Are you curious about Turkish kebabs but not sure where to start? There are so many types, and they’re all quite different. So we gathered some of the best Turkish kebabs you’ll see in kebab restaurants, along with the recipes we actually make at home, so you can try them in your own kitchen too.
What Is Kebab in Turkey?
In Turkish cuisine, “kebab” or kebap as we say in Turkish, is not just one dish. It’s a category of meat dishes prepared in different ways.
Some are grilled on skewers over charcoal, some are cooked on a vertical rotisserie, and others are baked or cooked in pans at home. That’s why kebabs in Turkey can look completely different from one another.
What they have in common is a focus on juicy and tender meat, and simple seasoning.
If you ask anyone in Turkey about kebabs, you’ll probably get a long list and a small debate too. There are so many regional favorites, and everyone has their own pick.
Doner Kebab (Döner)
Doner kebab is probably the most well-known Turkish kebab around the world. It’s made by stacking layers of meat (beef, lamb, or chicken) on a vertical spit and slowly cooking it as it turns. As the outside cooks, thin slices are shaved off and served.
In Turkey, you’ll usually see it served either in bread as a sandwich (ekmek arası) or wrap (dürüm) with tomatoes and onions, or on a plate with rice pilav or fries and a bit of salad on the side.
If you want to learn more about it, you can also check out our guide on what is doner kebab.
Making it exactly like the traditional version at home is not very practical, but you can still get very close with the right method and seasoning.
Classic Doner Kebab
A very popular street food in Turkey. This is traditionally made with thinly sliced layers of beef or lamb stacked and cooked on a vertical spit. It’s then shaved into thin slices and served in bread or on a plate with rice.
There’s an ongoing debate in Turkey about what meat “real” döner should be made from. Some say it has to be sliced meat, not ground meat, while others think both versions are valid. The same goes for the type of meat too. Some prefer lamb, others go for beef.
If you ask us, we prefer the sliced meat version if we are at a kebap restaurant. But since it’s not very easy to recreate it at home, we usually make it with ground meat instead and we really enjoy it that way too.
See our Turkish doner kebab recipe.
İskender Kebab
A special version of döner from Bursa, a city in western Turkey. Thin slices of döner are served over pieces of pide bread, topped with a rich tomato sauce and melted butter. It’s always served with thick yogurt (tava yoğurdu) and often with roasted tomatoes and peppers on the side.
It’s so popular that there are even restaurant chains across Turkey dedicated just to İskender.
See our iskender kebab recipe.
Chicken Doner Kebab
Marinated chicken slices (preferably chicken thighs) are stacked on a vertical spit and cook slowly as it turns. It’s juicy and flavorful, and often served as a wrap or a sandwich with onions and a simple salad with lettuce. This one is the easiest to cheat at home.
Try our chicken doner kebab recipe.
Shish Kebabs (Şiş Kebap)
After döner, these are probably the most common kebabs you’ll see in Turkey. When people think of Turkish kebabs, this is usually what comes to mind first.
These are the ones cooked on skewers over charcoal, with that amazing smoky flavor. But many of them can easily be made in the oven too.
In Turkey, you’ll often see shish kebabs at ocakbaşı restaurants, where the food is cooked and served right by the fire.
They are also very popular for picnics, since for many Turkish people, a picnic basically means a barbecue. They are served straight off the grill with roasted peppers, tomatoes, and a few simple sides.
And here are some of the most popular shish kebabs:
Lamb Shish Kebab
This is one of the most classic Turkish kebabs, made with chunks of lamb grilled on skewers. We love marinating ours with a simple yogurt and spice mixture. It always turns out tender, juicy, and full of flavor.
You can also add vegetables to your skewers. We especially like roasted peppers and tomatoes.
See our lamb shish kebab recipe.
Chicken Shish Kebab (Tavuk Şiş)
Chicken pieces are marinated in a yogurt and spice mixture, resulting in soft, juicy, and flavorful chicken. It’s one of the easiest kebabs to make at home and always works well.
Check out our Turkish chicken kebabs recipe.
Liver Kebab (Ciğer Şiş)
Especially popular in southeastern Turkey. It’s made with small pieces of liver (often with tail fat) grilled quickly over high heat and usually served with onions and flatbread.
Try our liver kebab recipe.
Adana Kebab
This is our favorite Turkish kebab. It’s a spicy ground lamb kebab that originated in the city of Adana in southeastern Turkey. The meat is packed tightly onto wide metal skewers and grilled over high heat.
We use flat wooden skewers in our homemade version, and they work just fine.
See our Adana kebab recipe.
Urfa Kebab
It’s named after the city of Urfa in southeastern Turkey. Very similar to Adana kebab, but much milder in flavor. While Adana is known for its heat from pul biber (Turkish red pepper flakes), Urfa kebab isn’t spicy.
In kebab restaurants, they’ll usually ask if you want Adana or Urfa, basically spicy or not. We usually go for Adana because we love pul biber, but Urfa is just as good if you prefer something milder.
Shish Kofte
This is a Turkish kebab made with a combination of ground beef and lamb mixed with spices, then shaped onto skewers and grilled.
It’s much easier to make than it looks. You can use a grill or even your oven grill to cook them.
See our shish kofte recipe.
Eggplant Kebab (Patlıcan Kebabı)
We Turks use eggplants in a lot of kebab recipes. A classic eggplant kebab is usually made with either small pieces of lamb or meatballs layered with eggplant.
It’s traditionally cooked on skewers over charcoal, but we also love making it in the oven at home. It’s actually one of the easiest kebabs to recreate, and it turns out just as satisfying.
See our easy eggplant kebab recipe in the oven.
Our Tips for Making Turkish Kebabs at Home
Making Turkish kebabs at home is actually easier than it looks. We make these recipes quite often, and we want to mention a few simple tips.
About the meat: A bit of fat really helps keep kebabs juicy. For ground meat, we usually go for 15% or 20% fat (not too lean). For diced meat like lamb or chicken shish, try to cut the pieces evenly so they cook at the same time.
About the seasoning: Turkish kebabs don’t need complicated seasoning. For most kebabs, we use a mix of salt, black pepper, paprika, and sometimes cumin and thyme. For spicier kebabs like Adana, red pepper flakes (pul biber) are often used. If you want a simple mix, you can also try our Turkish spice blend, which we use in many of our recipes.
About the marinade: We often use a simple yogurt marinade with olive oil and spices. It helps tenderize the meat (lamb, beef or chicken) and adds flavor at the same time.
If you’re short on time, even 30 minutes helps. But if you can plan ahead, a few hours (or overnight) gives the best result. For lamb, especially if it’s good quality, sometimes we skip the marinade completely and just season it before cooking.
What to Serve with Turkish Kebabs
Kebabs are almost never served on their own in Turkey. There are always a few simple sides on the table to complete the meal, and we can’t think of kebabs without them.
Salads
Fresh salads are a must.
Our favorites are çoban salata and Turkish red cabbage salad, but if we are planning to make kebap dürüm (kebab wraps), then we'll go for sumac onions.
Explore our Turkish salads for more ideas.
Bread
Bread is always part of a kebab meal. We can’t imagine eating kebabs without it.
Lavash is perfect for wrapping, and pide is great for soaking up all the juices on the plate.
See all our Turkish breads.
Meze
A few small dishes on the side can really complete the table.
The most popular meze you will see at kebab restaurants are acılı ezme and çiğ köfte. We also love haydari. They all add freshness and balance the flavor of kebabs.
Check out our Turkish meze recipes.
Pilaf
Depending on our mood, we sometimes serve kebabs with a simple rice pilav or bulgur pilaf instead of bread. It turns the meal into something even more filling.
See our list of Best Turkish Side Dishes.
Drinks
And of course, we can’t forget drinks. There are two classics we always think of.
First one is ayran, which is a simple yogurt drink made with yogurt, water, and a bit of salt. It’s cold, refreshing, and balances the richness of kebabs really well.
The other one is şalgam, a fermented drink made from purple carrots and turnips. It has a sour and salty flavor and is especially popular in the city of Adana, where people love to pair it with Adana kebab.
More Turkish Recipes You Might Like
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David says
Love your recipe's, been following you and downloading you recipe's for a number of years now. From South Africa.
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi David,
Such a lovely comment! So happy to hear you are enjoying our recipes. Thank you for letting us know!
Cheers from UK!