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Juicy Beef Kofta Kabobs (Grilled Skewers or Patties)
Ground beef, warm Arabic spices, and a hot grill is all it takes to make this staple kofta kabob recipe. This low effort recipe requires chopping the vegetables in a food processor, then mixing everything together to skewer or shape into patties. Grill outdoors (or indoors) until juicy and charred, then enjoy it many ways. This is a must-make reader favourite!
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5-STAR READER 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.”
—Tim
Kofta: A Classic Middle Eastern Must-Make
As an Arab, I’ve been perfecting my kofta recipe over the years. It’s a versatile dish because you can eat it as a wrap, over Arabic rice, or in with salad. Grill outdoors in the summer, or keep it indoors in the winters.
Now this recipe has been optimized for grilling which is why it doesn’t use breadcrumbs. Grilling is a quick cooking method that will keep the kofta juicy. Don’t try to bake the kofta from this recipe!
I’m actually obsessed with kofta and have tweaked the base recipe to suit all kinds of cooking methods. So if you want to bake it, use my baked kofta meatballs. If you want a stove top stew recipe with kofta, use my one pot kofta stew. And if you’re looking for a fun twist with leftver kofta, make my kofta smash tacos.
As an Iraqi, I can’t not mention my Iraqi Kabab recipe, which is much simpler and typically delicious when grilled on coal or gas fired BBQs.
Ingredients And Substitutions
For the beef, medium ground beef works well because it has more fat, but I use lean ground beef and add some olive oil and this mix ends up quite juicy!
For the vegetables: they’re essential and best blitzed in a food processor. I do have you add a tablespoon of flour if needed since the veggies release moisture (which adds flavour) and the flour helps keep it together.
Finally, seven spices are used as the main flavour, but if you don’t have it, just substitute allspice.
Let’s Make Grilled Beef Kofta – It’s Easy!
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. 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.
Most of the time, I serve it over rice with a delicious white shawarma sauce and my finely chopped Arabic salad. You can also make them into wraps or stuff in pita bread for Arayes.
Freezer Instructions
If you intend to freeze them, 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 kofta raw. Once you shape them, place on a lined baking sheet flash freeze for a few hours. Then transfer them to freezer bags.
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 air, and seal shut. Freeze for 1-2 months, then thaw the whole bag in the fridge overnight. Bake them to re-heat for just a few minutes, or air fry them.
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
I’d like to make these for my son’s graduation party. How far ahead can I prep the meat mixture? I intent to put them on bamboo sticks. Any ideas of how to prep these ahead of time? This recipe sounds like everything I want in flavor. Thank you!
Hi Melanie! To prep ahead for maximum freshness, you can make the ground beef mixture and keep it in the fridge overnight. This will actually amplify the flavour, then you can bring it to room temp, skewer and grill. Another option is to prep the mixture and skewer them, then layer them on a tray with parchment in between and in the fridge overnight. Then just bring to room temp the next day and grill. Freezing raw works too, but I usually do this if I’m pan grilling – on the BBQ I feel like the extra moisture might lead to them breaking apart. Let me know how it goes – would love to hear!
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