Copycat Ruth’s Chris Steak Seasoning (7 Spices)

This copycat Ruth’s Chris steak seasoning takes five minutes, seven spices you almost certainly already own, and costs a fraction of what a jar of steakhouse rub runs at the store.

I’ll be upfront about something most copycat posts skip, though: the seasoning is only half the story. Ruth’s Chris steaks taste the way they do because of an 1,800°F broiler and a plate of butter that’s still bubbling when it reaches your table. This blend gets you the flavor. The butter section further down gets you the rest — and that’s the part that actually makes people at your table stop talking.

Why You’ll Love This Steak Seasoning

• Five minutes, no cooking. Measure, whisk, done.
• Seven pantry spices. Nothing you’ll have to hunt down or order.
• Makes about ½ cup — enough for eight to ten steaks, and it keeps for six months.
• No sugar, so it won’t burn under a high-heat sear the way most store-bought “steakhouse” rubs do.
• Not just for steak. It’s excellent on burgers, potatoes, chicken thighs, and pork chops.

What Seasoning Does Ruth’s Chris Use?

Ruth’s Chris seasons simply — salt, coarse pepper, and a savory blend heavy on garlic and onion — then lets the USDA Prime beef and the butter finish do the heavy lifting. The chain has never published its formula, so what follows is my copycat, reverse-engineered from what you can taste and see on the plate: a salt-forward crust with visible cracked pepper, a deep garlicky backbone, and flecks of green herb.

What it is not is sweet. A lot of blends sold as “steakhouse seasoning” lean on brown sugar, which scorches under high heat and tastes like barbecue rub. There’s no sugar in this one, and that’s the single most important thing separating it from the jar at the grocery store.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Makes about ½ cup.

• Kosher salt (3 tablespoons) — coarse, not table salt. The larger crystals draw moisture to the surface and build a better crust. If fine salt is all you have, cut it to 2 tablespoons or the blend will be brutally salty.
• Coarsely ground black pepper (2 tablespoons) — grind it yourself on the coarsest setting if you can. Pre-ground dust gives you neither the visible speckle nor the bite.
• Garlic powder (1 tablespoon) — powder, not granulated and definitely not garlic salt. This is the savory backbone of the blend.
• Onion powder (1 tablespoon) — works alongside the garlic to build that unmistakable steakhouse depth.
• Sweet paprika (1 tablespoon) — mostly color and a mild sweetness that rounds off the salt. Smoked paprika works but drags the whole thing toward barbecue.
• Dried parsley (2 teaspoons) — the green flecks. Largely visual, but it’s part of what makes the crust read as restaurant.
• Cayenne pepper (½ teaspoon) — you won’t taste heat, just a low warmth underneath everything. Leave it out if you’re cooking for kids.

How to Make Ruth’s Chris Steak Seasoning

Step 1: Combine. Add all seven ingredients to a small bowl.

Step 2: Whisk thoroughly. A full minute, longer than feels necessary. Garlic and onion powder clump and settle to the bottom, and an unmixed blend means one steak gets all the salt while the next gets none.

Step 3: Store. Transfer to an airtight jar. It holds its punch for about six months in a cool, dark cabinet — not in the rack above the stove, where heat and steam dull spices fast.

How to Use It on Steak

Season generously. About 1 teaspoon per side on a 1-inch steak. It will look like too much. It isn’t — a good amount of it ends up in the pan rather than on the meat.

Salt 40 minutes ahead, or right before cooking. Never in between. Salt pulls moisture to the surface, and in that middle window your steak sits wet, which means it steams instead of searing. Either give it 40-plus minutes for the moisture to reabsorb, or season and cook immediately.

Pat the steak completely dry first. Dry surface, better crust, every single time.

Don’t forget the edges. Stand the steak on its side and season the fat cap too.

From there, cook it however you like — this blend is at home on a grill, in cast iron, or in the air fryer. It’s what I reach for on my Air Fryer Ribeye Steak, which is the cut that gets you closest to the Ruth’s Chris experience thanks to all that marbling. For a leaner, more affordable option, it works just as well on Air Fryer Sirloin Steak, and if you want my full method with the garlic herb butter, that’s in my Best Air Fryer Steak Recipe.

The Sizzling Butter Finish (The Real Secret)

Here’s the part nobody tells you about copycatting Ruth’s Chris at home: the seasoning gets you maybe 40% of the way there. The butter gets you the rest.

They serve steaks on plates heated to around 500°F with butter melting underneath, which is why the plate is still audibly sizzling when it lands in front of you. That isn’t theater — it’s continuous basting while you eat, and it’s the biggest single difference between a home steak and a steakhouse steak.

To copy it:

1. Heat your dinner plates. Ten minutes in a 400°F oven, or 500°F if your plates are oven-safe stoneware. Use a towel to carry them; they will be genuinely dangerous to touch.
2. Make a quick compound butter. Soften 4 tablespoons of butter and mash in ½ teaspoon of this seasoning blend plus 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley.
3. Butter on the hot plate first, steak on top. Not butter on the steak. It needs to hit the plate so it melts and bubbles up around the meat.
4. Serve immediately, while it’s still going.

One caveat: rest the steak on a cutting board for five minutes before it goes on the plate. Skipping the rest to preserve the sizzle costs you more in lost juice than you gain in drama.

If you want to see the same butter-finish principle applied to a whole recipe, my Air Fryer Garlic Butter Steak Bites tosses the cooked bites in warm garlic butter for exactly this reason, and the Blackstone Steak Bites do it right on the griddle.

What to Serve With It

A steakhouse steak needs a steakhouse potato. My Air Fryer Steakhouse Potatoes have the crackly salt-crusted skin that makes the whole plate feel like a restaurant, and the Air Fryer Cheesy Potatoes are the move when you want something a little more indulgent alongside.

More Ways to Use This Blend

• Burgers — work a tablespoon into a pound of ground chuck before forming patties.
• Roasted or air fried potatoes — toss with oil and a heavy pinch before cooking.
• Chicken thighs — the paprika and cayenne are excellent on dark meat.
• Pork chops — same ratio as steak, 1 teaspoon per side.
• Steak tips and bites — season the cubes before searing, like the Texas Roadhouse–style sirloin beef tips I make in the air fryer.
• Compound butter — the version in the butter section above is fantastic on corn, bread, and roasted vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does homemade steak seasoning last?

Homemade steak seasoning lasts about six months at full strength in an airtight container stored somewhere cool and dark. It won’t spoil in a dangerous way after that — dried spices simply fade — but the garlic and paprika lose their punch first. If you can’t smell it clearly when you open the jar, it’s time for a fresh batch.

Can I make it without salt?

Yes. Leave the salt out entirely and store it as a salt-free rub, then salt your steak separately. This actually gives you better results, since salting is the step with the most specific timing requirements.

Is this the actual Ruth’s Chris recipe?

No, and I’d be skeptical of any post claiming otherwise — the chain has never published its formula. This is a copycat built to taste like what they serve, using ingredients you can buy at any grocery store.

Can I double or triple the batch?

Absolutely, and I’d encourage it. The ratios scale cleanly. Whisk longer with a bigger batch, and consider sifting it if you’re making several cups at once.

What cut of steak should I use?

Ribeye gets you closest — the marbling is doing a lot of the work at a steakhouse. New York strip is the next best, and I love it with the lemon herb butter in my Air Fryer New York Strip Steak. And if steak night sneaks up on you, this blend works straight from the freezer using my Frozen Ribeye Steak in the Air Fryer method.

Why is my seasoning burning on the steak?

Almost always sugar. If you’re using a store-bought blend alongside this one, check the label — brown sugar and dextrose scorch fast at searing temperatures. This blend has no sugar in it precisely so it can handle high heat.

More Ruth’s Chris Recipes

Want the full steakhouse spread at home? Start with the Ruth’s Chris Ahi Tuna — blackened, seared rare, and served with cucumber salad and mustard sauce, just like the restaurant’s signature starter.

For sides, the Copycat Ruth’s Chris Potatoes au Gratin layers thin-sliced potatoes in a rich cream and cheese sauce, and the Steakhouse Creamed Spinach comes together in minutes. Those two together are the classic Ruth’s Chris order.

Round out the plate with Air Fryer Steakhouse Potatoes for that salt-crusted skin, or Air Fryer Texas Roadhouse Rolls with cinnamon butter for the bread basket.

And for the steak itself, use this seasoning on my Air Fryer Ribeye Steak, Air Fryer New York Strip Steak, or Air Fryer Garlic Butter Steak Bites.