Vegan Kebabs

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These Vegan Kebabs made from tofu are a delicious, protein-packed meat alternative. Each 3-kebab serving provides 20g of protein with just 200 calories, with 5g of fiber to support digestion and essential nutrients like iron and calcium.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Vegan

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings (3 kebabs per serving)

Calories: 206kcal

Author: Nisha Melvani

Equipment

Baking sheet
Oven or air fryer or frying pan

Ingredients

10 ounces extra firm tofu or super firm, or firm (about 280 grams or about ⅔ block)
2 ½ teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
½ small yellow onion or red onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup chickpea flour or all-purpose flour (packed and leveled)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salt or salt substitute

Instructions

Press the tofu to remove excess water, or use super-firm tofu to skip this step. Crumble the tofu with your hands or pulse it in a food processor until finely crumbled.
Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet or use a nonstick one.
Combine: In a large bowl, combine the tofu crumbles with tamari, onion, garlic, tomato paste, chickpea flour, mint, parsley, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt to taste. Mix well with your hands, pressing the ingredients together until fully combined.
Shape the mixture into kebabs, using about ¼ cup per kebab. You should get around nine kebabs.
Bake for 25 minutes, flipping them after 15 minutes, until golden brown on all sides.

Notes

Nutrition information is based on a serving of 3 kebabs, using 10 ounces of super-firm tofu and a total yield of 9 kebabs.
Note: To reduce the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), lower the oven temperature to 350ºF for the final 10 minutes and bake a bit longer until evenly golden.
Chop the onion, garlic, and herbs as finely as possible. Larger pieces can make the mixture harder to bind, causing the kebabs to fall apart. A food processor works well for achieving a uniform, fine texture. Refrigerating the mixture before shaping also helps hold everything together.
For sturdy, well-formed kebabs, stick to approximately ¼ cup of mixture each. Smaller sizes hold together better and cook more evenly.
Cooking Method: These kebabs can be pan-fried or air-fried for an even crispier texture.
For the highest protein content, use super-firm tofu. It’s more concentrated and requires no pressing, making prep quicker and the kebabs more protein-packed.

Nutrition