Air Fryer Kofta Kebabs + VIDEO

Air fryer kofta kebabs are packed with flavorful and easy to put together. These easy Middle Eastern inspired meat kebabs cook in the air fryer in under 15 minutes! Don’t have an air fryer? No problem. This blog post also includes baking and grilling instructions. 

Ingredients For Air Fryer Kofta Kebabs

• Ground Beef
• Ground Lamb
• Onion
• Garlic
• Fresh Parsley
• Seasonings: salt, pepper, allspice, cumin, nutmeg, paprika, cinnamon 

How To Make Kofta Kebabs In The Air Fryer

Assemble The Kofta Kebabs

1. Add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth.
2. Divide the meat mixture into even sections & shape into kebabs-like patties (or any shape you like).

Air Fryer

1. Add kofta kebabs to the air fryer basket. Do not overlap. You may need to cook your kofta in batches depending on the size of your air fryer.
2. Cook 380 degrees for 12 minutes, turning halfway through.

Bake

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place the kofta kebabs on a baking sheet and cook for 25-30 minutes. Make sure the kofta has an internal temperature of 145F before serving.

Grill

Kofta is ground meat mixed with onion and spices that’s shaped into patties or meatballs and cooked. Kofta is eaten in cuisines across the world. Different countries across the Middle East and India all serve their own variations of kofta. Kofta, kefta, kafta…it’s sometimes spelled differently depending on which region of the world is making it but the basic concept remains the same: flavorful meat patties or meatballs. This particular version of air fryer kofta kebabs uses Middle Eastern inspired ingredients and spices.

What Is An Air Fryer?

Traditionally kofta kebabs are cooked over an open flame. Here we are using an air fryer. What is an air fryer exactly? The name air fryer is a little bit confusing, because when you cook food in your air fryer you aren’t actually frying it. An air fryer cooks your food by circulating hot air around the food at a very high-speed, cooking the food and producing a crispy ‘fried’ layer. This is called convection so your air fryer is actually a small countertop convection oven. An air fryer can help you cook your food faster while still getting a nice baked or fried texture on the outside, all with a very small amount of oil. Air fryers come in a variety of different sizes and styles. What you see here in the pics is a 5.8-quart air fryer.

What Type Of Meat To Use

Keeping up with the Middle Eastern inspiration, I use a combination of ground beef & ground lamb. Of course you can use all ground beef or your preferred ground meat.

Make The Kofta Ahead Of Time

This is a great meal prep recipe because you can make the kofta ahead of time. Once cooked, let the kofta kebabs cool completely then store them in an airtight container in a frig for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the kofta!

To freeze cooked kofta kebabs: transfer them to freezer safe container or sealable plastic bag & freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, you can air fry the frozen kofta kebabs straight from frozen! You may need to add an extra minute or so to the cook time depending on your air fryer.

For uncooked kofta kebabs: shape & then freeze the kebab kebabs on a baking sheet (without skewers). Once firm, transfer the kofta to a sealable plastic bag & store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

FAQs & Tips

• I like to grind all the kofta ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth. You can also mix it up by hand. If you do, mix it up real good so all the flavors are well blended.
• Shape the patties the best you can, don’t worry if they’re not perfect but try to make them all uniform for even cooking. If your kofta kebabs look more like meatballs, that’s okay.
• Using skewers for this air fryer kofta kebab recipe is optional. I have made this recipe using skewers and not using skewers and there’s no difference in the taste. Please note, if you use wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 1 hour before assembling the meat onto them. This is done so they don’t burn when you air fry them.
• I used a 5.8-quart air fryer for this recipe. I was able to cook 1 pound of meat at a time. 

Mediterranean Recipes 

Kofta Casserole

Lemon Artichoke Chicken

Beef Shawarma

Shakshuka

Za’atar Chicken

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