Wonderfully flavoursome Grilled Vegan Kofta Skewers with Middle-Eastern-inspired flavours such as cardamom, cumin and turmeric. Easy to make with ready-made vegan mince and perfect for a last-minute BBQ addition.
When it comes to a vegan BBQ, I love experimenting and creating different flavours for the grill, aside from shop-bought vegan sausages, which seems to be the go-to vegan option for any BBQ party. These grilled vegan koftas add a delicious range of flavours to the grill, which Middle Eastern-inspired flavours such as cumin, coriander and cardamom. Simply delicious!
What you’ll need to make Vegan Kofta
Ingredients
- 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 vegan kofta
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.
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 flavour 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 allowing the mixture to rest for 10 minutes.
Whilst the mixture sits on the side, I like to prepare my BBQ or to 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 flavour that you get from a charcoal grill, but you do what you prefer!
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. 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.
Serve these delicious vegan koftas alongside a flavoursome yogurt dip, or remove them from the skewers and serve them in a soft, toasted flatbread.
Vegan Kofta Recipe – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Which type of vegan mince do I use for this vegan kofta 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 the supermarket fridge aisle that are suitable, but there are also a couple of frozen options 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
- Richmond Vegan Meat-Free No Beef 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 vegan 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. 🙂
Can I grill these vegan koftas on an electric BBQ?
I personally prefer the smokey flavours 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 flavour
- egg-free
- dairy-free
- easy to make
- great straight from the grill or reheated
Vegan Kofta Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: BBQ
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Wonderfully flavoursome Grilled Vegan Kofta Skewers with Middle-Eastern-inspired flavours such as cardamom, cumin and turmeric. Easy to make with ready-made vegan mince and perfect for a last-minute BBQ addition.
Ingredients
- 450g vegan mince (I used Oumph!)
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
In addition:
- rapeseed 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. 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.
Serve these delicious vegan koftas alongside a flavoursome yogurt dip, or remove them from the skewers and serve them in a soft, toasted flatbread.
Keywords: vegan bbq, vegan barbecue, vegan kofta, kofta recipe, vegan bbq recipe
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