turkish meatballs

Spicy and juicy Turkish meatballs from scratch. You can use the same recipe to make hamburgers.

Homemade Turkish Meatballs Kofte Recipe

ground beef, 80% lean

breadcrumbs

garlic, mashed (optional)

baking soda

water

lemon juice

cumin

black pepper

chili powder, optional

red pepper flakes

thyme

salt

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely diced onion and mashed garlic.

In a small bowl, mix baking soda, water and lemon juice. Pour this into the ground beef mixture. Mix well with your hand. Knead it for 5 minutes so that everything is combined well.

Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2-3 hours.

Brush a cast iron pan with little oil and heat it. Cook the meatballs over the higest heat, flipping them over so that all sides are slightly cooked. Bring it to the lowest and continue cooking until done for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan or flipping them over occasionally. Cook the meatballs in batches until they finish or save some to freeze.

These meatballs are PERFECT! I made the recipe yesterday for our Turkish friends, and served it with that cucumber dip. And everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe! Now I will make some more and freeze for a later use.

These were AMAZING! A little more work than the meatballs I've been making recently, but it was like I was suddenly back in Istanbul!

This was absolutely perfect! It's the closest I've come in home cooking to the basic kofte I loved so much in Turkey (there are some many kinds of kofte, one day I will make them all). I only had one pound of ground beef so I cut the recipe in half -- no problem at all. Was similarly not sure how the baking soda would taste but it helped replicate that somewhat springy texture. Making and eating this kofte was the bright spot of another blah Monday in quarantine. I paired it with some macaroni and cheese, then had a green salad after for some lightness and balance. Thanks for this recipe!

so easy and so phenomenal! these will rotate into my family favorites.

I didn't have lemon juice or thyme, I substituted apple cider vinegar, and a za'atar mix (which had a little sumac in it), came out awesome!  Served it with cucumber salad, roasted cherry tomatoes, and spanakorizo.  Then headed out to play Balkan music lol.

Turkish meatballs or beef kofta: easy to make, always delicious, and perfect for any kind of gathering.

Turkish Meatballs - Beef Kofta Recipe

500 g/ 1.1 lb ground beef

onion, about 75 g/ 2.6 oz

garlic

60 g/ 2.1 oz white bread, weighed after removing the crust (about 1-2 white bread slices, depending on size)

parsley

Turkish red pepper flakes (See note)

coriander

all spice

Place the ground beef to a bowl. Grate...

Place the ground beef to a bowl. Grate the onion and the garlic cloves and add to the bowl together with the chopped parsley.

Lightly beat the egg and crumble the crustless...

Lightly beat the egg and crumble the crustless white bread with your hands or in a food processor. Add both to the bowl. Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, allspice, baking soda, salt, and pepper.

Mix thoroughly with your hands, at least 3-4...

Mix thoroughly with your hands, at least 3-4 minutes. You can cover and refrigerate the mixture now and cook the meatballs a few hours later.

Otherwise, form small meatballs, between 30 and 35...

Otherwise, form small meatballs, between 30 and 35 of them.

Heat one tablespoon oil in a large non-stick...

Heat one tablespoon oil in a large non-stick or cast iron pan. Fry the meatballs on medium heat, in two batches, for about 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes to prevent them catching to the pan or becoming too dark. Turn the heat down slightly if you notice that the koftas are getting too dark before being cooked through.

Check after 7-8 minutes by cutting one kofta...

Check after 7-8 minutes by cutting one kofta in the middle.

To fry the second batch of koftas, add...

To fry the second batch of koftas, add the second tablespoon oil to the pan and repeat.

To bake the meatballs preheat the oven to...

To bake the meatballs preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the meatballs on a baking tray lined...

Place the meatballs on a baking tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 13-15 minutes until cooked through but not overcooked.

https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/fuxvmrw3zykcocrhvmdv.mp4

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onions, finely chopped or pureed

In a small bowl, mix baking soda, water and lemon juice. Pour this into the ground beef mixture. Mix well with your hand. Knead it for about a minute so that everything is combined well.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan or any non-stick pan. Cook the meatballs over high heat, flipping them over or shaking the pan occasionally so that all sides are cooked for about 3 minutes. Don't overcrowd the pan, cook the meatballs in batches until they finish or save some to freeze.

Hi guys! The kofte turned out perfect, thank you so much. So juicy and full of flavour. My family loved them. I chopped up some parsley and mixed it in with the meat as well

Recipe is classic pretty much. There is surely room for improvements..

Baking soda - absolutely unnecessary does NOTHING for the fluffiness of the end meatball product but only contributes to possible major health problems. Baking soda is something that should be used sparingly, occasionally or best avoid altogether in cooking and baking. There are millions of ways to do without it.

The easiest method to fluff the ball is already in front of you! Bread crumbs. But use it wisely, don't just dump dry crumbs because they dry all the juices out of meat causing dry end result.
Instead take crumbs, add milk, let sit until all milk is absorbed and until you have fluffy paste so be generous with milk. Once ready, just drop it into the meat and incorporate.
Soon you will realize that soda is inadequate method.

Who in their right mind would poison family with packing soda into every meatball deal. Also do try those two methods and blind folded offer to friends, see what they will like better.

Even if you skip soda in your original method and make two  batches, one with it and one without it  you will see that the soda does nothing to fluff the heavy meat.

Made these as per recipe, except I have no red pepper flakes so missed out. I also formed into patties as I think they cook better and it’s more authentic to what we’ve had in Turkey. I didn’t have time to leave before cooking but they were still absolutely delicious! I print all recipes I try and write any comments from my partner as he’s a fussy so and so! This one says ‘5* blooming lovely’! This was his favourite meal in Turkey :-) will be done again!!

I baked for 40 minutes and they turned out perfect!! They were delicious. In fact, will be making them again for my husband tonight. Thank you so kindly for responding!

My son did a study tour in Turkey as part of his college degree.  He recently asked me if I could make some Turkish meatballs for him, he had eaten so many when he was in Turkey and really liked them.  I followed your recipe with some red pepper flakes -- the meatballs turned out a bit spicier than he preferred.  Second batch:  no red pepper flakes, but I used a cayenne pepper instead of black pepper.  Not quite spicy enough.  Nevertheless, he liked both batches, so I'm still looking for the exact spice mix to suit our family's tastes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDmN_0y9IP4

Homemade Turkish Meatballs known as kofte are the best things to happen on your dinner table. These are spicy, tender and perfectly juicy. It’s not a secret any more to make meatballs at home that are much tastier than store-bought ones. 

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INGREDIENTS
2 pounds ground beef, 80% lean
½ cup breadcrumbs
2 onions, finely grated and excessive juice removed
4 cloves garlic, mashed (optional)
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, optional
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder, optional
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, finely diced onion and mashed garlic.
Add in the spices.
In a small bowl, mix baking soda, water and lemon juice. Pour this into the ground beef mixture. Mix well with your hand. Knead it for 5 minutes so that everything is combined well.
Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight or at least 2-3 hours.
Roll them into meatballs.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron pan or any non-stick pan. Cook the meatballs over high heat, flipping them over or shaking the pan occasionally so that all sides are cooked for about 3 minutes. Don't overcrowd the pan, cook the meatballs in batches until they finish or save some to freeze.

NOTES
If you can’t find 80% lean beef, use a mixture of lamb and beef (50% lamb, 50% beef).


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More Homemade Meatball Recipes:

Gluten Free Meatballs: https://www.giverecipe.com/gluten-free-honey-garlic-meatballs/

Chili Sauce Meatballs: https://www.giverecipe.com/tomato-chili-sauce-meatballs/

Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake: https://www.giverecipe.com/cheesy-meatball-pasta-casserole/

Meatballs and Potatoes: https://www.giverecipe.com/easy-meatballs-with-potatoes/

Meatballs With Cheese Center: https://www.giverecipe.com/cheese-stuffed-meatballs/

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Homemade Turkish Meatballs Kofte ( Juicy and Soft)

It can be your new favorite way of cooking meatballs!

The recipe comes from Ottoman times. Interestingly, it has cooked rice, sautéed minced meat, and raw minced meat in the mixture. After the spices, it is shaped and coated with egg and deep-fried.

Turkish “Lady’s Thigh” Kadınbudu Kofte!

500 gr. Minced meat (beef

rice

water (to cook the rice

olive oil

onion (medium-size)

tsp each salt, black pepper, cumin

tsp allspice, dried mint ((optional))

egg (lightly whisk and use

all-purpose flour

vegetable oil

Add the rice to a small pan with 2/3 cup water with 1/4 tsp salt. Stir and wait until it boils. Cover loosely and simmer until rice is soaked in all the water and soft. Let it cool.

In a medium-size pan, sauté 1 diced onion with olive oil. Add less than half of the minced meat. Continue to sauté until it is brown. Season it with salt. If there is too much fat drain it and use it in other recipes like soup or rice. Let it cool.

In a big bowl bring together raw minced meat, cooked minced meat, spices, salt, and chopped parsley. Mix everything well.

Add rice, and half of the lightly whisked egg and mix again until everything comes together.

If you have time let it rest in the fridge for half an hour and shape it into oval big, a bit flattened patties.

Preparing The Kofte Mixture

Coating Turkish “Lady’s Thigh” Meatballs Kadinbudu Kofte with egg and flour

Place about 3 tbsp all-purpose flour in a wide small bowl. In another bowl lightly whisk egg (If you have left some from the one you used for the mixture, add it as well)

In a medium-size frying pan, place about 4cm high vegetable oil and heat…

After the oil is hot dip kadinbudu koftes first in flour (make sure it is covered all the way), and next dip into the egg on both sides until it is covered.

Fry the koftes. When you see golden color on the edges, turn it over and fry until it is a golden color on both sides, turning from time to time.

Frying The Turkish Kadınbudu kofte (lady’s thigh meatball)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHUSJGz1bWc

Turkish kadinbudu kofta comes (Lady’s thigh meatballs) It can be your new favorite way of cooking meatballs! https://www.turkishfoodtravel.com/2022/05/22/turkish-kadinbudu-kofte/ 
The recipe comes from Ottoman times. Interestingly it has cooked rice, sautéed minced meat along with raw minced meat in the mixture. After the spices, it is shaped and coated with egg and deep-fried. 
Ingredients for Kadinbudu Kofte / Lady’s thigh meatballs 
- 500gr. Minced meat (beef or mixed beef and lamb)
- Little less than 1/3 cup long-grain rice
- 2/3 cup water (to cook the rice) + 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 medium-size onion
- 1/2 tsp each salt, black pepper, cumin
- 1/4 tsp allspice, dried mint (optional)
- 1/2 to one egg (lightly whisk and use as the mixture can take)
For coating the koftas:
- 1 egg
- About 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Also vegetable oil to fry (about 1 cup)

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