Wonderfully flavorsome Grilled Vegan Kofta Recipe with Middle-Eastern-inspired flavors such as cardamom, cumin, and turmeric. Easy to make with ready-made vegan mince and perfect for a last-minute BBQ addition.
Easy Vegan Kofta Recipe
When it comes to a vegan BBQ, I love experimenting and creating different flavors for the grill, aside from shop-bought vegan sausages, which seem to be the go-to vegan option for any BBQ party. These grilled vegan koftas add a delicious range of flavors to the grill, which Middle Eastern-inspired flavors such as cumin, coriander, and cardamom. Simply delicious!
Ingredients for Vegan Grilled Kofta
- vegan mince (I used Oumph!)
- garlic cloves
- ground coriander
- salt
- ground cumin
- ground black pepper
- ground allspice
- turmeric
- ground cardamom
- rapeseed or sunflower oil to brush
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- wooden or metal skewers for the BBQ
- a brush
How to make Kofta Vegan
Making vegan kofta is honestly much simpler than it might seem at first. In this recipe, we are using a ready-made fresh vegan mince as our base and in order to make the kofta, we only need to add the right seasoning.
Step 1: Prepare the kofta mix
For this vegan kofta recipe, we're using crushed garlic (or even better: use a garlic paste if you have any!) alongside delicious Middle Eastern-inspired spices such as ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cardamom. To get the flavor right, we're also adding salt, black pepper, and allspice and it's key to thoroughly mix the spices throughout the mince with your hands and then allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Prepare the BBQ
Whilst the mixture sits on the side, I like to prepare my BBQ or quickly whip up some other delicious additions to the BBQ party, such as this delicious Curry Pineapple BBQ Sauce. It's important that the barbecue is properly heated and your coals are glowing before adding the kofta onto the grill.
You can alternatively also use a non-charcoal BBQ to grill your koftas, I personally prefer the smokey flavor that you get from a charcoal grill, but you do what you prefer!
Step 3: Shape the Vegan Kofta
Take one skewer at a time and gently press a handful of the kofta mince mixture onto the top of the skewer. Give it a gentle squeeze until it sticks to the skewer, then carefully place the ready-made skewers aside whilst you prepare the rest.
Step 4: Grill the kofta on the barbecue
Before placing the vegan kofta skewers onto the grill, generously brush them with vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed or sunflower). This will prevent them from sticking to your BBQ grill.
Grill them for 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping regularly, but carefully, to allow for an even browning, and once done, place them onto a kitchen towel to allow any excess oil to drip off.
Step 5: Serve
Serve these delicious vegan koftas alongside a flavorsome yogurt dip, or remove them from the skewers and serve them in a soft, toasted flatbread.
Easy Kofta Skewers- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which type of vegan mince do I use for this recipe?
It's important to use a mince that is sticky and shapeable. I personally like to use the Oumph! mince, which is frozen and available in the UK store Iceland - but there are plenty of alternatives that you can use available in supermarkets. It is usually the vegan mince you can find in the supermarket fridge aisle that are suitable, but there are also a couple of frozen options such as the frozen Oumph! mince suggests.
A few that I have found suitable:
- Plantchef fresh mince (in the fridge aisle)
- Meatless Farm
- Heck Vegan Mince
- Future Farm Mince
- Naturli Vegan Mince
Not suitable (most chunky types of mince)
- bean-based mince chunks (e.g. 'Beanit')
- Plant Pioneer Vegan No Beef Mince
- Asda Plantbased Meatfree Mince
- Vivera Plant Mince
- Linda McCartney Mince
Please note, this is not an exhaustive list, please feel free to experiment if you can't get hold of any of the above-mentioned brands.
What type of skewers can I use?
You can use any type of skewer - metal or wooden - for this recipe, however, if you're opting for wood, please ensure to soak the wooden skewers in water beforehand, so they don't instantly burn on the BBQ later on.
Can I use vegan mince made from mushrooms or nuts?
No, these don't have the right texture to be shaped and will fall apart.
How to serve kofta?
Mine might not be the traditional way to serve kofta, but I love serving it alongside a herby yogurt dip or as part of a stuffed flatbread with cucumber and coconut yogurt - simply delicious! Skewer removed for the latter option of course. 🙂
You could also make a simple salad with mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and red onion. Then, crumble some vegan feta cheese on top for a salty and tangy flavor that would pair well with the earthy flavors of the kofta. You could also drizzle some lemon juice and olive oil on top for a light and refreshing dressing or add some delicious Vegan Oil-free Dressing!
Can I grill these koftas on an electric BBQ?
I personally prefer the smokey flavors of a charcoal BBQ, but you do you! So yes: You can use alternatives such as an electric BBQ, or you can also pan-fry the koftas if you don't have access to a BBQ at all.
This recipe is:
- 100% vegan
- perfect for your vegan BBQ
- delicious
- full of flavor
- egg-free
- dairy-free
- easy to make
- great straight from the grill or reheated
📌 If you love Pinterest you can pin any of the images to your boards!
More Vegan BBQ Recipes to try:
If you love creating vegan meat alternatives, you'll surely enjoy cooking with Seitan too! I've got a couple of great Seitan recipes on the blog to get you started, such as Vegan Steak or BBQ Grilled Seitan.
Vegan Kofta Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 6 large skewers
- 1 grill or barbecue
Ingredients
- 450 g vegan mince (I used Oumph!)
- 3 whole garlic cloves crushed
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
- 0.5 tsp ground allspice
- 0.25 tsp turmeric powder
- 0.25 tsp ground cardamom
For cooking:
- canola or sunflower oil to brush
Instructions
- Place the vegan mince into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle in the seasoning: crushed garlic (or garlic paste), ground coriander, salt, cumin, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, and ground cardamom.
- Thoroughly mix the spices into the mince with your hands until they are evenly distributed, then allow the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
- Take one skewer at a time and gently press a handful of the kofta mince mixture onto the top of the skewer. Give it a gentle squeeze until it sticks to the skewer, then carefully place the ready-made skewers aside whilst you prepare the rest.
- Before placing the vegan kofta skewers onto the grill, generously brush them with vegetable oil (e.g. canola or sunflower). This will prevent them from sticking to your BBQ grill.
- Grill them for 2-3 minutes on each side, flipping regularly, but carefully, to allow for an even browning, and once done, place them onto a kitchen towel to allow any excess oil to drip off.
- Serve these delicious vegan koftas alongside a flavoursome yogurt dip, or remove them from the skewers and serve them in a soft, toasted flatbread.
If you're looking to create the ultimate vegan BBQ, then these other recipes might be of interest to you:
- Pineapple Curry BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Seitan Chicken
- Grilled Mango Salsa Tacos
- Sticky BBQ Tofu
- Grilled Peri Peri Taquitos
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Claire
Made these for a garden party and everyone enjoyed them so much! No leftovers! Thank you for this gem x