauce
- Bordelaise Sauce
- Steak Diane
- Red Wine Sauce
- MORE —> my must try steak sauces
- OR, try it topped with these sauteed onions
🌟 More sous vide cooking recipes
- Sous Vide Pork Chops
- Sous Vide Homemade Limoncello
- Sous Vide Filet Mignon
- Sous Vide Infused Vodka
- Sous Vide Carrot Ginger Soup
- Sous Vide Chicken Breasts
- Sous Vide Vanilla Extract
Did you try this sous vide steak?
If you loved this ribeye I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.
Sous Vide Ribeye Steak Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1 1/2-inch thick ribeye steaks
- 1 Tablespoon avocado (canola or vegetable oil)
- Kosher salt & pepper
Compound Butter:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3 cloves garlic (grated or minced)
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 teaspoons fresh chopped herbs (rosemary, tarragon, basil, thyme)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Set the sous vide to your desired temperature (130-degrees for medium-rare).
- Season ribeye steaks with salt and pepper and vacuum seal using your preferred method (1 steak per bag).
- Cook for 1 hour (for 1 1/2-inch thick ribeye steak), up to four hours, unless you are cooking under 130-degrees*** (see below).
- While the steak is cooking, prepare the compound butter. Combine softened butter with garlic and fresh herbs. Arrange the butter in the center of a piece of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Roll the butter into a log. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
- Remove ribeye steaks and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add oil to a large cast iron skillet and heat over high heat. Working one steak at a time, sear steaks 1-minute per side, then using tongs, sear the sides of the ribeye as well.
- Remove to cutting board and top with about 1 Tablespoon compound butter. Repeat with second steak. Slice and serve.
Look absolutely perfect! I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about sous vide! And you can never go wrong with a delicious compound butter over a perfect steak! Cheers
Thanks Mary!!!
First, this will dilute the beef flovor. To combat, add fallow. Second, skip the salt, pepper, garlic powder (never fresh – garlic has no flavor until it is damage as in crushed or chopped and quickly loses that flavor and so should not be used on foods eaten hours later), and rosemary (they should have gone on before the sous vide cooking). Third, you missed the compound butter’s most important ingredient, shaved dried egg yolk. Finally, why add oil when you have this compound butter? And, there are many ways to reverse sear (grilling, etc), torching is easiest. I prefer an all in one sous vide unit for home.
…wow, you are an inexperienced idiot…
Ha. I was going to say basically the same thing but you beat me to it. There’s certainly more than 1 way to do things, but Jim’s way isn’t one of them. Yikes.
To be fair, just lop off a pat of butter and put it on the steak and it’s pretty darn good. I’m a lemon butter guy myself.
Perfect timing recommendations. On the subject of compound butter, I had Café de Paris and Mrs. K had Roquefort & Walnut. Both epic.
“Unless you are cooking under 130”. That doesn’t help; tell me what to do, not what not to do.
Hi Mike – It’s in the recipe card notes… “If you are cooking at below 130°F you should sous vide for no longer than 2 1/2 hours for food safety reasons.” Hope that helps! Happy cooking.
>>> Notes
It does tell you: *** Note that if you are cooking at below 130°F you should sous vide for no longer than 2 1/2 hours for food safety reasons.
<<<