Beef Kofta kebabs are a delicious and versatile dish that has been enjoyed for centuries across the Middle East and beyond. These succulent meat skewers are made with ground beef, infused with fragrant spices, and grilled to perfection.
Good ground beef is important when making Beef Kofta Kebabs. Use lean ground beef that has a good balance of fat content. The fat adds moisture and flavor to the kebabs, ensuring they remain juicy and tender when cooked.
I’ve had Lebanese kebabs made with ground lamb that were OMG delicious, so if you’re a fan of lamb, you can use ground lamb to make these delicious kabobs.
These delicious beef kababs can be made on an indoor grill pan or over the open flames of your outdoor grill. If you don’t have a grill, these Beef Kafta Kababs can be made on a baking sheet in your oven.
One of my other favorite ground beef dishes is my Greek Pasta Bake.
Ingredients to make Beef Kofta Kebabs
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Beef Kofta Kebabs and Tzatziki Sauce. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”
Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Made with simple ingredients
- ground beef (or ground lamb)
- fresh garlic cloves
- onions
- fresh parsley
- fresh mint
- fresh cilantro
- sweet paprika (or smoked paprika)
- cumin
- turmeric
- salt
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes. (if you like heat, you can add a little cayenne pepper)
The key to great beef kafta kabobs lies in the quality and blend of spices used. Traditional middle eastern spices can include cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and cloves. Fresh herbs are also important to the blend and can include fresh parsley, fresh mint, and fresh cilantro. Combined with the richness of ground beef, these spices create an aromatic and flavorful base for the kebabs.
But remember, these are suggestions, use the flavors you enjoy eating. Mix and match your favorite seasonings from the list to make a spice blend that your whole family will love.
How to make Beef Kofta Kebabs
- Add all the seasonings to a bowl.
- Whisk the seasonings to blend together.
- Place the ground beef, spice blend, chopped garlic, and chopped onions in a large bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to bloom.
- Shape the seasoned beef into logs (oblong shape).
- Skewer the kafta meat with the wooden skewers (or metal skewers), squeezing the mixture to mold it to the skewer.
- Place the kabobs on a hot grill pan over medium-high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Turn the beef kofta kabobs halfway through the cooking process and continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
You can also use a gas grill or charcoal grill to cook the kabobs. Beef Kofta Kabobs can also be cooked in a 350-degree oven for 15-18 minutes.
How to make Tzatziki Sauce
- Add the Greek yogurt, cucumber, fresh chopped mint, fresh lemon juice, and salt to a medium bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve.
After one bite, I know you’re going to love my Beef . Serve them over fragrant coconut rice with warm pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and baba ganoush for a meal you won’t soon forget!
Wouldn’t these beef kofta kebabs make a delicious weeknight dinner? You can have them on the dinner table in under an hour.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional kebabs are made with chunks of meat or seafood, while kofta kebabs are made with ground beef or ground lamb or a combination of the two mixed with seasonings and formed on a skewer.
Beef Kofta Kebabs is a dish made from ground beef mixed with various spices and herbs, shaped into small patties or cylinders, and then grilled or roasted on skewers. They are typically served with flatbread, rice, or salad.
They are popular in the Indian subcontinent through Central Asia, the Middle East, the Balkans, and Northern Africa.
Yes, you can. If you don’t have skewers, you can still make Beef Kofta Kebabs by shaping the meat mixture into small patties or cylinders and then grilling them directly on a grill, grill pan, or in the oven.
More Ground Beef Recipes
Beef Kofta Kebabs
Equipment
- Grill Pan or Outdoor Grill
Ingredients
Beef Kebabs
- 4 wooden skewers or metal skewers
- 1 pound ground beef you need some fat in the meat, use 85/15 or 80/20 for the best results.
- 1 cup onion finely minced
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely minced
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves chopped
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup grated peeled cucumber squeeze dry
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh mint finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt to taste
Instructions
Beef Kebabs
- Add the spices to a small bowl and whisk to blend together.
- Place the ground beef, spice blend, chopped garlic, and chopped onions in a large bowl.
- Mix the ingredients together to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to give the seasonings time to bloom.
- Form the seasoned beef into a log shape (long cylinder shapes).
- Skewer the kafta meat with the wooden skewers (or metal skewers), squeezing the mixture to mold it to the skewer.
- Place the kabobs on a hot grill pan over medium-high heat and cook for 5-6 minutes.
- Turn the beef kofta kabobs halfway through the cooking process and continue to cook for an additional 5-6 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.You can also cook these on a gas or charcoal grill to cook the kabobs. Kabobs can also be cooked in a 350-degree oven for 15-18 minutes.
Tzatziki Sauce
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together to combine. Refrigerate the sauce until ready to serve.
- Serve the Beef Kebabs with coconut rice and tzatziki sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Pam says
I’d like to make these for a luncheon at a facility that only has a warming oven (230 degrees F.) Can I make these ahead of time and reheat successfully in the warming oven? Can these be made in a Crock Pot successfully? Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Unless you’re bringing them in immediately after cooking and they placing them in the warming oven, it’s not going to work. They won’t get them hot enough fast enough. As for the crockpot, I don’t think you’ll get the same results. I’ve never cooked them that way.
Cora says
Absolutely amazing! I cooked them on the grill, probably should’ve pulled them off sooner but still so good! Served with Basmati rice, tzatziki and a cucumber tomato onion salad. This will definitely be going in my recipe book!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my kofta kebabs! It sounds like you had quite a feast with those delicious sides.
Tesee says
Really great flavor! I was a little worried because I only had 93/7 ground beef and the recipe recommended ground beef with more fat, but they came out juicy and flavorful. I cooked them on the stovetop in a frying pan and that worked great. I put them inside lavash bread with the yogurt sauce, hummus, tomato, lettuce, and pickled onions to make a wrap and the flavors all together were so delicious! Only change I’ll make next time is to add a little more salt.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear the kabobs cake out well. Higher fat ground beef is usually my goto ground beef, but the leaner meat will work and it sounds like you made an incredible meal out of them!
Rachel says
Love this recipe, definitely Adding to rotation. I did not have parsley-fresh or dry, nor did I have turmeric. I had za’atar seasoning, added 1 tsp because I like the flavor. Added a little olive oil and processed the seasoning because it looked too course. I let the meat marinate for 4 hours. Grilled at 350F, 6 minutes each side. Soooo delicious, thanks Chef!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the kebabs and you were able to make adjustments to suit your taste preference and what you had on hand. Thats what cooking at home is all about!
Erin says
I had to try these right away as I love the ingredients and actually had them on hand! These were even better than our local restaurant. They were a hit with everyone and that sauce is just perfection. Thanks!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Well Dennis you were in my head this week as I was telling my team I wanted to make Kofta but with beef! And then I stumble upon your recipe! These were so easy to make and the flavor is INSANE!!!
We made these on the Santa Maria Asadera and that grill char was incredible!
Veronika says
All the dried herbs and spices added so much flavor to these kebabs, we loved them! We cooked them on a pan but I can’t wait to try cooking them on the grill next.
Ann says
I love kebabs for summer! So quick and easy to make! Thanks for the recipe share – excited to give it a try!
Amy Liu Dong says
I love how easy and delicious this recipe is.
I made this yesterday and my family loves it so much!
Sharon says
The fresh herbs in these beef kofta kebabs are the star of the dish because of the lovely meld of flavors.
Lisa says
I love the seasoning in these kebabs. And the creamy yogurt sauec complements the kofta perfectly!!
Jessica says
Thanks for the step by step on these…I really wanted to be sure I got them right so they cooked up well 😉 And the tzatziki was a perfect cool summer grilling pair. Loved it!
Lauren Michael Harris says
I just love recipes like these beef kabobs. Everything tasted so fresh and had so much flavor. The whole family loved it!
Cathleen says
I am so excited to make these kebabs! My husband was looking over my shoulder when I was looking at the photos, and he said “this is the one”. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe 🙂
Joan says
We don’t grill. I bet this would be great made as meatballs. I love tzatziki sauce.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I used a grill pan for the kebabs,but you’re right they would be delicious meatballs.