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
Can I make the kafta mix a night before and keep in the fridge and grill next day?
Just curious, what is the purpose of the toasted wet bread? I did the recipe without it, to save on a few carbs and it turned out delicious! I made patties and baked mine. My patties reduced quite a bit in the oven.
The bread just helps keep the kebabs moist. You can omit it, if you prefer.
LOL we finished them quickly out of the oven that the kebabs didn't get a chance to dry out!
I have a cardamom question. I have ground cardamom in the house and do not know if it comes from green or brown or white seeds. Can I use that. Or should I specifically purchase ground green cardamom to get a truly authentic middle eastern taste? Is there truly a real difference in taste or should I just use the mystery ground cardamom I already have?
Hi, Robin! The majority of cardamom sold in stores is actually green cardamom, so I think you will be just fine using what you have. If you are interested, we do sell green cardamom in our online shop: https://shop.themediterraneandish.com/product/cardamom-green-ground/
This recipe is AMAZING!! Even my six year old liked it with lots of hummus, we are talking about the 6 year old whose favorite food is sushi and roe, however 😀
This blog and Persian Mama have totally flavored my world and my husband thanks you. It's always been a dream of mine to eat my way around the world and while I may not get to actually go to these places at least I can eat them (that did not sound right)
Thanks you for your kind words, Chloe! Wow, your little one sure has an adventurous palate! That's so great!
What can i substitute with sumac?
Hi, Laurel, Sumac is a very unique flavor, so there is not a perfect substitute out there, but you can omit the sumac if you like and adjust other spices to your liking. Otherwise, you can find sumac here: https://shop.themediterraneandish.com/product/sumac/
I love your website! It has recipes that appeal to me and such excellent clear direction! Maybe a cookbook??? I tried finding the video on this recipe but no luck 🙁 Wondering if you are on you tube??
I would LOVE to do a cookbook! Hopefully someday!! :). We are on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVn4warYFHUopwaO4uR--jw. You'll be able to find the video for this recipe there, if you aren't able to see it on the blog.
my husband loves kofta, the last time i made this recipe it was a hit, but he problem is that when bbqing a lot of liquid came out so I'm going to try it using onion powder instead of fresh onion.
Hmmmm... wonder what happened there. Hopefully the powder will work better for you next time!
I grate the onion then place it in cheese cloth or a thin kitchen towel and squeeze out the onion juice. This helps keep the kafta together! Try it!
Thanks for the tip!!
These tasted wonderful! The only problem I had was that the mixture would not stick to the skewers. As soon as I had it formed it would almost "melt" right off. I'm wondering if my onion was too big and created too much moisture? In any case, I made them into patties and used a grill pan and they were delicious. I can't wait to give it another try!
Yes... maybe too much moisture. I'm glad you were still able to enjoy them!
Hi, your recipe looks great, I have a question, can I prepare the meat mix a day earlier and leave it in the refrigerator?
As I would like to make them for a dinner party
Sure! Just be sure to cover them.
This has probably been asked, but I couldn't find ground sumac. What do you recommend for a substitute? Or just leave it out?
Hi, Laurel! You could simply omit it in a pinch. If you are in the US, though, you can order sumac from our online shop: https://shop.themediterraneandish.com/product/sumac/.
World Market has sumac in their spices section. It's in a tiny, clear bag that's with similar bags.
My family and I feel like we have discovered a whole new world with your recipes . Your Kofta Kebabs were spot on! I never imagined we cold make this at home as good, possibly better, than our closest Mediterranean restaurant that is 30 miles away. We served this with homemade naan, your homemade tzatziki sauce and a Greek salad. My 16 year old son said this was his all time favorite meal and would put us up against any restaurant! Thank you Suzy for giving us confidence to make these dishes at home! Even after the pandemic we may never eat out again I'm sharing your website with all my friends!
Thank you so much Kristie! This totally made my day :).
Had everything but the green cardamom... went with all beef. Didn't skewer, turned it into more flattened "meatballs" that I did grill (used a grill "wok" pan that has holes, to allow all that great smoke flavor!) to tuck into pita with fixings. Just divine. Whipped up your Lebanese Rice recipe that could just simmer and finish while it was outside... DIVINE!!!
Awesome! Sounds wonderful, Chrissie!
Want to make this tonight. Can I make in the oven? How do you recommend? Thanks
Hi Nicole, you can make kofta in the oven. You can use the meat mixture from this recipe but follow the directions for forming the kofta and baking in the baked kofta recipe here if you like: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/baked-kofta-pita-sandwich-tutorial/
My husband and I made this recipe for Fourth of July dinner. It was so fast and easy! The meat has so much flavor with all the spices and we absolutely loved it! They served it like you said with tzatziki, grilled pita, and we did a cucumber tomato salad. It was so good we’re having leftovers tonight!!!Thank you for all your wonderful recipes
Awesome, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing
Born and raised in the Middle East (Beirut and Tripoli, Libya) I grew up with all the great tastes of the Mediterranean cuisine. This receipt was spot on and very authentic to the flavors I grew up with. I served it up with a cumber yogurt sauce and fresh tomatoes on middle east bread. The only changes I made was to had additional "heat" to the mixture (cayenne pepper). For those of you that love lamb kabobs, I would highly recommend this receipt to anyone.... Thanks again.
Jeffrey, thank you so much for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it.
THE BEST EVER. Almost all recipes are perfect and delicious on your website but this is the diamond in the crown. Can’t thank you enough. Awesome!!!
Wow! Thank you so much, Shefali! That means a lot!