To cook sous vide steak, seal it in a bag, cook it in a water bath set to the doneness you want to finish at, for a time set by its thickness, then sear it hard.
The result is a steak cooked evenly from edge to edge, with the crust added at the end.
Below are bath temperatures in Celsius, minimum times by thickness, the method step by step and Australian food safety notes.
What Is Sous Vide Steak and Why Does It Work?
Sous vide steak is steak sealed in a bag and cooked in a water bath held at a precise temperature, so it cannot cook past the doneness you set.
Sous vide is French for "under vacuum". An immersion circulator heats and moves the water, holding it at one temperature, and the sealed steak slowly rises to match it. Because the steak cannot get hotter than the water, there is no overshoot and no carryover to plan around.
A vacuum sealer gives the tightest bag, but a zip-lock bag works too if you lower it into the water to push the air out. Some steam ovens have a sous vide mode; check the manual for how yours holds temperature. Steaks you cut from a whole primal need a fresh bag of their own.
The method shines with lean eye fillet, which turns dry quickly once a pan takes it past medium. The trade-off is time, and the steak still needs a hard sear for colour and flavour.
No circulator? A reverse sear in a low oven gets close to the same edge-to-edge result.
Sous Vide Steak Temperature Chart in Celsius
Set the bath to the temperature you want the steak to finish at: 55 to 60C for rare, 60 to 63C for medium rare, 65 to 70C for medium and 75C for well done.
| Doneness | Bath setting | Colour and texture | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare | 55 to 60C | Red throughout, very soft | Serve within 4 hours in total |
| Medium rare | 60 to 63C | Rosy pink edge to edge, tender | Top of the range meets 63C |
| Medium | 65 to 70C | Paler pink, firmer | Lean cuts begin to firm up |
| Well done | 75C | No pink, firm | Same 75C as rolled meat |
These settings use the Cost Cut Meats scale of final temperatures. A pan steak is pulled 3 to 5C early, but in a bath it stops at the water temperature, so you set the final figure from the start.
Many US guides set medium rare lower, at about 54 to 57C, because they follow an eating scale rather than food safety guidance.
The Food Safety Information Council recommends cooking whole cuts of beef to at least 63C with a 3 minute rest, and mince, sausages and rolled or stuffed roasts to 75C. Its own doneness chart lists 63C, 71C and 77C.
Sous Vide Steak Times by Cut and Thickness
Sous vide steak time follows thickness, not weight: each steak needs a minimum time for its centre to reach the bath temperature, and at rare settings it should be served within 4 hours.
| Steak thickness | Minimum time from the fridge | Minimum time from frozen |
|---|---|---|
| 2cm | 50 minutes | 1¼ hours |
| 2.5cm | 1¼ hours | 1¾ hours |
| 3cm | 1½ hours | 2¼ hours |
| 3.5cm | 2 hours | 3 hours |
| 4cm | 2½ hours | 3½ hours |
| 5cm | 3½ hours | 5¼ hours |
These minimum times come from Douglas Baldwin's widely used Practical Guide to Sous Vide Cooking, which calculates how long a slab-shaped cut takes to heat from fridge temperature (5C) to within 0.5C of the bath. They hold for bath settings between 45C and 80C, so the same times apply to every doneness in the chart above.
Thickness matters because heat has further to travel to the centre of a thick steak: doubling the thickness roughly quadruples the time. Cutting steaks to an even thickness from a whole primal keeps every bag on the same timetable.
At the rare setting the 4-hour limit applies, which rules out a 5cm steak from frozen and leaves little margin for a 5cm steak from the fridge or a 4cm steak from frozen. For those, thaw the steak in the fridge first or choose medium rare.
Marbled scotch fillet and porterhouse need a sear long enough to crisp and render their fat, while lean eye fillet gains nothing from extra hours in the bath, so serve it soon after the minimum.
Rump and AMG grass-fed Angus rostbiff steaks are leaner and firmer than loin steaks, so slice them thinly across the grain after the sear.
Steaks cut from picanha (rump cap) carry a thick fat cap that the bath will not render, so give that side the longest time in the pan.
How to Sous Vide Steak, Step by Step
To sous vide steak, cut it evenly, season and seal it, cook it for at least the minimum time for its thickness, then pat it dry and sear it hard.
- Cut steaks to an even thickness from the primal; 2.5 to 4cm keeps every setting comfortably inside the times above.
- Pat dry, season with salt and pepper, and seal each steak in its own bag.
- Preheat the bath to your chosen setting and check it with a calibrated thermometer.
- Keep the bags fully submerged and cook for at least the minimum time for the thickness.
- Lift the steaks out, open the bags and pat the surface very dry.
- Sear in a smoking hot cast iron pan or on the barbecue for 60 to 90 seconds a side, or use a torch, finishing with a garlic butter baste if you like.
- Rest briefly, then slice across the grain.
A dry surface is what makes the sear work, since moisture must steam away before the meat can brown. Keep the sear short and fierce to protect the pink centre.
A long rest is not needed, but a few minutes lets the crust settle, and the basics of resting beef still apply to the juices on the board.
Is Sous Vide Steak Safe?
Sous vide steak is safe when you start with a whole, intact cut, sear the outside well, keep low settings within a time limit and serve it straight away.
The Food Safety Information Council says whole pieces of meat can be cooked to taste, as long as the outside is fully cooked to kill external bacteria. A hard sear after the bath takes care of the surface, which is why it is part of the method rather than an optional extra.
Low settings need care. Food Standards Australia New Zealand notes that bacteria multiply quickly between 5C and 60C, and the rare setting of 55 to 60C sits inside that zone. Its 2-hour/4-hour rule treats food held between 5C and 60C for more than 4 hours in total as unsafe, and Baldwin likewise advises that rare meat should come up to temperature and be served within 4 hours.
So at the rare setting, keep the total time from fridge to plate under 4 hours and plan to eat the steaks rather than keep leftovers. Medium rare and higher settings hold the steak at 60C or above, so the time limit does not apply.
Mechanically tenderised, marinated and moisture-enhanced meats are the exception. The Council groups them with rolled, stuffed and minced meats, which should reach 75C in the centre, so they do not suit a low bath. Keep the low settings for whole, untreated steaks.
Serve the steak as soon as it is seared, and refrigerate any leftovers from medium rare or higher settings promptly. Rarer beef is a personal choice that pregnant women, older people, young children and anyone with a weakened immune system are safest avoiding.
Conclusion
Sous vide steak comes down to three steps: set the bath to the doneness you want, give the steak at least the minimum time for its thickness, then sear it hard.
Start with even, thick scotch fillet steaks cut from a whole cube roll, delivered chilled, and the bath does the rest.
