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This Lebanese-style beef Kafta is one of our favorite dishes! They are so flavorful, juicy, easy to make, and take just about 20 minutes to get them on your dinner table.
Authentic Lebanese or middle eastern beef kabob recipe made with ground beef, minced onions, chopped parsley, and seasoned with some middle eastern spices. I love that it is so easy to make and my kids love it so I make it all the time.
Kafta is very versatile in terms of what you choose to serve it with. Most Middle Easterners enjoy serving it with pita bread, hummus, baba ganoush, and salad. Served with rice and grilled veggies.
Recipe Overview
Tips before you get started
- You can always use a food processor to grind your meat of chicken meat if you do not have any on hand.
- You can use 50/50 lamb and beef if you like the taste of lamb. I am not a fan of lamb meat.
- Refrigerating the beef kafta after you season it will allow everything to hold together nicely. This is optional if you are running out of time.
- Do not cook it too fast. It will cause the beef to burn too quickly on the outside and still be pink on the inside.
Common Questions
Kafta (or kefta) is a traditional Middle Eastern dish made with ground beef or lamb, minced onions, chopped parsley, and seasoned with Middle Eastern spices. They are made into patties or kabobs and are typically grilled. They are widely known in the Middle East and now all around the world. Kafta is also made using ground chicken and is very versatile in terms of what you serve it with.
Yes! You can certainly bake kafta in the oven if you are unable to grill or use a grill. Shape the kafta into whatever shapes you like. They can be shaped into patties or mini logs. Place them on a baking sheet pan that’s lined up with foil for easier cleanup, and bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until the kafta looks golden crisp. When baking, the kafta will emit some juices on the pan so don’t be alarmed. This is normal.
They are essentially the same thing. Kafta is a Middle Eastern dish, and it is simply pronounced differently in every culture and country. In Lebanon is called Kafta, and is made the same way throughout the Middle East.
Yes. You can swap the beef with ground chicken or turkey if you like. I recommend chicken over turkey until you use 80% lean turkey, or else it will be on the dry side.
Ingredients you will need
Below is a list of ingredients you will need to make the kafta and what you can substitute them with. Full measurements are listed further down in the recipe card.
- Ground Beef: I like to use lean beef, but some like it a bit fatty, say about 85%, because it makes it more moist and flavorful, and it’s what’s recommended. I use 90% lean most of the time. You may use ground chicken to make it. Chicken kafta is also a thing..
- White Onion, grated: This ingredient is important and cannot be omitted, and you can’t substitute it with onion powder.
- Oil: Use olive oil, avocado oil, or any other bland oil like vegetable oil if that’s all you have on hand.
- Garlic cloves and chopped parsley
- Salt and Ground black pepper
- Spice Blend: cumin, oregano, cinnamon, and sumac. A lot of Middle Eastern grocery stores carry a kafta spice blend that you can purchase as well, instead of making it from scratch.
- Optional sides for serving: Curly parsley, Fresh feta, Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Red onions, white rice, homemade hummus, baba ganoush.
How to make this authentic kafta kabob
- The first thing you want to do is grab a bowl to make the ground beef mixture. In a mixing bowl, place the ground beef, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, sumac, and cinnamon.
- Next, add in the grated onion, chopped parsley, and garlic.
- Then, using your clean hands shape the kafta on the skewers: Form the meat mixture into an oblong shape of about 1 inch in thickness. Use a skewer to form this shape onto 2/3 of it, keeping the skewer stick right into the middle of the meat. Repeat with remaining meat, then let the kafta sit in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, or until you prepare the grill.
- Time to grill or bake the kafta: Grease the grill grates with some olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Place the kafta onto the preheated grill and cook for about 8-10 minutes until browned, turning a couple of times with a tong, to ensure even browning. If you also want to bake these in the oven instead, you can. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remember to flip them to the other side mid way.
- Prepare the veggies to serve with kofta: Meanwhile, slice the cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion. Place the veggies into a bowl, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper; mix well.
- Once the kafta is cooked through, remove from the heat and transfer to a serving dish. Finally, garnish with parsley and crumbled feta cheese, if desired. Serve with the optional sides and enjoy!
Juicy Beef Kafta Kabob
Video
Equipment
- grill pan
- wooden skewers
Ingredients
For kafta:
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 small onion, grated
- 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
- 2-3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, for cooking
Optional sides for serving:
- Curly parsley, to garnish
- Feta Cheese
- Hummus
- Cucumbers
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Red onions
- Olive oil
- rice or quinoa
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, place the 2 pounds lean ground beef, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon sumac, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Add in the grated 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley, and 2-3 garlic cloves; using your clean hands, mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Form the meat mixture into an oblong shape of about 1 inch in thickness. Use a skewer to form this shape into 2/3 of it, keeping the skewer stuck right into the middle of the meat.
- Repeat with the remaining meat, then let the kafta sit in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes, or until you prepare the grill. (Refrigerating is optional.)
- Grease the grill grates with some olive oil (1/2 tablespoon olive oil) and heat over medium-high heat. Place the kafta onto the preheated grill and cook for about 8-10 minutes until browned, turning a couple of times with a tong, to ensure even browning.
- Meanwhile, slice the Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Red onions. Place the veggies into a bowl, drizzle with a bit of Olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Season with salt and pepper; mix well. Once the kafta kabobs are done, remove from the heat and transfer to a serving dish
- Garnish with Curly parsley and crumbled Feta Cheese, if desired. Serve with the optional sides like Hummus or rice or quinoa, and enjoy!
Notes
- Beef: Use the leanest beef possible. You may use ground chicken or ground turkey
- Any other oil can be used.
- Refrigerating the beef kafta after you season it will allow everything to hold together nicely. If you are pressed for time, you may skip this step.
- Do not cook it too fast. It will cause the beef to burn too quickly on the outside and still be pink on the inside.
- I prefer serving kafta well done. You may serve it medium-medium well.
- Serve with white Lebanese rice, quinoa, hummus, salads, and so on. They are very versatile.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How to store and reheat
- Storing in the fridge: If you have any leftovers, wrap them in aluminum foil and place them in the fridge for an easier oven reheating option, or place them in a sealed container and store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: You can freeze the seasoned beef kafta before baking it in the fridge in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. This option is great if you want to prepare ahead and freeze for later use, and save on prep time. Freeze uncooked for up to 6 months. Freeze leftover cooked kafta for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the leftover kafta that’s wrapped in foil in the oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until it is heated through. To reheat in the microwave, place the kafta in a microwave-safe dish and reheat it for 60-90 seconds until heated to your liking.
You may also like
- Pepper Steak Kabobs
- Grilled Chicken Mango Salad
- Pineapple Shrimp Skewers with Coconut Dip
- Baked Honey Mustard Salmon
- Chipotle Chicken Avocado Melt
- Easy Avocado Hummus
- Crab Corn Tomato Salad
- Homemade Vegetable Soup
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This is one of my favorite dishes
Very easy to prepare. Flavor is quite good. However, using the leanest beef available and cooking it to well done leaves it very dry.
I love it.Thank you
Probably our favorite Kafta recipe. Easy to make with readily available ingredients.
You don’t need to go to a Middle East grocer for this stuff… Even Sumac is stocked at the larger chains now.
While these can be cooked several ways, there’s nothing like the flavor of direct heat over charcoal briquets! Make some medium and some well done (or make some thicker for medium).
We serve them with Tzatziki sauce, fresh-sliced tomatoes and sweet onion (just like a Gyro) wrapped in Pita Bread.
A Tomato, Cucumber, Onion and Feta Salad (look up Village or Horiatiki Salad) pairs perfectly.
Thanks for the feedback! glad you loved it
Easy to make and delicious – authentic flavour
Can these be baked?
yes definitely
What temperature and time would you bake these?
you can make at 350 for 20-25 minutes
Turned out even better than I expected!! I substituted lemon pepper seasoning for the sumac, and I decided to pan fry these as meatballs. Will definitely be making this again!!
Thanks for the recipe! So good! Didn’t have sumac so used some tamarin seasoning instead! Taste just like the ones from the restaurants!
Yay
Loved this recipe and so did my 12 month old and husband! Easy and quick for a week night. I didn’t have fresh parsley so I just used dried. No sumac and used some “Kafta” seasoning I found at the middle eastern store. Extra minced garlic as well and they were full of flavor !
This was such an easy and delicious recipe! My family enjoyed it so much – thank you! I cooked the kafta in a grill pan on the stove. I formed them into small patties and didn’t use skewers. I didn’t have plain sumac so I used za’atar in its place (which had sumac, thyme, and sesame seeds). I served the kafta with rice (cooked in vegetable broth instead of plain water) and a salad of arugula, cucumber, tomato, and feta with a lemon vinaigrette. Thanks for the great recipe – I know I’ll make it often!
Thanks for the feedback. That sounds amazing
Amazing. I’ve made this twice and the second I didn’t have oregano but it was still delicious!
The best. One of our favorite
Délicieux
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Thank you so much. Glad you loved it
My mom loves them!
Awesome! Thank you
Delicious !!!
Thank you!
I made these last night for dinner for me and my daughter. They were so good and she loved how easy the meat was to get off of the stick. I didn’t have any sumac so I used lemon zest instead. These were wonderful and I’ll definitely make them again. Thank you!
That’s great!. so glad you guys approve.
Great job teaching us to cook healthy
Thank you!