Recipe This | Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs (2024)

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Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs. How to make the most delicious juicy lamb kofta kebabs in the air fryer. Ideal for a quick healthy kebab fix and one of those air fryer beginner recipes that you will want to make time and time again.

Recipe This | Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs (1)

Before we jump into this air fryer lamb recipe, I have something even better than our air fryer lamb koftas for you to check out first.

It is our Learn Your Air Fryer online course and our free air fryer mini course. They are ideal for air fryer beginners. The free course runs for 5 days and is in the format of an email miniseries. While the learn your air fryer course runs every week with a new PDF and ecookbook for a whole year.

Or browse our site as we have 400+ air fryer recipes that are easy to recreate at home and we have been showing people how to use the air fryer since 2011.

Originally posted in 2015 these lamb kebabs are updated with new pictures, improved air fryer recipe and a few other bits and pieces.

Table of Contents

Lamb Kebabs In Air Fryer

My love for lamb kebabs was long before we purchased our first air fryer a decade ago. It goes back to when I was 16 years old and had a part time job. I worked Thursday, Friday & Saturday nights in an Indian takeaway and loved the job. It was really easy, and I could do my college work when it was not busy and enjoy free Indian food.

It made me go beyond just having a curry, rice and naan or have snacks other than onion bhajis.

I worked my way through the starter menu and one of those favourites was what I called at the time a sausage kebab. Just because it was shaped like a sausage but had wonderful Indian seasonings and made me want to eat them forever and ever.

It got me hooked on kebabs and I created an air fryer kofta kebab on my first week of owning an air fryer.

Even now all these years later, if I have some spare minced lamb or pork, I will make koftas.

What’s A Lamb Kofta?

A lamb kofta, is a type of kebab that is popular in Indian, Middle Eastern, Turkish & Greek cuisine. There will often be a debate between the different countries to who created it. To which I always reply with who cares, just enjoy eating it!

Like mentioned earlier, it is shaped like a sausage and it is like you have taken the mixture you have created for meatballs and made into sausage shapes instead.

So, when you want to know what a lamb kofta is, think of it as a meatball shaped like a sausage.

Kabobs In Air Fryer

You might be confused with me calling them kebabs as where you live you might know them as kabobs in air fryer.

Call it a cultural thing, as in different parts of the world we call them different things.

You might call them kebabs, kabobs, kababs, or something else. Either way, note that they are the same thing, taste delicious in the air fryer and are ideal for air fryer beginners.

What Cut Of Lamb For Kebabs?

Any cut of ground minced lamb will do the trick. Though I prefer lamb that has been minced from either the neck or the shoulder.

I recommend you wait and when your butchers or local supermarket has a deal on minced lamb, that you buy it in bulk.

Portion it up for the freezer and use it for our air fryer lamb kebabs or our air fryer lamb burgers.

How To Cook Air Fryer Lamb Kebabs?

Recipe This | Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs (3)

Cooking lamb kofta kebabs in air fryer is one of the EASIEST EVER air fryer recipes.

Load kofta ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Mix with your hands to make sure the seasoning is mixed in.
Make into air fryer kofta shapes.
Air fry + enjoy.

There is a little bit more to air fryer koftas, but that is the basics.

How Long To Cook Kebabs In Air Fryer?

You will be pleased to know that these medium sized koftas take JUST 16 minutes to cook in the air fryer basket.

The koftas cook on one side for 8 minutes are turned and then cook for a further 8 minutes on the other side.

Listen To Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs

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More Simple Air Fryer Recipes

We love cooking delicious simple food in the air fryer. The easier the better is our motto and here are a few other simple air fryer recipes for you to try next:

Air Fryer Peppers
Air Fryer Cherry Tomatoes
Air Fryer Hamburgers
Air Fryer Shrimp Fajitas

Recipe This | Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs (5)

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5 from 4 votes

Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs

Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs. How to make the most delicious juicy lamb kofta kebabs in the air fryer. Ideal for a quick healthy kebab fix and one of those air fryer beginner recipes that you will want to make time and time again.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time16 minutes mins

Total Time21 minutes mins

Ingredients

Kitchen Gadgets:

Air Fryer

Air Fryer Lamb Koftas Ingredients:

500 g Ground Minced Lamb
1 Tsp Coriander
1 Tsp Mixed Spice
1 Tsp Chilli Flakes
1 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Mixed Herbs
½ Tsp Tandoori Seasoning

Metric – Imperial

Instructions

Load kofta ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well with your hands.
Make into shapes of a thick sausage shaped kebab.
Place onto kebab skewers or place directly into the air fryer basket. Making sure they are not touching one another and have space to cook without sticking. Cook for 8 minutes at 180c/360f.
Turn and cook for a further 8 minutes at the same temperature before serving.
Serve warm with your favourite dipping sauce or with flatbreads.

Video

Notes

Swaps. If you can’t source ground minced lamb, then you can swap it for beef instead, or use a mix of lamb and beef.

Skewers. I know not everyone has skewers for the air fryer or doesn’t want to use skewers. That is fine, simply load directly into the air fryer basket instead.

Thanks for reading our air fryer lamb kebabs recipe on Recipe This. We have many more air fryer recipes for you to check out next. Though if you love lamb, then I recommend you try our air fryer lamb chops.

Nutrition

Nutrition InfoPlease Note: Nutrition values are our best estimate based on the software we use at Recipe This and are meant as a guide. If you rely on them for your diet, use your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Recipe This | Air Fryer Lamb Kofta Kebabs (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep lamb koftas from falling apart? ›

The kofta should hold together after chilling and if they are breaking up before cooking then they may need a little more chilling time. If they are breaking up after cooking then it could help to use a higher fat content of lamb mince, depending on whether you are using a lower fat version.

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What is the difference between lamb kebab and kofta? ›

Traditional kebabs are usually made with cubed meat. Kofta kebabs, on the other hand, are made with ground meat. They're typically made with beef, lamb or a combination of the two. The meat is mixed with fresh herbs, onion, garlic, and warm spices like coriander and cumin.

Get More Info Here ›

What is kofta seasoning made of? ›

How to Make Kofta. Follow along with these simple procedures to make this amazing Kofta Recipe: In a large bowl mix together the ground meat, onions, garlic, parsley, mint, sumac, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper, until combined and then refrigerate.

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How to make kofta stick to skewers? ›

Flatten the meat, spreading it along the skewer until it covers all but the tips. Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Once you have finished all your skewers, place the skewers back in the refrigerator until ready to cook. This will help them set and stop them falling off the skewers.

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What is the best binder for kebabs? ›

Kebab Binding Tip: If the meat is not sticking together and falling apart, add a whisked egg or 1-2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs to bind the mixture well.

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What to eat with kofta kebabs? ›

What sides go well with koftas? Hummus, feta, tzatziki , pickled red onions, couscous or tabouleh are all great serving suggestions for koftas. Fresh herbs and salad ingredients, like rocket and tomatoes, balance out the other rich flavours.

What is the best cut of lamb for lamb kebabs? ›

For the absolute best lamb skewers, go for the most tender part of the lamb: the loin. Arguably also the most flavorful, the loin comes from the saddle area of the animal. It's especially lean, making it a wonderful choice for grilling, and is usually sold cut into chops.

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Is lamb kofta good for you? ›

Lamb kofta dishes are especially popular and are cooked in gravy and spices to your taste. Despite being known in Europe as a more unhealthy, fast food dish, they can very much be made to make a decent hearty meal. They are as healthy as ever when you use Lo-dough as your bread alternative.

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What is kofta called in English? ›

Kofta is a type of "meatball" that originates from the Middle East and India. The word kofta comes from the Persian word kūfta, which means "to beat or to grind," which references the ground meat typically used to make kofta recipes.

What can I use instead of corn flour for kofta? ›

Corn flour: Also known as corn-starch is used to bind the ingredients and give the koftas a crisp and firm texture. It can be substituted with arrow root powder, sattu (powdered roasted gram/ chutney dal) or roasted gram flour/ roasted besan.

Learn More Now ›

What ethnicity is kofta? ›

Koftas are found in the traditional cuisines of Armenia, Afghanistan, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Lebanon, Egypt, Greece, India, Iran, Morocco, Pakistan, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, and Turkey. Kofta is also a popular dish among Assyrian people.

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Why is my kofta falling apart? ›

You need to make sure the oil is properly hot before you add the kofta to it, otherwise they can cool the oil down too much and fall apart to a horrid mess. In the same vein, don't try to fry the kofta from fridge cold if you've pre-prepared them. Bring them up to room temperature before frying.

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How to keep kebabs juicy? ›

Specifically, grated sweet onion. Grating a small sweet onion gives the kebabs so much wonderful flavor and keep the meat very moist. Don't worry about any strong onion flavor – when you GRATE the onion, it breaks the onion's cellular walls, releasing all of its stinging, spicy gas.

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Should lamb kofta be pink inside? ›

OPTIONS for Cooking Lamb Kofta kebabs

Whichever way you choose to cook these, each method takes about the same amount of time to cook through – approximately 15 minutes – but make sure there's no pink mince in the middle before serving.

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What is a binding agent for kebabs? ›

They're slightly hot and spicy and use a combination of toasted chickpea flour and egg as binding agents to hold the meat together. These kebabs are made with ground meat like beef, chicken, or mutton; I'm using American Lamb, which is excellent as it produces the best flavor and quality kebabs in this recipe.

How do you keep your kebabs from breaking? ›

How to keep Seekh Kebabs from falling off skewer or breaking

Ensure that the ingredients such as the beef and onion mixture are as dry as possible. ...
Blend or knead the meat mixture. ...
Lastly, refrigerate the beef and allow it to rest before shaping so that it becomes colder and easier to handle.

Sep 3, 2021

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