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Authentic grilled kebabs made with pork, beef and lamb
Serve with a cucumber-yogurt sauce, pita wedges and plenty of fresh vegetables just like they do in Greece.
We love to travel and enjoy eating foods we don’t always get at home. On a recent trip to the Island of Crete, we tried the most amazing kebabs at the Tamam restaurant in Chania. These homely little meat balls are juicy and loaded with flavor.
I practically begged our waiter for the recipe and to my surprise, he mentioned that the recipe is in their cookbook, which is for sale! You know I bought a copy immediately and made these kebabs as soon as I got home. We made a few tweaks to the recipe to adjust for translation issues. Now we can enjoy this authentic Greek dish at home too!
Form the well spiced mixture into small, football shaped meatballs and grill on skewers.
Once the kebabs are cooked through, they are removed from the skewers and served on a platter with pita wedges, crisp cucumber, ripe tomatoes, sliced red onion and a big helping of cucumber-yogurt sauce (tzatziki). Don’t be tempted to make your kebabs too big, however. Large kebabs won’t stay on the skewers and may fall off before they’re cooked through.
Keep the kebabs small and they’ll cook quickly and beautifully! These kebabs do not include any fillers such as bread crumbs so the mixture is extremely moist. They’re loaded with herbs, onion, egg and olive oil for an incredibly juicy bite!
Serve these kebabs with a fresh cucumber-yogurt sauce.
This lovely sauce comes together in minutes and is terrific served with burgers, grilled Greek chicken and these delicious kebabs. Make this cucumber sauce up to a day ahead and refrigerate until needed. Made with Greek yogurt, olive oil, fresh dill, garlic and shredded cucumber, it couldn’t be easier to make. Get the recipe below!
Crisp fresh vegetables are the perfect topping for these spicy kebabs.
Fresh ingredients with plenty of vegetables and olive oil is the way Greeks serve their signature dishes. This meze-style spread is perfect for an intimate dinner or party on the deck. Serve kebabs with ice cold beer and plenty of fresh pita bread, too!
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Kebabs
Ingredients
For the cucumber-yogurt sauce:
- ½ English cucumber
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the kebabs:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley leaves
- ½ large onion diced
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garam Massala
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon sumac (optional)
Optional for serving:
- pita bread
- sliced cucumber
- tomatoes
- red onion sliced thin
- olives
- hummus
Instructions
To prepare the sauce:
- Peel half an English cucumber and slice in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and discard. Shred the cucumber into a small bowl using a large box grater. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. May be made 24 hours ahead. Serve the remaining ½ cucumber with the kebabs.
To prepare the kebabs:
- In a large mixing bowl combine all the kebab ingredients and mix well. The mixture will be wet. Form into kebabs approximately 2x3-inches and slide onto skewers. Thread the meat onto the skewers leaving a small space in-between each kebab or at least not tightly pressed together. Place the kebabs on a baking tray and refrigerate until ready to grill.
- Preheat grill on high for 10-15 minutes. Generously grease the grates of the grill using long tongs and folded paper towels soaked with vegetable oil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and grill the kebabs about 5 minutes on each side, turning once until well browned, juicy and cooked through.
- Serve the kebabs with cucumber-yogurt sauce, pita wedges, sliced red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives, if desired.
Recipe Notes
- Kebab recipe adapted from the Tamam restaurant cookbook, Chania Crete
Nutrition
Here are a few more Greek inspired recipes you might also enjoy:
Try our Easy Greek Salad Recipe made with crisp, fresh vegetables, feta cheese and olives, and simply dressed with herbs, oil and vinegar. Click HERE to get the recipe for Greek Salad.
If you’re looking for tender, juicy and flavorful all in one delicious bite, you’ll LOVE this Grilled Greek Chicken Recipe! Click HERE to get the recipe.
This might look like a plain old veggie sandwich, but it’s so much more! The Greek flavors are bright, briny, fresh and delicious and the sandwich is easy to put together. Click HERE to get the recipe for Greek Salad Hummus Sandwich.
Vanessa
I have made the mixture can I cook in my rotisserie air fryer?
Thank you
In the fridge marinating now?
Tricia Buice
Hi Vanessa. I haven’t tried making these in an air fryer but bet it will be terrific. Enjoy!
Anne
I didn’t make the sauce tonight, but the kebabs were wonderful! I ended up shifting gears at the last minute, so I made them with 1/2 beef and 1/2 pork (they had been purchased for something else). I had to add about 1/3 cup panko to make the mixture stay together since it was too wet to stay on the sticks. Do you have any other suggestions? Can I add only one egg? What purpose does the olive oil serve? I was also thinking I could refrigerate the mixture before putting it on the sticks. I did chill it after, which helped a little, but I had already added panko at that point. I’ll keep playing with it, but I don’t want to alter this wonderful recipe too much! I served it with Naan, marinated feta/goat cheese, grape tomatoes, and cucumbers because that’s what I had in the house. The options are endless!
Tricia Buice
Hi Anne. I’ve never had to add panko to get this to hold together but I bet it was delicious. Maybe the beef, pork and no lamb combo made the difference in the consistency. The eggs help hold it together once cooked but I’m sure you can try with only one. The olive oil adds flavor and some fat as the lamb is not very fatty. Greeks put olive oil in everything 🙂 If you didn’t use ground lamb in your mixture perhaps it already had enough fat. Make sure the kebab balls are small. If they’re too large they won’t stay on the stick. So glad you enjoyed this recipe and thanks for the feedback. Maybe we can get a 5 star next time if you use lamb!
Mimi
Tricia, I personally think that lamb kebabs and tzaziki is a match made in heaven. My husband thinks he hates lamb, even though he used to eat it, so sometimes I make a 50-50 mixture with beef. He never knows it, which is interesting. ? I’ve never used pork as well.
Tricia Buice
We’ve enjoyed plenty of lamb while traveling out of the country and love it. He doesn’t need to know!
Liz
Wow, these kebabs look spectacular!!! They need to be on MY plate this summer!! Hope you’re having a terrific weekend! xo
Tricia Buice
Thanks Liz – so juicy and flavorful, enjoy!
angiesrecipes
We love kebabs! These look authentic and so delicious.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Angie – they are tasty!
Chris Scheuer
I love recipes that are inspired through traveling. It’s so fun to recreate the flavors when you return home. All of these flavorful spices and ingredients are making me so hungry! Wish this was dinner tonight! Pinning!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Chris – I could put these on our weekly dinner rotation for sure 🙂
Mary
Oh the memories that the kebabs and salad evoke!! The food in Greece is really a joy to eat. I’m sure it’s being able to look out at the beautiful clear blue water and the genuine Greek Olive Oil on the Salad. The Waiters aren’t bad either!!!
This is a great set of recipes you’ve shown us today. Thankyou!!
Tricia Buice
Thanks Mary – you are right – it’s so beautiful and a wonderful experience. The food, the views, the nice staff 🙂 We enjoyed it very much and love these kebabs too!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
What a fabulous platter this is! Absolutely loving the kebabs. Putting this on the menu asap 🙂
Tricia Buice
Thanks Jennifer! So juicy and flavorful, hope you love them too!
sue
I’m definitely going to grill these up this weekend, I adore meatballs, and the spices in these are making my mouth water, thanks for the fabulous inspiration!!
Tricia Buice
Thank you Sue! Bet you love ’em 🙂
Larry
The kebabs sound delicious and your plate does as well. I’d like everything about this meal but would have to omit the lamb on Bev’s.
Tricia Buice
Thanks Larry – I bet you’d love these. They’re so juicy and tender and grill quickly.