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 the same exact spice blend to make meatballs with hummus, 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: 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
- ½ lb ground lamb
- 1 slice of bread, toasted until browned and soaked in water until fully tender
- Salt and pepper
- 1 ½ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom
- ½ tsp ground sumac
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ 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
I like how you include suggestions for side dishes etc.
Thank you, Patricia! I always hope it makes it easier to put together a whole meal without too much thought.
Can I use this recipe with ground chicken?
Angela, you can but I do have a chicken kofta recipe that will be coming in the next couple of weeks. Ground chicken does not have as much fat, so it does help to add something to bind the mixture like an egg. More when I have the new recipe 🙂
Hi, how long can it stay in the fridge uncooked? Is it best to cook it all and then freeze as per previous comments? Thank you.
In the past, we have prepared these 1 night in advance and saved them (uncooked) on a large tray in the fridge with parchment paper separating the layers of skewers. Be sure to cover well though! You can also freeze the uncooked 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. Hope that helps!
Can these be frozen after they are grilled? Will they still be moist after reheating?
Hello! Sure! Just wait until they are cool before freezing. When you reheat, do so in a medium warm oven, just until heated through. That should help maintain the moisture. Hope that helps!
Hi. I made too many....can I freeze them ? Thanks x
Sure! When you go to reheat, it's best to do so in the oven, and just until hot, so they don't dry out.
My Husband and I like most of the population nowadays are under quarantine. We decided that to make the best of our time at home we would cook full on meals from scratch and have a date night on Saturday. We made this Kofta recipe together with Tabuli, Hummus and Greek Tzatziki from recipes also found on the site. Everything was delicious and the recipes were very easy to follow. We used 1 lb beef and 1 lb lamb, as we didn't want to freeze half a pound of lamb. The Kofta came out very flavorful and juicy and paired perfectly with the rest of the sides. We had previously bought a number of the spices that are sold through the website for other recipes on the site and we were able to use it for the Kofta. I recommend loading up on the spices and browsing for other recipes here to use them. You will not regret it.
Thanks for sharing your recipes and making our days at home enjoyable and delicious.
Stay Healthy.
Thank you so much for your very sweet and helpful comments here, Carolina! I'm glad you have found recipes to keep you busy well-fed :). Many healthy blessings to you and your husband!
Dear Suzy:
Tonight I made your kofta kebab, 3-ingredient Mediterranean salad, and roasted cauliflower for dinner. They were all fantastic! Thank you! I further enhanced the flavors by using freshly ground spices. The aroma was heavenly!
I already marinated the chicken shawarma. I plan to make it and tabouli on New Year's Day. I am sure they will turn out great.
My family enjoyed your recipes so much tonight. They said our meal was more delicious than similar dishes we recently had in a Mediterranean restaurant!
Thank you again, and I wish you and your family a Happy and Healthy New Year!
What a great meal combo! Good to hear the fam enjoyed! Happy New Year to you, as well!!!
This recipe is solid gold. Cooked exactly as per the ingredients above and grilled over charcoal. I didn’t have all the stuff for the tahini sauce, so I used hummus with a big squeeze of lemon to loosen it a little with the cucumber, tomato, onion & parsley described in the recipe. Genuine crowd pleaser!
Josh, so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for sharing.
My mixture is too soft to stay on the skewers. What can I do to save it?
Tina, if you run into this, it's a good idea to chill the meat mixture for a half hour or up to an hour before skewering.
Made these tonight. Used blender instead of the food processor. The mixture was too fine, and mine were hard to keep together also. Last time I threw together a kofta recipe from thin air, I hand mixed the mixture and it came out with a much better texture and consistency. I always prefer a firmer, denser mixture though, unlike spongy meatballs.
Hi Troop. Sounds like your results were a bit different because of the blender? At any rate, you could also mix kofta meat mixture by hand in a large bowl, this will give you more control and the texture will not be too fine.
Hi – I plan to make these for a friend’s birthday and wonder how far in advance you think it would be safe to prep the skewers. Do you think it would be okay to do 48 hours in advance, or stick to 24 hours? Thank you!
Hi Kay, we have prepared these 1 night in advance before and saved them on a large tray in the fridge with parchment paper separating the layers of skewers. Be sure to cover well though.
SOOOOOOOO DELICIOUS!!! you have officially SPOILED MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS with your recipe!! No longer can any of us order lamb kofta kebabs at a restaurant - we live in London, where the competition is pretty stiff! -- but your recipe beats them all --- hands down. Thank you so much!
Ellie, thank you so much! This means a lot to me. I am so glad everyone enjoyed it.
Can these be baked in the oven or prepared any other way?
Hi Nouda, here's another baked kofta recipe for you: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/baked-kofta-pita-sandwich-tutorial/
This recipe is excellent! Highly recommend giving this a try. It's easy to prepare and tastes amazing!
So glad to hear it, Kevin!
Excellent Kofta recipe. Sumac adds a nice earthy citrus note to the nutmeg and allspice, and adding in cardamom gave it that sort of indescribable...something...kind of peppery, but in a wonderfully tongue-tingling fragrant way. Like when I make cardamom bread for Christmas, you love the flavor, but are not quite sure what spice gives it. Genius in a grilled meat dish. This one goes in my family's keeper list!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing
Can this be cooked and frozen ahead of time? Probably 1 week before using.
I live in Mexico City but my husband has Greek blod I love cooking and I have been doing many of your recepies thank you !!!
Thank you so much, Sara! So glad I can help