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These Beef Kafta Meatballs are packed with Middle Eastern flavor and perfect for dinner or served as a party appetizer. Made with ground beef or lamb, garlic, onion, fresh herbs like parsley and mint, and a blend of warm spices, they’re juicy, tender, and full of bold flavor. Serve them with rice, hummus, or wrapped in pita for an easy, delicious meal.
These Beef Kafta Meatballs come together in about 40 minutes, mixed with warm Lebanese spices and baked until juicy and tender. Ground beef (or lamb) gets combined with garlic, onion, and fresh parsley and mint, then shaped into small meatballs and baked at 350°F for 25 minutes. Made with our family’s Lebanese spice blend, they’re packed with Middle Eastern flavor and perfect for a weeknight dinner or a party appetizer. Serve them with rice, hummus, or wrapped in pita for an easy, delicious meal.
You can also freeze meatballs and have them ready for a busy night. They make the perfect kid-friendly finger food and are really easy to make. If you want to serve these as an appetizer I suggest you serve it with hummus or this Tahini Yogurt Dressing for dipping. These make a nice finger food along side a platter of hummus and veggies. My favorite way to eat these meatballs is for dinner in a rice bowl or with Lebanese Green Beans. I have created some other recipes that are similar to today’s Beef Kafta Meatballs including this Lamb Kofta, Chicken Kofta, Grilled Beef Kafta Kabobs and these Mediterranean Beef Kabobs.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the simple ingredients we’re using. Jump to the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts and printable instructions.
- Beef: Kafta is made of ground meat. Lean ground beef is used in this recipe to create the meatballs. If you want you can easily use 1/2 lamb and 1/2 beef or substitute ground lamb or ground chicken.
- Garlic and Onions: Garlic and onion are often found in kofta recipes. Make sure that you mince and chop both as finely as possibly so they blend into the meatballs well.
- Egg: The egg helps to bind the meatball together.
- Breadcrumbs: I use regular breadcrumbs in this recipe to help hold the meatball together. I know often kofta does not use breadcrumbs but I like how it binds everything together.
- Spice Blend: The spices are my favorite in this recipe because they are warm and work very nicely together. I use cumin, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, oregano, and then crushed red pepper and cayenne pepper for spice.
If you like meatballs you also might like this Turkey Pesto Meatball Recipe or this Greek Meatballs.
How do you Make Beef Kafta Meatballs
Step 1: Mix Meatball Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying nonstick spray on them or using a slip mat. Set aside. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
Step 2: Shape Meatballs: Using a cookie scoop or a teaspoon shape the meat mixture into small meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
Step 3: Bake Meatballs: Bake for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and there is no red.
Step 4: Serve: Serve the meatballs as an appetizer with hummus or yogurt sauce or as a meal with Lebanese Green Beans alongside vermicelli rice with pita bread and salad.
Tip: Serve these meatballs with this Tahini Sauce or this Tahini Yogurt Dressing.
Ways to Serve These Meatballs:
- Serve these over a bed of greens or try adding it to this Lemon Arugula Salad, Lemon Arugula Salad with Capers, Arugula Orzo Salad, or this Tomato Feta Orzo Salad.
- Add these meatballs to a bowl. A few bowls I really like are this Buddha Bowl, Greek Quinoa Bowl or this Mediterranean Hummus Bowl.
- Serve these meatballs alongside a Mediterranean dip. I like this Easy Lebanese Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Whipped Feta or Lemon Hummus.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overmixing the meat — this compacts the proteins and leads to dense, tough meatballs instead of tender ones
- Skipping the fine mince on onion and garlic — large pieces prevent the mixture from binding and create weak spots that fall apart
- Not squeezing excess moisture from grated onion — extra liquid makes for soggy, hard-to-shape meatballs
- Using extra-lean beef — too little fat dries the meatballs out; 80/20 keeps them juicy
- Overcrowding the baking sheet — meatballs too close together steam instead of browning
Storage Tips
Store leftover meatballs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze, let them cool completely first, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen in the oven at 350°F until warmed through, or thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQ
Make sure your onion and garlic are minced very finely (a food processor works well) so they blend into the meat rather than adding bulky chunks. The egg and breadcrumbs are doing the binding work here, so don’t skip them or swap breadcrumbs for something with less structure. Mix just until combined; overworking the meat actually makes it harder to hold shape.
This recipe bakes them at 350°F for about 25 minutes, which is the easiest hands-off method for a weeknight. You can also pan-fry them in olive oil for a crisper outer crust, or skewer and grill them for a smoky, char-grilled version that’s great in the summer.
Overmixing is the most common cause. Combine the ingredients just until they come together; the more you handle the meat, the denser and tougher the meatballs get. Using lean ground beef with too little fat can also dry them out, so stick with 80/20 for the juiciest results, and squeeze excess liquid from your grated onion before mixing it in so it doesn’t water down the mixture.
More Beef Recipes
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Beef Kafta Meatballs
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup sweet onion, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper {optional}
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes {optional}
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/3 cup milk, 1 or 2%
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying nonstick spray on them or using a slip mat. Set aside.
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
- Using a cookie scoop or a teaspoon shape the meat into small meatballs and place on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and there is no red.
- Serve the meatballs as an appetizer with hummus or yogurt sauce or as a meal with Lebanese Green Beans or in a rice bowl.
- Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or the freezer.
Notes
- Meat Choice: You can also use lamb or a combination of beef and lamb for a more traditional kafta flavor.
- Beef Ratio: When using ground beef, stick with 80/20 for the juiciest meatballs.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months once fully cooled.
- Fine Mince Matters: Use a food processor to finely mince the onion, garlic, and parsley so the mixture holds together and stays moist.
- Don’t Overmix: Squeeze excess liquid from the grated onion first, then mix the ingredients just until combined to keep the meatballs tender, not tough.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes for the easiest hands-off method, great for larger batches.
- Pan-Fry: Cook in olive oil in batches for a crisper outer texture.
- Grill: Skewer and grill for a smoky char, perfect for summer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love your recipes and I love this kind if food. Can’t wait to make some of the recipes. Do you have a cookbook out? I would like to buy one?
Unfortunately I do not yet. I do have an e-cookbook but that is it for now. Hopefully soon! Welcome! This is the salad e-cookbook: https://shop.acedarspoon.com/products/salads-for-all-seasons-1
There are lots of food bloggers like this but the best food blog “Beef Kafta Meatballs” is yours. i will try to make it like you .
What’s the best way to thaw and reheat if I make these to freeze? Thanks so much, this is one of my all time favorite recipes!
I would pull them out the night before and thaw in the fridge. Then when you are ready to eat them I would reheat them in the oven at 300 degrees F. Place them in a single layer in a baking dish or baking sheet, cover with foil so they don’t dry out and then heat until warmed through {about 15-20 minutes for a small batch longer for more}. I am so glad you like them!