Vegan Kebab Recipe: Baked Tofu Shish Kebabs With Za'atar

Q: How do you stop vegan kebabs falling apart?

Squeeze the water out of the tofu, keep each kebab a little smaller than a fistful, add the olive oil, and turn them gently halfway through baking.

Q: How long do these vegan kebabs take to bake?

10 to 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. Turn them over about 7 to 8 minutes in.

Vegan Shish Kebabs With Tofu, Fresh Herbs And Middle Eastern Spices.

Baked, Not Fried, With Za’atar, Allspice And A Tahini Drizzle.

Bakes In 10 To 15 Minutes. Great For A Middle Eastern Feast.

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Introduction to this vegan kebab recipe

This vegan kebab recipe mixes crumbled firm tofu with chickpea flour, fresh parsley, coriander and mint, and Middle Eastern spices including za’atar, then shapes the mix into small kebabs and bakes them. They bake in 10 to 15 minutes at 200°C, and you finish them with a drizzle of tahini. They’re vegan, and gluten free too.

You’d never guess these contain tofu. You can only really tell from the picture of them baking, further down! It’s one of my favourite Middle Eastern vegan recipes, and my go-to vegetarian kebab recipe. I love it as part of a feast with my homemade hummus.

I serve mine with flat bread made from chickpea flour. I found it better than any flat bread I could buy.

And in case you’re wondering, in the USA it’s often spelt shish kebob.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us. Or chat with me at a Flametree yoga or meditation class via these timetables.

Vegan shish kebabs, ready to eat

Vegan tofu shish kebabs with hummus and chickpea flat bread

My vegan shish kebabs, made with this recipe, with hummus and chickpea flat bread. A mini feast!

Ingredients for this vegan kebab recipe

Here are the ingredients for this Flametree Yoga Studio dish.

The kebab mix

About 375 grams of firm tofu
A quarter of a red onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of parsley
1 cup of fresh coriander
1 tablespoon of fresh mint
About 85 grams of chickpea flour
3 tablespoons of tomato puree
1 dessert spoon of olive oil, plus a little extra to sprinkle

The spices

1 teaspoon each of ground coriander, cumin and za’atar
Three quarters of a teaspoon of turmeric
Half a teaspoon of chilli
Half to 1 teaspoon of salt
Half a teaspoon of black pepper
Half a teaspoon of allspice

To finish

Tahini, to drizzle over once cooked

Za’atar is a popular Middle Eastern spice blend, pronounced zaah-tur. It adds great flavour to lots of dishes.

My vegan shish kebabs

Baked vegan shish kebabs made with tofu and chickpea flour

Here’s how mine turned out. I’ve rarely found a vegetarian or vegan shish kebab to buy, so I make my own.

How to make this vegan kebab recipe

Use these steps to make these vegan shish kebabs.

Step 1: Prepare

Heat the oven to 200°C.
Crumble the tofu well, and squeeze the water out.
Finely chop the onion, and mince the garlic.
Finely chop the fresh coriander, parsley and mint.

Step 2: Mix

Mix the tofu, onion, garlic and herbs with all the other ingredients except the tahini. That includes the dessert spoon of olive oil.

Step 3: Shape

In your hand, squeeze the mix into small balls, or whatever shape you like.
Be careful not to make them too big. Use about a small to moderate handful of mix for each one.
Lay them out on a baking sheet on your oven tray.
Sprinkle them with a little more olive oil.

Step 4: Bake

Bake at 200°C for 10 to 15 minutes.
Turn them over about 7 to 8 minutes in, taking care they don’t break up.

Step 5: Finish and serve

Drizzle tahini over the top.
Serve with salad, quinoa, tabouli, flat bread and hummus, or whichever of those you fancy.

Vegan shish kebabs while baking

Vegan tofu shish kebabs baking on an oven tray

Keep each kebab a little smaller than a fistful, so it clings together well. The olive oil helps too. You can see how much tofu is in them!

Are these vegan kebabs gluten free?

Yes. There’s no wheat in them. The chickpea flour helps hold them together, and it’s naturally gluten free.

If you’re coeliac, check the labels on your chickpea flour and za’atar, as you would with any flour or spice blend, and use plain tofu.

Is this a shish kebab or a kofta?

Shish kebab usually means pieces of food cooked on a skewer. This shish kebab recipe shapes a spiced mix by hand and bakes it on a tray, so in shape they’re closer to a kofta. Think of them as a vegetarian kofta, or a vegan one!

Whatever you call them, they’re delicious.

How do you stop vegan kebabs falling apart?

Squeeze the water out of the tofu, and keep each kebab a little smaller than a fistful, so it clings together. The olive oil helps too. Then turn them gently halfway through baking.

Vegan kebab recipe: quick questions answered

How long do these vegan kebabs take to bake?

10 to 15 minutes at 200°C. Turn them over about 7 to 8 minutes in.

How big should I make them?

About a small to moderate handful of mix each. Smaller kebabs cling together better.

Do they taste of tofu?

Not really. With all the herbs and spices, you’d never guess these contain tofu.

What do you serve vegan shish kebabs with?

Salad, quinoa, tabouli, flat bread or hummus, or all of them for a Middle Eastern feast. I love chickpea flat bread with them.

Chickpea flat bread on the side

Chickpea flat bread to serve with vegan shish kebabs

Chickpea flat bread goes beautifully with these. I found it’s better than any flat bread I could buy.

How do you spell shish kebab?

In Australia it’s usually shish kebab. In the USA, you’ll often see it spelt shish kebob.

A close up of my vegan kebabs

A close up of my vegan kebabs, with tofu. Let me know what you think!

More Flametree Middle Eastern recipes

Making a Middle Eastern feast? Try my baked falafel, my chunky baba ganoush, or my vegan pizza with tofu and za’atar.

Do you have a vegan recipe or dish you’d like to share?

Please contact me with any dishes you’d like to share with me.

Obviously, I’m especially interested in any dish that is already a great Darwin vegan option.

Alternatively, it may be a potential vegan Darwin recipe that I could adapt, or be inspired by, as I did here.

Experience eating alternatives at a Flametree Yoga Retreat

By the way, there are several upcoming Flametree yoga retreats in Bali in 2027.

Contact us for details of our Darwin yoga retreat packages, or our yoga class packages in the orange lines below.

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Learning to eat mindfully, as a result of yoga and pranayama meditation, is a great way to start more of a vegetarian or vegan journey, or simply mindfully eat whatever you choose.