This tutorial is all you need to make the BEST authentic Kofta kebab recipe. Grilled kofta (or kefta) are skewers of ground beef and lamb mixed with fresh parsley, onions, garlic and warm Middle Eastern spices! These kabobs will feed a crowd and there are many sides and salads you can serve alongside (lots of ideas at the bottom of this post). And be sure to watch the video and the step-by-step tutorial!
Watch the video for how to make these Kofta Kebabs
The Middle East boasts a few signature foods: vegan-friendly falafel; shawarma; and of course, kabobs of all sorts, including kofta!
What is Kofta or Kefta?
Let’s chat kofta kebabs. The word kofta (or kefta) has its origins in Persian, and it means grounded or pounded. You can have meat kofta, seafood kofta or even a vegetarian kofta.
But today’s kofta kebab recipe is one of the more popular dishes in Egypt–a mixture of ground beef and lamb, blended with onions, garlic, parsley and a few of my favorite Middle Eastern spices including, allspice, cardamom, sumac, and nutmeg. Flavor heaven! In fact, I use a similar spice blend to make meatballs with hummus, or marinated salmon depending on my mood.
My earliest memory of kofta kebab goes back to my elementary school days and a place called Abdu Kofta, a family-owned restaurant near Port Said’s boardwalk.
The place was iconic and known for it’s delicious kofta kebabs, heavy on the spice and cooked over open fire till perfectly charred.
There are more than a dozen ways to prepare kofta kebab. This kofta kabab recipe is easy and fairly authentic. It is my best rendition of Abdu Kofta’s; and a tribute to Port Said, my Mediterranean hometown.
Let me show you step-by-step how easy it is to make kofta (Kefta), and I have a bunch of ideas below for what you can serve along.
Step-by-Step for this Grilled Kofta Recipe:
*Note: If you’re using wooden skewers, be sure to soak them for 30 minutes to 1 hour before using so they don’t catch on fire.1. Chop onions garlic and parsley in food processor.
2. Now, add ground beef, lamb, bread (make sure to squeeze out any water out of the bread), and spices. Run processor. Scrape sides of processor and run again until the meat mixture is well combined.
3. Remove the meat mixture from the food processor and place in a large bowl. Take a fistful portion of the meat mixture and mold it on a wooden skewer. Repeat the process until you have run out of meat.
3. b) Be sure each kofta kebab is about 1 inch in thickness, this is best for grilling. Lay the kofta kebabs on a tray lined with parchment paper for now.
4. Place kofta kebabs on the lightly oiled, heated gas grill. Grill over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side, turn over and grill for another 3-4 minutes (total of 7-8 minutes.)
5. Serve the kofta kebabs immediately with pita bread, tahini and fixings (tomato wedges, onions, more parsley) and other sides you prepared (see ideas just below!)
What to Serve Along Kofta (Kefta)?
These kofta kebabs are a big crowd pleaser, and you can easily turn them into a big Mediterranean picnic by adding a few sides and salads. The possibilities of what to serve alongside kofta kebabs (or kabobs) are endless! Here are just a few thoughts..
Salads: Fattoush; Tabouli; 3-Ingredient Mediterranean Salad; or this Fresh Tomato Salad.
Sauces and Dips: Ezme (Spicy Turkish Salsa), Tahini Sauce, Creamy Hummus, or Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Sides: Mediterranean Grilled Vegetables; Spicy Skillet Potatoes (Batata Harra); Lebanese Rice; Roasted Eggplant; Persian Rice With Potato Tahdig
Similar Recipes to Try:
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Kofta Kebab Recipe
- Total Time: 28 minutes
- Yield: 10 skewers 1x
Description
A must-try authentic Kofta kebab recipe: ground beef and lamb mixed with fresh parsley, onions, garlic and Middle Eastern spices. Add some Mediterranean sides and salads for your next picnic! (Ideas and video in post above)
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 whole bunch parsley, stems removed (about 2 packed cups parsley leaves)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground lamb
- 1 slice of bread, toasted until browned and soaked in water until fully tender
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground sumac
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Pita bread to serve
For the Fixings:
- Tahini Sauce
- Tomato wedges
- Onion wedges
- More parsley
Instructions
- Soak 10 wooden skewers in water for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from water when you are ready to begin. Lightly oil the grates of a gas grill and preheat it to medium-high for about 20 minutes.
- Prepare pita bread and fixings. If you plan to, make the tahini sauce from this recipe. Prepare other sides and salads before you begin grilling.
- In a food processor, chop the onion, garlic, and parsley.
- Add the beef, lamb, bread (be sure to squeeze out the water completely), and the spices. Run the processor until all is well combined forming a pasty meat mixture.
- Remove the meat mixture from the food processor and place in a large bowl. Take a fistful portion of the meat mixture and mold it on a wooden skewer. Repeat the process until you have run out of meat. For best results, make sure each kofta kebab is about 1 inch in thickness.
- Lay the skewered kofta kebabs on a tray lined with parchment paper
- Place the kofta kebabs on the lightly oiled, heated gas grill. Grill on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on one side, turn over and grill for another 3-4 minutes.
- Serve the kofta kebabs immediately with pita bread, tahini and the fixings you prepared. See suggestions for sides and related recipes.
Notes
- Cook’s Note: For gluten free, simply omit the toasted bread.
- Cook’s Note: If you prefer, you can use an all-beef or all-lamb for the kofta mixture
- Recommended for this recipe our all-natural allspice; cardamom, sumac, nutmeg and paprika.
- SAVE! Try Ultimate Mediterranean Spice Bundle, or create your own 6-pack of all-natural and organic Mediterranean spices.
- Visit The Mediterranean Dish shop
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Can I make a double batch and freeze some before I cook them?
Hi, Susan. Sure! That will work. You can freeze the mixture by forming the kabobs and placing them in a vacuumed freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze. When you’re ready to cook them, thaw the meat out in the fridge the night before and skewer it.
They tasted amazing. I had some issues with the grilling they fell apart and became very soft. What would bind them better?
You could try using an egg to help bind the mixture. We do that with our chicken kofta recipe and find it helpful. Also, be sure not to overmix.
Hi Suzy, thanks for this recipe. I’ve made it a couple of times using only ground beef 80/20 and the flavor is amazing. The problem I’ve been having is with texture. I blend the ingredients until well combined but the texture of the meat comes out almost string like. Not sure if it’s the quality of the ground meat to begin with. Could it be over mixing or under mixing in the food processor?
Hi, Sharon. Yes, it could be over/under mixing using the food processor. You could try mixing the kofta meat by hand in a large bowl. This might give you more control over the texture.
Hilda try using just plain dry bread crumbs instead of soaking the toasted bread…this worked for me the second time around 🙂 Fabulous recipe Suzy !
Thanks for the tip, Joyce!
Another great recipe. So tasty & easy to make. Everyone loved it. I didnt have any Sumac, so I’ll need to get some the next time I make this. Thank you!
Hi these look lovely and going to make them this weekend. What does this part of the instructions mean though please: 1 slice of bread, toasted until browned and soaked in water until fully tender. When you say until fully tender how long is this and how much water please.
Hi, Colin. The amount of water is not super important. Just enough to fully soak the bread until it is softened (about 10 minutes or so).
Just had these for dinner and they were absolutely delicious, better than the ones I get from my local Turkish restaurant. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Awesome! Thanks, Phyllis!
Great recipe. Instead of the lamb/beef mix, I used a mix of Lean and Fatty beef. Still lovely!
this is another fabulous recipe! i was unsure of blending it so much in the food processor (too many failed overworked meatballs…) but it was absolutely tender, and so delicious. thanks so much for sharing. I can’t wait to make more!
Awesome! Thanks, Jessica!
Make these regularly now. My boys devour them! Yum yum yum 😋 sometimes I don’t even bother with the skewers and just make mini sausages and they hold up really well on a cast iron griddle. Today they’re on the barbecue on Cherry wood. I have made them with fresh coriander when I don’t have parsley and just as delicious. My hand usually slips in an extra smidge of cardamom cos I just can’t help myself. Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks for taking time to share, Helen!
Mine meat past was very sticky, what happened?
Hi, Hilda! Hard to say from my vantage point… but perhaps there was too much moisture? Not sure. I’ve not had that issue with this recipe.
We made these kabobs for Mother’s day following the recipe to the letter. Our meat paste was on the sticky side too, but we placed them on parchment paper and put them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. They firmed up nicely and we cooked them on the grill. Everyone loved the results. We plan to do this again soon. Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for the tip!! So glad you enjoyed them!
very aromatic and smells great, we followed the recipe to the letter , but bland in taste.
Couldn’t find the video link, but going to give it a shot anyways.
Hi, Greg. So sorry about that. Sometimes web browsers prevent popups, which affects our videos, unfortunately.
Do you use curly parsley?
I typically use Italian/Flat Leaf Parsley
S good. I used lemon juice instead of sumac because I didn’t have any.
Thanks for sharing, Misha!
Hi Suzy, I have made a handful of your recipes and loved them all so far. Regarding making these a day ahead of time I see in previous posts you said the kofta can be shaped and refrigerated. Will they wooden skewers still be OK since they will likely have dried by the the next day or will the refrigerator keep the wood moist enough?
Thanks you!
Hi, Karin! In my experience, as long as they were well-covered, they were okay. Another great option would be to form the kofta kebabs the day before, and wait to skewered them with freshly soaked skewers just before cooking.