Kibbeh are addictive nuggets with an out of this world taste and texture. Crispy shell outside with a succulent meaty filling inside. Literally a meat bonanza that everyone loves.
Kibbeh recipe is an outstanding use of meat as it is simply stuffing meat with another meat. The bulgur is what makes this dish stands out from the ordinary kofta. Traditionally, its presence on the table meant only one thing: major celebration. it was otherwise too labor intensive not to mention costly.
Kibbeh
Kibbeh in all its forms, raw, fried, broiled, stuffed, baked, and vegetarian is a defining dish for the Lebanese and Syrian cuisines. It is very popular in the eastern parts of the Mediterranean. The most popular form is this one, a hearty croquette. A mixture of ground meat, onion, pine nuts and delicate spices, is stuffed in another mixture of bulgur, onion and ground meat.
Kibbie (also sometimes spelled Kibbi or Kibbe), is made traditionally with lamb or goat meat. Recently it has been popular to make it with beef and I have done it in the past with ground turkey as well.
Kibbeh Recipe FAQs
What is kibbeh made of?
Kibbeh ingredients are divided into two lists. One for the shells and another for the stuffing itself. Here is what you'll need.
Is raw kibbeh safe to eat?
Raw Kibbeh or Kibbeh Nayeh is a quintessential Lebanese dish. It ia made by kneading together ground lamb or beef, bulgur, onion, spices and cold water. Fresh meat, no fat or gristle, and sparkling clean sterile blades are a must if you will eat raw kibbeh.
You need to know the butcher and you'll need to tell him that this is going to be eaten raw to make sure no cross contamination occurs. Of course ready packages of ground meat will not work in this kind of kibbeh.
What do you eat with kibbeh?
Serve Kibbeh with tzaziki sauce, tabouli, tahini dip, or fattoush. You can also serve it with simply some slices or onion, cucumber and tomato.
Tips and tricks:
- It is recommended to use lean ground meat, I try to go for 91-93%.
- Shaping kibbie like this needs some skill. You can simply form into a ball then re-shape it to look like a football shape. Although this is an easy and more simple way it always yields uneven shell. It will still taste delicious though.
- Freezing before frying is considered a "best practice".
- Frying Kibbeh is a very delicate and some how complicated process. You may have the best recipe in the world but then it breaks apart in the oil or pops open. I've included a frying guide as detailed as possible.
- Make sure to use a large enough frying pan as the oil should cover the whole balls but still does not exceed
How to make Kibbie
- In a non stick pan over medium high heat, add oil and heat for a minute.
- Add onion and saute for two minutes or until translucent and fragrant.
- Add meat, break it apart with a spoon until it browns nicely all over.
- Add the spices, season well and adjust salt according to your linking.
- Add pine nuts, some people like using different kind of nuts or a combination. Pine nuts and walnuts are most common.
- Turn heat off and mix everything well until combined. Set aside to cool down.
- In a deep bowl combine bulgur and water.
- Mix water with bulgur, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes. You can make the filling at this time if you want.
- In picture 3&4 above, add the rest of the shell ingredients and mix well with hands.
- In a food processor, add mixture in batches and process until everything is mixed well together.
- Mixture should be soft and uniformed. You can process the whole this 2-3 times until you feel everything is well combined. Some people like to process the ground meat first then add it to the bulgur and the rest of the ingredients then process again.
- Take a small ball, the size of a golf ball in your hand and roll.
- Hold the ball in one hand, and with the index finger of the other hand poke the ball on one side.
- Roll the ball in your hand while pressing with the index finger of the other hand to make a hole and widen it as much as possible like shown above in 3 & 4.
- Now take some of the meat stuff we already made and stuff the ball.
- Close the ball by pinching the open end and roll in your hand to get the football like shape.
- Place the kibbeh on a baking sheet liked with parchment or foil and freeze until firm.
- When you are ready to eat, heat enough oil to cover kibbeh. Use deep enough pot for frying and do not fill more than ⅔ with oil or else the oil will bubble then rise to the sides and spill all over the stove. To know if the oil is hot enough to fry kibbeh, simply dip unpolished wooden spoon or chopsticks in the oil, if it bubbles moderately like shown above then your oil is ready.
- Carefully add the frozen kibbeh to the oil, fry on high for 1 minute then reduce heat as directed below in the recipe. Please be careful as the oil will be hot and the kibbeh is frozen.
Now serve hot and enjoy every bite of it. It is indeed a labor intensive recipe, but trust me you will love it. This is a freezer friendly recipe and a make ahead too. Make enough and freeze for up to 3 months, take out and fry as much as you need.
Favorite to serve with
Kibbeh Recipe
If you like this recipe do not forget to give it a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ star rating and attach a photo of your finished dish. It is always a pleasure of mine to see your photos and check your own take of the recipe. Thank you.
Kibbeh
Ingredients
For the shell:
- 1 pound (454g) #1 fine bulgur wheat, unwashed.
- 1 ½ (360mL) cup cold water.
- ½ pound (227g) lean ground beef or lamb. (Note1).
- 1 ½ teaspoon (10g) salt. or to taste.
- ½ - 1 teaspoon black pepper.
- ½ cup (100g) onion, diced.
- ½ cup + 2Tablespoons (180mL) water.
For the filling:
- 2 Tablespoons (30mL) oil. (Note2)
- 1 cup (200g) onion, diced.
- 1 pound (454g) ground beef.
- 1 ½ teaspoon (10g) salt.
- 1 teaspoon (3g) ground all spice.
- ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- 1 ½ teaspoon (4g) paprika.
- ¼ -⅓ cup toasted pine nuts optional. (Note3)
- Iced water for shaping and forming.
- Oil for frying.
Instructions
- In a deep bowl, add bulgur and pour water over, cover and let it soak for 30 minutes.
Make the filling:
- In a large skillet, over medium heat add oil and sauté onions until translucent.
- Add the ground meat and stir until it is browned. Add the seasoning, mix well.
- Turn heat off and stir in the pine nuts.
Make the shell:
- Add the onion, ground beef, salt and pepper to the bulgur and combine well.
- Transfer the mixture to the bowl of food processor in batches, adding a couple of tablespoons of water each time. Make sure to scrap down the sides of the bowl.
- Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes. (Note4)
Forming the Kibbeh:
- Fill a measuring cup with cold water and add some ice.
- Prepare a backing sheet and line it with parchment paper and set next to you.
- Lightly dip your hands int he cold water and take about 3 Tablespoons of the shell mixture then roll into a ball the size of a golf ball.
- Place the ball in your left hand and using the index finger of the other hand poke a small hole in one end of the ball reaching to the middle of the ball.
- Gently roll the ball into your left hand while pressing your index finger in a circular motion.
- Keep doing this until the hole is bigger make sure not to press too hard on the walls of the kibbeh so it will not break or tear. (Note 5).
- Now take about ¾ teaspoon of the filling and fill the hole of the kibbeh, do not overstuff.
- Close the end of the kibbeh by pinching the end together, make sure to dip your fingers in the iced water every now and then. (Note 6)
- Place the kibbeh on the baking sheet and continue until the whole batch is done.
- Cover and refrigerate or freeze until firm (Note 7).
Frying the Kibbeh:
- In a deep frying pan add oil enough to cover the kibbeh when put in it.
- Heat oil on medium-high , between 355F-375F. (Note 8)
- Add frozen kibbeh, and be careful as the oil will be hot. Do not cram.
- Fry for almost 1 minute, may be a little bit more until the outside gets a nice light brown color.
- Turn heat down to 340 or medium and continue frying for 3-4 more minutes.
- Transfer the Kibbeh to a plate lined with paper towel.
- Raise heat again for 30 seconds before adding the next batch of kibbeh and fry as before.
- Continue until you are done with them all.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Peggy Hamam
Amira,
I made these yesterday and got tons of complements. I have to say that all the recipes that I have tried of yours I have had excellent results. Please keep the recipes coming.
Amira
Peggy, I am so glad you like the recipes here. Thank you for your feed back.
Jennie
can I boil these instead of frying? My husband's grandma used to boil them. your recipe is the closet I have found to what she used to make. Thank you so much.
Amira
Jennie I haven't tried that before, sorry. I tried googling it and from what I've seen to boil Kibbeh many people add flour to the outside bulgur layer my guess is to make it more doughy so it will not break apart when boiled. I hope this helps. Let us know if you try it.
Rency Elkomy
Thank you, Amira for posting the Kibbeh recipe. My husband is from Egypt and I always loved eating Kibbeh. I will try to make it this weekend, In shaa Allah.
Anna Likousis
I love them.
Sandra
Hi!
I have a gluten allergy, so I can’t eat bulgar wheat. Is there something else I can substitute for the Bulgar wheat?
Thanks
Katie
Hi Amira,
Have you tried to make these in an air fryer? I am curious if they will turn out the same.
Katie
Amira
Not yet, but it sure sounds tempting to try.
Novellian
Hello Amira.. I have a question about the color of my kibbeh:) why is it that my kibbeh always comes up much darker (almost black) . Wondering why I’m unable to achieve that light golden color of my fried kibbeh. Please help:$
Amira
I haven't seen this in my little kitchen before, I searched high and low on this problem still nothing but I will not give up:).
Kathy Puziak
Thank you for your wonderful inspiration. I miss the food we enjoyed so much when living in the Middle East. I made my first attempt at kibbeh - they turned out pretty good! My husband loved them. I also enjoy your web site and your warm graciousness. I look forward to returning frequently. And I love the newsletter.
Amira
Kathy, you are so sweet. I am happy you like the recipes here. Where did you live in the Middle East? If you crave any recipe please do not hesitate to shoot me an email. Thank you.
Kathy Puziak
We lived in Saudi Arabia for 7 years. We also lived in Greece and have many friends form Jordan and Lebanon. They have all increased our understanding and love of the culture, food and people.
Thank you also for putting in the calculations on recipes for 1 or 2 or 3 people. I shared with my sister who is cooking for 1 now and she will enjoy your site very much.
Amira
Kathy, thank you so much for your sweet comment. Being open to trying different cuisines is a well-appreciated trait that not everyone has. If you are craving a certain recipe please do not hesitate to contact me, I will be happy to help.
Halima
There are 2 measurements of water in the filling ingredients, but there are no specific instructions as to when to add which portion of water, or what the temperature of the second water should be. I am excited to make these today, but I am not sure that I am clear on what do!
-Is the bulgur soaked in hot, warm, or cold water?
-How much water is added to the food processor and how long should it be processed/to what texture?
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I am going to give it a shot!
Amira
Halima, sorry for the confusion dear. In the printable version above you'll notice the first measurement of water shows up as 360ml cold water this is to make the shell of the Kibbeh. The first step states that you soak the bulgur in this cold water. The second mention of water is in the same section which is 180ml, this is the water you'll add to the food processor when making the shell and just use tap water. When you process the shell ingredients make sure to divide them into batches and divide the 180ml water among your batches as well. Meaning, if you are going to process the shell ingredients in 3 batches then divide the 180ml roughly into thirds so each batch has its own share of water. Then near the end of the ingredients list comes the thrid mention of water, there is no measurement for this as this is the water you need to dip your hands in to shape the kibbeh. So you might want to use like 2 cups of tap water and then add about a cup of ice to it. The important thing is just to make it very cold.
I hope this clarifies any confusion, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any more questions.
Lorie
Thank you for this recipe - I look forward to trying it. Instead of freezing - will the Kibbeh be safe if I put in the fridge and cook the next day?
Amira
Lori, unfortunately, freezing is a must before frying kibbeh or it will be a total mess.
Christel
Hi Amira, thank you so much for this complete-step by step guide to making kibbeh.
I was so excited making mines today for the first time. But while frying them, they started to break and fall apart . What did I do wrong?
Amira
Christel, thank you for trying the recipe. Yesss, it is said that the hardest part of kibbeh is frying them.. so along with the notes in the recipe above I just got a tip from a Syrian grandma. When the oil comes to the right temperature and is very hot drop the Kibbeh and roll it quickly in the hot oil . It is kind of sealing it in all possible directions. I hope this helps, if I get anymore tips I will make sure to update the post as well... keep trying and never give up.. you got this.. it just needs some practicing.
Melanie Cumbo
I have been looking for a recipe for kibbeh for a while now. I remember having them in Dubai many times and the thought of them makes my mouth water!! I want to make these for a party, do you think I can shallow fry them the night before and just reheat in the oven?
Amira
Melanie, unfortunately no. You see Kibbeh is best eaten after being fried, it will not taste bad the next day but it is at its prime when it is freshly fried especially that you are serving it at a party.
Easyfoodsmith
My family loves the Kibbeh and it is something we always order at ourfavorite Lebanese restaurant. Yours look perfect 🙂
Amira
Kibbeh is very much welcomed in my family too... Thank you, I hope you will try it out.