Lebanese Kafta Kebabs with Tahini Sauce

A popular Middle Eastern street food, kafta kebabs are made with ground meat, onion and parsley. Served over rice or wrapped in pita bread, you’ll want to drizzle each bite with tahini sauce.

Grilled Kafta with Tahini Sauce

It’s hard to pick a favorite Lebanese dish but if you asked my husband and kids, it would be a tie between baked kibbeh and kafta kebabs. Both made with a base of ground meat and Lebanese spices, kafta is a bit quicker to make which is why it’s such an ideal weeknight dinner recipe.

Mincing Parsley and Onion in Food Processor

The secret to making kafta kebabs is to pulse parsley and onion until finely minced in a high speed food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, simply mince the onion and parsley as fine as possible with a sharp chef’s knife.

Seasoning Kafta

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where does kafta originate?

Kafta comes in a variety of forms around the world including Turkey, Greece, India and Asia. Similar in texture to a meatball, it is most commonly made with ground meat, parsley, onion and spices. The Lebanese version also has cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice but it’s just as good without.

What type of meat should I use?

My family uses a mixture of ground sirloin and ground lamb but you can also use 100% sirloin or 100% lamb. If you don’t have ground sirloin, ground chuck works too.

Can I make this dish without a food processor?

Yes just finely mince the parsley and onion with a sharp chef’s knife.

Can I make this dish without a grill?

Absolutely! Just use the broiler instead. Directions are included below.

Forming Kafta Skewers

You can form these kebabs on a skewer or simply form them by hand – whichever you prefer. While olive oil isn’t necessary, I like to put it on the pan to prevent them from sticking.

Lebanese Kafta Skewers with Tahini Sauce 007 WEB

When grilling, I like to rotate every two minutes for a total of 8 minutes per skewer. This usually results in perfectly tender, medium beef.

Lebanese Kafta with Tahini Sauce
Liz Whisking Tahini Sauce

To serve, I like to wrap the kafta kebabs in warmed pita bread with onion, tomato and tahini sauce. You can also serve it over Lebanese Rice Pilaf but don’t skip on the tahini sauce – it makes the dish! Not a fan of tahini? Try Cucumber Yogurt Sauce instead.

Liz Making Kafta Pitas
Kafta Sandwich with Tahini Sauce

If you don’t plan to serve right away, keep the kafta kebabs warm in the oven then serve with the pita bread right before you plan to enjoy. Otherwise, the pita bread will get soggy.

Grilled Kafta with Tahini Sauce

Your fork is waiting.

Grilled Lebanese Kafta Skewers

Lebanese Kafta Kebab with Tahini Sauce

4.50 stars average
A popular Middle Eastern street food, kafta kebabs are made with ground meat, onion and parsley. Served over rice or wrapped in pita bread.
PREP: 15 minutes
COOK: 10 minutes
TOTAL: 25 minutes
Pin
Servings: 4

Ingredients
 

Tahini Sauce

  • ¼ cup tahini
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • warm water
  • pita bread, onion slices, tomato slices (optional, to serve)

Instructions
 

  • Drizzle olive oil on a large baking sheet and set aside.
    Mincing Parsley and Onion in Food Processor
  • Place the parsley and onion in a high-speed food processor and pulse until finely minced.
  • Add beef and spices to the food processor and pulse until the meat mixture is smooth. Tip: if it has a hard time coming together, add a couple of tablespoons of ice water (it's ok to even add in an ice cube!) Remove mixture from the food processor and shape into 8 long kebabs. Place on the oil-lined baking sheet until you're ready to grill or broil.
  • Pre-heat grill or broiler to high heat. Grill for 7-8 minutes, turning every couple minutes, for medium level beef. If you prefer medium rare, remove sooner. If you prefer well done, leave on a little longer.
  • While beef is cooking, whisk together tahini sauce in a small bowl. Add warm water, one tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Serve with warm kafta kebabs.

Notes

Serving includes 2 tablespoons tahini sauce. Pita bread additional. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2kebabsCalories: 354kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 25gFat: 25gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 962mgPotassium: 527mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1264IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 4mg

SHOW AND TELL ON INSTAGRAM!Show me your creation and rate it below! Mention @thelemonbowl or tag #thelemonbowl! I would LOVE to see!

Want more healthy Lebanese recipes? Head over to Pinterest!

6 thoughts on “Lebanese Kafta Kebabs with Tahini Sauce”

  1. I’ve made these twice now and they’re just so good and easy! We served them this go around with one of your salads and it delicious.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Your feedback is important to us. Rate what you thought of this.




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.