Description
This Homemade Doner Kebab recipe offers a delicious and easy way to recreate the popular Turkish street food at home. Made with ground lamb mixed with aromatic spices, garlic, onion, yogurt, and olive oil, it’s baked in the oven to juicy perfection. Served in pita bread or over a bowl with fresh veggies and garlic sauce, this recipe is perfect for a flavorful meal that’s sure to become a favorite.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat Mixture
- 450 grams ground lamb (or any ground meat)
- 1 grated onion (processed into a paste with 1 tsp water)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional Toppings and Serving
- Lemon juice, for squeezing over cooked meat
- Lettuce, pickles, tomato, red onion, for serving
- Garlic sauce or toum (store-bought or homemade yogurt-based garlic sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven temperature to 400°F (200°C) to prepare for baking the meat rolls.
- Prepare the meat mixture: In a bowl, combine the ground lamb, grated onion paste, minced garlic, salt, sweet paprika, oregano, yogurt, and olive oil. Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Divide the mixture: Split the meat mixture evenly into two portions for easier handling and shaping.
- Shape onto parchment paper: Place one half of the meat mixture in the center of a sheet of parchment paper. Keep a small bowl of water or oil nearby to wet your fingers and prevent sticking.
- Form the meat sheets: Use your damp fingers to press and spread the meat into a thin, even rectangular shape on the parchment. Repeat with the second portion on another sheet of parchment.
- Roll the meat: Starting from the long side of each rectangle, carefully fold the parchment over the meat repeatedly, rolling it up tightly so it forms a flat rope shape encased in parchment paper.
- Bake the meat rolls: Place the parchment-wrapped meat rolls on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until the meat is thoroughly cooked.
- Cool and unwrap: Remove the rolls from the oven and let them cool slightly. Carefully unroll the parchment and break the cooked meat apart using a fork or your fingers.
- Finish with lemon and crisping: Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the broken-apart meat, then return it to the oven briefly to achieve a lightly golden and slightly crisp texture on the edges.
- Serve: Enjoy your homemade doner kebab served in pita bread or a bowl topped with fresh lettuce, pickles, tomato, red onion, and garlic sauce or toum. Optionally, prepare your own garlic sauce by mixing yogurt, salt, garlic, and mayonnaise.
Notes
- Use a small bowl of water or oil to wet your fingers when handling raw meat to prevent sticking.
- You can substitute ground lamb with other ground meats like beef or chicken according to preference.
- For the garlic sauce, store-bought options like toum work well, or you can make a simple homemade version mixing yogurt, garlic, salt, and mayo.
- Pressing the meat thinly and baking ensures even cooking and helps mimic the traditional doner texture.
- Letting the cooked meat crisp slightly in the oven after adding lemon juice enhances the flavor and texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Turkish
Keywords: doner kebab, homemade kebab, lamb kebab, Turkish street food, oven baked kebab, garlic sauce, easy kebab recipe
