Beef Shish Kabob, also known as shish kebab, is a keto-friendly, delicious, nutrient-packed meal of grilled meat and vegetables on skewers. Pair it with roasted veggies or a low carb salad for a nutritious family meal that tastes like you went to the kebab shop!
❤️ Why you'll love it
When summer rolls around, it’s time to whip out the grill and get grilling! These steak kabobs are a wonderful summer delicacy, and is a great recipe for dinner or a barbeque hangout with friends and family.
It is also a great way to sneak in a bunch of vegetables for your family, especially if you have kids. I like to make my shish kebabs on the grill, but they can also be made in the oven.
Beef shish kabobs are very low carb as I stayed away from sugar, honey, or other sweet condiments sometimes used. But I promise you; you don’t need to add anything to make it any more delicious; it just is that good.
💭 What is a Kebab/Kabob?
Shish kebab or kabob is a Turkish word, and 'shish' means 'skewer.' Kebabs usually refer to meat or vegetables served on a stick. This dish is very popular in the Middle East.
🥘 Equipment Used
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
To prepare beef shish kebabs, you will need skewers, a bowl or bag for marinating, a grill, and a brush to add a little oil at the very end.
You can use metal skewers or wooden bamboo skewers to prepare this. If you do this often, it might be better to buy metal skewers as they can be reused. It is also safer as the wooden skewers are prone to burn.
🧾 Ingredients Used
- Beef steak: You can use any cut of meat for this recipe, like new york strip steak or top sirloin steak.
- Marinade ingredients: Add tons of flavor to each bite of beef by marinating your favorite cut in olive oil, coconut aminos, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, lemon pepper, thyme, and rosemary. You can substitute soy sauce for the aminos, if you don't have any!
- Bell peppers and onions: I use green, orange, and red bell peppers for this recipe. Cut these into even-sized chunks for easy cooking.
🔪 How To Make This Recipe
Make the Beef Kabob Marinade
- Prepare the kebab marinade by mixing the olive oil, coconut aminos, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, lemon pepper, thyme, and rosemary together.
- The recipe calls for one teaspoon of cayenne pepper, but if you like heat, you can add more.
Steak Kebabs on the Grill
- Cut the steak into consistent cubes. Then cut the bell peppers and onions into cubes close to the same size. In a large bowl, pour in the marinade and mix together. If you have time to marinate the meat, keep the meat and vegetables separate. If not, you can toss the meat and vegetables in the marinade before assembling your skewers.
- Put the cubed steak and veggies on the skewer, alternating between each as you go. I like to do one steak cube, then two veggies in alternate colors.
- Preheat your outdoor grill to 375F.
- On a hot grill, cook the shish kebabs for at least 10 minutes, turning every 3 minutes to prevent burning. Continue cooking until they reach your preferred level of doneness or until the internal temperature reaches 145F.
- During the last two minutes, lightly brush some oil on the kebabs and generously sprinkle some crushed pepper on both sides for a spicy kick.
Shish Kebabs in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Place the skewers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes and lightly brushing with olive oil each time.
- During the last 5 minutes, sprinkle crushed pepper on both sides.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
These beef shish kebabs are delicious for meal prep and easy to reheat. Simply store the shish kabobs in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days and microwave them for 2-4 minutes to heat. If you used metal skewers, remove them before microwaving. You can even griddle them on an indoor grill for a few minutes to replicate that freshly grilled flavor.
💭 Tips and Variations
- To prevent burning wooden your wooden skewers, soak them for 30 minutes or, even better, overnight. If you love this recipe, consider switching to metal skewers from Amazon that come with a foldable grill rack set.
- Do not put different types of meats on the skewer. Chicken and steak have different cooking times. So if you want to grill some chicken, lamb cubes, or shrimp, do it separately.
- Marinate the beef chunks overnight for a great flavor. Keep the cut vegetables separate and add those only when assembling the skewers.
- To make it even more spicier, sprinkle some peri peri seasoning, harissa powder, creole seasoning, or all-purpose seasoning.
- Add your favorite extra veggies to customize this shish kabob recipe to your taste.
- You don't have to use an expensive cut of meat for your steak shish kabobs. I use sirloin tips steak for my kabobs.
- If you forgot to clean your grill after the last time you used it in the spring (or last summer?), here are some great instructions on properly cleaning and keeping it maintained year-round.
- Add Worcestershire sauce, cherry tomatoes, garlic powder, or red pepper for additional flavor.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
These beef kabobs are a delicious entree you’ll want to make again and again. Shish kebabs are great to eat on their own, or they go perfectly with a cauliflower rice dish or roasted veggies for a complete meal. Serve your kabobs with some:
You can also try this grilled recipe with this delicious spicy mayo for a unique, spicier flavor.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
What is the best beef for kebabs?
Traditionally, you can use beef, lamb, chicken, goat, mushrooms, or seafood like shrimps. To select the type of beef to use, you can choose any tender cut like flat iron, ribeye, or beef tenderloin, if your budget allows, but my favorite cut is top sirloin. It is a great choice since it is quite tender and budget-friendly, and I like to save money since we make this recipe often.
What are the best vegetables for shish kebabs?
Vegetables that go great with shish kebabs include bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, baby eggplants, zucchini, and yellow squash. I used onions and yellow, red, orange, and green bell peppers for this shish kebab recipe.
Something about the mix of different colors of bell peppers on the vegetable skewers just brings out the summer spirit!
What is coconut aminos?
Coconut aminos is the perfect keto replacement for soy sauce. It is made from coconut sap and is rich and savory in flavor. The flavor is mild compared to soy sauce, and it doesn’t taste like coconut despite the name. It can also directly replace soy sauce in any recipe.
If you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute it with soy sauce but use it sparingly. But I have come to love the milder flavor of coconut aminos, which gives this recipe a delightful taste.
How do you grill kabob skewers without burning vegetables?
Cook on medium heat, and not high heat. The steak obviously can take more heat than the vegetables. Make sure you space out the steak and vegetables and leave space between them to ensure the heat circulation is even.
📚 Related Recipes
Enjoy these other delicious low-carb recipes!
📖 Recipe
Beef Shish Kabob (Shish Kebab)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs top sirloin steak
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup coconut aminos can substitute with soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 small yellow bell pepper
- 1 small orange bell pepper
- ½ onion
Instructions
Make the Beef Kabob Marinade
- Prepare the kebab marinade by mixing the olive oil, coconut aminos, cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, lemon pepper, thyme, and rosemary together.½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup coconut aminos, 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon lemon pepper, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon rosemary
Steak Kebabs on the Grill
- Cut the steak into consistent cubes.2 lbs top sirloin steak
- Then cut the bell peppers and onions into cubes close to the same size.1 small green bell pepper, 1 small red bell pepper, 1 small yellow bell pepper, 1 small orange bell pepper, ½ onion
- In a large bowl, pour in the marinade and mix together.
- Put the cubed steak and veggies on the skewer, alternating between each as you go. I like to do one steak cube, then two veggies in alternate colors.
- Preheat your outdoor grill to 375F.
- On a hot grill, cook the shish kebabs for at least 10 minutes, turning every 3 minutes to prevent burning.
- Continue cooking until they reach your preferred level of doneness or until the internal temperature reaches 145F.
- During the last two minutes, lightly brush some oil on the kebabs and generously sprinkle some crushed pepper on both sides for a spicy kick.
Shish Kebabs in the Oven
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- Place the skewers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes and lightly brushing with olive oil each time.
- During the last 5 minutes, sprinkle crushed pepper on both sides.
Notes
- To prevent burning wooden your wooden skewers, soak them for 30 minutes or, even better, overnight. If you love this recipe, consider switching to metal skewers from Amazon that come with a foldable grill rack set.
- Do not put different types of meats on the skewer. Chicken and steak have different cooking times. So if you want to grill some chicken, lamb cubes, or shrimp, do it separately.
- Marinate the beef chunks overnight for a great flavor. Keep the cut vegetables separate and add those only when assembling the skewers.
- To make it even more spicier, sprinkle some peri peri seasoning, harissa powder, creole seasoning, or all-purpose seasoning.
- You don't have to use an expensive cut of meat for your steak shish kabobs. I use sirloin tips steak for my kabobs.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
[…] Shish Kebab – Low Carb Africa […]