My Cookbook: Souk to Table 
Juicy Beef Kafta Kabobs (Skewers or Patties)
This kafta kabob recipe (or “kofta”) is so simple and delicious. Made using ground beef that’s skewered and perfectly seasoned with Arabic spices, it is grilled until juicy and nicely charred. This recipe is versatile and comes together in under 30 minutes!
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Classic Middle Eastern Kafta or Kofta
Kafta is a middle eastern kebab made of ground meat, usually beef or lamb, along with finely minced onions, garlic, parsley and lots of warm spices. It’s typically grilled on the BBQ but you can also grill it on the stove top using a cast iron grill pan, or you can even bake it.
As someone middle eastern, I’ve been perfecting my kafta recipe over the years and I’m pretty proud to share this one. Here are three reasons to make this recipe:
- It’s a versatile dish because you can eat it as a wrap, over Arabic rice, or in a salad.
- It’s easy and quick with only 30 minutes total cook and prep time
- It’s healthy and super kid friendly! My kids love it.
If you don’t have a grill and want to make a quick version of this recipe, I highly recommend these oven-baked juicy kofta meatballs, or even a fun twist like kofta smash tacos! They’re great for big batch cooking and you can freeze them for later.
If you love kababs, also try my Iraqi Kabab recipe, which is much simpler and typically delicious when grilled on coal or gas fired BBQs.
What kind of meat is used for Kafta?
The most common type of Kafta you will find is beef. But lamb kafta is also very popular in the middle east, or a mix of both. Traditionally, a fattier ground meat is used because it helps keep the kafta skewers moist when grilling.
I suggest a 10-15% ground beef if you want to go the authentic route. But I must admit, I tend to use lean ground beef most of the time (because that’s what I always have) and introduce a healthier fat (like olive oil) instead.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The only “unusual” ingredient that goes into Kafta is the Lebanese “seven spice” spice mix. Seven spice is usually made up of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, cloves and nutmeg (although there are some variations).
You can find it at your local middle eastern store, or simply make your own. An easy replacement for it in this recipe is to just use ground allspice (the ground allspice berries) which is readily available at most stores.
You will need:
- Onions: yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- Parsley: curly or flat leaf – it doesn’t matter in this recipe
- Garlic: peeled large cloves
- Olive oil
- Lean ground beef: you can use extra lean, but make sure to add a few more tablespoons of oil if you do.
- Spices (seven spice, salt, pepper, paprika, cumin)
How to make this recipe
Making Kafta Kabob requires just a few simple steps:
- Start with preparing the vegetables. Finely dice the onions, garlic and parsley. I do this in a food processor to make the job much easier, but you can also do it by hand. You want them fairly small so they can mix well with the meat and form a dough.
- Mix everything together. This is where you use your hands and mix together the meat, spices, and the vegetables until everything is well combined.
- Shape the Kafta. You can make kabob shapes like little logs using skewers, or simply shape them by hand if you don’t have skewers. You can also shape them into flat circular shapes like mini burgers. Just ensure they are all the same size so they cook evenly.
TIP: If you have metal skewers, use those. If not, you can use wooden skewers, but make sure you soak them for 5-10 minutes in cold water. This helps ensure they don’t burn as you grill the kafta.
- Time to grill! BBQ the Kafta on lightly oiled grill for a few minutes on each side, or grill them on a lightly oiled cast iron grill pan. You can also bake them, but grilling maximizes juiciness and taste!
How to serve Kafta in various ways
There are so many ways you can serve Kafta Kabob, which is why it’s great to have in your freezer. You can grill it into kabob shapes (like logs) and serve it over rice with a delicious white shawarma sauce.
You can also make them into wraps or stuff in pita bread for Arayes. You can also throw it on top of a salad, layer it with vegetables for a middle eastern casserole, or lastly, one of my favourite ways, is to shape them into meatballs and use in any meatball recipe like spaghetti or in a Kafta stew.
Freezer Instructions
If you intend to freeze Kafta, you need to use fresh ground beef as opposed to frozen beef (it is not recommended to thaw and then re-freeze meat).
For best results, freeze the Kafta raw. Once you shape them, place on a lined baking sheet and into the freezer for a few hours until they freeze. Then transfer them to freezer bags. They can stay in the freezer up to a month.
You can also freeze them after cooking. Place the amount you intend to use for one recipe in a freezer bag, get rid of all the ear, and seal shut. Freeze for 1-2 months, then thaw the whole bag in the fridge overnight. Bake them to re-heat them for just a few minutes, or air fry them.
Other Grilling Recipes You Will Love
If you tried these recipes, please consider leaving a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page – I’d love to hear from you! You can also hop on over to Instagram and say hello!
Juicy Beef Kafta Kabobs (Skewers or Patties)
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb extra lean ground beef
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch parsley, approx. 2 cups packed
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tsp seven spice, middle eastern spice mix
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 4 tbsp olive oil, plus more for grilling
- 1 tbsp flour, see notes
Instructions
- Using a food processor, add the garlic, onions and parsley and process for a few seconds until finely chopped
- Add the mixture to the ground beef in a bowl, and add all the seasoning and olive oil. Mix well using your hands, then add the flour (see notes) and continue to mix until you form a dough (if dough does not feel firm, add slightly more flour)
- Form the Kafta into approximately 3-4 inch long pieces about 1 inch in thickness
- Heat up your BBQ or a grill pan on the stove and add a dash of olive oil (I recommend cast iron)
- Grill each Kafta for 2-3 minutes on each side (test a piece to ensure it is cooked to your liking) for a total of 6-8 minutes (see notes for baking)
- Serve with a yogurt tahini sauce (see Eggplant Fatteh for sauce recipe) over rice, salad, or in a wrap
Notes
- I typically use 1 tablespoon of flour to help the kafta bind together and be easier to skewer and BBQ. There are situations where there may be too much moisture which could cause the Kafta to fall apart (such as using thawed meat that may have some extra moisture in it). However if you have a mixture that is firm, no need to use it! Adding a lot of flour can make the Kafta taste tough so use it sparingly.
- You can also bake the Kafta the oven at 400F for 15 to 20 mins until fully cooked through as a faster cooking method. Baking works, but grilling yields a juicier result.
- If you’re using regular ground beef (not extra lean), you can reduce the olive oil to 1 tbsp since the meat will release fat
Really fantastic! Will definitely make this again. Super flavorful and easy. I had a bit more meat than would fit on my skewers so I just shaped it into a couple short logs and grilled it that way. I thought those were actually easier to manipulate on the gill so I may just skip the skewers next time.
Thrilled you enjoyed the Kafta Lindsay! I also often forego the skewers or even just grill them on my stove top. Thanks so much for your review!
The köfte were amazing; juicy, full of flavour and easy to shape as a ‘dough’ before grilling on the stove top. I served them with flatbreads, grilled onions and tomatoes, white rice and your yogurt-tahini sauce – also awesome. My family loved them. Thank you for posting all of your recipes – they are awesome!
Hi Tim, Humaira here from the HP Team! That sounds like an amazing spread, so glad you enjoyed the Kafta Kabobs. Thank you for your comment, truly appreciate it!
Made this recipe, very easy to follow! Came out great!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Vanessa!
It comes together very quickly and is perfect for a weeknight dinner with some rice, pita and salad. I also meal prep with this in the form of uncooked meatballs or kebabs for quick school lunches- it’s a staple! Thanks Amina!
Yes – those are all the reasons I love this meatball recipe too! So glad you loved it and thanks for leaving me a review, appreciate it! 🙂
The flavors are amazing and just what I was looking for to imitate the kefta at my favorite Persian restaurant! And it came together so easily!
I’m so glad you loved the flavours in this recipe! Thanks for the review 🙂
Awesome recipe! I was missing Arabic food and came across this recipe. I pan fried mine but will definitely remake this when it’s grilling season. Thank you for sharing this! 🙂
So glad you loved it Sheila, you’re very welcome! Thanks for the review! 🙂
This is our favorite Kafta recipe! Not dense and is juicy. Thank you!
I am so thrilled you love it Dawn! Thanks for the review!
Delicious and easy- Kids and I love making it!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks Asma!
Hello Amina! I have noticed when making kafta either in pan with batata or on the skewer that it comes out with a metallic taste. I am assuming it is from the parsley. Do you know how to avoid this? I usually use curly, but would flat leaf fix this? I love Kafta, I have eaten it since I was a child, but since now I am grown my family is no longer around to make this, so I have to recreate from memory. I never remember it tasting metallic growing up.
Hello! Oh that’s unfortunate. It may be the parsley, but maybe more likely that it is the cookware or skewers you may be using? Some lower quality stainless steel cookware may have metal residue. Unless this is a pan that you use often in other recipes without any issues. In that case, try flat leaf parsley, or just omit the parsley completely to test it out and see if it fixes things! Let me know how it goes!
I love your articles and your recipes. It is as if you are here in our home, showing me different ways of cooking, and sooo many fabulous recipes. Please don’t stop writing, you are very talented, young lady. I feel as if you are my granddaughter
Aw thank you so much Samira. This truly means so much to me. I write from my end, but your comments and engagement truly help me feel like there is a fun conversation between us and that makes the work so much more enjoyable – so thank you for your note!
Very delicious