If you’ve been craving a show-stopping centerpiece that feels comforting yet packed with flavor, this Iskender kebab (homemade doner) is exactly the recipe you’ve been waiting for. This oven friendly version gives you all the bold, smoky, iconic flavors of Turkish doner kebab right at home — tender spiced lamb, rich tomato sauce, bread cubes, and cool yogurt. It’s one of those recipes you make once… and immediately add to your permanent rotation.
Iskender kebab is traditionally served in Turkey, both in homes and at any restaurant. It’s a famous Turkish dish (also known as iskendar kebab) that originates from the city of Bursa in northwestern Turkey. It’s named after its creator, İskender Efendi.
Essentially, it’s a special way of serving doner kebab (thinly sliced, vertically roasted lamb or beef) over bread, topped with a rich tomato-based sauce, and finished with sauce and yogurt
This was inspired when homemade doner kebab went viral everywhere, with recipes folding the spiced meat in parchment paper (sort of like an accordion) giving you thin strips of beautifully seasoned doner kebab, right in your oven.
If you like kebab as much as I do, try this simple Middle Eastern version. You can serve this iskender kebab with this delicious spicy salsa. If you like Turkish food, try another of my favorites, Ali Nazek.
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What makes this doner kebab so good:
- An oven friendly doner kebab, no special rotisserie or spit needed.
- Perfect for entertaining — this is a feast dish, designed to impress a crowd.
- You make the major component of the sauce at the same time as the actual doner kebab, with veggies roasting alongside the meat.
- This has layers on layers of flavor — roasted veggies, creamy yogurt, tangy tomato sauce, crisp edges of the meat.
- Great for meal prep — leftover doner reheats beautifully, and you’ll definitely have extra meat leftover.
Why this is a great Every Little Crumb recipe:
It takes authentic Middle Eastern flavors, and turns them into a super easy and customizable weeknight dinner. This recipe takes elements from the viral doner, and elevates it with a delicious sauce and fun way to assemble. It’s a hit with adults as well as kids, and is a great way to enjoy restaurant flavors at home- probably a lot healthier too!
Ingredients you need:
- Ground lamb (very finely ground) – The finer the grind, the better it binds. Ask your butcher to grind it a few times, or pulse it in your food processor.
- Plain yogurt – Helps tenderize the meat and keeps it juicy. Greek yogurt also works, we mix some with the kebab and also use some for drizzling on top.
- Olive oil – Adds moisture and helps those crispy doner edges develop.
- Lemon juice – Brightens and tenderizes.
- All spice or seven spices – Classic Middle Eastern blend; use shawarma or baharat spice in a pinch.
- Garlic powder – For depth; fresh garlic makes the meat too wet.
- Onion powder – Adds sweetness and savoriness.
- Salt & black pepper – Essential for balancing flavor.
- Paprika powder – Adds color and warmth.
- Tomatoes – Roasted for sweetness and body in the sauce.
- Green chili peppers – Adds mild heat to the sauce.
- Garlic head – Roasting makes it caramelized and buttery.
- Red onions – Sweeten naturally in the oven.
- Pomegranate molasses – Adds tang and depth; optional but highly recommended.
- Tomato paste – Thickens and intensifies the sauce.
- White loaf bread, cubed – pita or Turkish pide also work great.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions:
- Step 1: Add all the kebab ingredients to a glass bowl.
- Step 2: Mix well with gloves hands until combined.
- Step 3: Divide the meat into 5 balls.
- Step 4: Using a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper, roll until very thin.
- Step 5: Repeat with all the meat balls.
- Step 6: Fold each parchment paper up and over the meat, rolling it (check the video in the recipe card)
- Step 7: Stack all the parchment wrapped kebabs on a baking sheet, add the veggies alongside them.
- Step 8: Bake for 30 minutes, then unwrap the kebab discarding the parchment paper, and broil for a couple minutes.
- Step 9: Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl, and blend until smooth.
- Step 10: Gather all the things you need to assemble, and layer bread cubes with meat, drizzling with tomato sauce and yogurt.
Hint: Let the meat rest a few minutes before tearing into shreds so that it isn’t so hot you burn your hands!
Pro Tip
For the best homemade doner kebab texture, make sure your lamb is very finely ground. This is what gives doner its signature sliceable structure.
How to serve:
Serve right away so the bread stays slightly crisp under the sauce.
Spicy Version: Blend more chili peppers into the tomato sauce, or add some red chili flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
Gluten free: swap bread for rice or roasted potatoes.
Dairy free: use a coconut yogurt alternative, or just omit the yogurt in the kebab mix and the yogurt drizzle on top.
Recipe variations:
- Beef Doner – instead of ground lamb, use ground beef. Or use a half half mix of beef and lamb.
- Chicken Doner– use ground chicken instead of lamb.
- Doner wraps- You can use the doner meat in pita bread wraps, like shawarma.
Storing Leftovers:
Refrigerate meat in a tightly covered container for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze sliced/shredded meat up to 3 months. Store sauce separately to prevent sogginess. You can thaw overnight in the fridge, or reheat straight from frozen- either way heat in a skillet to re-crisp edges, or in an air fryer.
Expert tips and tricks:
- Use very finely ground meat. I like avoiding the trouble and the mess of pulsing it in a food processor at home, so I ask the butcher to grind it a few times for me.
- If you are finding the the meat mixture too sticky, chill in the fridge for 10 minutes before rolling — it firms up and spreads more cleanly.
- Broil the doner meat at the end to get a really nice caramelized flavor.
- Don’t over-blend the sauce; you want it silky, not watery.
- If you like, you can toast the bread cubes for extra crunch.
Top Tip
Roll the kebab meat out as thin as you can- this will give it that signature paper thin appearance that’s so fun to shred and eat.
Recipe FAQs:
Doner kebab refers to the seasoned meat cooked vertically, while iskender kebab is a dish made with sliced doner served over bread with tomato sauce and yogurt.
You absolutely can. Lamb is more traditional, but both work great- even a mix of the two.
Yes, you can make the meat mixture one day before baking, and bake the next day. Once the iskender kebab has cooked, you can blend the veggies and make the the sauce and store in the fridge, and store the cooked meat separately in an airtight container. Don’t place the meat, sauce, and yogurt onto the bread cubes until right before serving.
I don’t- but it’s completely a matter of personal preference! I like how the sauce permeates into the soft cubes of bread, but if you’d rather have some crunch you can toast them in the oven or in an air fryer before assembling.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing:
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this iskender kebab:
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Iskender Kebab
Ingredients
To make the kebab:
- 2 lbs ground lamb, ground very finely, you can ask your butcher to pass it in the machine several times, or pulse in a food processor at home 1 kg
- 2 tablespoon plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon all spice or seven spices
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika powder
For accompanying the kebab and making the sauce:
- 3 tomatoes
- 3 green chili peppers
- 1 head garlic, a thin layer cut off at the top to expose the cloves
- 2 red onions
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For assembling:
- 1 loaf of white bread, cubed (or several loaves of thick pita bread cut into cubes)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, thinned with a splash of water, or yogurt drink (laban)
Instructions
For the kebab:
- Preheat the oven to 425F (220C)
- Add the very finely ground lamb to a large bowl, and add the yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and all the spices. Mix really well with gloved hands to combine. Divide this mixture into 5 balls.
- Place each meat ball between two sheets of parchment paper, and roll into a very thin rectangle using a rolling pin. Fold the parchment paper repeatedly up and over the meat, see the video in the recipe card for a visual. Repeat the process with all the remaining meat balls.
- Place all the parchment paper logs on a baking sheet along with the tomatoes, onions, chili peppers and head of garlic. Lightly score a slit or two on each of the tomatoes and chili peppers with a sharp knife. Drizzle the vegetables with a little olive oil.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then unwrap each parchment paper parcel and discard the paper, returning the uncovered meat strips and veggies to the oven. Broil for 2-3 minutes until crispy edges form on the kebab.
- Transfer the juice from the pan, 2 tomatoes, one chili pepper and 4 cloves of the roasted garlic to a blender, adding the pomegranate molasses, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Blend until a smooth sauce forms.
- Place the cubed bread in a large serving dish, topping with strips of doner kebab (you can shred it in your hands, you'll have some extra left for the side). Drizzle with the tomato sauce, plus some yogurt that you thinned with a splash of water to make it a bit runnier (or laban, a yogurt drink). Only assemble whatever you'll eat in that sitting, extra meat and sauce can be stored in the fridge. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Notes
Bread: Use white bread, Turkish pide, or thick pita. Toasting the cubes is optional but adds extra texture.
Yogurt or laban: Thin slightly with water so it drizzles smoothly over the finished dish. Storing leftovers: -Store cooked doner meat in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze shredded or sliced meat for up to 3 months; reheat in a skillet or air fryer to bring back the crisp edges. Keep the sauce and meat stored separately from the bread so everything stays fresh. Leftover tomato sauce can be refrigerated for 4–5 days and reheated gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. Recipe tips: -Roll the meat as thin as possible between parchment sheets to help create those signature doner-style strips once cooked.
-Broil the meat after baking to develop caramelized, crispy edges.
-Assemble right before serving so the bread stays pleasantly soft but not soggy.
Evergreen Flamingo says
Totally delicious. Have made it many times! I will add a few extra veggies to the roasting pan to double sauce, because it is so good. No changes though!
Farah Abumaizar says
That’s amazing, so happy that you enjoy the recipe! Great idea to add veggies!
Evergreen Flamingo says
After eating this dish at an Indian restaurant in London, I was so pleased to be able to make it at home. It is easy to put together. I double the sauce to extend into leftovers. I use the shawarma spice from villa jerada as my five spice, and it works perfectly.
This dish is a staple in our house now! Thanks for sharing this delicious meal!
Farah Abumaizar says
That’s amazing, thanks so much for letting me know!
Stephanie says
You mention that baharat can be substituted for seven spice. I had always thought they were the same?
Farah Abumaizar says
Some slight nuances can exist from brand to brand! You just want anything that’s a Middle Eastern spice mix base.