Grillers Say These Are The 11 Best Seasonings You Should Have On Steak

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Summer's finally here, and for people across the U.S., it's one of the best times of the year as they get to fire up their grills. After all, it's the season for enjoying a lovely sunny day with friends and family while grilling a lineup of delicious treats like hot dogs, burgers, potatoes, veggies, and, of course, steak.

Steak is often a favorite food to grill, as it's a reliable way to get a nice sear. While some love slathering their steaks with marinades or a range of barbecue sauces when grilling them, others like sticking to simple seasonings or seasoning blends. It can seem like choosing a good seasoning for your steaks is a pretty straightforward task, but with the sheer number of options available these days, it's easy to find yourself wondering which one to pick. 

We've done our best to help you figure out which seasoning or blend is best for you by rummaging through what grillers have said online. Most of them have a few favorites, to improve the flavor and texture of steak without overpowering its flavor. Just keep in mind that along with going for the right seasoning, you'll also need to pick one of the best steaks for grilling and grill your steak perfectly to get the right finish.

McCormick has a wide range of steak seasoning blends, and many of them hit the mark. For most grillers, the Montreal Steak Seasoning has constantly been a hit. Some even say that it's been a go-to for their family for generations, and that its flavor has remained consistently good through the years. A handful of grillers online have called it the absolute best seasoning blend for steak, and others have said that they like it enough to not just season steak, but also use it for veggies, poultry, and pork.

This seasoning blend contains salt, coarse red and black pepper, a combination of other spices, onion, and garlic powder. The texture appeals to most grillers, because it's great for developing a crispy crust on steaks, and it holds up well even over high heat. The seasoning is also praised for tasting bold without masking the meat's flavor. Home chefs say the blend works well on all kinds of steaks, whether you get expensive ones or lesser-known cuts that won't break the bank.

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Seasoning salt isn't necessarily made for steak — it can be used to add flavor to just about any food. Still, many grillers say Lawry's Seasoned Salt is their top pick for steak. It has simple spices like onion, turmeric, paprika, and garlic, along with salt. People online have mentioned that this seasoned salt has a well-rounded flavor, and they don't need any other seasonings to make their steaks taste good when using it. That said, a few do like pairing it with extra garlic powder, coarsely ground black pepper, or other spices for a sharper flavor.

The only thing worth keeping in mind about this seasoned salt, according to a lot of grillers, is that it can make steaks taste excessively salty if you use too much. They suggest using it sparingly, at least when you start. You can always season your steak with more after it's cooked, if the flavor's too mild for your liking.

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Since this seasoning is made for steak, it isn't surprising that grillers really like it. One wrote on Reddit, "The Blend is my go-to for steak, and I use it as a base for almost all of my dry rubs." Many recommend it to those who want to move over from the usual salt and pepper.

Kinder's The Steak Blend Seasoning is made with a bunch of ingredients like sea salt (with a coarser texture than table salt), black pepper, red pepper, onion, and garlic. Then come the real heroes, which are lemon peel for a citrus kick and mushroom powder as an umami-packed secret ingredient. 

Though this blend is packed with so many spices, folks have noted that they don't overwhelm the meat's flavor. It's also not too salty, which is pretty refreshing, as many blends are often criticized for having a very high salt content. Another reason this seasoning draws grillers' attention is that it's not finely ground, so it gives steaks a nice, crisp bite. The seasoning is worth a try if you'd like a standard spice blend that's boosted with the right amount of tartness and umami.

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You need to give your steaks a coffee rub and thank us later if you haven't tried it already. It's an underrated but brilliant way to make them taste great. And there's no better way to do that than with Traeger Coffee Rub, as it's constantly appreciated by grillers.

The rub gets a robust flavor because of the coffee for sure, but it also has cocoa, which adds to its richness. These are joined by a bunch of standard spices like black pepper, garlic, and paprika. The idea of using a coffee-based rub may seem odd to those who've never used one before, as you wouldn't expect coffee to work well with meat. Well, it sure does, and if we go by reviews, the coffee flavor isn't too in your face, but rather well-rounded. 

One griller wrote on Reddit, "Threw this Traeger Coffee Rub on a couple of these well-marbled strips and I'm hooked. The sweet and salty balance is spot on, and it brings out such a rich, deep flavor without being too heavy." Many have also suggested pairing this rub with other rubs by the same brand, like the Beef Rub or the Blackened Saskatchewan Rub, for a punchier tasting piece of steak.

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The name of this brand might be a bit funny, but its range of Cajun seasonings is pretty solid, the grillers say. Slap Ya Mama has four different types of this seasoning, which are the Original Blend, Hot Blend, Low Sodium Blend, and White Pepper Blend. All of them are mostly based around the same ingredients — salt, black pepper, red pepper, and granulated garlic. There are just a few differences between them. The Hot Blend contains a higher amount of red pepper than the original, the White Pepper Blend has white pepper instead of black pepper, and the Low Sodium Blend is packed with extra ingredients like granulated sugar, celery, onion, and green bell pepper. 

Plenty of grillers can't pick a favorite from these, and have recommended trying all of them as they're excellent options when you want steak with a Cajun flavor. A handful of them, however, do prefer the Hot Blend and Low Sodium Blend over the other two. As one fan on Reddit says, these spice blends are "pretty good at adding to the taste of a protein without changing that taste," which is surely a sign they're worth a shot. Just be sure to use the Original and White Pepper Blends sparingly, because many reviewers have mentioned that they taste slightly saltier than the other options. 

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Though several brands sell Chicago steak seasoning (known for its robust flavor), grillers agree that Weber has the best one. Some have even called it better than Montreal Steak Seasoning. It's a simple blend made with a handful of ingredients like red pepper, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, salt, and other spices. For most, the onion and garlic really stand out here. Grillers find it has a nice touch of heat that works pretty well for steaks, though a few have warned that the heat can be a bit much to handle, so it's best to use the blend sparingly. 

People also like the coarseness of the grind in this seasoning, because it gives steaks a crispy crust. Although it's made particularly for steak, plenty of satisfied customers also like that it can be used to boost the flavor of just about any meat or veggie. On top of all of that, the price point is pretty good too, so you should give it a go if the ingredients intrigue you enough.

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Kinder's sure makes great steak seasoning blends, because grillers love this brand's Buttery Steakhouse Seasoning just as much as its regular steak blend. The name of this seasoning doesn't deceive either, as it has real butter along with pepper, salt, and herbs. And unsurprisingly, the buttery taste stands out as it makes steaks extra rich. Folks also appreciate that the richness isn't accompanied by added calories, while the herbs give the seasoning a fantastic finish without being too strong. Overall, the reviews clearly show that this one deserves a spot in your pantry.

Some grillers say that the only downside, however, is that it can sometimes scorch when exposed to very high heat, though this happens rarely. In any case, you might be better off lowering the heat of your grill slightly when using this blend, just to be safe.

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This seasoning isn't specifically made for steak, but a lot of grillers still prefer it over other options, with a few saying that they won't make steaks without this blend on hand. One fan wrote on Reddit, "Cavender's is an (I think) antiquated and oft overlooked seasoning blend that has been my go-to steak seasoning for 20 years."

According to grillers, this seasoning has a rich flavor and a perfect kick of black pepper. That black pepper is one of the main ingredients in this blend, along with salt, parsley,, garlic, oregano, and a secret mix of five spices. It also includes cornstarch, which might seem like an odd addition to a spice blend, but this gives steaks a better crust. Per one person on Reddit, "Cavenders has some corn starch in it, helps dry out the surface for a good sear." 

Some people might not choose this seasoning because it contains MSG, but the idea that MSG is bad for you is one of many myths about it. If you can look past that, this seasoning is surely one that you shouldn't sleep on, because the MSG will give your steak an umami boost and make it taste a lot richer than you'd expect.

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Several grillers are huge fans of this one, with some having been using it for a really long time without wanting to switch to a different blend. As one of them put it on Reddit, "At this point Uncle Chris' Gourmet Steak Seasoning is basically a food group in our house. We cook a LOT of steaks and it's become the default reach-for seasoning." Another agreed, saying, "Uncle Chris' steak seasoning is criminally underrated." A couple of people have also said that they drive hours just to get this seasoning, because they can't find it at grocery stores around them.

The blend does have a more complex ingredients list than other seasonings mentioned here. Along with basics like salt, onions, spices, bell peppers, garlic, sugar, and MSG, it also includes artificial butter flavor, lemon oil, and a tenderizer. Still, grillers appreciate the taste, with many saying that a modest amount works wonderfully. They've also noted that steaks taste great even if you sprinkle some of this seasoning just a little while before grilling them, and you don't necessarily need to give it hours to settle in. If the added ingredients don't bother you, the reviews make it clear that this seasoning isn't something you should miss out on the next time you're grilling steak.

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The black seasoning is a best seller by Hardcore Carnivore, which isn't a shocker, given that grillers can't get enough of it. Some folks have called it the best seasoning for steak, reaching for it when they want something other than the same old salt and pepper combo. It quickly wins over newcomers, too, with one griller saying on Reddit, "First time trying the hardcore carnivore black. 10/10 HIGHLY recommend. So good I almost felt bad putting it on tacos"

Ingredients like sugar, garlic, onion, pepper, chili powder, sea salt, and activated charcoal make it shine. A few grillers say that the charcoal makes steaks look like they're professionally made, as it gives them a nice crust and a lovely, charred color without too much effort. It also enhances the meat's flavor nicely. Based on all that grillers have to say, it's clear that you can't go wrong with this one.

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It would be utterly unfair if we made this list without including the classic combo of salt and black pepper. While seasoning blends are fantastic for steaks, for most grillers, nothing beats this classic. As one person said on Reddit, "Personally, I think nothing beats just salt and pepper," adding, "I see a lot of rubs on this sub. I disagree, I think all you need is lots of salt and some pepper." Many agreed, with one commenting, "Sometimes something is tried and true for a reason."

Salt and coarse-ground black pepper have remained a staple for ages because of one simple reason: They let the meat shine. The pepper gives steaks a very subtle flavor without being too much. Some people prefer using coarse salt too, saying it gives steaks a nicer crust than fine salt. Either sea salt or kosher salt would work for this. 

It's best to use coarse black pepper, rather than fine, because it gives steaks a better texture with those crispy bits. Many grillers like going the extra mile by pairing this classic steak seasoning with other simpler seasonings like cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder for added flavor. You could use this combo with other seasonings or as-is — you'll end up with a delicious piece of steak either way.