Middle Eastern Lamb Kofta
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Made with fragrant spices, roasted nuts, herbs and aromatics, this lamb kofta will take your taste buds on an adventure.
Kofta is a Middle Eastern dish made from ground lamb or beef mixed with onions, garlic, and spices. The meat mixture is shaped into balls, patties or logs, and then grilled and served with pita, Israeli salads, hummus, and tahini sauce. There are endless variations of kofta throughout the Middle East ā I have a fantastic recipe for Persian beef kofta in my first cookbook ā but I learned this version from a kebab maker in the Old City of Jerusalem. His secret was to add minced vegetables, toasted nuts, herbs, and spices to the meat to give the kofta deep, complex flavor. Think beyond grilled chicken and steakhouse burgers; this is what you should be serving at your cookouts this summer!
What you’ll need To Make Middle Eastern Lamb Kofta
How To Make Middle Eastern Lamb Kofta
To begin, place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
Pulse until finely chopped but not pasty.
Transfer the nuts to a small dry skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside to cool. (But don’t leave the nuts in the pan, as the residual heat may cause them to burn.)
Place the onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeƱo pepper, and cilantro in the bowl of the food processor (no need to clean it first).
Pulse until the vegetables are finely minced but not purƩed.
Set a fine sieve over a bowl. Transfer the minced vegetables to the sieve and use a rubber spatula to press out as much liquid as possible.
In a large bowl, combine the minced veggies, nuts, lamb, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt, and white pepper.
Using your hands, mash the mixture together until evenly combined.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Form the mixture into patties about 2 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick (they will puff up on the grill to look like meatballs). Place on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Place the kofta on the grill and cook, covered, until browned, about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.
Serve the kofta with tzatziki and hummus, and enjoy! For more Israeli-inspired recipes, check out my hummus, sufganiyot, shakshuka and creamy whipped feta.
You may also like
- Middle Eastern Chicken Kebabs
- Grilled Moroccan Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce
- Greek-Style Lamb Burgers
- Souvlaki
- Gyros
Middle Eastern Lamb Kofta
Made with fragrant spices, roasted nuts, herbs and aromatics, this lamb kofta will take your taste buds on an adventure.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup each pine nuts, almonds, and walnuts (total ¾ cup)
- 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- 1 small jalapeƱo pepper, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped (see note)
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, gently packed (okay to substitute parsley)
- 2 pounds ground lamb
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- Tzatziki and hummus, for serving
Instructions
- Place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse until finely chopped but not pasty. Transfer the nuts to a small dry skillet over medium heat; cook, stirring frequently, until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour the nuts into mixing bowl large enough to hold all of the ingredients, and set aside to cool. (Don't leave the nuts in the pan, as the residual heat may cause them to burn.)
- Place the onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeƱo pepper, and cilantro in the bowl of the food processor (no need to clean it first). Pulse until the vegetables are finely minced but not purƩed. Set a fine sieve over a medium bowl. Transfer the minced vegetables to the sieve and use a rubber spatula to press out as much liquid as possible. Add the strained vegetable mixture to the bowl with the nuts.
- To the veggies and nuts, add the lamb, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt, and white pepper. Using your hands, mash the mixture together until evenly combined.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Form the mixture into patties about 2 inches in diameter and ½-inch thick (they will puff up on the grill to look like meatballs). Place on the baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate until ready to cook.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat and oil the grates. Place the kofta on the grill and cook, covered, until browned, about 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Serve with tzatziki and hummus.
- Note: If you like your kofta spicy, reserve some of the seeds from the jalapeƱo pepper and add them with the vegetables. Also, be sure to wash your hands well after handling hot peppers, and do not touch your eyes while working with them.
- Make-Ahead: The patties can be made and refrigerated up to two days ahead of time.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked patties can be frozen for up to three months. (Freeze the patties on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.) Defrost the burgers overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving and then cook as directed.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 4 meatballs
- Calories: 438
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 4 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Sodium: 382 mg
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Delicious, thank you for a fabulous recipe. I made the whole amount for two. Meals for this week are sorted, and some to share with my colleagues!
This is the best Lamb Kofta recipe I have come across. I served it on couscous topped with JalapeƱo Chilli Relish, hummus and tadziki for an easy and super tasty meal.
Very tasty! Basically just made golf ball sized meatballs out of the mixture, baked them in the oven for 20 minutes and served them with pocket breads, salad and tzatziki. Will definitely be adding this to our dinner rotation!
This recipe was great! Easy to follow and had incredible flavor. Iāve made these several times along with the tzatziki.
Delicious. Made them Sunday evening with the suggested sides. There were only three of us so I have frozen the uncooked koftas for another meal.
What can I use instead of pinenuts? They are really pricey here in Sweden.
Hi Alexandra, you can just replace the pine nuts with additional walnuts and/or almonds. Hope you enjoy!
My favorite. Always order from outside. I will try this at home. Looks very easy and I have all the ingredients at home always. I would like to add a dip to it as well.
I have limited counter space and no food processor. Do you think this recipe would work if I smashed the nuts and finely minced the veg?
Hi Selina – yes that should work. I’d love to know how it turns out!
I have tried many of your recipes over the last 6 months, this kofta included just this past weekend. I served the kofta with your hummus and tzatziki with cucumber & tomato salad and naan. The most common response I get from my friends when I make your recipes (including the kofta) is, “This tastes like food I would order at a restaurant.” I can’t wait to get your cookbook – I pre-ordered it today! Thank you for sharing these delicious dishes with us!
You’re welcome! (And thank you for your support with the cookbook!) ā¤ļø
We raised lamb, which means that I have tried many recipes with lamb. This is by far the best recipe I have tried. My family loves this recipe, and I have even had great success serving this at a party by grilling everything first, refrigerating overnight, and then putting the kofta in a crockpot so that they were warm for the guests. Even the non-lamb eaters loved these!
I made this recipe tonight and it was SENSATIONAL. Not having a grill, I pan-fried the meat patties in olive oil. They were divine. Will be making this again!! Thank you!
Fish sauce…I’ve tried it a couple of times and just can’t. Any substitution you can suggest?
Hi Diane, I’m assuming you must be referring to a different recipe as this one doesn’t have fish sauce. Which recipe were you referring to?
Thank you. Love your recipes. Canāt wait for the cookbook!
Our son is allergic to almonds and walnuts. Could I just use the pine nuts and omit the other nuts?
Denise
Yep- that should work!
What if we cannot use any nuts? Is there a good substitute?
You can just omit them. Enjoy!
I love the flavour and texture combination! The ground nuts with the vegetables and herbs raise these tasty morsels into the stratosphere.
Could I use chickpeas in place of lamb to make this vegetarian kofta?
Hi Pamela, I can’t guarantee the chickpeas will work here but have you tried my falafel recipe? I think that’s your best bet.
Thanks for your reply, Jenn. And Yes, my family and I love your falafel recipe!
PERFECTION!!! These were the BEST! Having lived in Turkey and visited Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, I can say that these were as good, if not better, than anything I ate there. I’m SO GLAD you went to Israel Jen, so we could all enjoy the fruits of your travels! Now I’m wondering if it would be too ambitious to make these for a buffet dinner for 18 people!!! ???
This is an excellent recipe. I often fix it for a buffet with the suggested sides along with saffron rice and a salad.
Wow, Jenn. These were amazing! We loved the texture with the chopped nuts, and the flavors were just delicious. My husband did them on the grill and I served it with your now famous feta dip, flatbread and a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumber, kalamata olives, fresh dill, olive oil and red wine vinegar. His comment was…restaurant quality and you can make this once a week! Fortunately, there are a lot of them, so we have another meal in the freezer. You are simply the best!
Absolutely delicious :0)
Thanks Jenn!
I made these last night and cooked them on the BBQ. I have tried about ten recipes from this site and each is a winner. So much so that I don’t want to repeat but continue trying more. Anyway the family like them and I thought there seemed to be too many favours competing. We have plenty of lamb mince so I might try it without the spices as there seemed to be too little or too subtle for my taste. Cookbook- I’m in.
I made these this week and they were amazing. I have been looking for a kofta recipe and this is it! The nuts were a really unexpected ingredient but they really add to the authentic flavor.
Made these yesterday with the tzatziki recipe and a sun dried tomato and basil humus. Made as directed except I made small logs with the meat and skewered them instead of making meatballs. Served with small pita which we cut in haf to make little pocket sandwiches, was excellent!!
Fantastic!
My husband won’t eat onions but by cooking them until translucent he can’t find them. Will this impact the recipe? Should I saute’ all the vegetables?
Hi Kathie, Would he be opposed to grated onions?
Oops! Also, if freezing, freeze before cooking or after?
Thanks.
Hi Vivian, you can do either, actually. If you freeze them before cooking, first put them on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then after about 30 minutes, transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.
Can this be made with meatball mix, beef/veal/pork? Can’t get ground lamb.
Thank you for this awesome blog!
Yes, I think that’d work well.
I have cooked this recipe on the grill and in the oven. I think they came out better (and cooked faster) using grill method but worked well enough in the oven (400 degrees for 15-20 minutes). Itās nice to have the flexibility. Either way, they are VERY TASTY. And since my husband began following a ketogenic diet a couple years ago, we eat a lot of meatballs, so I appreciate the diverse taste this recipe offers. Meatball recipes in general are easily adaptable to a keto diet. Thank you, Jenn, for sharing your recipes and cooking wisdom!
Made these tonight using the oven broiler. I had to omit all the nuts and also sauteed the vegetables before adding them to the ground lamb and they were still very flavorful. Wish I had cilantro (coriander) but I had to go without this too.
One thing to be careful with is the high fat content – nearly started a fire in the oven! (At least I know my smoke detectors are working properly….)
The meatballs tasted great though, despite being overly charred and over-done. Next time I will keep a closer eye on them when in the oven!
I made the kofta and we loved it! The only change that I made is that I broiled them since I couldn’t bear to stand outside in 97 degree heat to grill them. The bonus is that I have a large bag of them in the freezer for future meals. We served it with your suggestions: pita, hummus, tzatziki, my version of your cucumber/tomato salad. Great summer meal. I love your recipes because they are so reliable.
Can’t wait to try this recipe. However, the boyfriend can’t eat cilantro (tastes like soap enzyme). Can I trade it out for parsley? Or another herb? Thank you!
Definitely, Kaylan – parsley or mint will both work well. Hope you guys enjoy!
AMAZING! Did not change a thing! Thank you Jenn!
Delicious and worth the effort! Next time I will likely add a bit more heat with the the ribs and seeds of the jalapeƱo, but so flavorful. I made fresh pita bread and reheated on the grill, served with homemade hummus and tzatziki and cruditƩs. Wonderful summer dinner!
We have a non-lamb fan amongst our clan so want to sub ground turkey for this delicious sounding recipe. Do you think it’s doable?
Hi Laura, Ground beef would be the better substitute if your guest will eat that. Turkey might work — just don’t purchase the extra lean as the kofta will turn out dry. If you try it, please LMK how it turns out. š
Okay the spices worked well with the turkey and I also added some duck fat to the mix! Delicious because of your recipe and encouragement. Thank youš¤
So glad they turned out well!
My mouth was so happy…..once again a delicious recipe. Putting it to the test here at work today. Thank you for going to Israel!
I made these last night for dinner. So delicious!! My son is allergic to nuts so I just omitted the nuts and they were really tasty. Super easy to make as well. Served with hummus and tzaztiki, couscous and your zucchini & cherry tomato salad.
So glad you are sharing recipe ideas from Israel. Thank you !
What a hit! The kofta were delicious and the recommended sides of hummus and tzatziki received rave reviews, as well. Thanks for making me look like a star.
Hi,
What a great, authentic recipe. I’m a vegetarian, but I knew my husband would love this. It came together so nicely and the textures and spices even I could appreciate.
Thanks again for another terrific recipe!
This looks and sounds delicious! I would like to make this for our BBQ at the park, however, the grill at the park doesn’t have a cover. How much longer do these need to be cooked for in that case?
Hi Beatrice, I definitely think it will work but it’s really hard to say what the cook time will be as every grill is so different. Cook them until they are nicely browned on all sides, then just cut into one to make sure it’s done.
Could I bake these in the oven instead of grill? My husband would love this!
Sure KC, I’d broil them – cook time will be about the same.
Thank you for your quick reply. I’m excited to try. There’s not one recipe of yours that we don’t love!
I love pinning your recipes butI don’t like the large double photos with the large script. It makes the boards look loud and “sloppy”. Is it possible to just pin a photo? Thanks!
Hi Julia, If you use the pin button on your browser’s toolbar (rather than the pin button on the site), you should have a selection of many small images to pin rather than the long graphic image. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn making these right now and was wondering if I could freeze them? Thanks!
Hi Abbie, Yes, they’d freeze well. Enjoy!
I don’t have to worry about freezing ’cause there ain’t gonna be any left!!!!! These bite sized balls of flavor are INSANELY delicious. You are truly one amazing chef and because of you..so am I!
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Made this tonight with the Hummus and other dish my auto correct won’t allow me to spell. It was fabulous.
Jenn, what is that salad in the picture?
Hi David, Thatās not an actual recipe from the blog ā itās just a combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion mixed with olive oil, lemon, cilantro, salt, pepper, and zaāatar.
I was lloking for the recipe of that salad on the picture on your menu and I could not find it so I cam here to see if anyone had asked š so glad they did!
I am making the kofta today and will be making this salad because it sounds and looks beautiful!
š
Jenn, As soon as this recipe arrived in my inbox yesterday, I knew I had to make it for dinner. Well, let me just say it did not disappoint! Even my 8 yr old liked it. So much flavor – loved the spices in this!
Hi There…this looks amazing. I am interested in your response to another question about the salad. I never heard of za’atar until you listed it in the ingredients. It sounds so good…do you have a brand you recommend? I looked on Amazon but quickly got overwhelmed! Folks are very particular about how “their” za’atar should taste! Thank you!
Hi Mary, This is a good one. It’s wonderful on everything — I even sprinkle it on buttered popcorn!
Hi Jenn, I was going to ask the same thing – I’d like the recipe for that salad. Guess you might have to do one for that! š
Can I replace the lamb with either ground chicken or turkey, but use same seasoning?
Hi Sue, Ground beef would be the best substitute but turkey might work (and no need to adjust seasoning). If you try it, please lmk how it turns out.
We have a nut allergy in our family. Is there a best substitute? Thanks!
Hi Amy, You can just leave the nuts out. Hope you enjoy!
Can you substitute the nuts with breadcrumbs?
Hi Donna, If you don’t want to use the nuts, I would just leave them out. Enjoy!
I do not eat lamb, could I substitute turkey, buffalo, elk, or wild boar?
Hi Anne, I’d probably avoid turkey or anything too lean. Ground beef works well.
Could you provide a link to the recipe for the salad shown in the photograph?
Many thanks!
Hi Tony, That’s not a recipe I have on the site — it’s just a mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper, cilantro, and za’atar. Easy!
How much z’aater?
Hi Leeann, I use about a half teaspoon but you can sprinkle it on to taste.
This recipe looks wonderful, but could I substitute lamb with something else?
Hi Melissa, Ground beef would work well. Enjoy!
Love the look of this recipe but aren’t big on lamb and can’t BBQ cause we live in an apartment. Given this, if we use beef instead should we adjust any of the spices? Also can these be cooked in the oven or fried on top of the stove instead? Thanks in advance. We live so many of your recipes!
Hi Laura, Go ahead and use 80-85% lean ground beef (no changes needed) and either broil or pan-fry on the stovetop.