Doner Kebab
Updated Dec 05, 2025
Try this viral TikTok doner kebab recipe made in the oven. Roll the seasoned meat in parchment paper, bake until tender, then slice thin for easy weeknight dinners.
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Homemade Doner Kebab
Have you tried the viral doner kebab that’s going around TikTok? It’s a hack for making the popular Turkish street food in the oven using ground beef, onion, garlic, greek yogurt and spices. The key is mixing everything together really well, then rolling it tightly in parchment paper and baking it in the oven. It creates thin slices of beef without using a spinning spit. This method was shared by Meze Mike and I just think it’s so cool!
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Doner Kebab Ingredients
- Ground beef: I like using 85% lean because it has enough fat to keep the meat tender without being greasy. You can use 90% lean if that’s what you have, but the texture will be a little firmer. You can sub with ground turkey or ground chicken.
- Onion: Grate the onion instead of dicing it. The grated texture helps it blend right into the meat, and the extra moisture helps keep everything juicy.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic works best. If you’re out, ¾ teaspoon of garlic powder will work (since 1 clove = ¼ teaspoon).
- Greek yogurt: This helps tenderize the meat and adds a little tang. Use whole-milk yogurt if you have it, but low-fat works too.
- Seasoning: You’ll need cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. These are classic spices for Turkish-style meat. You can adjust the cumin and coriander depending on how warm you want the flavor.
How to Make Doner Kebab
Place the parchment-wrapped logs onto the prepared baking sheet. Add the onions and tomatoes on the side and bake.
Doner Kebab
Ingredients
- 2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
- 1 large onion grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large red onion sliced into wedges
- 2 Roma tomatoes sliced into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Add the ground beef, grated onion, garlic, yogurt, cumin, coriander, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Mix until well combined.
- Divide the mixture in the bowl into four equal portions.
- Place one portion in the center of a sheet of parchment about 12×16. Place another parchment paper the same size on top and use your hands or a rolling pin to roll the beef mixture into a thin rectangle, the shape of the parchment paper..
- Starting from the long side, fold the parchment over the meat and roll it tightly until it forms a flat, compact log. Repeat with the three portions of meat.
- Place the parchment-wrapped logs onto the prepared baking sheet. Add the onions and tomatoes on the side. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Let the logs cool just enough to handle. Unroll, break the meat apart into small chunks or thin slices, and return it to the baking sheet.
- Broil for 2-3 minutes, just until lightly golden with crisp edges.
- Serve in warm pita with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions, and tahini sauce.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Mix really well. Take a minute to mix the beef thoroughly. The more the meat binds together, the better the slices will hold up after baking.
- Grate the onion finely. If the onion pieces are too large, the meat mixture won’t hold as tightly. Grating helps the texture and flavor mix evenly.
- Roll the parchment tightly. Press out any air pockets and make the log as compact as possible. This is what gives you those clean slices.
- Watch the broiler closely. The meat can go from lightly crisp to too dark quickly. Keep an eye on it and pull it once the edges just start to brown.
Serving Ideas
- In a pita: Wrap it in a Lebanese-style thin pita or stuff it in a pita pocket, drizzled with tahini or garlic sauce and any veggies.
- On a salad: It goes great with Mediterranean salads like Shirazi Salad, Fattoush Salad or Cabbage Salad or a simple Cucumber Yogurt Salad.
- On top of rice: Try it with my Lebanese Rice, Lemon Rice or Saffron Rice
- With roasted veggies: Try it with Roasted Potatoes, Roasted Zucchini, or a Roasted Green Beans.
FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet or the oven until warmed through, or give it a quick warm-up in the microwave.
Yes. Slice the baked meat, lay the pieces flat on a sheet pan, freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a skillet or in the oven.
It’s usually from under-mixing or not rolling tightly. The meat needs to be well combined, and the parchment should be wrapped snugly before baking.
More Beef Recipes
- Suya West African beef kabobs
- Kibbeh Nayyeh
- Turkish Pasta
- Lebanese Chicken and Beef Rice
- Easy Steak Gyros
- Arayes meat stuffed pitas
- Baked Kibbeh
- Grilled Beef Kafta
Comments
This works great and tastes good as well! Seems as though this method could work nicely for gyro as well. Have you heard of anyone trying this?
Yay, so glad you liked it!! I haven’t tried it for gyro but that sounds great. Let me know how it turns out if you end up trying it!
Do you have a recipe for the doner sauce they use in Germany?
I don’t, so sorry!
Looks delicious! Wondering if you have any recommendations for a substitute for the Greek yogurt that is non-dairy?
Your favorite non-dairy yogurt will work!
Hi I love this. Can I prep the day before and roll meat on baking paper etc and bake it the next day? Thank you!
Yes absolutely! That’s totally fine. Just keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it.
Looks so good. I have to try this one. Thanks so much.
I hope you enjoy, Luca!!
Would you recommend freezing this recipe? Thank you
Yes. Slice the baked meat, lay the pieces flat on a sheet pan, freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag. They’ll keep up to 3 months. Reheat straight from frozen in a skillet or in the oven.
Instant hit, you never let us down!
Amazing!! So glad you liked it!
Would it be possible to substitute ground turkey in this recipe (red meat allergy)?
Yes, ground turkey would totally work!
Great! Thank you so much for responding! Cannot wait to try it!!!
What about ground chicken?
Yup! That would work great! I might actually do a video soon with ground chicken. Stay tuned!
Dinner tonight and it’s soooo good!
Yay!! Aww, that makes me so happy to hear! Thank you!!