My Kofte Recipe makes soft, juicy Turkish Meatballs, or köfte, with ground beef, grated onion, parsley, and spices. I mix everything by hand, shape the meatballs, and bake them in the oven in about 15 minutes. Before that they need two or three minutes in a hot pan, and then the sauce goes over the top.
The most important thing is the fat in the beef, and the second is not overworking the mixture. I have made these more times than I can count, and this is the version I always come back to.
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What Is Kofte?
Kofte is ground meat mixed with onion, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices, then shaped by hand and cooked. In Turkey it is written köfte, and kofta in Middle Eastern and South Asian cooking.
Every region has its own shape and its own mix: flat ovals, long fingers, and small balls like these.
Some are grilled over charcoal, some are fried in a pan, and mine are browned and then baked in a tomato sauce.
There are dozens of named versions in Turkey, and the ones below are the best known.
Types of Kofte
Most of them start from a mixture close to this one, then change shape or cooking method. Lamb Kofta is the long grilled version, and Adana Kebab is the spicy one from the south.
Hasanpaşa Köfte come with a piped mashed potato top. Kadınbudu Köfte are different again, with rice through the mixture and a crisp egg coating.
Icli Kofte are the fiddly one, with a meat filling inside a thin bulgur shell. Three of the best known use no meat at all.
Mercimek köfte are made with red lentils, Çiğ Köfte with fine bulgur and pepper paste, and Fellah Köftesi are small bulgur balls in a tomato sauce. Chicken Kofta is the one I make when I want something lighter.
These ingredients are mixed together to form a mixture that is then shaped into small meatballs or patties.
Why This Recipe Works
- Ground beef is cheap, and one batch feeds four people with rice or bread.
- You can double the mixture and freeze half of it raw, so a second dinner is already done.
- Nothing on the ingredients list is hard to find, and most of it is in your kitchen already.
- Children eat them without any fuss, which is why they turn up at every family lunch here.
- They suit a quiet weeknight dinner and a table full of guests just as well.
- I think they taste better the next day, and I often make them a day early on purpose.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
Kofte Mixture
- Ground beef - Fat is what keeps kofte soft, so look for beef with around 20 to 30 percent fat. Lean beef makes them dry and tough. I use half ground beef and half ground lamb most of the time.
- Onion - A plain brown or yellow onion. Grated rather than chopped, so you do not get pieces of it in the meatballs.
- Garlic - Fresh cloves have more flavor than the jarred kind. Crush them to a paste in a mortar or grate them on a Microplane. Garlic powder works if that is all you have.
- Egg - It binds the meat, breadcrumbs, herbs and spices together. One egg is enough for up to 2 lbs (900 g) of meat.
- Breadcrumbs - They hold on to the juices as the kofte cook, which keeps them soft. Homemade, panko or shop bought all work.
- Parsley - Flat leaf or curly, both are fine. Thyme or oregano can stand in if you have no parsley.
Tomato Sauce
- Tomatoes - Ripe red summer tomatoes make the best sauce. Grate them or blitz them in a food processor.
- Green peppers - Turkish green peppers are usually mild, though the odd one is hot, so taste a piece before you use them. Green bell peppers or Spanish Padron peppers work instead.
- Vegetable stock - Stock gives the sauce more flavor than plain water. Chicken stock or plain water both work.
- Vegetable oil - For browning the kofte. Canola, sunflower or peanut oil all have a high enough smoke point.
What Spices Go in Kofte?
My kofte mixture has paprika, chili flakes and black pepper in it, and that is all. Cumin is the most common addition, and plenty of families put it in as standard. Pul biber, the coarse Turkish red pepper, gives heat without much sharpness and is worth buying if you see it.
Coriander, cayenne and a small pinch of cinnamon turn up in different regions. Butcher style kofte often has a bay leaf crumbled very fine through the meat. Add any of these in a small amount the first time, then adjust the next batch.
How to Make Kofte?
Make the Kofte Mixture
Put the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, salt, paprika, chili flakes and black pepper into a large bowl.
Mix it with your hands until everything is spread evenly through the meat, then keep kneading for about five minutes.
Shape the mixture into 24 to 26 equal balls, each about the size of a walnut.
Brown the Kofte
Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium high heat, then add the kofte.
Brown them for two to three minutes, turning so they color on all sides. Work in batches rather than crowding the pan, then move them into an oven dish and heat the oven to 180° C - 356° F.
Make the Sauce and Bake
Put the peppers into the same pan and cook them over medium heat for a few minutes.
Add the grated tomatoes, paprika, salt and black pepper, then pour in the vegetable stock or water.
Bring the sauce up to a boil and pour it over the kofte.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the kofte are cooked through.
Other Ways to Cook Kofte
These bake in sauce, which is how I make them. The same mixture works three other ways if you want something different.
In a pan on its own, flatten each ball a little and fry them for three to four minutes a side in a thin film of oil. On a barbecue or a griddle pan, shape the mixture into flat ovals or press it onto skewers, then grill for three to four minutes a side over a medium fire.
In the oven with no sauce, sit them on a lined tray and bake at 200° C - 400° F for 20 minutes, turning them once halfway.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Use beef with 20 to 30 percent fat. Ask the butcher if the pack does not say, because leaner meat dries out.
- Mix with your hands rather than a spoon, so the spices reach every part of the meat.
- Let the mixture rest in the fridge for at least two hours, and overnight if you can. The flavor is better and the kofte hold their shape.
- Grate the onion on the fine side of the grater so no pieces are left in the meatballs.
- Shape them all the same size, about a walnut, so they cook in the same time.
- Brown them in batches. Too many in the pan at once and they will not color properly.
- Grate the tomatoes so the sauce comes out smooth, and add a spoon of tomato paste if they are pale.
- Taste the green peppers before you use them, because some Turkish peppers are much hotter than they look.
- If the mixture feels wet and hard to shape, add a spoon more breadcrumbs.
- Check one kofte before you serve. Cut it in half and look for any pink in the middle.
Variations
- Ground chicken or turkey makes a lighter kofte. Add an extra spoon of oil to the mixture, because they carry less fat.
- Leave the chili flakes out for children and put a bowl of pul biber on the table for everyone else.
- Add a teaspoon of cumin if you want a stronger, earthier flavor.
- For kofte and potatoes baked in the same dish, make my Patatesli Tepsi Kebabı instead.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
The kofte mixture keeps in the fridge for up to five days, and it tastes better after a day or two, so making it ahead is worth doing.
Shape the meatballs, layer them between sheets of parchment paper in an airtight container and freeze them raw for up to three months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight, then cook them as written.
Cooked kofte keep for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge. Warm them through in a low oven, or in a pan with a splash of water.
Serving Suggestions
Rice is the usual partner at home, and Turkish Rice with its short vermicelli is the one I make most. Bulgur Rice Pilaf works just as well if you want something with more bite. Mujadara is another good side when you want lentils and rice in one dish.
For bread, warm Pita Bread or a soft round of Bazlama goes on the table. A bowl of Cacik is there almost every time, and in summer I add Cucumber Tomato Feta Cheese Salad.
If you are feeding more people, Sauteed Potatoes go alongside, and White Bean Salad, Arugula Spinach Salad, Beetroot Salad and Austrian Potato Salad can all be made in advance.
Recipe FAQs
The mixture is either too wet or not kneaded enough. Grated onion carries a lot of liquid, and too much of it stops the meat holding together. Knead until the mixture turns sticky before you shape it.
Lean meat is the usual reason, and beef with 20 to 30 percent fat gives a much softer result. Working the mixture for a long time after it comes together firms them up, so stop kneading after about five minutes.
They are the same word. Köfte is the Turkish spelling and kofta is used across the Middle East and South Asia, with kufta and kefta in other places. The mixtures change from country to country, but the idea behind them is the same.
No. The outside browns and the sauce reduces long before the middle is cooked through, so they need thawing first.
A thick slice of stale bread, soaked in water and squeezed dry, is the traditional swap and it keeps the kofte soft. Panko works the same way. For a gluten free version, a couple of spoons of chickpea flour does the same job.
Related Recipes
More kofte recipes to try:
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I hope you enjoy the process of making this perfectly spiced Homemade Turkish Kofte Recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Kofte Recipe
Ingredients
For the Meatballs
- 1 lbs ground beef, lamb, or mixture 450 g - 16 oz
- 1 medium onion (grated)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small egg
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs 30 g - 1 oz
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley 8 g
For the Sauce
- 4 medium tomatoes (grated)
- 4 large Turkish green peppers (or 2 green bell peppers) (sliced or chunky diced)
- ⅔ cups vegetable stock or water 160 ml - 5 ½ fl oz
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup vegetable or sunflower oil (for frying) 60 ml - 2 fl oz
Instructions
Make the Kofte Mixture
- Put the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, salt, paprika, chili flakes and black pepper into a large bowl.
- Mix it with your hands until everything is spread evenly through the meat, then keep kneading for about five minutes.
- Shape the mixture into 24 to 26 equal balls, each about the size of a walnut.
Brown the Kofte
- Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet or frying pan over medium high heat, then add the kofte.
- Brown them for two to three minutes, turning so they color on all sides. Work in batches rather than crowding the pan.
- Move the browned kofte into an oven dish and heat the oven to 180° C - 356° F.
Make the Sauce and Bake
- Put the peppers into the same pan and cook them over medium heat for a few minutes.
- Add the grated tomatoes, paprika, salt and freshly ground black pepper, then pour in the vegetable stock or water.
- Bring the sauce up to a boil and pour it over the kofte.
- Bake for 15 minutes, until the kofte are cooked through.
Notes
- Use beef with 20 to 30 percent fat. Lean beef gives dry, tough kofte. Half ground beef and half ground lamb works well.
- Mix with your hands, not a spoon, and knead for about five minutes. Working it much longer than that firms the kofte up.
- Rest the mixture in the fridge for at least two hours, and overnight if you can.
- Grate the onion on the fine side of the grater so no pieces are left in the meatballs.
- Shape them all the same size, about a walnut, so they cook in the same time. This makes 24 to 26.
- Brown them in batches rather than crowding the pan.
- If the mixture feels wet and hard to shape, add a spoon more breadcrumbs.
- Ripe tomatoes make a sweeter sauce. Out of season, add a spoon of tomato paste. Taste the green peppers first, as some are much hotter than they look.
- Swaps: stale bread soaked in water and squeezed dry instead of breadcrumbs, a couple of spoons of chickpea flour for a gluten free version, ground chicken or turkey plus an extra spoon of oil for a lighter kofte.
- To cook them without the sauce: pan fry for 3 to 4 minutes a side, grill for 3 to 4 minutes a side, or bake at 200° C - 400° F for 20 minutes, turning once.
- The mixture keeps 5 days in the fridge. Freeze the shaped raw kofte between sheets of parchment for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. Cooked kofte keep 5 days in the fridge, and reheat in a low oven or a pan with a splash of water.
- Dairy free as written. Not gluten free unless you swap the breadcrumbs.
Jennifer says
Best meatballs I ever made!
Krissy says
I just love a good homemade meatball! My family would love this.
Paula says
These meatballs were so delicious, best I’ve ever made. So easy to make and taste great! Will do it again and again.