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Home Collections BBQ Recipes

Turkish Lamb Kofta Kebabs

By:Nagi
Published:17 Feb '16Updated:9 Mar '19
107 Comments
Recipe v Dozer v

Kebab, kabob, kofta – whatever you call this, it’s fragrant, it’s exotic, and it’s fantastic for midweek because it’s something different but so easy and fast to make. And perfect for summer grilling! These Lamb Kofta Kebabs are adapted from a recipe by Efendy, a popular Turkish restaurant in Balmain, Sydney.

Serve these with store bought or homemade Flatbreads and a side of Pilaf or a spiced Middle Eastern Lentil Rice would be wonderfully on theme!

Turkish Lamb Kebab Kofta on pita with vegetables and yoghurt sauce

Turkish Lamb Kofta Kebabs

I was watching the latest Food Safari series called Fire the other night which showcases food from around the world cooked over charcoals and in wood fired ovens. I have neither a charcoal grill nor a wood fired pizza oven, but when I saw these Turkish lamb kofta kebabs, I knew straight away that these would be still be fabulous made on the stove or on an ordinary gas BBQ.

I’m really fond of my Middle Eastern Kebabs, but they require more spices than these! So this easy recipe really appealed to me. They really did take 30 minutes to make, from start to finish.

Turkish Lamb Kebab Koftas - Simple to make, exotic and fragrant, 30 minutes from start to finish!

Lamb kofta kebabs grilling in a griddle pan

A simple Turkish Spice Mix

The original lamb kofta kebab recipe is made using a combination of veal and lamb mince (ground meat) plus lamb fat. I don’t know about you, but I don’t even know where to get lamb fat here in Sydney!

So to make this midweek, I made a few alterations. I kept the spice mix the same – super simple, just pepper, cumin and red pepper flakes. But I added extra flavour by adding onion and garlic to compensate for the absence of lamb fat.

I know, I know, onion and garlic isn’t the same as lamb fat but they definitely do add extra flavour!!

Turkish Lamb Kebab Kofta on pita with vegetables and yoghurt sauce

The original lamb kofta kebab recipe calls for pistachio nuts too, which I included because I happened to have them in my pantry. Only because I visited a Middle Eastern grocery a few weeks before and got overly excited by how cheap the pistachios were!

They definitely add an extra layer of flavour and richness into the lamb kofta kebabs. But these are worth making even if you don’t have pistachios. Truly. – Nagi x


Serve this Lamb Kofta Kebab with…

  • Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)

  • Flatbreads (homemade or store bought), shredded lettuce, tomato and onion slices

  • And/or a pilaf – these will go very well with these Koftas:

    • Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Nuts

    • Curried Basmati Rice

    • Middle Eastern Lentil Rice Pilaf (Mejadra – one of my personal favourites!)

    • Chickpea Rice Pilaf

And another Turkish street food favourite – Gozleme!

Turkish Lamb Kebab Kofta on skewers

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Turkish Lamb Kebab Kofta on pita with vegetables and yoghurt sauce

Turkish Lamb Kofta Kebabs

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
BBQ, Dinner, Grilling
Turkish
4.96 from 22 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 102
A simple, exotic, fragrant midweek meal. 30 minutes, start to finish. Adapted from a recipe by Effendi restaurant in Balmain, Sydney, as shown in the Food Safari "Fire" TV series. See notes for changes made to the original recipe.

Ingredients

Kebabs

  • 1 lb / 500g lamb mince (ground lamb) (or substitute with beef)
  • 1 small onion , grated or minced using a food processor - about 1/4 cup (white, brown or yellow) (Note 1)
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 1/4 cup pistachio nuts , ground (Optional. I use my food processor) (Note 2)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt (table salt, not flakes, use 2 1/2 tsp if using kosher or sea salt flakes)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Yoghurt Sauce

  • 3/4 cup plain yoghurt (I use Greek)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 garlic clove , minced
  • Salt and pepper

To Serve

  • Pita bread or lebanese flat bread , warmed
  • Lettuce leaves of choice
  • Sliced tomato
  • Sliced red onion

Instructions

  • Mix together Yoghurt Sauce ingredients and place in the refrigerator to allow the flavours to develop.
  • Place the Kebab ingredients except the oil in a bowl and use your hands to just combine (don't over mix).
  • Divide into 8 portions and mould onto skewers.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add skewers (I could fit all in, placing them in alternating directions) and cook for 8 minutes, turning to brown all sides.
  • Meanwhile, slice tomatoes and red onion.
  • Serve kebabs with pita bread, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion and yoghurt sauce on the side. Wedges of lemon are also a great accompaniment.

Recipe Notes:

1. I used an ordinary box grater, but it would have been smarter to use my food processor which I used to ground the nuts! You could also finely chop it, but I find you get better flavour by grating because the juices mix throughout.
2. The pistachio nuts are included in the original recipe and add richness and flavour but these are still really delicious even if you exclude them.
3. The original recipe is more complicated because it requires a mix of lamb and veal mince PLUS lamb fat. So this is a simplified version using just lamb. To compensate for these changes, I added more flavour by adding onion and garlic.
Also, these are traditionally cooked over charcoal, but they are great made on the stove! Great for summer grilling too!
4. If you want to cook these on a BBQ with a GRILL, as opposed to a hot plate, soak the skewers for at least 30 minutes in water so they don't burn.
5. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings, for kebabs and Yoghurt Sauce only (2 kebabs per person, bread not included).
Turkish Kebabs Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 184gCalories: 330cal (17%)Carbohydrates: 7.9g (3%)Protein: 37.7g (75%)Fat: 16.1g (25%)Saturated Fat: 4.1g (26%)Cholesterol: 113mg (38%)Sodium: 1007mg (44%)Potassium: 514mg (15%)Fiber: 1.6g (7%)Sugar: 1g (1%)Vitamin A: 600IU (12%)Vitamin C: 6.6mg (8%)Calcium: 50mg (5%)Iron: 4.5mg (25%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

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107 Comments

  1. Jodi says

    March 17, 2023 at 11:03 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe. Made it as per the recipe but without the red pepper flakes and I rolled little balls and threaded them on my skewers rather than moulding a continuous piece. My only error was not having made double to feed my family who were fighting over them!

    Reply
  2. Samantha Alouise Atholwood says

    March 29, 2022 at 4:51 pm

    5 stars
    My family are fussy not keen on new things. They all loved this recipe, kept the onion and garlic and pistachios in and it was delicious.

    Reply
  3. Deanna says

    March 26, 2022 at 2:53 pm

    Hi I was just wanting to know can I make the mixture and then freeze uncooked for cooking later on ? we are going camping and this would be a great meal over the fire .
    Cheers Deanna

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 27, 2022 at 8:21 am

      I think they would freeze fine Deanna – you would want to shape them before freezing! N x

      Reply
  4. Bee says

    January 30, 2022 at 4:37 pm

    5 stars
    I made the kebabs without the pepper flakes. Easy and nice. 8 yo liked them too. I also made some meatballs using the same recipe. This one is a keeper for us.

    Reply
    • Bee says

      January 30, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      Forgot to add I used beef mince and not lamb.

      Reply
  5. Amanda says

    January 23, 2022 at 2:18 pm

    I reduced the chili flakes to half a Tbsp and we still nearly blew our heads off with 500gm lamb mince. Are red pepper flakes and chili flakes not the same thing maybe ? Otherwise tasted great. Would def make again with 1 tsp or 1/4 Tbs chili flakes though.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 24, 2022 at 5:28 pm

      Chili can vary greatly in heat Amanda, even the dried ones! Taste a bit next time before adding then add a little bit at a time. N x

      Reply
  6. Bernie says

    May 26, 2021 at 4:05 pm

    Just wondering if it really is one tablespoon of red pepper flakes, or should be maybe one teaspoon? I made these with a kilo of lamb mince and cut the amount of chilli down to just over a tablespoon and it was still pretty fiery!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 27, 2021 at 11:43 am

      Hi Bernie, yes that’s correct but you can always cut down to suit your personal preference. N x

      Reply
  7. Hassan says

    April 8, 2021 at 11:19 am

    5 stars
    Great success. It was my first time to cook kofta. I was very impressed with this very easy to follow recipe. If I could add some photos, that would be great.

    Reply
  8. Caf says

    February 22, 2021 at 5:19 pm

    5 stars
    These taste EXACTLY like my local Turkish restaurant’s koftas, utterly yum! I served them over rice and a sprinkling of sumac with griddled aubergine, courgette and peppers on the side. Hi Dozer!

    Reply
  9. SonjaAnn Cameron says

    February 12, 2021 at 6:09 am

    5 stars
    Tried this with ground beef (family preferences) and it tasted great, if a little dry.

    Could i add a small of shredded beef suet to the mix to try and moisten the kebob?

    Reply
  10. Jackie says

    November 28, 2020 at 9:52 pm

    Could I use this spice mix for a marinade? I have lots of diced lamb and would like to cook on skewers.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 30, 2020 at 10:49 am

      Hi Jackie – try this marinade, it’s AMAZING! https://www.recipetineats.com/slow-cooked-lamb-shawarma/ N x

      Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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