You should rest most steaks about 5–10 minutes, adjusting for thickness and size.

Quick Scoop

  • Thin steaks (about 2 cm / ¾ inch): rest around 5 minutes before slicing.
  • Standard ribeye/strip (2–3 cm / ¾–1¼ inch): aim for 5–10 minutes.
  • Thick cuts (3–4 cm / 1¼–1½ inch, tomahawk, porterhouse): 10–15 minutes is common.
  • Big roasts (prime rib, large beef roast): 10–20 minutes or even longer depending on size.

A handy rule of thumb some cooks use:

  • About 1 minute of resting per centimeter of thickness, or
  • Rest for roughly half the cooking time.

Why steak should rest

When steak comes off high heat, its muscle fibers are tight and the juices are pushed toward the center. As the meat rests and cools slightly, those fibers relax and juices redistribute throughout the steak instead of spilling out onto the plate as soon as you cut it. Some guides estimate you can lose a large share of juices if you slice immediately, which makes the steak noticeably drier.

Think of it like shaking up a bottle: if you open it right away, everything bursts out, but if you let it settle, it’s calmer and more controlled.

Simple resting rules at home

You don’t need anything fancy; just follow these basics:

  1. Take the steak off the heat a few degrees before your target doneness, since it will continue to cook slightly as it rests.
  1. Place it on a warm plate or cutting board; loosely tent with foil if your kitchen is cool so it doesn’t chill too quickly.
  1. Let it rest:
    • 5 minutes for thinner or smaller steaks.
 * 8–10 minutes for typical restaurant-style ribeye or strip.

 * 10–15 minutes or more for very thick or bone-in cuts.
  1. Slice across the grain to keep bites tender.

If you’re juggling timing for a meal, you can hold a rested steak in a low oven for about 15–20 minutes to keep it warm without badly overcooking it.

Is resting steak still a debate?

On food forums, you’ll see people arguing about whether resting “really matters,” with some cooks insisting they like to eat steak straight from the pan and others swearing the rest is essential. Many professional guides and cooking schools still recommend a rest of at least 5 minutes for steaks and longer for large roasts, pointing to juicier, more evenly cooked meat.

A practical compromise: for quick weeknight thin steaks, you might do a shorter 3–5 minute rest, but for a big, expensive cut, giving it 10 minutes on the board is a low-effort way to improve tenderness and juiciness.

Mini example

If you reverse-sear a 1½‑inch ribeye to medium-rare in 20 minutes total cooking time, pull it when it’s just under your ideal temperature and rest about 8–10 minutes on a warm board before slicing.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.