Turkish Kofta Recipe You Can Make At Home

Kofta or “Kofte” is a popular meatball type of dish in Turkey and the middle east. We have many kofta recipes and kebabs in Turkish cuisine.

I will make a kofta recipe, the way we make it at home, easily using a food processor in this episode. The great thing is you can freeze and cook whenever you want to have a ready meal.
Even though I use only beef for making the koftas, you can use a mix of beef and lamb which can give an extra flavor.

What does kofte mean in Turkish?

In Turkish, “köfte” refers to a dish made of ground meat (usually beef or lamb) mixed with spices, onions, and sometimes bread crumbs or rice. The mixture is shaped into patties, balls, or ovals and then grilled, baked, fried, or cooked in a variety of ways. Köfte can vary by region and may include different ingredients, but it generally resembles what is known in English as meatballs or patties.

What are classic kofta types?

We have maybe hundreds of different kofte recipes or main dishes using koftes. For example, Turkish Kofte With Eggplant Base & Tomato Sauce is a great way to use with eggplants. Hasanpasha Kofte (Kofta with potato puree)is another favorite I usually bake during Ramadan for my guests. Wrapped Kofte Kebab or Eggplant Kofta Kebab are good examples of kebab-style kofte recipes.

Another famous kofta type is Akçaabat köfte from my husband’s hometown Trabzon. It is a famous variety of Turkish köfte originating from the town of Akçaabat in the Black Sea region. Known for its simple yet rich flavor, it’s made from high-quality beef or lamb, often mixed with soaked bread crumbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. The köfte is shaped into small, oval patties and grilled over an open flame, giving it a smoky, charred taste while keeping the meat tender.

Traditionally Akçaabat köfte and also others served with grilled vegetables, raw onions, and pilaf or regional breads. On our trip in Trabzon I filmed and tasted Akçaabat kofte. /köfte in two different places: One very local small but famous eatery specialises only in kofta and one of the biggest and famous kofta restaurant in the city. You can watch it from the video below.

Also, check Lady’s Thigh Meatballs / Kadınbudu Köfte an Ottoman recipe. Interestingly, it has cooked rice, sautéed minced meat, and raw minced meat in the mixture. After the spices, it is shaped and coated with egg and deep-fried.

Jump To:
Ingredients for kofte recipe
Other similar recipes
How to make Turkish Kofte / kofta
Hints of making kofta mixture
Cooking the koftes

Ingredients For Turkish Kofta Recipe:

• 500gr. ground meat (you can use 30% lamb if you like and preferably at least 20% fat)
• 2 medium-size onions
• 4 tbsp ground stale bread/bread crumbs
• a big handful of parsley (optional)
• 1 tsp each black pepper, salt, paprika
• 1/4 tsp baking soda (optional) – you can add 3-4 drops of lemon juice over the baking soda before you add it.
• To serve: 1-2 big firm tomatoes
• 6-8 green sweet peppers
• olive oil to brush the griddle or pan

Utensils: I use a cast iron griddle to cook the koftas but you can also use, preferably non-stick frying pan

Other Recipes You Might Like:

Turkish Kofte With Eggplant Base & Tomato Sauce
Chicken & Rice With Chickpeas – Turkish Street Food
Hasanpasha Kofte (Kofta with potato puree): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGLfC-axztc
Wrapped Kofte Kebab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1om3KQoUK1k
Eggplant Kofta Kebab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci5f9NMqzM0

How To Make Turkish Kofta / Kofte:

Making Kofte Mixture:

Traditionally we make the kofte mixture by hand by grating the onions, chopping fresh herbs if used, and mixing the other ingredients in a bowl well. But you can easily do these steps in a food processor. If your food processor isn’t so big you can only chop the onion and parsley and continue mixing in a bowl

1. In a food processor add onion cut in four, parsley. If you are using stale bread soak it in water to soften then squeeze out excess water and add to the onion parsley mixture. Process until they have fine pieces, avoid over-processing, and don’t make it like a puré.
   
2. Add the ground meat, spices, and baking soda if using. Drop 3-4 drops of lemon juice over the baking soda and mix everything by pulsing until is it evenly incorporated.
   
3. Dip your hand into the water from time to time and get smaller than mandarine size mixture and first shape into a ball and press it to make a disk. It comes together when cooks and becomes thicker so consider that while shaping.
   

Cooking The Koftes:

Heat the cast iron griddle or non-stick frying pan or grill. Brush it with vegetable oil. Add kofte pieces leaving space between them and cook on medium heat until both sides and inside are fully cooked.

Meanwhile cut the tomatoes in big wedges and cook on the griddle or grill with green peppers.

Serve the koftes with pilav and grilled veggies. You can also make coban salad, or cacik (yogurt-cucumber sauce) to serve.

How to Store Kofta:

It is very common to prepare a kofta mixture and freeze it to use later. There are two options for that. First, double the recipe amount to keep some of it for later.

After shaping them into koftas, place them on a tray lined with baking paper or a freezer bag and place the koftes leaving space. If you want to make a second layer use another baking paper or freezer bag on top. Make sure to cover the top as well. Put them in the freezer until almost fully hard.

Place the hardened kofta patties in a freezer bag, seal them, and keep them in the freezer. When you want to use just take it out about 1 hour before cooking time or thaw it in a microwave oven and cook.

When my mom wants to keep some kofta in the freezer; she partially fries both sides until it turns their color. After it is cooled down she portions it Into the freezer bags. This way they don’t stick. When she wants to cook, just fries and it refreshes like freshly made.

You might like to learn how to make:
Turkish Kofte With Eggplant Base & Tomato Sauce
Turkish Eggplant Moussaka “Patlıcan Oturtma”
Maklube / Maqluba – Festive Meat & Rice Dish

Turkish Kofta Recipe

Kofta or “Kofte” is a popular meatball type of dish in Turkey and the middle east. We have many kofta recipes and kebabs in Turkish cuisine. I will make a kofta recipe, the way we make it at home, easily using a food processor in this episode. The great thing is you can freeze and cook whenever you want to have a ready meal

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Turkish

Servings 6

Equipment

• cast iron griddle you can also use, preferably non-stick frying pan
• food proccessor

Ingredients

  

• 500 gr. ground meat you can use 30% lamb if you like and preferably at least 20% fat
• 2 medium-size onions
• 4 tbsp ground stale bread/bread crumbs
• handful parsley optional
• 1 tsp each black pepper, salt, paprika
• 1/4 tsp baking soda optional – you can add 3-4 drops of lemon juice over the baking soda before you add it.

To serve: 1-2 big firm tomatoes

• 6-8 green sweet peppers
• 3 tbsp olive oil to brush the griddle or pan

Instructions

 

Making Kofte Mixture:

• Traditionally we make the kofte mixture by hand by grating the onions, chopping fresh herbs if used, and mixing the other ingredients in a bowl well. But you can easily do these steps in a food processor. If your food processor isn’t so big you can only chop the onion and parsley and continue mixing in a bowl
  
• In a food processor add onion cut in four, parsley. If you are using stale bread soak it in water to soften then squeeze out excess water and add to the onion parsley mixture. Process until they have fine pieces, avoid over-processing, and don’t make it like a puré.
  
• Add the ground meat, spices, and baking soda if using. Drop 3-4 drops of lemon juice over the baking soda and mix everything by pulsing until is it evenly incorporated.
• Dip your hand into the water from time to time and get smaller than mandarine size mixture and first shape into a ball and press it to make a disk. It comes together when cooks and becomes thicker so consider that while shaping.
  

Cooking The Koftes:

• Heat the cast iron griddle or non-stick frying pan or grill. Brush it with vegetable oil. Add kofte pieces leaving space between them and cook on medium heat until both sides and inside are fully cooked.
  
• Meanwhile cut the tomatoes in big wedges and cook on the griddle or grill with green peppers.
• Serve the koftes with pilav and grilled veggies. You can also make coban salad, or cacik (yogurt-cucumber sauce) to serve.

Video

Keyword kofta potato dish, kofta recipe, kofte recipe, turkish kofte