An authentic Lebanese Beef Kefta Recipe that is packed with flavor! Kefta is cooked on the grill or pan-fried to your liking. It’s best paired with a bed of rice and salad, or roasted potatoes.
For this dish, you will need ground beef, onion, parsley, mint, garlic, and the right amount of some of the best spices to elevate this delicious meal.
If you’re looking for ground beef recipes for dinner, look no further than this super simple ground beef recipe! This Beef Kefta is as easy as adding all the ingredients to a food processor, shaping the mixture, and cooking using your preferred cooking method. You have the choice of grilling or BBQing.
This is one of the most simple ground beef recipes I’ve ever made, and even better is that I grew up on it and now my entire family loves it! It’s definitely my highest recommendation for healthy, super easy kid friendly ground beef recipes!
When I make this recipe, I sometimes double it and freeze the second batch for another day. It’s one of our family’s favorite ground beef recipes, and always a highly requested one by my husband!
Feeding your family homemade meals doesn’t have to be complicated. My biggest tip is doubling recipes for later use. It’s the best way to eat healthy homemade meals on an extra busy day. You can warm frozen Kefta in the Air Fryer or microwave.
SO, WHAT’S KEFTA?
If you’re wondering what is a kefta, then I’ll take a step back for you. It’s a very popular meatball in Lebanese and other Mediterranean cuisines.
WHAT IS KEFTA MADE OF?
Kefta is made with ground beef meat and sometimes ground lamb, onion, parsley, and many spices to give it a signature Mediterranean flavor. I make mine with fresh herbs like garlic, mint, and parsley.
With the addition of my spice blend – sumac which is a citrusy spice commonly used in Mediterranean cuisine, allspice, smoked paprika, cinnamon (just a little!), cumin, salt and pepper, creating a flavorful authentic Lebanese ground beef recipe.
Make this recipe part of your ground beef recipes rotation!
WHAT DOES KEFTA TASTE LIKE?
Beef Kefta is a very flavorful Lebanese meatball that’s full of fresh herbs and spices. It has a herby, garlicky flavor with a bright zing from the onion and a few dark notes from the cinnamon, smoked paprika, and allspice. They all come together beautifully and give this dish its signature taste.
WHY DO I USE CINNAMON IN THIS RECIPE
Cinnamon is commonly used in Lebanese and other Mediterranean cuisines in savory dishes. The most popular way to use cinnamon is actually on meat. It brings out such great flavor from the meat!
HOW TO MAKE KEFTA
What You Need
Ground Beef
Herbs
Onion
Spices
Spices you will need.
Step-by-step Instructions:
- In a food processor, pulse the onion, parsley, garlic, and mint until finely chopped.
- Place the ground beef, olive oil, and all the spices in the processor and blend the mixture to combine.
- Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to place in the fridge for an hour for the flavors to meld. You can also make the kefta mixture the night before and place it in the fridge at this point.
- Form the ground beef mixture into oval-shaped meatballs. I typically make them about an inch thick.
- Cover and place in the fridge for at least an hour, for the flavors to meld.
- Optional to place on skewers, if you choose to do so, soak the skewers in water for roughly 30 minutes.
- Cook using your preferred cooking method.
HOW TO MAKE INTO KABOBS
To make your Kefta into kabobs you will need skewers, either wooden or metal. If you are using wooden skewers don’t forget to pre-soak them in water. This is so they don’t burn.
Shape the mixture on the skewer, creating one long meatball on each.
HOW TO COOK KEFTA
You can cook it so many ways, and I provide instructions for every single cooking method! You can use the Air fryer, indoor grill, BBQ, or pan-fry!
Choose your best method or keep reading for my recommended method!
Here are the different ways to cook it:
Pan-fry – Add a tablespoon of oil or butter to a pan on medium heat. Cook to your liking. Typically about 4 minutes on each side.
Outdoor grill – Grill kefta meatballs on each side for 4-5 minutes.
Indoor Grill (I use Ninja Foodi Air Fryer & Grill – Linked HERE). I love this Air fryer so much!
Set grill to High and cook for about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. This is the method I used for this recipe, as it was a stormy day here in the Pacific Northwest.
Air fryer – To cook it in the Air fryer, set it to 370 and cook for 8-10 minutes. Check to make sure the internal temp is 160. The Air fryer I have makes this step easy since it has a thermometer attached.
Though, the best way to cook it is on the grill! As you would guess, the grill gives it extra flavor and brings in the most satisfying grill lines that you could literally taste! Yum! If you’re able to grill yours, I definitely recommend it.
KEFTA VS KAFTA VS KOFTA
Every country around the middle east spells this dish (and many others for that matter) differently. This is mainly because they also pronounce it differently between the countries.
In Lebanon, they typically say Kefta, which is similar to Kafta, however other countries pronounce it Kofta. This Beef Kafta recipe is always going to be one of the best recipes to make with ground beef!
Every country makes their Kafta recipe slightly different as well. I did grow up with both Beef and Lamb kefta, they’re both so delicious!
WHAT TO PAIR WITH BEEF KEFTA
Traditionally paired with a delicious bed of rice.
Cook the rice in chicken broth instead of water and add a drop or two of olive oil. Once cooked, plate the rice by spreading it on your plate and then topping it with the Kefta. Sprinkle extra parsley for garnish.
If you prefer not to have rice, another option is to enjoy it with a side of roasted potatoes and roasted veggies. This will be very similar to when placing them on a Kebab, which I also love!
KID FRIENDLY GROUND BEEF RECIPE
I love making this recipe for many reasons, especially for how kid friendly it is. Two big reasons I recommend this recipe to families are:
- It’s one of the most simple ground beef dinner recipes I make. I simply toss all the ingredients in a food processor, shape the kefta, and pan-fry or grill.
- The second reason why I love it so much is that it’s packed with fresh herbs that kids normally wouldn’t eat. My kids love herbs, but one of them picks out every onion that he sees, so this is my go-to ground beef recipe to hide the healthy stuff for picky eaters.
CAN YOU FREEZE KOFTA / KEFTA / KAFTA?
Yes! You can freeze it raw or cooked. I typically double or triple my recipe, and freeze extras. It’s the best way to feed your family healthy meals when you’re short on time.
To freeze it cooked:
You simply lay them flat on a lined baking sheet and flash freeze for about 45 minutes. Then toss in a ziploc bag and freeze for later use. You can warm frozen Kefta in the Air Fryer or microwave.
To freeze it raw:
After making the batter, shape and place the pieces on a lined baking sheet. Flash-freeze for 45 minutes, then toss in a ziploc bag and place in the freezer for later use! Thaw overnight and cook per instructions.
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Beef Kefta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef preferably 70/30
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion quartered
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley lightly packed
- 1 tbsp fresh mint
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tsp sumac spice
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt or more to taste
Instructions
- To a food processor, add the onion, parsley, garlic, and mint. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Add the ground beef, olive oil and all the spices to the processor and blend the mixture to combine.
- Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap to place in the fridge for an hour for the flavors to incorporate. Or refrigerate overnight.
- Form the kefta into oval-shaped meatballs. I typically make them about an inch thick.
- Optional to place on skewers, if you choose to do so, soak the skewers in water for roughly 30 minutes.
- Cook it using your preferred cooking method.
KEFTA COOKING METHODS
Pan-fry
- Add a tablespoon of oil or butter to a pan on medium heat. Cook to your liking. Typically about 4 minutes on each side.
Outdoor Grill
- Grill these Lebanese meatballs on each side for 4-5 minutes.
Indoor Grill (I use Ninja Foodi Air Fryer & Grill – Linked HERE)
- Set grill to High and cook for about 8 minutes, flipping halfway through. This is the method I used for this recipe, as it was a stormy day here in the Pacific Northwest.
Notes
- Sumac spice can be purchased on Amazon, here is my link for one!
- If you are using lean ground beef, add an extra tablespoon or two of olive oil.
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while the kefta mixture is in the fridge. Soaking the skewers prevents them from burning.
- Traditionally, we pair this dish with Lebanese rice (more info on the recipe page) Tabouleh salad and of course Hummus and pita! Or you can make roasted veggies and potatoes.
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