Kabob Koobideh (Persian Ground Beef Kabobs)

Kabob Koobideh is a Persian dish of seasoned ground beef on skewers that’s often found as a street food in Iran. My version of these Persian ground beef kabobs are delicious and easy to make on a grill at home.

PIN Kabob Koobideh to make it at home!

Kabob Koobideh is a unique type of kabob made with double-ground seasoned ground beef cooked on skewers. I do have quite an assortment of recipes for kabobs. But this type of ground meat kabob that’s a street food in Iran is unique, and I love the flavors in these ground beef kabobs.

I learned to like them in a Salt Lake City restaurant called The Med. When I started my blog, I did some experimenting to try to reproduce the kabobs at The Med, which are still on the menu. I searched on the internet and found several recipes, but for my first few attempts the result was nothing like the Persian ground beef kabobs I loved so much.

Then I discovered Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning (affiliate link) at Black Cherry Market in Salt Lake. That store is a fantastic place to find middle eastern food. I discussed my Kabob Koobideh recipe with the charming man who owns the store. He confirmed double grinding the beef, adding finely chopped onion, and seasoning with Sadaf Seasoning. I also added a little salt and pepper. (I added a little Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), but that’s optional.)

There are other suggestions included in the recipe below. One is a recipe sent by a reader who’s married to a man from Iran. Use one of those if you don’t want to buy a seasoning mix for the Kabob Koobideh recipe. But if you like middle eastern flavors like I do, I bet you’re going to love this recipe!

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• ground beef, I used organic ground beef with 15% fat
• onion
• Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning (affiliate link), or see notes in the recipe for other options
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), optional but good
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• water
• Olive Oil (affiliate link), for oiling the grill

What did we serve with Kabob Koobideh?

We couldn’t resist photographing the Kabob Koobideh with Tzatziki Sauce, which is what it’s served with at Cafe Med. And I realize serving Persian kabobs with a Greek sauce is mixing food cultures, but it’s a delicious combination. See below for more middle eastern dishes to go with the kabobs.

Is my version of Kabob Koobideh an authentic recipe?

I’m not claiming this is an authentic Persian recipe. But my version of is made of double ground beef mixed with onions, salt and pepper, which is true to descriptions online. (See that here.) I did use a purchased spice mix, but it was recommended by two middle eastern grocers. The addition of Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) is strictly optional. Traditional Koobideh in Iran may have ground lamb combined with the beef, so try that if you like the sound of both beef and lamb.

What spices are in the Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob seasoning I used?

The Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning (affiliate link) I used incluedes “Onions, garlic, Sumac, parsley, salt, pepper, turmeric, and other spices.” (In case anyone is wondering, this company hasn’t paid me to promote their product and have no idea I’m mentioning it!)

What skewers should you use for the ground meat kabobs?

I’d use Double Kabob Skewers (affiliate link) to make Kabob Koobideh. Having two skewers in one helps the ground meat stay together on the skewer. But in the middle east ground meat kabobs might be cooked on blade-type skewers (affiliate link) which are similar to the skewers I got in Turkey. If you only have regular round skewers, I would use two skewers in each cylinder of ground meat to duplicate the double kabob skewers.

Can you make Kabob Koobideh without an outdoor grill?

If you don’t have an outdoor grill, these kabobs can be cooked on a Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link), a George Foreman Grill (affiliate link) which cooks both sides at once so it’s quicker, or under the broiler in your oven or toasted oven.

How low in carbs is the Kabob Koobideh?

These amazing ground beef kabobs with middle eastern flavors have only 3 net carbs per skewer with 45 grams of protein!

How to make Kabob Koobideh (Persian Ground Beef kabobs):

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I used organic ground beef from Costco that’s 15% fat, and comes in a package with 1.3 pounds which made four generous kabobs.
2. Here’s a photo of the Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning (affiliate link) that was recommended to me. I think this gives great flavor, but see other options in the recipe below if you don’t want to buy it.
3. Start by very finely chopping one medium onion in the food processor with the steel blade.
4. Then add the ground beef, Sadaf Ground Kabob Seasoning, salt, fresh-ground black pepper, Spike Seasoning (if using), and water.
5. Process those ingredients until everything is very well combined. This double grinding of the meat is traditional. It helps keep the meat on the skewers and gives it a denser texture than regular ground beef.
6. Then the meat is refrigerated for several hours so the flavors can develop. (You could grind the seasoning with the meat in the morning before work, and cook the kabobs when you get home.)
7. When it’s time to cook, divide the meat into four pieces. Oil the grill with a paper towel dipped in olive oil and preheat the grill to high.
8. Form each piece of double-ground meat into a long cylinder and push a skewer into it. You want them uniformly thick so they’ll cook evenly. (Traditional Kabob Koobideh is probably flatter than mine, but I found this shape easier to manage.
9. Turn the grill to medium-high and lay the skewered kabobs on pre-heated grill. (I put them on an angle to make grill marks, but that’s not essential.)
10. If you’re making grill marks, cook until the meat is well-browned before you try rotate them. That will be about 4-5 minutes; lift one kabob to see if it lifts easily off the grill.
11. Then rotate going the other way and cook about 3-4 minutes more.
12. Then turn kabobs over carefully and cook until the internal temperature shows 160F for ground beef with an an instant-read thermometer (affiliate link.)
13. Total cooking time will depend on the temperature of the grill, thickness of the kabobs, and even the temperature of the air. Total cooking time will be about 12-15 minutes, but check regularly.
14. Serve the Kabob Koobideh hot.
15. I served my kabobs with Tzatziki Sauce, which is not authentic with this recipe, but it was certainly tasty!

Make it a low-carb Meal:

For a low-carb meal I’d eat Kabob Koobideh with a side dish like one of these:

• Middle Eastern Tomato Salad
• Cottage Cheese Salad with Za’atar
• Fattoush Lebanese Salad

More Middle Eastern Food to try:

If you’re not worried about watching carbs, the kabobs would also be delicious with one of these:

• Balela (Middle Eastern Bean Salad
• Mujadara
• Greek Lemon Rice

More tasty ideas for Kabobs on the Grill:

Check out my collection of Amazing Recipes for Grilled Kabobs for lots more ideas for cooking food on a skewer!

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Yield: 4 servings

Kabob Koobideh (Persian Ground Beef Kabobs)

Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Additional Time 2 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 32 minutes

Authentic Kabob Koobideh is a Persian dish of highly seasoned ground meat on skewers. My version of these kabobs is delicious and easy to make on a grill at home. I use the spice blend that's been recommended to me twice at a middle eastern market, but read below to see another option that was sent to me by a reader!

Ingredients

Toggle ingredient group

• 1.3 lbs. ground beef (
• 1 medium onion, very finely chopped
• 2 T Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning (See notes for other options)
• 1 T Spike Seasoning (see notes)
• 1/4 cup water
• olive oil, for oiling the grill

Instructions

1. Coarsely chop up the onion and then finely chop it in the food processor with the steel blade.
2. Add ground beef in food processor. Then add Sadaf Ground Kabob Seasoning, salt, fresh-ground black pepper, Spike Seasoning (if using), and water.
3. Process the meat, onions, and spices until it's well-combined and finely ground.
4. Put meat into a plastic container with a snap-on lid and refrigerate two hours or as long as all day if that's what works for you.
5. Oil grill grates with a paper towel dipped in olive oil, then preheat gas or charcoal grill to high heat. (You can only hold your hand there for a few seconds at that heat.)
6. Form meat into cylinder shaped patties.
7. Carefully put meat on skewers. (I had double skewers, which worked well, although Koobideh is traditionally cooked on blade type skewers. If you only have thin round skewers I would use two skewers for each kabob.)
8. Turn heat down to mediumm-high when you put kabobs on the grill.
9. If you’d like criss-cross grill marks, cook kabobs about 4-5 minutes on first side, lifting one kabob to be sure the meat is brown enough that it's not sticking to the grill.
10. Then rotate kabobs going the other way and cook 3-4 minutes more.
11. Carefully turn kabobs and cook the second side, for a total cooking time of about 15 minutes. (Actual cooking time will depend on the temperature of your grill, the thickness of your kabob meat, and even the temperature of the air that day, so keep an eye on them.
12. If you have an instant-read meat thermometer, ground beef should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160F.
13. Serve Kabob Koobideh hot, with Tzatziki sauce if desired.

Notes

(If you don’t have  Sadaf Ground Meat Kabob Seasoning (affiliate link) the package lists the ingredients as onions, salt, pepper, sumac, parsley, turmeric, and other spices.

Most recipes for Kubideh that I found online season the meat with turmeric, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Some recipes add parsley, lemon juice, or bread crumbs to the mixture.

If you don't want to use Spike Seasoning, I would probably use a bit more of the Sadaf Kabob Seasoning (or whatever seasonings you're using).

A Reader Shares Her Recipe for Kubideh:

After I posted this recipe I heard from a reader named Donna who's married to a man from Iran. She shared her version of this dish, which I have to say, sounds like it would taste wonderful. (Thanks Donna!)

--1 lb lean (90% or better) ground beef or lamb

--1 tsp salt (more if you like)

--1 med onion quartered

--1 lemon juiced

Put the lemon juice and onion in a food processor or blender. Puree. Add to meat and mix well. Form into patties and grill on skewers or straight on the bbq pit. Also you can bake these on a broiler pan in the oven and have a very nice substitute for the grilled ones.

This Koobideh Recipe was created by Kalyn in an attempt to duplicate the Kabob-e-Kubideh she enjoys at a restaurant in Salt Lake.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 508Total Fat 34gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 148mgSodium 1403mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 45g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Suggestions:
This Kabob Koobideh is a great main dish for low-carb or Keto diets, which would prefer higher-fat ground beef. When it’s made with lean ground beef it would suitable for for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Kabob Koobideh was first posted in the very early days of my blog. It was updated with better photos in 2009, and updated again with new photos in 2023. It was last updated with more information in 2026.