How Long to Sous Vide Steak, by Thickness
How long to sous vide steak depends on how thick it is. At 131°F (55°C), which is medium-rare, a steak 1 in (2.5 cm) thick needs at least 1 hr 15 min, a 1.5 in (3.8 cm) steak needs 2 hr 15 min and a 2 in (5.1 cm) steak needs 3 hr 45 min.
Those are minimums. The best window runs for an hour after the minimum, and a steak up to 1.5 in thick should come out by 4 hr. Every time in the tables on this page comes from the calculator.
Quick answer
Cook steak at 131°F (55°C) for at least 2 hr 15 min. That is for medium-rare, 1.5 in (3.8 cm) thick.
- Minimum time
- 2 hr 15 min
- Best window
- 2 hr 15 min to 3 hr 15 min
- Do not exceed
- 4 hr
- Heat-through time
- 2 hr 15 min
- core reaches bath temperature
- Pasteurized
- No
- pasteurized after 3 hr 45 min in the bath
Note
At the minimum time this cut is heated through but not pasteurized. That is normal for a whole, intact cut of beef cooked to this doneness. To pasteurize it at this temperature and thickness, cook it for at least 3 hr 45 min. Use that longer time, or a higher temperature, when cooking for pregnant women, children under 5, adults 65 and older, or anyone with a weakened immune system. If the label says mechanically tenderized or blade tenderized, or the meat has been injected, cook it for at least 3 hr 45 min.
Steak calculator
Set your own thickness and doneness, or cook from frozen, and get the exact time.
Open the steak calculatorSteak cook time by thickness
| Thickness | Minimum time | Best window | Do not exceed | From frozen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 in (1.3 cm) | 30 min | 30 min to 1 hr 30 min | 4 hr | 45 min |
| 1 in (2.5 cm) | 1 hr 15 min | 1 hr 15 min to 2 hr 15 min | 4 hr | 2 hr |
| 1.5 in (3.8 cm) | 2 hr 15 min | 2 hr 15 min to 3 hr 15 min | 4 hr | 3 hr 30 min |
| 2 in (5.1 cm) | 3 hr 45 min | 3 hr 45 min to 4 hr 45 min | 4 hr 45 min | 6 hr 45 min not recommended |
| 2.5 in (6.4 cm) | 6 hr see warning | 6 hr to 7 hr | 7 hr | 9 hr not recommended |
Pasteurized at the minimum time for 2.5 in only. A warning applies at 2.5 in. The calculator gives the details. From frozen it is not recommended at 2 in, 2.5 in. Thaw the food first.
Measure through the thickest part of the steak, including the bone if there is one. The calculator asks for thickness and not weight.
Doneness changes the time very little. For steaks up to 2 in thick, the minimum differs by no more than 15 min across the five doneness levels. The steak temperature chart has a table for each one.
Why thickness sets the time
The center of the steak is the last part to warm up, and heat reaches it only by passing through the meat around it.
A water bath also heats gently. America's Test Kitchen's article on why sous vide cooking times are so long points out that a broiler runs at over 500°F (260°C), while the bath sits at the temperature you want the steak to reach, so heat moves in slowly.
Time rises faster than thickness. Douglas Baldwin's guide to sous vide cooking puts it as a rule of thumb: "doubling the thickness of the meat increases the cooking time four fold!"
The calculator uses his heating tables instead of the rule of thumb, and the effect is still large. A 0.5 in (1.3 cm) steak needs 30 min. A 1 in steak needs 1 hr 15 min, and a 2 in steak needs 3 hr 45 min, which is three times as long for twice the thickness.
Minimum, best window and maximum
Minimum. The time for the center to come within 1°F (0.5°C) of the bath.
Best window. From the minimum to one hour later, or to the maximum if that comes first.
Maximum. The latest the steak should come out. The usual texture limit is 4 hr at 131°F (55°C) and 140°F (60°C), 3 hr 30 min at 150°F (65.6°C) and 3 hr at 160°F (71.1°C).
A 2 in steak at 131°F (55°C) needs 3 hr 45 min, which is close to that limit, so the calculator sets its maximum at the minimum plus 1 hr: 4 hr 45 min.
The center of a 2.5 in (6.4 cm) steak takes more than 4 hr to heat through, so the minimum shown is the pasteurization time, 6 hr. Food should not spend more than 4 hr in the bath without being pasteurized.
Warning
A 2.5 in steak at 131°F (55°C) is close to the 6 hour limit for the center to reach 130°F (54.4°C). A typical piece passes. A dense or unevenly shaped piece may not. A thinner piece or a higher temperature is the more cautious choice. Put the meat into the bath straight from the refrigerator, with the bath already at temperature.
The calculator opens tri-tip at 2 in, so these thick-cut rules apply to it from the start.
A piece thicker than 2.5 in is outside the steak tables. A prime rib roast is entered by its width as a round roast, and at 131°F (55°C) a roast 2.75 in (7 cm) across needs at least 3 hr 30 min. A London broil cut from top round is timed in a third way: its 24 hr minimum at 131°F (55°C) is a tenderizing time, and thickness is not an input.
Times for a medium steak
| Thickness | Minimum time | Best window | Do not exceed | From frozen |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 in (1.3 cm) | 30 min | 30 min to 1 hr 30 min | 4 hr | 45 min |
| 1 in (2.5 cm) | 1 hr 30 min | 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 30 min | 4 hr | 2 hr |
| 1.5 in (3.8 cm) | 2 hr 30 min | 2 hr 30 min to 3 hr 30 min | 4 hr | 3 hr 45 min |
| 2 in (5.1 cm) | 3 hr 45 min | 3 hr 45 min to 4 hr 45 min | 4 hr 45 min | 5 hr 45 min |
| 2.5 in (6.4 cm) | 5 hr 30 min | 5 hr 30 min to 6 hr 30 min | 6 hr 30 min | 8 hr 30 min |
Pasteurized at the minimum time for 1 in, 1.5 in, 2 in, 2.5 in only.
At 140°F (60°C) a 1 in steak needs 1 hr 30 min. Pasteurizing takes only a little longer than heating through at this thickness, so the minimum shown is the pasteurization time.
From 1 in up, a medium steak is pasteurized at its minimum time. A medium-rare steak up to 2 in thick is heated through at its minimum but not pasteurized, which the calculator treats as normal for a whole, intact cut of beef. Pasteurizing a 1.5 in steak at 131°F (55°C) takes at least 3 hr 45 min.
Use that longer time, or a higher temperature, when cooking for pregnant women, children under 5, adults 65 and older, or anyone with a weakened immune system. Do the same if the label says mechanically tenderized or blade tenderized, or the meat has been injected.
Both settings are below the USDA safe minimum internal temperature for steak, which FoodSafety.gov lists as 145°F (62.8°C) followed by a 3 minute rest. Pasteurization by time and temperature is the subject of the sous vide safety guide.
How long to sous vide a frozen steak
| Thickness | Minimum time | Best window | Do not exceed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 in (1.3 cm) | 45 min | 45 min to 1 hr 45 min | 4 hr |
| 1 in (2.5 cm) | 2 hr | 2 hr to 3 hr | 4 hr |
| 1.5 in (3.8 cm) | 3 hr 30 min | 3 hr 30 min to 4 hr 30 min | 4 hr 30 min |
| 2 in (5.1 cm) | 6 hr 45 min not recommended | 6 hr 45 min to 7 hr 45 min | 7 hr 45 min |
| 2.5 in (6.4 cm) | 9 hr not recommended | 9 hr to 10 hr | 10 hr |
Not pasteurized at the minimum time. Use the calculator to see the pasteurization time for your thickness. Not recommended at 2 in, 2.5 in. The calculator gives the reason.
A frozen steak goes straight into the bath and stays longer. At 131°F (55°C) a frozen 1 in steak needs at least 2 hr, against 1 hr 15 min thawed. A frozen 1.5 in steak needs at least 3 hr 30 min, against 2 hr 15 min.
In the calculator, the heat-through time from frozen is 1.55 times the thawed time. Anova's steak guide allows a flat extra hour for steaks 1 to 2 in thick. The calculator adds 45 min at 1 in and 1 hr 15 min at 1.5 in.
Note
A frozen 1.5 in steak at 131°F (55°C) is heated through at 3 hr 30 min but not pasteurized. Pasteurizing at this temperature and thickness takes 4 hr 45 min, longer than the 4 hr 30 min maximum for texture, so when cooking for pregnant women, children under 5, adults 65 and older, or anyone with a weakened immune system, choose a higher temperature. Do the same if the label says mechanically tenderized or blade tenderized, or the meat has been injected.
Warning
A frozen steak 2 in or thicker at 131°F (55°C) is not recommended. From frozen, this thickness is past the limit for this temperature. The center should reach 130°F (54.4°C) within 6 hours for the cook to be safe, and by a cautious estimate, which allows for a dense or unevenly shaped piece, a piece this thick takes longer than 6 hours. Thaw the food first, use a higher temperature, or cut it into thinner pieces.
Freeze steaks in a single flat layer so the thickness is the same as when thawed. Sous vide frozen steak has its own post, and the guide to cooking from frozen covers other foods.
What happens when a steak stays in too long
The steak cannot get hotter than the bath, so it does not move to the next doneness. The texture changes instead. Baldwin's guide notes that meat keeps softening while it is held hot and may turn mushy if held too long. Anova's guide describes the stages for a steak at 130°F (54.4°C): at one hour it still has chew, by four hours the chew is reduced as connective tissue starts to break down, and at 24 hours or beyond it shreds and flakes.
Over a few hours the change is small. Baldwin cites a study in which holding beef in the bath for 90 to 360 minutes had no significant effect on its cooking weight or its shear force, a measure of tenderness.
At 131°F (55°C) and above, the maximum is this texture limit. Once a steak is pasteurized, extra time at these temperatures makes it softer but does not make it unsafe. At 125°F (51.7°C) the limit is a safety limit.
Warning
125°F (51.7°C) is below 131°F (55°C), the lowest temperature in the pasteurization tables this calculator uses, so the food is not pasteurized. Keep the total time in the water bath to 2 hr 30 min or less, serve it right away, and do not chill it to reheat later. Do not serve it to pregnant women, children under 5, adults 65 and older, or anyone with a weakened immune system. Rare is not recommended for a steak thicker than 1.5 in, because its center needs longer than 2 hr 30 min to warm through.
Why these minimums are longer than "1 to 4 hours"
Some recipes print one range for a span of thicknesses. Anova's steak guide gives 1 to 4 hours for medium-rare steaks 1.5 to 2 in thick. The calculator's minimums at those two thicknesses are 2 hr 15 min and 3 hr 45 min. America's Test Kitchen's sous vide seared steaks recipe cooks steaks 1 to 1.5 in thick at 130°F (54.4°C) for at least 1.5 hours and up to 3 hours. The calculator has no steak setting at 130°F (54.4°C), and its limit at that temperature and below is 2 hr 30 min.
The calculator's minimums are built on Baldwin's heating tables, which give the time for the center to come within 1°F (0.5°C) of the bath. By that measure, 1 hr is enough for a 0.5 in steak and not for a 1 in or 1.5 in steak.
Baldwin also notes that the time drops by about 13% if the center only has to come within 2°F (1°C) of the bath. At the short end of such a range, the center of a thick steak has not reached the bath temperature.
The steak guide has the method from seasoning to searing, and the sous vide cooking times chart covers other foods.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to sous vide a steak?
At 131°F (55°C) a 1 inch steak needs at least 1 hr 15 min, a 1.5 inch steak needs 2 hr 15 min and a 2 inch steak needs 3 hr 45 min. The time depends on thickness, not weight.
Can you sous vide a steak for too long?
Yes. A steak up to 1.5 inches thick at 131°F (55°C) or 140°F (60°C) should come out by 4 hr, because past that the meat keeps getting softer. At 125°F (51.7°C) the limit is 2 hr 30 min, and that one is a safety limit.
Is 1 hour long enough to sous vide a steak?
Only for a thin steak. A 0.5 inch steak is heated through in 30 min, but the center of a 1 inch steak needs 1 hr 15 min and a 1.5 inch steak needs 2 hr 15 min to come within 1°F (0.5°C) of the bath.
How long do you sous vide a frozen steak?
At 131°F (55°C) a frozen 1 inch steak needs at least 2 hr and a frozen 1.5 inch steak needs at least 3 hr 30 min. Freeze steaks in a single flat layer so the thickness is the same as when thawed.
Does a medium steak take longer than medium-rare?
Only a little. For steaks up to 2 inches thick, the doneness changes the minimum time by no more than 15 min. A 1.5 inch steak needs 2 hr 15 min at 131°F (55°C) and 2 hr 30 min at 140°F (60°C).
Does a heavier steak take longer to sous vide?
Not if it is the same thickness. The calculator asks for the thickness through the thickest part, because the time is set by how far the heat has to travel to the center.