What can we say about these homemade beef kebab skewers except that they are quick to prep, easy to make, and taste amazing? We use a mix of ground beef and ground veal as the base (kofta-style!), then flavor the meat simply with sweet onion, fresh parsley, ground cinnamon, sumac, and Kosher salt.
The ingredient that will become a game changer for you is the addition of Club soda. Seriously! It’s a technique we learned from David Haliva’s kofta recipe in his cookbook, Divine Food, and it will lighten the kebabs giving them a less dense texture. We’re crazy about them!
Other reasons we love these beef kebab skewers:
- Healthy! If you’re looking for a low calorie, gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30 compliant meal, this is it!
- One bowl! You mix all the ingredients together in one bowl. Everyone loves simple prep!
- Easy to feed a crowd! It is so easy to double the recipe and feed a crowd. We recommend at least 2 kebabs per person, with the recipe as written yielding 10 kebabs. Trust us, you’ll want leftovers!
- Easily adaptable! Want to add other herbs and spices? It’s easy to customize the flavor to whatever spices and fresh herbs you love most.
Our absolute favorite way to enjoy these kofta kebabs is with creamy tahini! Regardless of the sides you serve with them, make sure to have lots of tahini on hand. Let’s make them!
Ingredients For Kebab Skewers
- Ground beef and ground veal
- Minced sweet onion
- Fresh parsley
- Herbs: Kosher salt, cinnamon, and sumac
- Club soda
Adding club soda water was completely inspired by David Haliva’s kofta recipe from his beautiful cookbook Divine Food, and it is a game changer in terms of texture, resulting in a lighter, less dense meat mixture. Don’t skip this ingredient!
Note that adding club soda changes the texture of the ground beef and veal. Make sure to place the kofta mixture into a refrigerator for an hour to firm up otherwise it will be too hard to form around the skewers!
How To Make Beef Kebabs
- Mix the kofta ingredients. Place all kebab ingredients in a medium bowl, then gently mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Form the kebabs. Divide the meat mixture into equal portions, then hold the skewer in one hand, while using the other to mold the meat around the skewer. Each kebab should be about 6″ long and 1″ thick.
- Heat the grill. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. When hot, either coat with grill spray or brush with olive oil. The easiest way to do this is to pour some olive oil on a crumbled up paper towel, then use grill tongs to rub the paper towel across all the grill grates.
- Grill the kofta. Place kebabs on the grill, leaving a little space between each, then cook until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side, or a total of 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
We recommend serving these hot with a generous drizzle of creamy tahini, grilled vegetables, Israeli salad, or a cool cucumber dip! Have pita? Even better, load ’em up inside with all the aforementioned toppings! We are suckers for tahini, though, so to us that is not optional!!
Variations on Kebab Skewers
- Ground meat: true to kofta, you can use any type of ground meat you like best: beef, veal, lamb, chicken, or turkey work great. We like the combination of beef and veal; the veal is super tender, but the beef adds a ton of flavor and a bit more fat to keep the kebabs extra moist!
- Onion: if you don’t have an onion, add a minced shallot or red onion! If you want less texture from the onion, grate it instead of mincing.
- Spices: there are endless ways to season kebabs — for us, ground cinnamon is a must. Beyond that, we love to add garlic, cumin, coriander, Za’atar, or paprika!
Of course, not all kebabs are made with ground meat. We often make yogurt marinated chicken kebabs (that’s our go-to!) and vegetable kebabs are a year round side dish. If you are looking for kebab inspiration, we highly recommend the cookbook Zahav by Michael Solomonov — it’s filled with various kebab recipes that will keep you feeling inspired and full.
FAQs About Kebabs
- Can I make these without skewers? Yes, absolutely! Simply use your hands to mold the kebabs into the same oblong shape and grill as directed, using tongs to carefully turn during cooking.
- Can these be made in an oven? Totally! You can either bake them at 375F for 15-20 minutes, flipping them once halfway through cook time, or you can broil the kebabs on high for 5-10 minutes total. Again, you’ll wan’t to flip once halfway through cooking. Look for an internal temperature of 155-160F (the temperature will continue to rise a bit after being removed from the oven). Ground beef is safe to eat at 160F.
- What is kofta? Kofta refers to essentially a spiced meatball or meatloaf that can be formed into various shapes. Its origins are from Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.
- Are these authentic kebabs? We are absolutely not claiming that these are specific to any one region or cuisine. They’re inspired by other cultures and cuisines, whom I have a deep respect for, and whose food sparks total and complete joy. I’m a Jewish-American-Polish gal cooking food that I love to eat, and that I’ve learned about over the years either from traveling or from experiencing and enjoying it first hand. But I will never tell you something is authentic and passed down from my family unless it really is. Like this latke recipe? It’s my mother-in-laws baby, and you better believe they’re the best potato pancakes EVER.
We recommend a Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
What To Serve With Kofta-Style Kebabs
Any and all Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, or North African sides would work well here. Our favorite way to enjoy beef kebabs is to keep things light and fresh and serve either Israeli salad, tomato and onion, or tabbouleh. When we’ve got fluffy pita bread on hand, you know we’re loading them up with these!
No matter what you serve with them, these beef kebabs are wildly delicious. Not only are they healthy (gluten-free, dairy-free, Whole30 compliant!), but they’re filling, taste amazing, and are so easily adaptable to whatever spices you love most. These will for sure become a summertime staple for all your cookouts.
If you make these Kebab Skewers, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below! Or… if you switch out the beef for ground chicken, lamb, or pork, let us know what you think!
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
For more Middle Eastern recipes we love, check out the following:
- Turkish Eggs with Herbed Yogurt (Cilbir)
- Roasted Butternut Squash with Za’atar and Lemon Tahini Sauce
- Tandoori Oven Roasted Carrots
- (Not Quite Kofta) Lamb Meatballs
- Green Shakshuka With Feta
- Deconstructed Falafel Sandwich
Grilled Ground Beef Kebab Skewers (Kofta-Style)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground veal
- 1 sweet onion minced
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
- 1 ½ Tbsp Kosher salt
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sumac
- ¼ cup Club soda
- Tahini for serving
Instructions
- Mix the kebab ingredients. Place all kebab ingredients in a medium bowl, then gently mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Form the kebabs. Divide the meat mixture into 10 equal portions, then hold the skewer in one hand, while using the other to mold the meat around the skewer. Each kebab should be about 5-6" long and 1" thick.
- Heat the grill. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. When hot, either coat with grill spray or brush with olive oil. The easiest way to do this is to pour some olive oil on a crumbled up paper towel, then use grill tongs to rub the paper towel across all the grill grates.
- Grill the kofta. Place kebabs on the grill, leaving a little space between each, then cook until browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side, for a total of 12-15 minutes, or until cooked through.
Notes
- Ground meat: can substitute beef and veal with chicken, lamb, pork, or turkey.
- Onion: Make sure to finely mince the onion. If you prefer even less texture, grate it instead!
- If you don’t have skewers, you can still form the kebabs into an oblong shape and grill according to instructions. Alternatively, shape them like burger patties and enjoy in a fluffy pita!
Let us know your thoughts!