Such a delicious Middle Eastern dish, kofta tahini is kofta kababs cooked in a tangy garlicky tahini sauce, often served with vermicelli rice. The tahini sauce has such a distinctive flavor, and is so simple to make. You just whisk together a few ingredients! A family favorite.
I have other kofta recipes on my website, like these air fryer kofta kebabs, and this kofta with potatoes in a tomato sauce. Adding the tahini sauce is one of my favorite ways to enjoy kofta though!
This pairs so well with vermicelli rice, I can’t imagine eating it without some. This also goes really well with thick fluffy pita bread, that you can scoop the kofta in tahini sauce with.
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Ingredients for easy Middle Eastern kofta:
- For the kofta:
- Meat: I like doing a 50/50 mix of ground beef and lamb, but you can do all beef kabobs, I think all lamb would be a little too rich. I like using lean meat.
- Onion: Make sure this is grated or chopped really finely so that it sort of melts in to the meat mixture and doesn’t stand out in chunky pieces.
- Garlic: either chopped or minced is fine
- Fresh parsley: this herb is what gives ground meat its distinctive flavor
- Spices: seven spice or all spice powder, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and black pepper. You can also optionally add a pinch of red chili flakes.
- For the tahini sauce:
- Yogurt: use any full fat plain yogurt
- Tahini
- Lemon juice
- Garlic: I like a sauce that really tastes like garlic, you can reduce the amount to 2-3 cloves if you wish.
- Spices: salt, black pepper, cinnamon and a pinch of seven spices or all spice
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make kofta tahini:
- Step 1: Form the kofta kababs out of your kofta mix and place in lightly oiled baking dish.
- Step 2: Bake until golden brown and cooked through.
- Step 3: Add all the ingredients for the tahini yogurt sauce to a glass bowl.
- Step 4: Whisk until smooth and combined.
- Step 5: Pour the tahini sauce around the kofta kebabs.
- Step 6: Bake until thickened and bubbly, then serve and enjoy.
Hint: Don’t worry about overcooking the meat while it’s sitting in the tahini yogurt sauce, the sauce keeps it nice and moist.
Extra kofta meat:
If you find yourself with extra kofta meat you don’t feel the need to place in the pan, form into patties, flash freeze on a baking sheet then place in a freezer safe bag, they’ll come in handy anytime you need a quick dinner!
How to serve:
- Vermicelli Rice – a classic pairing, this is a typical Middle Eastern rice with toasted vermicelli cooked with fluffy basmati rice.
- Egyptian Rice – another popular rice, this one is a little stickier, and also super delicious.
- Pita Bread- We also very commonly forgo the rice, and enjoy this with fluffy pita bread, using the bread to scoop up the kofta.
- Accompaniments – This is great with raw green onions, green chili peppers, or olives on the side.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers last 3-4 days tightly covered in the fridge. To reheat either place in a hot 350°F oven (175°C) for 10–15 minutes, or heat for a few minutes in a hot pan. If the tahini sauce has thickened too much, add a splash of water.
Leftover kofta can be stored in a freezer for up to two months, but avoid freezing the tahini sauce. It’ll separate, plus it’s so easy to make on the spot. You can serve the leftover kofta with hummus and bread and some grilled veggies for some fun kofta bowls, or make another small kofta with tahini dish, or a kofta tomato sauce dish like this recipe. I also love using leftover kofta meat in this delicious meatball vermicelli soup, one of my kids absolute favorites.
Kofta with tahini sauce variations
- Bulk this up – A very common addition to kofta with tahini is cooked slices of potatoes, either air fried, deep fried, or pan fried. Follow the method for cooking the potato in this kafta recipe if you want to add potato slices to this dish.
- Rice free – serve this with pita bread instead of rice.
- All beef- You can use all beef in your kafta mix instead of a half half mixture.
See this version of kofta in a tomato sauce on my website!
Expert tips and tricks:
- Don’t overmix the kofta- it can make the meat tough. Once the ingredients come together, you are good to go.
- Use slightly wet hands to shape the kofta patties if you feel like the meat is getting too sticky.
- Taste the tahini sauce, if you want to add more tahini or lemon juice feel free to do so. If you feel the flavor is too strong, add a little more yogurt or water.
- Make sure your onion is grated as opposed to coarsely chopped, because you want it to melt into the meat mixture and not stand out in big chunks.
Top Tip
Use fresh parsley and use all the spices listed, don’t be worried about the quantity. You really want the meat itself to be flavorful as it’s the star of the dish!
Recipe FAQs:
You can freeze the kofta, either cooked or raw, but avoid freezing the sauce as it will separate.
Yes! Unlike most Western meatball recipes, this doesn’t have breadcrumbs or flour to bind the meatballs so they are totally gluten free.
If the tahini is too thick directly out of the jar, just whisk it really well with a fork, to incorporate it with the sesame oil in the jar. It should loosen up. You shouldn’t have an issue with the actual tahini yogurt sauce being too thick, because my recipe is definitely on the looser side, I like it almost broth like.
Absolutely! Follow the instructions in this post, adding a few minutes of air frying time as the kofta kebabs here are bigger.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with [this recipe]:
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Kofta Tahini
Ingredients
For the kofta:
- 1 lb ground beef, lean 500g
- 1 lb ground lamb 500g
- 1 small onion, grated or pulsed ina. food processor into small pieces
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- big handful parsley, chopped
- 3 teaspoon seven spice or all spice powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1.5-2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- pinch red chili flakes, optional
For the tahini sauce:
- 1 yogurt container 170g, 2/3cup
- 3 tablespoon tahini
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 1 cup water
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon seven spices
Instructions
For the kofta:
- Add all the ingredients to a large bowl, and mix well until combined. You can use gloved hands or a spoon to mix. I prefer using hands!
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Drizzle a baking dish ranging from 11×7 inches to 9×13 inches in size with a little olive oil.
- Form the kofta patties into oblong patties, about 14-16 total, and place on the oiled baking dish. If you have leftover kofta mix, form into patties and freeze it it'll come in handy in the future! Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until kafta is browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven but keep the oven on.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the tahini sauce the then pour this sauce around the kofta patties in the baking dish. Return to the oven, and bake for another 20 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.
- Enjoy, garnished with chopped parsley and served alongside vermicelli rice, recipe for the rice in the notes.
Video
Notes
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- Don’t overmix the kofta- it can make the meat tough. Once the ingredients come together, you are good to go.
-
- Use slightly wet hands to shape the kofta patties of you feel like the meat is getting too sticky.
-
- Taste the tahini sauce, if you want to add more tahini or lemon juice feel free to do so. If you feel the flavor is too strong, add a little more yogurt or water.
-
- Make sure your onion is grated as opposed to coarsely chopped, because you want it to melt into the meat mixture and not stand out in big chunks.
Marta says
I absolutely loved this recipe and truly adore your entire website! My husband is from Jordan and I’m American, and I’m so grateful to be able to make his favorite dishes in a way that feels approachable and not overwhelming. Thank you for the wonderful work you do — it makes such a difference in our home!
Farah Abumaizar says
What an amazing comment to read! Thank you, that’s truly so motivating! I’m glad that the recipes come in handy and stay tuned for a lot more great ones coming your way insha Allah!
Samar says
Tried this recipe today, a top winner, kids loved it. Thank you for sharing as always your recipes are my no. 1 go to.
Farah Abumaizar says
I’m so happy to hear that Samar, I especially love when recipes are kid friendly as I sometimes struggle with that myself thank you so much for taking the time to comment!