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DinnerKebab rolls, spiced beef baked in tortillas and sliced into crispy pinwheels
Middle Eastern · Dinner

Kebab Rolls

Oven-baked kebab rolls: spiced ground beef rolled in tortillas, sliced into crispy pinwheels, and served over a creamy yogurt tahini sauce.

5.0 (2 reviews)
30m
Prep
30m
Cook
60m
Total
4
Serves
easy
Level
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Instructions

  1. Make the beef mixture
    In a large bowl, combine the ground beef, Turkish pepper flakes, salt, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, finely chopped red pepper, white onion, and parsley. Mix until everything is evenly combined.
  2. Assemble the rolls
    Lay a large tortilla flat and spread a thin layer of the beef mixture all over the surface.
  3. Roll and slice
    Roll the tortilla up tightly, then cut it into about 1-inch pieces.
  4. Skewer the pieces
    Thread the sliced pieces onto skewers. Repeat until all of the meat mixture is used.
  5. Bake
    Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the skewers on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. Broil at the end if needed for extra colour.
  6. Make the sauce
    While the kebab rolls bake, mix together the yogurt, tahini paste, lemon juice, salt, and minced garlic until smooth and creamy.
  7. Serve
    Spread the yogurt tahini sauce onto a plate, then place the cooked kebab rolls on top and serve.

About this recipe

These kebab rolls are my favourite way to make kebab at home when I want all the flavour without standing over a grill. You spread a simple, spiced beef mixture straight onto a tortilla, roll it up tight, slice it into little pinwheels, thread them onto skewers, and bake until the edges go golden and crisp. Then everything goes over a cool, creamy yogurt tahini sauce.

They land somewhere between a kofta and a kebab, crisp at the edges and soft in the middle, with that warm, homey Middle Eastern flavour I grew up on. The secret is spreading the beef thin, so it cooks through evenly while the spirals catch the oven heat and crisp up, instead of drying out at the edges the way a hand-shaped skewer sometimes does.

The yogurt tahini sauce is not just a garnish, either. The tahini's richness and the lemon's brightness cut straight through the rich beef, the same job a Turkish cacık or a Lebanese toum would do. It is simple, it feeds a hungry table, and it is genuinely hard to get wrong.

Per serving
  • 1180Calories
  • 55gProtein
  • 72gFat
  • 80gCarbs
estimated

Good to know

Why you'll love it

  • All the flavour of grilled kebab, made entirely in the oven, no grill needed.
  • Ready start to finish in about an hour, and mostly hands-off while they bake.
  • Feeds a hungry table, and perfect for a Ramadan iftar or an Eid spread.
  • Fruity Turkish pepper flakes (pul biber) give them a proper Middle Eastern flavour.
  • The cool yogurt tahini sauce balances the rich, spiced beef.
  • Easy to assemble ahead or freeze for a quick weeknight dinner.

Ingredient notes

  • Turkish pepper flakes (pul biber): a mild, fruity chilli flake with about half the heat of regular crushed red pepper, and Aleppo pepper works too. It is the flavour that sets these apart, so try not to skip it.
  • Ground beef: an 80/20 blend keeps the rolls juicy. Very lean beef can come out a little dry.
  • Onion: chop it fine, or grate it, so there are no big chunks that make the rolls fall apart.
  • Tortillas: easy and sturdy. See the variations below for a more traditional bread.

Tips & tricks

  • Keep the meat layer thin. A thick layer steams instead of crisping and is more likely to unroll. This is the single biggest thing.
  • Chill before slicing. Twenty minutes in the fridge firms up the roll, so you get clean spiral slices.
  • Skewer through the cut face. It holds each spiral together so it does not unwind in the oven.
  • Do not skip the flip. Turning them halfway gives you golden colour on both sides, not just the top.

Storage & make-ahead

  • Make ahead: assemble, slice, and skewer the rolls raw, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake fresh when you are ready.
  • Freeze: freeze the raw skewers on a tray until solid, then move them to a bag for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding 5 to 8 minutes.
  • Leftovers: keep cooked rolls in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or an air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes. Skip the microwave, it makes them soft.

Variations

  • Bread: large tortillas are the easy everyday choice. For something more traditional, use lavash, or markook (the thin Levantine saj bread) if you can find it.
  • Meat: a 50/50 beef and lamb blend is deeper and more traditional. Ground chicken is leaner and cooks a little faster.
  • Air fryer: 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes, flipping once, for extra-crispy edges.

To serve, they are lovely with a sharp, lemony fattoush, rice, warm pita, or pickles, and they make a great sharing dish for a Ramadan iftar or an Eid table.

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Frequently asked questions

Seasoned ground beef mixed with Turkish pepper flakes, onion, red pepper, parsley, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper, spread onto a large tortilla, rolled, sliced into pinwheels, and baked. They are served over a yogurt tahini sauce.
A kebab roll (this pinwheel style) starts with raw seasoned meat that is rolled inside the bread and baked, then sliced into spirals. A kathi roll is Indian street food, where an already-cooked kebab is wrapped in a roti with chutneys and salad and eaten like a wrap.
Yes, and it is closer to the traditional version. Lavash, or markook if you can find it, will crisp up even more than a flour tortilla.
Turkish pepper flakes (pul biber) are a mild, slightly fruity chilli flake with roughly half the heat of standard crushed red pepper. Aleppo pepper is almost identical. In a pinch, use half the amount of regular red pepper flakes, though the flavour will be sharper.
Yes. Assemble, slice, and skewer them raw, then refrigerate covered for up to 24 hours and bake when ready. They also freeze well raw for up to 2 months and can be baked from frozen.
Both work. A 50/50 beef and lamb blend gives a deeper, more traditional Middle Eastern flavour. Ground chicken is leaner and will cook a couple of minutes faster.
Keep the meat layer thin, chill the rolls for about 20 minutes before slicing so they hold their shape, and run the skewer through the cut face of each spiral so it cannot unwind in the oven.
Yes. Air fry at 375°F for about 12 to 15 minutes, flipping once halfway. They come out a touch crispier than the oven version.
A yogurt tahini sauce is the classic pairing here. They also work with a cucumber yogurt sauce (cacık), a squeeze of lemon, or a little harissa for more heat.
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