Last Updated on 28/06/2024 by Adina
This Turkish beef kofta recipe is easy to make, always delicious, and perfect for any kind of gathering. The meatballs can be pan-fried or baked.
Turkish Kofta, also known as "Kofte," is a flavorful dish made from ground meat mixed with spices and herbs. Soft, juicy, and spicy, they are rather crispy on the outside, making them the perfect comfort food. Typically grilled or pan-fried, Turkish meatballs are often served with rice, salad, or warm pita bread.
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What are koftas?
This Turkish kofta recipe is one of the most popular dishes in the Middle East. Koftas are meatballs, and they are found not only in Turkish cuisine but also all over Eastern Europe, the Middle East, India, and Central Asia.
They usually consist of ground meat, often beef in Turkey and the Middle East, frequently mixed with lamb, mutton or chicken. In the Balkans and Eastern Europe kofta are more often made with pork or a mixture of pork and beef.
Koftas or meatballs are often served on their own; I grew up on Romanian meatballs with mashed potato and preserved vegetables. But they are often served in a sauce like meatballs in tomato sauce, turkey meatballs in curry sauce, or Polish meatballs in gravy.
Recipe ingredients
Meat: I used only ground beef. You can use a mixture of ground beef and ground lamb.
- The ground beef is regular ground beef, not the lean sort. I think extra lean ground beef makes these beef koftas dry, so I prefer to use the regular ground beef, which has about 20-30% fat, depending on where you buy it.
Spices: Garlic is absolutely essential; I cannot even consider leaving it out; I just love it! You will also need ground cumin, ground coriander, allspice, chopped parsley, and Turkish red pepper flakes (or regular red pepper flakes).
Baking soda is often used when making the Croatian cevapcici or the Romanian mici (link opens in a new tab), which are the Romanian version of cevapcici. It helps the meatballs keep their shape and become nice and tender.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this Turkish kofta recipe?
Step #1: Gather all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.
Step #2: Mix well and form the Turkish meatballs, 30 to 35.
Step #3: Fry Turkish kofta on medium heat in two batches.
Step #4: Flip them several times and cook them for 8-10 minutes.
Should I fry or bake koftas?
You can either fry or bake Turkish koftas. I’ve tried both methods many times, and they both work well. Fried koftas are slightly heartier and juicier due to the oil, but most people probably won't notice much difference between the two versions.
I choose to bake them when cooking larger amounts for a party or potluck and fry them when I miss my grandmother's cooking or only make a small batch.
If you fry the meatballs, use a cast-iron skillet or a non-stick pan to minimize the amount of oil needed—about 2 tablespoons should be sufficient. Fry the meatballs on all sides over medium heat for about 7-10 minutes or until cooked through.
If you choose to bake the beef koftas, place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and cook them in a preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Check them a bit earlier to ensure they don't overcook.
Make koftas in advance
You can prepare this Turkish kofta recipe in advance and serve the meatballs at room temperature or reheated (the oven works best).
You can make a big batch of beef koftas, shape them into balls, and freeze them. To do so, place them into airtight containers layered between sheets of parchment paper. Freeze for up to two months and defrost slowly in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
What to serve them with?
I probably serve Turkish beef koftas or other kinds of meatballs at any party I organize at home (except barbecue parties). Everybody loves them; they can be made in advance and are delicious at room temperature.
Otherwise, we often have them with mashed potatoes and salad, with a tahini or chili dip.
Serve leftover meatballs on a slice of bread smeared with mustard and stuffed in some pita bread or tortillas. In this case, don't forget some kind of sauce, raw onion slices, some salad leaves, tomatoes, or thin bell pepper slices.
You can also make a simple marinara sauce and reheat the beef koftas in the sauce. Serve them with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta on the side.
Turkish Beef Kofta Recipe
Equipment
- Large frying pan or skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef 450 g
- 1 onion about 75 g/ 2.6 oz
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 large egg
- 2 oz white bread 60 g, weighed after removing the crust (about 1-2 white bread slices, depending on size)
- 2 tablespoons parsley chopped
- ¾ teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes or regular red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespooons oil divided between the batches
Instructions
Mix:
- Gather kofta ingredients: Place the ground beef in a large bowl. Grate the onion and the garlic cloves and add to the bowl together with the chopped parsley. Lightly beat the egg and crumble the crustless white bread with your hands or in a food processor. Add both to the bowl. Add the red pepper flakes, cumin, coriander, allspice, baking soda, salt, and pepper.1 lb ground beef/ 450 g + 1 onion + 3 garlic cloves + 1 large egg + 2 oz white bread/ 60 g + 2 tablespoons parsley + ¾ teaspoon Turkish red pepper flakes + 1 teaspoon ground cumin + 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander + 1 teaspoon all spice + ¼ teaspoon baking soda + ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper + ½- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Mix thoroughly with your hands, at least 3-4 minutes. You can cover and refrigerate the mixture now and cook the meatballs a few hours later.
- Form small meatballs, between 30 and 35 of them.
Fry:
- Fry meatballs: Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick or cast iron pan. Fry the meatballs on medium heat in two batches for about 8-10 minutes, turning every few minutes to prevent them from catching to the pan or becoming too dark. Turn the heat down slightly if you notice that the koftas are getting too dark before being cooked through.
- Check after 7-8 minutes by cutting one kofta in the middle.
- To fry the second batch of koftas, add the second tablespoon of oil to the pan and repeat.
Bake:
- To bake the meatballs, preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for about 15 minutes until cooked through but not overcooked.
Marvellina | What To Cook Today says
I LOVE kofta! and I have to agree with you on the garlic. I like lots of garlic in my meatballs too!
Sissi says
They look fantastic with all those spices! Perfect for a spice lover like me! I love meatballs, but have never tried them Turkish style.
angiesrecipes says
We love meatballs! These sound really tasty with all the wonderful spices.