published Jan 19, 2022, updated Jun 05, 2023
What is Kefta?
Moroccan kefta is ground meat usually seasoned with shredded onion, Middle Eastern spices and fresh herbs. The Lebanese version is known as kafta, and other Middle Eastern countries call them kofta. It’s typically seasoned, ground (mince) meat formed into kabobs, meatballs and small patties. Ground chicken and lamb are also used for making kofta. These seasoned meat skewers are easy to prepare and can be made ahead, so they’re perfect to cook up for both large gatherings and regular family meals. If you’re not in the mood to grill, you can easily bake the skewers in the oven, or skip the kabobs and use the mixture to make kefta meatballs instead.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutes
Ground meat To prevent the kefta from being too dry, be sure to use ground meat with a bit of fat in it. If you’ll be making ground beef kabobs, an 80/20 or 85/15 blend works the best. This provides enough fat to keep the meat juicy.My personal preference is to use a combination of ground beef and ground lamb, not only for the nice fat to protein ratio, but also for the additional flavor. Fresh herbsUse fresh herbs rather than dried if at all possible; doing this adds so much extra flavor to the meat. I use a mixture of fresh Italian parsley (that’s the flat leaf variety), cilantro, and mint. BreadcrumbsTo keep the Moroccan kefta from falling apart, you need something to bind the ingredients together. This is what the breadcrumbs are for. I use unseasoned bread crumbs because there are plenty of spices in the meat.If you want to add a bit of texture, you can use panko crumbs instead of traditional bread crumbs.
Tips for making ground beef kabobs
Kafta Recipe Video
To watch how to shape the kabobs and see the process of making the kefta recipe from start to finish, check out the video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, there are a couple of different ways to serve the Moroccan kebabs. Some people like to eat the meat right off of the skewer, but that can be dangerous, especially if your skewers are metal and/or have a sharp point on the end.For ease (and safety), just slide the meat off of the skewers. They can be served over a bed of rice, Greek spanakorizo or Moroccan couscous, and they’re also delicious with shirazi salad or chopped veggie salad.To eat them street food style, slip the beef kefta into warm pita bread. I like to serve them with tahini yogurt sauce or shatta sauce, and top them with diced tomato or some spicy lemon pickle. Love this recipe? Share it with the world on Pinterest.
