kofta kebabs

Kofta Kebabs are a popular Middle Eastern dish made with beef, veal, lamb or combination and filled with mint, garlic and spices.  A simple weeknight meal that is deliciously exotic!

Grilled Kofta Kebabs

wood skewers

lbs beef

eggs

whole wheat bread

garlic (minced)

mint (finely chopped)

tsp cumin

cinnamon

salt

Preheat the barbecue to medium-high heat.

Place skewers in a water bath for 10 minutes to avoid skewers from burning.  This step is not necessary if using metal skewers.

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix by hand.  Form into meat balls and then roll into long skinny tubes.  Thread the skewer through the centre of each and set aside.

Grill over medium-high heat for 5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature has reached 160F.  Serve.

Beef Kofta kebabs are a delicious and versatile dish that has been enjoyed for centuries across the Middle East and beyond. These succulent meat skewers are made with ground beef, infused with fragrant spices, and grilled to perfection.

Beef Kofta Kebabs

wooden skewers

beef (you need some fat

onion (finely minced)

tsp garlic (finely minced)

tsp sweet paprika (or smoked paprika)

turmeric

tsp sea salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more

parsley (chopped)

cilantro (chopped)

mint leaves (chopped)

Greek yogurt

cucumber (squeeze dry)

lemon juice

tsp fresh mint (finely chopped)

¼ tsp salt (to taste)

Add the spices to a small bowl and whisk to blend together.

Place the ground beef, spice blend, chopped garlic, and chopped onions in a large bowl.

Mix the ingredients together to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to bloom.

Form the seasoned beef into a log shape (long cylinder shapes).

Skewer the kafta meat with the wooden skewers (or metal skewers), squeezing the mixture to mold it to the skewer.

Place the kabobs on a hot grill pan over medium-high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes.

Turn the beef kofta kabobs halfway through the cooking process and continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.You can also cook these on a gas or charcoal grill to cook the kabobs.  Kabobs can also be cooked in a 350-degree oven for 15-18 minutes.

Beef Kebabs

Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together to combine.  Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve.

Serve the Beef Kebabs with coconut rice and tzatziki sauce.  Garnish with chopped parsley.

Tzatziki Sauce

This Chicken Kofta Kebabs recipe presents a tender, juicy bite that will leave everyone asking for more! Get ready to be entranced with Middle Eastern charm!

Juicy Chicken Kofta Kebabs

chicken (I used chicken breast only)

Roma tomato

½ small yellow onion (or red onion)

parsley

garlic

jalapeno (use more or less to taste)

Aleppo pepper (or paprika)

coriander powder

½ teaspoon 7 spice

baking soda

garlic powder

onion powder

pepper paste (optional)

Arabic Shatta (spicy paste) (optional)

Chop the vegetables very finely.

Add the chopped veggies and spices to the chicken and mix.

Place the chicken mixture into the freezer for 30 minutes, or fridge for an hour.

When ready, dip your hand into the cold water and start shaping your kebabs on the wooden skewers.

Place on a parchment paper lines baking sheet and bake, covered, at 425 degrees F for 18-22 minutes, flipping halfway. You can broil them to get more color.

Made with ground meat, either beef or lamb, that is seasoned with the most fragrant herbs and spices and then grilled to perfection, Kofta Kebabs are a famous Middle Eastern street food! They are so delicious, juicy, and full of intense layered flavor that will take your tastebuds on a culinary adventure! 

Kofta (Beef Or Lamb)

ground beef (or ground lamb)

onion

parsley (finely chopped)

sumac

black pepper (ground)

allspice

cumin

smoked paprika

tzatziki sauce

hummus

Greek salad

feta cheese

pita bread

Black pepper

Mint

Season the kofta meat:

Season the kofta meat: Add the meat, diced onion, minced garlic, chopped fresh herbs, and spices to a large bowl and mix until combined well. 

Chill the kofta mixture:

Chill the kofta mixture: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and then place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

Form the koftas:

Form the kofta kebabs: Measure out about ½ cup of the kofta mixture. Now, with damp hands form it into the shape of a cylinder and then skewer it making sure to fit the ground meat cylinder tightly around the skewer. Then repeat this process until there is no remaining kofta mixture. The ground meat really needs to be molded to the skewer for the best results.   

Prepare The Kofta Kebabs

Preheat the grill:

Preheat the grill: Oil the grates of your grill and then heat it to around 450°F (230°C). If you are using a grill pan instead, you will want to add about a tablespoon of oil to it and heat it to medium-high.

Grill the kofta kebabs:

Grill the kofta kebabs: Place the skewered kofta kebabs on the grill to cook for about 5 minutes turning them from time to time so that they evenly brown on all sides. If necessary you will want to cook the kebabs in batches rather than crowd your grill or grill pan.

Grilling Option

Preheat air fryer:

Preheat air fryer: Preheat your air fryer to 380°F (195°C).

Air fry the kofta kebabs:

Air fry the kofta kebabs: Place a few kofta kebabs in the air fryer basket, do not over-crowd, and air fry for 7 to 8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.

Air Fryer Option

Serve the koftas:

Serve the kofta kebabs: For a delicious authentic Middle Eastern meal serve the kofta on warm pita bread with the tzatziki sauce, hummus, Greed salad, and feta cheese.

Serve

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/IJrHXgRD.mp4

Made with ground meat, either beef or lamb, that is seasoned with the most fragrant herbs and spices and then grilled to perfection, these Easy Koftas are a famous Middle Eastern street food! They are so delicious, juicy, and full of intense layered flavor that will take your tastebuds on a culinary adventure!

Koftas (Beef Or Lamb)

Recipe video above. This Greek Kofta kebab features a secret spice mix from a well known Melbourne souvlaki shop called Kalimera Souvlaki Art. The owner gave me his chicken gyros recipe for a story I did for Good Food. I used the same blend for lamb mince koftas - it&#39;s spectacular! The secret ingredient is a hint of curry powder, which adds warmth and depth without a curry taste. Genius!Served with my version of his Secret Souvlaki Sauce, crafted from clues he gave me. It&#39;s so good, I use it to dunk crackers, veggie sticks and hot chips.

Greek Kofta Kebabs

500 grams/ 1 lb lamb mince ((or beef,

tsp paprika ((regular/sweet, not smoked))

mustard powder

tsp oregano

tsp curry powder (, not spicy, any brand fine (Kalimera secret ingredient! Note 2))

tsp cooking salt / kosher salt

tsp black pepper

olive oil

skewers (, optional (I use 18cm/7.5"))

plain yogurt (, preferably Greek (full-fat best))

mayonnaise (, preferably whole-egg)

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

mustard

tsp paprika ((sweet/regular, not smoked or spicy))

Greek pita bread (, pockets

tomatoes (, halved and sliced)

Iceberg lettuce (, finely sliced (or other leafy greens))

Sauce - Mix the ingredients in a bowl and set aside to let the flavours meld while you make the kofta kebabs.

Kofta kebabs - Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with your hands until the spices are mixed through. Divide into 8, shape into 13cm/5" logs. Thread onto skewers then flatten slightly to about 1.25cm / 0.5" thick (Note 5).

Cook - Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large non stick pan over medium high heat. Cook half the koftas for 2 minutes on each side until golden, then about 30 seconds on each short edge (just for a bit of colour). Reduce the heat if they're browning too fast. Transfer to a serving plate, loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Cook the remaining koftas. (Scrape out loose burnt bits, if any. You shouldn't need extra oil.)

Serve and assemble! Pile the lettuce, tomato and onion on the plate and put the sauce in a bowl. To assemble, take a warm pita bread and smear some sauce down the middle. Top with lettuce and 1 or 2 koftas (removed from the skewers), tuck tomato down the side and sprinkle with onion. Fold and EAT!

Added a lightly beaten egg to the kofta mix just in case, DELICIOUS. Special sauce was dubious (grainy, harsh) immediately after mixing it up but was really good by the time we came to eat it. Fam have already asked when we can have it again.

Soo delicious!  We used a bit less oregano, only six teaspoons for a double batch, which turned out to be just right for our tastes.  I’ve seen a lot of videos lately where these are pressed into a big patty on a sheet pan then cut into strips before baking so that was our method of cooking. Ten minutes at 425F,  a quick pass under the broiler and they were cooked perfectly. Will be making these again and again. Thanks for the excellent recipe Nagi!

Made these koftas last night. I searched Recipe Tin sight for lamb mince as I had some that needed using up. These were delicious and I will make them again. The whole family loved the sauce and we would definitely use it as a dip for things too. I added a egg and made the koftas into meatball shaped sausages and didn’t bother with skewers, cooked the koftas in the air fryer as it was on the counter and we do not have a BBQ at home.

easy and hugely favourful!!! Thank you for another excellent recipe

Hello from Ireland...
I have to be honest, I was skeptical about using the curry powder but I honestly was impressed with the flavours!! I did a 50/50 lamb &amp; beef and followed every thing else to the letter. Made some lemon orzo &amp; rice to go with the veggies &amp; bread. Four empty plates, kiddos said it was delicious! Will 100% be making this again!! 5 stars here for sure!! :) Thanks again for a great recipe!! Always delicious!!

2nd day running of you Greek lamb kofta kebabs on the bbq in balmy Scotland!!! This recipe is amazing!😍

Amazing!  So delicious and easy to prep!  My whole family devoured these quickly and begged me to make this recipe again.  Thanks for sharing!

Hi Deeann, I live in Mission, BC, Canada and we made this with beef for our dinner tonight. I 1000% recommend this recipe. Sooo flavourful. I was hesitant to try as the spice mix seemed odd too me, but I trusted Nagi and I'm so glad I did. Absolutely delicious.

Well how good was this recipe! Very easy to prepare and cook! The sauce was ab fab…..I did as one person suggested and made the sauce  earlier so the flavours could meld.  Another fantastic recipe Nagi….thanks!!

I hadn't any kebab sticks so I made this as meatballs and baked them along with onions and peppers as per your Greek meatballs recipe. Wow! What a hit! I tripled the recipe for a large supper party. I made everything ahead (because I had to be out of the house until 15 minutes before everyone arrived), and wrapped it all in tin foil to pop it in a 350 degrees F for 40 minutes before sitting down to dinner. It was the ideal make-ahead meal! I served it with cous cous and roasted aubergine salad, flatbreads, lettuce, tomatoes, and olives. So easy! And impressive! ;D That sauce! It tied everything together beautifully. Another winner, Nagi! As far as our Ontario, Canada family is concerned, you are it when it comes to fool-proof food. Thanks! For this one and all the great recipes. Hugs to you and Dozer! xx

Hi everyone, i liked rolling these koftas. So therapeutic. I actually popped them in the airfryer 20min at 200° and the oil that came out was a lot and was very happy with the leaner taste. Nagi does it again!

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Top 5 kofta kebabs recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Grilled Kofta Kebabs

Beef Kofta Kebabs

Juicy Chicken Kofta Kebabs

Kofta (Beef Or Lamb)

Greek Kofta Kebabs

The most viewed kofta kebabs recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine