18 Easy Marinades That'll Instantly Upgrade Whatever You're Cooking

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper, then pour it over chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks. You can cook it right away or freeze it for later. Get the recipe for lemon garlic chicken marinade here.

Maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and garlic powder is all you need for this sweet-meets-savory glaze. Get the recipe for three-ingredient balsamic salmon marinade here.

The recipe calls for salmon, but this fragrant marinade made with lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, and herbs tastes delicious on just about any protein or veggies. Get the recipe for garlic and herb salmon marinade here.

Combine coconut aminos or soy sauce, olive oil, balsamic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Let your steak rest in the marinate for at least three hours or overnight until it's super tender. Get the recipe for balsamic steak marinade here.

We love serving this tangy shrimp over cauliflower rice, quinoa, or in a taco bowl. Get the recipe for garlic lime shrimp marinade here.

This lemony chicken marinade is so simple, but it adds a zesty freshness to baked chicken. Serve it over rice, sautéd veggies, or a Greek salad. Get the recipe for Greek chicken marinade here.

The best part about this marinade is you get to drink whatever wine you don't use. Get the recipe for red wine steak marinade here.

This marinade made with Dijon mustard, Worcestershire, soy sauce, garlic, and herbs tastes delicious on steak or grilled vegetables if you're looking for a way to upgrade meatless Monday. Get the recipe for Dijon and garlic beef kebab marinade here.

Try this four-ingredient marinade made with soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and vinegar on anything from chicken or shrimp to salmon or veggies. Get the recipe for four-ingredient soy chicken marinade.

All this marinade calls for is honey, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Try it on chicken thighs that get nice and crispy in a cast iron skillet. Get the recipe for Indonesian ginger chicken marinade here.

It takes about five minutes to whip up this yogurt-based curry marinade. It's a no-fuss way to liven up roast chicken, cauliflower, pork, or lamb. Get the recipe for curry yogurt chicken marinade here.

This combination of lime juice, fish sauce, chiles, cilantro and sesame oil is super tangy and refreshing. Try it on shrimp or any kind of seafood. Get the recipe for Vietnamese shrimp marinade here.

This Japanese-inspired salmon tastes delicious over a bed of rice with broccoli and sweet potatoes. It's the perfect fall dinner. Get the recipe for ginger miso salmon marinade here.

The paprika packs a little kick and the lemon lends fresh acidity to this easy baked chicken. Get the recipe for lemon paprika chicken marinade here.

This delicious honey mustard glaze keeps meat super moist. Don't limit yourself to just chicken — it tastes amazing on pork chops, salmon, or roasted eggplant. Get the recipe for honey mustard chicken marinade here.

Got 10 minutes? Then you have time to throw this stress-free weeknight dinner on the table. Get the recipe for honey garlic shrimp marinade here.

This recipe calls for steak, but it works great for any kind of fajitas like shrimp or chicken, too. Get the recipe for citrus fajita marinade here.