Want to make air fryer filet mignon steaks in under 30 minutes? Cook ‘em from frozen or fresh with this air fryer steak recipe. You’ll get the best temperature for filet mignon in the air fryer, how to cook filet from frozen, and how to wrap filet in bacon, too! Let’s air fry!
Why it’s the BEST Air Fryer Filet Mignon Recipe
- NO need to marinate steaks before air frying!
- Get a tasty dry rub using pantry staples.
- Easy tricks for cooking filet mignon in air fryer at 375° F.
- The fool-proof way to air fry steaks right in the air fryer basket.
- Different times and temperatures for air frying filet steaks at 400°F and 450°F.
- Tons of FLAVOR. You’ll get a delicious compound butter for steak recipe.
- Cook frozen filet mignon in the air fryer with tips at the end.
- Love bacon? Learn how to make air fryer filet mignon wrapped in bacon, too!
Ingredients for this recipe
The ingredients for filet mignon in the air fryer are simple. In this recipe you have the option to add bacon (to make bacon wrapped air fryer filets) and to add on a compound butter and blue cheese crumbles. Here’s what you’ll need…
Filet Mignon – basic ingredients
All you really “need” is steak and salt…
- 2x (8 oz) filet mignon steaks (sometimes referred to as petite filets)
- 1 tsp salt (or substitute dry rub below)
Filet mignon dry rub (optional)
To add some tasty flavor, make this simple dry rub…
- salt, smoked
- garlic powder
- black pepper
- paprika
Compound butter (optional, for serving)
Want to fancy it up a bit? Make a herb and garlic butter by smooshing together with some fragrant ingredients…
- 1 stick butter (unsalted, ½ cup, softened
- parsley, fresh chopped
- rosemary, fresh chopped (substitute basil or oregano)
- garlic (minced)
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- salt (skip if using salted butter)
- black pepper
To wrap air fried filet mignon in bacon (optional)
Another enhancement, because I just can’t stop with the deliciousness you can add to these air fryer steaks, is to add bacon! Plan for ~ 6 slices of bacon if you want to wrap bacon around air fryer filet mignons while they cook.
How to cook filet mignon in air fryer
Now let’s walk through the step-by-step directions for making air fryer filet mignon so you can throw together a delicious steak dinner.
Step 1. Prep filet mignon for air frying. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F for 5 minutes. Pat steaks dry with paper towels.
Mix together filet mignon dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Season all sides and edges of filet mignon steaks with salt or dry rub seasoning.
If you’re going to wrap the filets in bacon, you’ll want to add it at this time. See notes at the end of this recipe for details.
Step 2. Cook filet mignon in air fryer. Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick olive oil or coconut oil spray. Add filet mignon in air fryer baskets so they have at least 2 inches of space around all edges. Cook for 8 minutes.
Step 3. (optional) Make the compound butter while the steaks cook.
Add all the compound butter ingredients to a bowl and use a fork to smoosh them together until combined. Alternatively, pulse all ingredients together with a food processor.
Use immediately, or form a log by rolling butter in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerating until it’s time to serve air fryer filet mignon steaks.
Step 4. Finish air frying filet mignon. After they are done cooking on the first side, flip over air fried filet mignon and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes at 400° F until your preferred temperature has been reached. See notes in recipe card if cooking filet from frozen.
Step 5. Rest filet mignon after air frying. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and rest for 5-10 minutes, cover with foil if desired. Add ½ tbsp of compound butter to steaks why they rest so the juices melt into the steak.
Step 6. Serve air fryer filet mignon. Add additional compound butter if desired, blue cheese crumbles, and fresh parsley.
Filet mignon temperature chart
Here are the correct cooking temperatures for filet mignon. The photos on Sip Bite Go demonstrate cooking filet to 135 °F which makes for a perfect medium rare filet mignon air fryer steak.
- Rare steak (125-130°F) is still red inside.
- Medium rare steak (130-140°F) is red to pink inside.
- Medium steak (140-150°F) is mostly pink.
- Medium well steak (150-160°F) has just a slight bit of pink inside.
- Well cooked steak (160°F) has no red or pink inside.
See how to make petite filet mignon with a potato hash, right on the stove.
FAQs for air fried filet mignon
You can cook filet mignon from frozen in the air fryer the same way as you would following these recipe instructions, but after the final step of the original recipe provided here on Sip Bite Go, flip the steaks and cook them an additional 3-7 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks, until the beef is cooked to your desired level of doneness.
Cooking frozen steaks sous vide style has been a popular choice as a busy parent trying to get dinner on the table during the week. So I’m happy to report that cooking frozen filet mignon in the air fryer is an option, as well.
If you’re wondering how long to cook bacon wrapped filet mignon, it’s actually the same exact time and temperature as cooking regular air fry filet mignon. The difference is that you’ll wrap the filet in bacon.
Use enough bacon that the ends of the bacon overlap slightly and you can secure the bacon with a toothpick. There are two ways to do this.
One option is to wrap the bacon around the circumference of the steak, so the top and bottom of the steak are exposed.
The other way, for true bacon lovers, is to completely cover the steak in bacon. Either way will add a lot of flavor to the steaks.
Let me start by saying, most air fryers don’t reach 450° F. But there are some, like the Ninja Foodi Grill & Air Fryer that cooks food at 500° F. To account for cooking filet mignons at a higher temperature, only cook for 5 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until beef has reached your preferred level of doneness.
See this extensive list of potato side dishes for steak. And this list of pasta side dishes. A few of my family’s favorite accompaniments for filet mignon include sous vide little potatoes, sous vide asparagus, and stuffed shells if we’re going for an Italian theme.
For more sauces for air fried filet, try this tasty peppercorn sauce or this jalapeno ranch dressing. Both are fabulous on steak!
What you need to air fry food
- Air Fryer Machine: In Sip Bite Go recipe tutorials, you’ll see the higher end model, the Philips Airfryer XXL Digital. Other popular air fryers include the Ninja Foodi, NuWave, and Black & Decker.
- Air Fryer Accessories: Save time with reusable air fryer basket liners and this bundle of air fryer accessories.
Easy air fryer recipes
- Air fryer chicken wings
- Air fryer hot dogs
- Air fryer chocolate chip cookies
- Air fryer filet mignon
- Air fryer broccoli
- Air fryer onions
- Air fryer sweet potato tots
- Air fryer acorn squash
- Air fryer chicken patties
New recipes and foodie guides….
- Tri tip (it’s so good!)
- Homemade pizza
- Smoked wings
- Traeger pizza
- Pan grilled chicken
- Bacon wrapped hot dogs
- Potato side dishes
- Pasta side dishes
- Baked brisket
- Sous vide frozen steak
- Cooked chicken temp guide
- Jalapeno ranch sauce
- Sous vide pork chops
- Coulotte steak
- GUIDE: How to make hamburger patties
- GUIDE: Aerogarden
- Best restaurants in Portland
- Blackstone griddle recipes
Grill and smoker recipes…
- Grilled chicken wings
- Smoked pizza
- Smoked chicken
- Smoked tri tip
- Traeger pulled pork
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked chicken wings
- Smoked ham
- Flank steak marinade
- Skirt steak marinade
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked chicken breast
- Grilled broccoli
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, I want to know what you think about using the air fryer to cook steak. Connect with me to share your cooking results and see what I’m making today on Instagram @sipbitego.
Follow along with my latest cooking tutorials on the Sip Bite Go channel.
Air Fryer Filet Mignon Frozen or Fresh Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
Filet Mignon
- 2 8oz filet mignon steaks
- 1 tsp salt skip if using dry rub below
Filet mignon dry rub (optional)
- ½ tbsp salt smoked
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
Compound butter (optional, for serving)
- ¼ stick butter unsalted, ½ cup, softened
- ¼ cup parsley fresh chopped
- 1 ½ tbsp rosemary fresh chopped (substitute basil or oregano)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tbsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp salt skipif using salted butter
- ¼ tsp black pepper
To wrap in bacon (optional)
- 6 slices bacon
For serving air fryer filet mignons
- 2 tbsp blue cheese crumbles
- 1 tsp parsley fresh chopped
Instructions
- Prep filet mignon for air frying. Preheat the air fryer to 400° F for 5 minutes. Pat steaks dry with paper towels. Mix together filet mignon dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Season all sides and edges of filet mignon steaks with salt or dry rub seasoning. If you’re going to wrap the air fryer filet mignon in bacon, you’ll want to add it at this time. See notes at the end of this recipe for details.
- Cook filet mignon in air fryer. Spray the air fryer basket with nonstick olive oil or coconut oil spray. Add filet mignon in air fryer baskets so they have at least 2 inches of space around all edges. Cook for 8 minutes.
- Make the compound butter (optional) while the steaks cook. See notes at the end of this recipe for details.
- Finish air frying filet mignon. After they are done cooking on the first side, flip over air fried filet mignon and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes at 400° F until your preferred temperature has been reached.
- Rest filet mignon after air frying. Transfer steaks to a cutting board and rest for 5-10 minutes, cover with foil if desired. Add ½ tbsp of compound butter to steaks why they rest so the juices melt into the steak.
- Serve air fryer filet mignon. Add additional compound butter if desired, blue cheese crumbles, and fresh parsley.
To make the compound butter
- Add all the compound butter ingredients to a bowl and use a fork to smoosh them together until combined. Alternatively, pulse all ingredients together with a food processor.
- Use immediately, or form a log by rolling butter in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerating until it’s time to serve air fryer filet mignon steaks. Leftover compound butter is delicious on potatoes, dinner rolls, and corn on the cob.
Notes
- Rare steak (125-130°F) is still red inside.
- Medium rare steak (130-140°F) is red to pink inside. (as seen in Sip Bite Go demo)
- Medium steak (140-150°F) is mostly pink.
- Medium well steak (150-160°F) has just a slight bit of pink inside.
- Well cooked steak (160°F) has no red or pink inside.
Sara says
I have been looking for a recipe to cook these from frozen from my air fryer. They worked out perfectly! I did 8 mins, flip, 4,mins, flip, then 3 more and rest. It was a perfect medium rare… not a cheapo restaurant med rare, but a REAL med rare. Perfect. I didn’t have smoked salt, but used a smoked paprika, and it worked out great. Thanks!
Jenna Passaro says
Seriously — it still boggles my mind that air fryer filet mignon can taste better than restaurant style steaks!