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The glory of kebabs is their versatility—there's no one right way to assemble the skewers or specific ingredients you need to have in your kitchen to make them. Kebabs can be assembled with different cuts of beef, pork, and chicken or you can go meat-free and load the sticks with your choice of seasonal vegetables or fruits like pineapple and mango. With a range of combinations featured in this collection of our best kebab recipes, you'll soon see how easy they are to make—often requiring little more than adding the elements onto skewers before grilling or broiling them.
We prefer to use metal skewers for kebabs as they can be washed and reused and are more durable than wooden options. We also have fun with skewers made from hardy herb sprigs (like in our Swordfish, Potato, and Onion Skewers with Golden-Raisin Agrodolce recipe, pictured here). The ingredients cook on sturdy sprigs of rosemary, which adds extra flavor and a wonderful aroma. Swapping out a traditional skewer for a herb sprig can bring a new level of delicious complexity to a kebab.
Some of our kebab recipes include elements that are broken up on separate skewers, where the protein is cooked on some sticks and the vegetables are cooked on others. This is because vegetables cook much faster than it takes to thoroughly cook a piece of meat or poultry. If you want a protein that cooks fast, opt fish skewers; shrimp and salmon are both popular choices.
Here, we're sharing our favorite kebab recipes—from vegetarian options to meaty offerings—that are sure to be a hit at your next gathering.
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Grilled Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Dipping Sauces
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Take chicken skewers to the next level by marinating the meat in a mixture of buttermilk and scallions. Then wrap the chicken in a blanket of bacon and grill until it's just cooked through to ensure it doesn't dry out. Serve with a choice of two dipping sauces—a creamy ranch and a spicy romesco.
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Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Orange Glaze
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The basting mixture for these shrimp skewers is one you'll dream about for some time to come. Orange-juice concentrate adds a sweet-tart flavor that's complemented by pungent minced onion, spicy pickled jalapeños, and earthy thyme.
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Pomegranate Skirt-Steak Kebabs
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Skirt steak's rich beefy flavor is given a punch of sweetness thanks to the addition of our pomegranate molasses, which is made by combining the fruit's seeds with parsley, lime zest and juice, salt, and pepper.
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Saffron-Yogurt Chicken Kebabs
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A blend of spices—thyme, saffron, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne pepper—give these grilled chicken skewers their depth of flavor while the zest and juice of a lemon brightens the entire dish.
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Teriyaki Chicken-Wing and Vegetable Skewers
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A homemade teriyaki sauce made with soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, ginger, and garlic takes these grilled wings to the next level. It's also delicious drizzled over vegetables. Here, we use it with Japanese eggplant, scallions, shish*to peppers, asparagus, and bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms.
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Skirt-Steak Skewers with Avocado and Pepper Sauce
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Grilled steak is paired with a homemade sauce that balances the heat of chile and cumin with bell pepper, onion, orange and lemon juices, and oregano. Serve the steak and sauce over a bed of rice with diced avocado.
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Lemongrass-Skewered Shrimp in Lettuce Cups
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Rather than threading whole shrimp onto skewers, this recipe calls for turning them into a paste with shallot, garlic, fish sauce, egg, cornstarch, sugar, and oil. The mixture is shaped into rounds and threaded onto skewers made from lemongrass, which impart a subtle citrus flavor.
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Greek Shrimp Skewers with Chopped-Zucchini Salad
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Get dinner on the table fast with this simple and refreshing recipe. Shrimp, zucchini, onions, and lemon are threaded onto skewers and charred on the grill, then served with couscous and crumbled feta.
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Lamb Kebabs with Herbed Yogurt
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Ground lamb is spiced with cumin, coriander, and aleppo pepper and formed into three-inch ovals before being added to skewers. They're served with a bright, creamy sauce that's made by mixing parsley, dill, and yogurt with lime zest and juice.
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Cashew-Chicken Kebabs
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For a time-saving, flavorful dish, our cashew-curry sauce serves as both the marinade and dip for these chicken thigh skewers. Round out the meal with rice noodles, shaved cucumber and carrots, shredded iceberg lettuce, and a garnish of chopped cashews.
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Grilled Kofta Kebabs
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The term kofta refers to a mixture of seasoned ground meat, which is often formed into ovals, skewered, and grilled. Here, onion, parsley, cumin seeds, and cinnamon are used as the flavor base for the kebabs and added to two separate bowls. In one they're mixed with lamb and in the other they're mixed with turkey, so you're getting two protein options in one cook. Serve these beauties with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, and mint sprigs.
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Red Onion, Pork, and Pineapple with Sriracha-Pineapple Marinade
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Give grilled pork a sweet-and-spicy twist by bathing it in pineapple juice and Sriracha. The marinade also makes a great sauce for the accompanying red onion and pineapple skewers.
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Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Skewers
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A quick cook on a hot grill turns chicken thighs, cipollini onions, cremini mushrooms, and rounds of zucchini into a balanced, satisfying dish. Lemon zest and juice, as well as fresh parsley, tie all the flavors together.
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Charred Okra and Fresh Thyme
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Smoky, flame-kissed okra flavored with fresh thyme, hot paprika, and flaky sea salt makes a lovely side dish. Skewering the vegetable from stem to tip keeps it from falling between the grates of the grill.
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Chorizo, Parsnip, and Olive Bites
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An unexpected, yet dynamic combination of ingredients—parsnips are roasted until golden and tender, before being threaded onto skewers with cubed chorizo and Castelvetrano olives. It's the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and salty flavors!
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Chicken Souvlaki
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Run-of-the-mill chicken breasts become something special when marinated in lemon juice, garlic, and fresh oregano, threaded onto skewers and grilled with plum tomatoes and red onions. Serve with charred pitas and our cucumber-heavy yogurt sauce.
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Grilled Fish Kebabs with Shaved Zucchini
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Let the flavors of fresh swordfish, cherry tomatoes, and red onion shine through by keeping seasoning simple—all you need is olive oil, salt, and pepper for this dish. Serve with a salad made from summer's freshest vegetables: zucchini and corn.
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Padron Peppers Skewered with Chorizo
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These appetizer kebabs are sweet from the blistered Padron peppers and spicy thanks to the hot chorizo. We like to finish them with a sprinkle of sea salt once they come off the grill.
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Mushrooms, Red Peppers, and Beef with Balsamic-Rosemary Marinade
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Top blade beef is elevated in this recipe by marinating it in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and fresh rosemary before grilling. The beef is served with skewers of button mushrooms and red bell peppers.
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Beef Satay with Peanut-Ginger Ramen
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Grilled flank-steak skewers are paired with a creamy peanut-ginger sauce and packaged ramen noodles in this quick take on satay.
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Grilled Shrimp with Chimichurri
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Our tangy chimichurri sauce boasts five different herbs—basil, chives, parsley, dill, and mint. Here, it turns grilled shrimp, peppers, and cherry tomatoes into an exciting entrée.
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Mojo Pork Kebabs
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Marinate cubes of pork tenderloin in orange juice, lime juice, garlic, olive oil, and red-pepper flakes for this take on the popular Cuban sauce that's typically made with sour orange. The pork is grilled on skewers along with orange chunks and cucumber rounds which provide a refreshing counterpoint.
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Spiced Steak Kebabs
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Coriander- and cumin-flavored sirloin is the star of this dish, but red bell pepper, red onion, and button mushrooms add extra flavor when they're all grilled together on skewers.
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Shrimp-and-Pineapple Skewers
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Give grilled shrimp a tropical twist by pairing it with pineapple. A marinade of honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar gives the kebabs a salty-sweet snap.
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Chicken Kebabs in Lettuce Cups
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Ground chicken is mixed with grated onion, garlic, mint, and crumbled feta and formed into kebabs for this quick healthy dinner. The kebabs are grilled until they're charred to perfection and served inside Bibb lettuce with onions and tomatoes for a new take on salad.
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