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You can now make your very own Doner Kebab at home, and it is very easy to make too. With ground beef and a few seasonings, you will have dinner ready in under an hour. Perfect for a weeknight or meal prepping for the week.
The first time I had Doner Kebab was on my first trip to Istanbul, Turkiye. You can find Doner Kebabs all over Istanbul, and they are so good, too! The homemade version of this classic, authentic dish has been going viral on social media, and I had to give it a try.
With a few minor twists to the original recipe, it is foolproof and delicious. It is one of those dishes that’s versatile and can be served up in many different ways. You will love it.
Recipe Overview
Ingredients needed
Below is a list of ingredients you will need to make these doner kebabs. Full measurements are listed further down below in the recipe card.
- Ground beef: I find that 85% ground beef works best for this recipe if you are looking for a juicy kebab. The 90% lean may make it a bit dry to your liking.
- Cooking onion: grated or pureed.
- Olive oil, or avocado oil
- Plain yogurt: Greek yogurt will work too, but plain is better.
- Mild pepper paste: This is optional, but it will add some color and flavor.
- Seasonings: cumin, chili flakes, dried oregano, sweet paprika, salt, and black pepper
- Garlic cloves: I recommend you use fresh garlic, but in a pinch, you can swap it with garlic powder.
- Optional add ons: Tomatoes and Peppers to be baked on the side, to serve with
How to make Homemade Doner Kebab
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, add the ground beef, seasonings, grated onion, olive oil, yogurt, chili flakes, minced garlic, and salt and pepper. Mix well until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated. Divide into 6 portions.
✏️ I was able to get 6 portions, depending on how much meat you use or the size of your parchment paper.
Lay a parchment paper on a flat surface, add one of the meat portions to the parchment paper, place another parchment paper over it, and press down with your hands to spread it a bit.
Using a rolling pin, spread super thinly all over the parchment paper. The meat mixture should be really thin, which should be only about 1-2 mm thick.
✏️ While rolling, some of the meat mixture will come out of the parchment paper. You can add it back to any empty area and roll again.
Roll it up about 1 inch folds and repeat for the remaining meat mixture. (seen note). Add all the rolled up meat onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. If using additional veggies, you can add them next to the rolled meat.
Take the pan out of the oven and drain the excess liquid. Unravel the parchment paper to separate it from the meat.
✏️ You can wait a couple of minutes if it is too hot to handle.
If the veggies are cooked to your liking at this point, remove them and set them on the side, and re-bake for another 5-7 minutes or broil on medium for 3-5 minutes or until it crisp.
Serve with tartar sauce or lemon juice in a sandwich, over salad, in a rice bowl, or with some pita bread.
Recipe Notes
- When rolling out the beef in between the parchment paper, you may roll some of the meat out; it’s ok, just scrape it with your finger and add it back into the parchment paper and roll again.
- I tested leaving the top parchment paper and also removing it before rolling, and it didn’t make a difference. So if it is easier to keep it on, then just leave it.
- Mild pepper paste adds a great flavor; if you don’t have any, it’s ok to skip it.
- The original recipe called for more cumin, I believe 1 tablespoon, but I personally don’t like too much cumin in meat. If you do, add more.
- Cut the veggies smaller to make sure they cook through.
- When you grate the onion, it will have some excess liquid. I recommend draining it.
- Don’t be alarmed when you see some liquid in the pan after the doner kebab bakes; just drain it right off the pan.
- I usually like 90% lean meat, but for this recipe, it will work best when you use 85%.
Serving suggestions
- You can serve the shredded doner kebab over a salad bowl to make it a complete meal.
- Make it as a rice bowl with some veggies like garlic-roasted vegetables
- Try it in a sandwich with pita bread, pickles, shredded lettuce, sliced red onions, garlic, or tartar sauce.
Common Questions
Yes. You can use ground chicken instead of beef. It will turn out just as good.
Absolutely. You can prep and go through all the steps up until before baking. Once you roll them and add them to the pan, cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake, or till the next day.
If you have leftovers, place them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes. Place leftovers in a sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave when ready to serve again.
More Beef Recipes
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Homemade Doner Kebab
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef, I used 85%
- 1 medium onion, grated
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or avocado oil
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon mild pepper paste
- 1 tablespoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons Oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Optional Veggie Add-ons
- Tomatoes
- Green Peppers, like jalapenos or any other type
To serve
- Pita Bread
- Pickles
- Shredded lettuce
- Sliced Red onion , with parsley and Sumac
- Garlic Sauce, Like Toom
- Tartar sauce, tahini paste mixed with lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, add the 2 pounds ground beef, seasonings (1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon chili flakes, 1 teaspoon cumin, 2 teaspoons Oregano, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper), grated 1 medium onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/3 cup plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon mild pepper paste, and 3 garlic cloves minced.
- Mix well until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated. Divide into 6 portions.
- Lay a parchment paper on a flat surface, add one of the meat portions to the parchment paper, place another parchment paper over it, and press down with your hands to spread it a bit.
- Using a rolling pin, spread super thinly all over the parchment paper. The meat mixture should be really thin, which should be only about 1-2 mm thick. You can remove the top parchment paper or keep it.
- Roll it up about 1 inch folds and repeat for the remaining meat mixture. (seen note).
- Add all the rolled up meat onto the prepared sheet pan and bake for 20 minutes. If using additional veggies like Tomatoes and Green Peppers, you can add them next to the rolled meat before baking.
- Take the pan out of the oven and drain the excess liquid. Unravel the parchment paper to separate it from the meat.
- If the veggies are cooked to your liking at this point, remove them and set them on the side, and re-bake for another 5 minutes or broil on medium for 3 minutes or until they crisp.
- Serve over a salad, in a rice bowl, or make a sandwich using Pita Bread with Tartar sauce, Garlic Sauce, Pickles, Shredded lettuce, Sliced Red onion , or lemon juice.
Notes
- When rolling out the beef in between the parchment paper, you may roll some of the meat out; it’s ok, just scrape it with your hand and add it back into the parchment paper and roll again.
- I tested leaving the top parchment paper and also removing it before rolling, and it didn’t make a difference. So if it is easier to keep it on, then just leave it.
- Mild pepper paste adds a great flavor; if you don’t have any, it’s ok to skip it.
- The original recipe called for more cumin, I believe 1 tablespoon, but I personally don’t like too much cumin in meat. If you do, add more.
- Cut the veggies smaller to make sure they cook through.
- When you grate the onion, it will have some excess liquid. Drain it if possible.
- Don’t be alarmed when you see some liquid in the pan after the doner kebab bakes; just drain it right off the pan.
- I usually like 90% lean meat, but for this recipe, it will work best when you use 85%.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
