Yes, you can buy steak with EBT — raw, uncooked steaks are fully SNAP-eligible at any authorized retailer. The issue isn’t whether steak qualifies; it’s finding the right place to buy it. Most dedicated steak companies and online meat delivery brands are not USDA-authorized SNAP retailers, which means your EBT card won’t work there even though the product itself is food.
Here’s where you can and can’t use EBT to buy steak — and how to find high-quality cuts within your SNAP budget.
Can You Buy Steak With EBT?
Yes. Raw, uncooked steak is a SNAP-eligible food item under federal rules. The USDA makes no restrictions on cuts, grade, or price — ribeye, New York strip, sirloin, T-bone, and filet mignon are all as eligible as ground beef or chicken thighs.
What matters is how the product is sold:
- Raw, uncooked steak at a SNAP-authorized retailer → eligible
- Pre-marinated or pre-seasoned steak kits → generally eligible if sold cold and not hot-prepared
- Hot, ready-to-eat prepared steak → not eligible (standard restaurant/hot food restriction)
- Steak from a non-SNAP-authorized retailer → not eligible regardless of the product
The retailer’s USDA authorization status is the gating factor — not the cut of meat.
Omaha Steaks: Does Not Accept EBT
Omaha Steaks has confirmed directly that they are not able to accept EBT cards or food stamps for payment of Omaha Steaks orders. This applies to their website, catalog orders, and retail store locations.
Omaha Steaks is not registered as a USDA SNAP retailer, which means EBT transactions cannot be processed through their systems regardless of which products you’re buying.
The Amazon workaround: Omaha Steaks sells some products through Amazon. If an Omaha Steaks product listed on Amazon carries the “SNAP EBT Eligible” label, it may be purchasable with EBT through Amazon’s online SNAP purchasing system — but this depends on Amazon’s EBT eligibility determination for that specific item, not Omaha Steaks directly. Search for “Omaha Steaks” on Amazon Fresh and filter by SNAP EBT Eligible to see what’s available in your area.
Where You Can Buy Steak With EBT
Major Grocery Store Chains
Every major national grocery chain accepts EBT and carries a wide selection of beef cuts. This is the most reliable and accessible way to buy steak with SNAP benefits:
- Walmart — in-store and online; steaks available in individual cuts and family packs
- Kroger, Ralph’s, Fred Meyer, Smith’s — broad beef selection; frequent sales on sirloin, ribeye, and strip steaks
- Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Jewel-Osco — weekly meat specials often include steaks
- Publix — known for quality fresh meat department; BOGO sales frequently include beef cuts
- H-E-B (Texas) — strong beef selection at competitive prices; in-store EBT
- Meijer, Hy-Vee, Wegmans, Winn-Dixie — all accept EBT in-store with solid meat departments
Shop weekly sales ads. Grocery store steaks go on sale regularly — sirloin and round steaks are frequently discounted to $5–8/lb, making them accessible on a SNAP budget.
Warehouse and Club Stores
- Costco — accepts EBT in-store (not online); carries USDA Choice and Prime beef cuts in bulk packages. A Costco ribeye or New York strip bought with EBT is among the better value-per-quality purchases available to SNAP shoppers. Membership required.
- Sam’s Club — accepts EBT in-store (not online); similar bulk beef options at competitive prices. Membership required.
Amazon Fresh (Online)
Amazon Fresh accepts EBT online in participating states for eligible meat products. Search for steak cuts and filter by “SNAP EBT Eligible” — results include fresh and frozen steaks from Amazon’s own inventory as well as Whole Foods Market products.
Whole Foods ribeye steaks, sirloin, and other cuts appear in SNAP EBT eligible Amazon Fresh results. Delivery fees and tips must be paid with another payment method.
Aldi
Aldi accepts EBT in-store and carries fresh and frozen beef cuts at consistently low prices. Aldi’s beef is priced competitively and includes sirloin steaks, ribeye, and chuck options in the meat case.
Local and Independent Butcher Shops
Some independent butcher shops and meat markets are USDA-authorized SNAP retailers and accept EBT. These vary significantly by location. To find authorized butchers near you, use the USDA SNAP Retailer Locator at fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-locator and search by ZIP code.
Notable examples of meat-focused retailers accepting EBT:
- Oregon Meat Co. (Oregon) — grass-finished beef including steaks labeled SNAP-eligible
- My Corner Butcher (Elizabeth City, NC) — accepts EBT in-store and by phone for pickup and delivery
- Ramsey’s Meat Market (Wise, VA) — accepts EBT for all eligible items including grass-fed beef
Local farmers markets are another option — many are set up to accept SNAP EBT tokens, and direct-from-farm beef is available at participating vendors.
Other Steak-Focused Brands: EBT Status
| Retailer | Accepts EBT? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Omaha Steaks | ❌ No | Not a SNAP-authorized retailer |
| Snake River Farms | ❌ No | Direct-to-consumer only, not SNAP-authorized |
| Porter Road | ❌ No | Online butcher, not SNAP-authorized |
| Crowd Cow | ❌ No | Direct-to-consumer, not SNAP-authorized |
| ButcherBox | ❌ No | Subscription service, not SNAP-authorized |
| Amazon Fresh | ✓ Yes | EBT-eligible steaks available; state participation varies |
| Walmart | ✓ Yes | In-store and online |
| Costco | ✓ In-store only | Membership required; online does not accept EBT |
| Whole Foods (via Amazon) | ✓ Yes | Available through Amazon Fresh EBT program |
| Local SNAP-authorized butchers | ✓ Varies | Use USDA Retailer Locator to find nearby |
Most premium direct-to-consumer meat delivery companies are not USDA-authorized SNAP retailers. They sell raw, uncooked meat — which is SNAP-eligible — but they haven’t completed the USDA retailer authorization process required to accept EBT payments.
Getting the Most Steak Value From Your SNAP Benefits
Buy in bulk when on sale. A family pack of sirloin or chuck steaks bought at $5–6/lb during a sale and frozen goes further than individual steaks at full price.
Consider cut alternatives. Chuck steak, flank steak, skirt steak, and round steak offer comparable flavor to premium cuts when cooked correctly — and often at half the price. Marinating tougher cuts overnight transforms them.
Use the meat counter. Grocery store butcher counters can often cut steaks to order at the thickness you want — at no extra charge. This is worth asking about, especially for thicker-cut steaks.
Shop Costco or Sam’s Club. If you have a membership (or can share one), warehouse beef pricing and quality is often significantly better than standard grocery stores. A Costco USDA Choice ribeye bought in a multi-pack with EBT is one of the best steak deals available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you buy steak with EBT?
Yes. Raw, uncooked steak is fully SNAP-eligible at any authorized retailer. All cuts and grades are eligible — ribeye, sirloin, T-bone, filet mignon, and others. The retailer must be USDA SNAP-authorized for your EBT card to work.
Does Omaha Steaks accept EBT?
No. Omaha Steaks has confirmed they do not accept EBT cards or food stamps for any orders. They are not a USDA-authorized SNAP retailer. Some Omaha Steaks products sold through Amazon may be individually EBT-eligible — search Amazon Fresh and filter by SNAP EBT Eligible.
What steak companies accept EBT?
Major grocery chains (Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, Publix, Aldi), warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam’s Club — in-store only), Amazon Fresh, and some SNAP-authorized local butchers. Most premium direct-to-consumer steak brands (Snake River Farms, Porter Road, ButcherBox, Crowd Cow) do not accept EBT.
Can I buy pre-marinated steak with EBT?
Generally yes — pre-marinated or pre-seasoned raw steaks sold cold at grocery stores are typically SNAP-eligible. Hot, freshly prepared steaks from a deli counter are not eligible. If unsure about a specific product, the EBT terminal will indicate eligibility at checkout.
How do I find a local butcher that accepts EBT?
Use the USDA SNAP Retailer Locator at fns.usda.gov/snap/retailer-locator. Search by ZIP code and look for specialty meat retailers in the results. Calling ahead to confirm before visiting saves time.
Bottom Line
You can buy steak with EBT at grocery stores, Costco and Sam’s Club (in-store), Amazon Fresh, and SNAP-authorized local butcher shops. The cut doesn’t matter — ribeye is as eligible as ground beef under SNAP rules.
Major steak delivery companies like Omaha Steaks, ButcherBox, and Crowd Cow are not SNAP-authorized and cannot process EBT payments, even though they sell raw meat.
For a full list of retailers where you can use your benefits, the SNAP-eligible foods guide covers what qualifies and what doesn’t across every major category.
SNAP eligibility applies to raw, uncooked meat at USDA-authorized retailers. Retailer SNAP authorization status can change — confirm before shopping at any specialty or independent retailer.