Sous Vide Steak: Times and Temperatures by Doneness
By Dana Cole | Reviewed by Chef Daniel Pryce
Published · Last reviewed · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Set the water temperature to the doneness you want: rare 120 to 128°F (49 to 53°C), medium-rare 129 to 134°F (54 to 57°C), medium 135 to 144°F (57 to 62°C).
- A tender steak is ready in 1 to 4 hours; time builds tenderness and pasteurisation, not doneness, so a little extra is forgiving.
- The bath gives no browning, so pat the steak bone dry and finish with a short, very hot sear for the crust.
- For thick cuts give the centre time to reach temperature; thickness sets the time, not the weight.
Sous vide steak comes out at exactly the doneness you set the water to, so you choose a temperature for the inside, cook for 1 to 4 hours, then pat it dry and hard sear it for the crust. It was the first thing I cooked sous vide, and pulling out an edge-to-edge medium-rare steak with no grey band converted me on the spot. Here is how I do it.
Temperature by doneness
The water temperature is the doneness, so set the bath to the result you want and the steak cannot go past it. This is the whole trick: a hot pan cooks from the outside in and leaves a grey gradient, while the bath cooks the steak evenly until it matches the set temperature and stops.
- Rare: about 120 to 128°F (49 to 53°C), soft and very red.
- Medium-rare: about 129 to 134°F (54 to 57°C), the classic setting; I use 131°F (55°C).
- Medium: about 135 to 144°F (57 to 62°C), firmer and pink.
Choose one number and the steak is that doneness from edge to edge1. The full chart for every cut and thickness lives in sous vide times and temperatures.
Time
A tender steak is ready in about 1 to 4 hours, because time builds tenderness and pasteurisation, not doneness. Roughly one hour brings a 1-inch (25mm) steak up to temperature; thicker cuts need longer to heat through, since thickness sets the time, not the weight1. Once it has reached the set temperature it stays at that doneness, so an extra half hour while you sort the sides is forgiving.
Where you stop matters for texture. Past about four hours a tender cut keeps softening and can turn mushy, so for ribeye, strip, or filet I rarely go beyond two hours. More on the limits in can you overcook sous vide.
Searing
The bath gives no browning at all, so pat the steak bone dry and finish with a short, very hot sear. The water sits well below the roughly 300°F (149°C) where the Maillard reaction kicks in, so the steak emerges cooked but pale. A wet surface steams instead of browning, which is why drying comes first1.
Get a cast-iron pan, a torch, or a grill ripping hot and sear about 30 to 60 seconds a side until a crust forms, keeping it brief so the heat does not creep into the centre. My step-by-step is in how to sear after sous vide.
Seasoning and aromatics
Salt and pepper the steak before it goes in the bag, and keep any aromatics light. Salt seasons through the cook, and a sprig of thyme or a crushed garlic clove can ride along, but flavours concentrate over a long bath so go gently. The first time I loaded a steak with garlic it came out tasting like a roast dinner, a useful lesson. Save finishing salt and fresh pepper for after the sear. There is a deeper dive in seasoning and aromatics in sous vide.
Food safety
Safety on a steak comes from time and temperature together, not temperature alone. Cooking below about 130°F (54.4°C) is for short cooks only, not extended holds, because that sits inside the danger zone of 40 to 140°F (4 to 60°C)2. For a pasteurised result, hold the steak at temperature for the time a reputable chart gives for its thickness; Douglas Baldwin’s tables are the reference I trust3. If you are serving people who are pregnant, very young, elderly, or immunocompromised, cook to standard safe internal temperatures2. The detail is in our sous vide food safety guide.
This guide is general information and one cook’s experience, reviewed by a professional chef. Always follow current food-safety guidance for your situation.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature do you cook sous vide steak?
Set the water to the doneness you want, because the steak cannot go past it. Rare is about 120 to 128°F (49 to 53°C), medium-rare is about 129 to 134°F (54 to 57°C), and medium is about 135 to 144°F (57 to 62°C). I cook most of mine at 131°F (55°C) for a classic medium-rare. The temperature you set is the temperature edge to edge, with none of the grey band a hot pan leaves behind.
How long does sous vide steak take?
A tender steak such as ribeye, strip, or filet needs about 1 to 4 hours: roughly one hour to bring a 1-inch (25mm) cut to temperature, with more time for thicker steaks. Time sets tenderness and pasteurisation, not doneness, so within that window the steak stays at your chosen doneness. Going much past four hours starts to soften the texture, so for most steaks I stop around the two-hour mark.
Should you sear steak before or after sous vide?
After. The bath sits far below browning temperature, so the steak comes out cooked but pale. Pat it completely dry, then sear it hot and fast in a ripping-hot cast-iron pan, with a torch, or on a hot grill, about 30 to 60 seconds a side, until a crust forms. A dry surface and a short sear give colour and flavour without overcooking the inside. See how to sear after sous vide for the method.
Can you overcook a steak sous vide?
You cannot overshoot the doneness, because the steak never gets hotter than the water you set. What can change is texture: hold a tender steak far longer than it needs, beyond about four hours, and the proteins keep breaking down until it turns soft or mushy. So pick the doneness with the temperature, keep the time inside the cut's window, and the steak stays exactly where you want it.
Is rare sous vide steak safe?
Safety comes from time and temperature together, not temperature alone. Cooking below about 130°F (54.4°C) is for short cooks only, not extended holds, because that is inside the danger zone of 40 to 140°F (4 to 60°C). For a pasteurised result, hold the steak at temperature for the time a reputable chart specifies for its thickness. If you are serving people who are pregnant, very young, elderly, or immunocompromised, cook to standard safe internal temperatures.
Do you season steak before sous vide?
Yes, salt and pepper the steak before it goes in the bag. Salt seasons through the cook, and aromatics such as a sprig of thyme or a crushed garlic clove can go in too, though flavours intensify over long cooks so use a light hand. Save any finishing salt and fresh pepper for after the sear, when the crust is on and the steak is about to rest.
References
- The Food Lab's Complete Guide to Sous Vide Steak, Serious Eats. ↩
- Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. ↩
- A Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking, Douglas Baldwin. ↩
Written by Dana Cole. Reviewed by Chef Daniel Pryce.
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