Beef Shish Kabobs
Updated Jun 14, 2025
This Shish Kabob recipe uses beef, sirloin steak to be exact, that has been marinated and skewered together with veggies and then grilled for 8 minutes!
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Shish kabobs!
Beef shish kabobs (among all types of other kabobs) are a summer staple at our house. I make them on repeat as soon as grilling season hits with all kinds of proteins, veggies, and even fruit. (If you’re into kabobs as much as we are, you can check out all my shish kabob recipes below.) My kids love them, my husband gets the grill going, and we all kind of fall into this little assembly line. Making shish kabobs is a dinners that feels fun but still gets real food on the table.
This beef kabob version uses sirloin steak, which grills up tender if you don’t overdo it. The marinade has a mix of cumin, paprika, and cardamom, simple but flavorful. I usually chop everything in the morning and let it sit until dinnertime. Then we thread the skewers, grill, and eat no big production.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Shish Kabob Ingredients
- Sirloin steak: Sirloin is my favorite beef cut for beef shish kabobs because it’s lean, flavorful, and affordable, but flank or round steak will work too!
- Bell peppers: I use whatever color I have on hand. I do tend to like the sweeter versions, like red, and orange, with steak.
- Onions: I love sweet yellow onions because they have a milder flavor than white onions but you can use whatever type of onion you have.
- Marinade: I mix together olive oil, lemon juice, fresh garlic, cumin, paprika, cardamom, salt and pepper.
- Optional additional veggies to add: I do often change up, add, and subtract the vegetables I add depending on what’s in my fridge. Some of my fav to include are mushrooms, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and summer squash.
How to Make Shish Kabobs
Shish Kabob Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sirloin steak cut into 1-inch cubes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large yellow onion cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1 red pepper cut into squares
- chopped parsley for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, cardamom, salt and pepper, and whisk to combine. Add the beef chunks and stir to coat. Allow the beef to marinate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Soak wooden skewers in a bowl of cold water for 30 minutes, if using. Preheat the grill on high heat.
- Thread the marinated beef and vegetables onto the skewers. Place the beef kabobs on the preheated grill and brush any leftover marinade on top. Cook for 8 minutes total, flipping the skewers every 2 minutes.
- Allow the beef kabobs to rest covered in aluminum foil for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the marinating process. I like to let my beef marinate for a few hours or even overnight so the spices really get into the meat!
- Leave space between your beef cuts on the skewer. I leave a tiny bit of space between each piece of meat to help everything grill more evenly (though the vegetables sandwiched in between will also help).
- Use metal skewers if possible. I’ve found that the metal stainless steel skewers tend to adhere better to the meat, and they never chip like wooden ones!
- Double up on skewers. If I’m using wooden skewers, doubling up makes it easier to turn my kebabs on the grill while cooking.
Serving Ideas
- Serve your skewers over rice: My Persian Tahdig Crispy Rice (pictured above) is the perfect carb-y base for these protein and veggie skewers.
- Make it a salad: If I’m looking to keep things fresh and light, these skewers taste great as an addition to any salad. My personal favorite is Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad.
- Try a kebab sandwich: When I have leftover shish kebabs, I love to stuff pita with the grilled meat and vegetables (as well as some tasty yogurt sauce and fresh lettuce) for a hearty sandwich.
FAQs
I think these kabobs taste best fresh off of the grill, but if you do have leftovers, they can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, you just grill or broil the kabobs for a few minutes until heated through.
For steak kabobs, I like to cut my beef into one-inch cubes while making sure to slice against the grain before marinating. But, if your butcher doesn’t have pre-cut sirloin, you can always ask them to do it for you!
If I’m using wooden skewers, I like to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading on the kabobs to prevent them from burning on the grill.
I like to start with a piece of beef, then alternate between vegetables. This helps to keep the vegetables from sliding around on the skewer.
Comments
I made these today for dinner. It was a hit with the family! I loved the marinade, it was simple with subtle, balanced flavors. You could taste it but still taste the beef. I made it with lemon rice and a salad. I will be making this again.
This marinade is very tasty. I skewered the beef with fresh mushrooms and white onion. They were very, very good!
Thank you! That’s perfect!
I do not see a key to indicate a printing capability for your recipes. They are frustrating to try to use because they keep flashing through videos and advertisements. When hurrying through a busy day I become annoyed at the repetition which is flashing constantly. Please add a print capability.
If you scroll to the recipe card, there’s a printer icon. When you click on it, I have it formatted in a way to print on 1-2 pages maximum with no images, no large font or anything that takes up too much ink. Can you try that? It should work fine.
thank you so much fo sending me recipe ☺😘
Of course! Hope you enjoy!
I made the chicken Kabobs & rice last night for dinner, my husband just couldn’t stop saying how delicious the dinner was…I used my indoor panini grill (to cold to grill outside yet) ha.ha. Thank you for the amazing recipes…Bonita
That makes me so happy to hear! You’re so welcome!