Pork Kofta Kebabs are SUPER flavorful pork skewers made a ton of fresh herbs and dried spices in the ground pork mixture. These kebabs are not spicy, just full of savory flavor. They are fantastic with the easy creamy tahini sauce. (Not a fan of tahini? Use the garlicky yogurt sauce from my chicken kofta recipe.)
In this recipe, I give you instructions for how to cook pork kofta kebabs in the air fryer, oven, and in a pan!
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What are kofta kebabs?
Kofta kebabs are a traditional Turkish / Middle Eastern dish made with ground meat—typically lamb or beef—seasoned with lots of fresh onion and parsley, and a bunch of dried seasonings. They are like super flavorful elongated meatballs (or tiny meatloaves?) that are cooked on a skewer. They're not spicy, but they have a LOT of flavor. Because of their flavor, they pair well with a creamy sauce, such as a yogurt or tahini sauce.
My son has a beef and lamb allergy, so I re-make a lot of traditional ground beef recipes using other ground meats. That's how these ground pork kofta were born!
Pork kofta kabobs are pretty easy to make. The hardest part is gathering all the spices from the pantry (it's a lot! But sooo worth it because of the amazing flavor!). Once you mix the seasonings with ground pork, it's very easy to form the meat and place it on the skewers.
Using skewers for kofta kebabs is actually optional, since you can simply form the ground pork mixture into meatballs or patties, if you prefer. Once the kebabs (or meatballs) are formed, choose how you want to cook them. Below you'll find some pros and cons for each cooking method.
Which method is best for cooking pork kofta kabobs?
Here are the pros and cons of using the oven, skillet, and air fryer to cook kofta kebabs. To summarize the details below: Most pretty and most work = grill pan. Least pretty but easiest = oven. They taste fantastic no matter how you cook them!
Air fryer: Quick, easy, nice browning all around, extra grease drips off, might need to cook in two batches, 8-10 minutes cook time per batch.
Oven: Easy—cook all kebabs in one batch, less browning all around, this method had the most extra grease drip off but the kebabs hang out in the grease until you remove them, 15-20 minutes cook time.
Grill pan: Beautiful grill marks, 8-10 minutes per batch but needed 2 batches so total time is 20 minutes, extra grease drips off between the grill "grates" but not too much grease comes off, kebabs can sometimes get stuck to the grill grates, need to constantly stand over the oven.
Regular skillet: No grill marks, 8-10 minutes cook time, and might be able to fit all kebabs in 1 skillet depending on the size, extra grease keeps touching the kebabs and not too much grease comes off.
More pork kebab recipes: Pork and Vegetable Kebabs
Ingredients
This recipe makes 8 kebabs (4-8 servings, depending on how much meat you like to eat), and extra tahini sauce. If you don't have all the ingredients, DO NOT WORRY! You can skip the oregano, paprika, nutmeg, and cinnamon if you like. I prefer to add the ALL because I love the complex combination of flavors.
For the pork kebabs:
- 1 lb ground pork (I use 80/20, and a lot of the excess grease drips off the kebabs as they cook, so don't worry about them being too fatty)
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs (for a gluten-free version, use gluten-free breadcrumbs or quick-cooking gluten-free oats)
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped into quarters or eights
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup parsley, large stems removed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- optional: ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (omit for no spice)
Not a fan of tahini or don't have it on hand? Make a sauce with plain yogurt (Greek or regular), lemon juice, salt, a pinch of cumin, and a pinch of garlic.
More flavorful kebab recipes: Air Fryer Tandoori Chicken Kebabs
Equipment
- Skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes before cooking as you prep the pork mixture. If you are using a grill pan or skillet and have long skewers, you will to trim your skewers or use short 6 inch skewers so they fit in the pan). Skewers are OPTIONAL because you can always make these into patties and cook them the same way. But skewers just make it more fun!!
- Small or medium food processor (optional, but very helpful because otherwise you'll have to really finely dice the onion and parsley)
- Air fryer OR grill pan OR skillet OR baking sheet with parchment paper
- Large bowl
- Large plate to place your prepared raw kebabs before cooking
- Tongs (helpful for flipping the kebabs if using a grill pan or skillet)
- Meat thermometer
More ground pork recipes to try: Pork Meatloaf
Instructions
If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes. If you need to trim them, use sharp kitchen shears and they will cut easier after soaking. As I said above, the skewers are optional because these can be cooked as a patty or an elongated shape without skewers.
If baking kebabs in the oven, preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small food processor, pulse together the quartered onion and garlic to break them up. Don't want to use a food processor? Finely dice the onion, garlic, and parsley leaves. As teeny tiny as you can get it.
Add the parsley and process until the mixture is a coarse paste. You might need to stop and scrape down a few times.
In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the kebabs. You can start with a fork, but you'll need to get in there with your hands. TIP: before getting your hands dirty, prepare everything you will need so you don't have to wash your hands too many times: skewers, large plate for the prepared kebabs, sheet pan, skillet, etc.
Divide the pork mixture into 8 equal parts (split in half, then split each half into quarters). Use your hands to form elongated shapes about 1.5 inches wide. Insert a skewer into each kebab, if using skewers.
Cook the kebabs whichever way sounds best to you! Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the kebabs.
Air fryer pork kofta
If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat it to 375F.
Place the kebabs on the air fryer basket or tray. Air fry at 375F for 8-10 minutes, or until the center is cooked through to 160F. Excess grease will drip off the kebabs as they cook. Serve with tahini sauce.
Stove-top and grill pan instructions
Preheat a grill pan over medium heat. Carefully spray or brush the pan with vegetable oil, or another high smoke point oil. Place the kebabs on the grill pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes per side, for about 8-10 minutes total, or until they are heated through to 160F on the inside. Serve warm with tahini sauce.
The same instructions can be followed with a regular skillet or pan without grill grates.
Oven instructions
Preheat oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the pork kebabs with at least 1 inch of space between each one. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through to 160F. Excess grease will drip off the kebabs, so just lift them off the baking sheet and serve with tahini.
What to serve with kofta kebabs
Traditional side dishes for kofta kebabs are rice, fresh veggies like diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onions, pickled veggies, and side salads. I recommend this garlic turmeric rice, tzatziki salad (the creamy dressing is perfect with the seasoned kebabs), pickled garlic scapes or pickled fiddhelead ferns, if they're in season, or this grilled vegetable salad.
Other middle eastern-inspired recipes that would go great with kofta kebabs are golden couscous tabbouleh salad and lentil tabbouleh.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Pork Kofta Kebabs
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground pork - (80/20 or leaner, either way works fine)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs - (for a gluten-free version, use gluten-free breadcrumbs or quick-cooking gluten-free oats)
- 1 small yellow onion - chopped into quarters or eights
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup parsley - large stems removed
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- optional: ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - (omit for no spice)
- ¼ cup tahini
- 3-4 tablespoons water - (depending on the thickness of your tahini)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon salt - to taste
Special equipment
- 6 inch skewers optional
- Small food processor optional but very helpful
Instructions
- If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20-30 minutes. If you need to trim them, use sharp kitchen shears after soaking. Skewers are optional.
- If baking kebabs in the oven, preheat the oven to 400F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a small food processor, pulse together the quartered onion and garlic to break them up. Add the parsley to the food processor and process until the mixture is a coarse paste. You might need to stop and scrape down a few times.Don't want to use a food processor? Finely dice the onion, garlic, and parsley leaves, as tiny as you can dice.
- In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the kebabs. You can start with a fork, but you'll need to get in there with your hands. TIP: before getting your hands dirty, prepare everything you will need so you don't have to wash your hands too many times: skewers, large plate for the prepared kebabs, sheet pan, skillet, etc.
- Divide the pork mixture into 8 equal parts (split in half, then split each half into quarters). Use your hands to form elongated shapes about 1.5 inches wide. Insert a skewer into each kebab, if using skewers.
- Cook the kebabs using one of the cooking options below. Cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the kebabs.
- Prepare the tahini sauce by carefully mixing all the ingredients together until the sauce is smooth. Adjust the flavor and thinness with salt, lemon juice, and water, if needed.
- Preheat a large grill pan or skillet over medium heat. Carefully spray or brush the pan with vegetable oil. Place the kebabs on the grill pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Cover with a lid and cook for 2 minutes per side, for about 8-10 minutes total, or until they are heated through to 160F on the inside. Serve warm with tahini sauce.
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the pork kebabs with at least 1 inch of space between each one. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through to 160F. Excess grease will drip off the kebabs, so just lift them off the baking sheet and serve with tahini.
- If your air fryer requires preheating, preheat it to 375F. Place the kebabs on the air fryer basket or tray. Air fry at 375F for 8-10 minutes, or until the center is cooked through to 160F. Excess grease will drip off the kebabs as they cook. Serve with tahini sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.