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Balkan

Ćevapi

Non-vegetarian

Small, skinless grilled sausages of minced beef and lamb seasoned with garlic, served in flatbread with raw onion and ajvar — the Balkans' signature street food.

Ćevapi is a Balkan grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 32 minutes and made with ground beef, ground lamb and pita bread. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Plate of flavorful grilled cevapi with fresh vegetables and red pepper sauce. Perfect traditional Balkan meal.
Photo: Media Lens King / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
20 min
Cook
12 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 32 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
659

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the beef, lamb, garlic (opens in a new tab), baking soda (opens in a new tab), sparkling water (opens in a new tab), salt, pepper (opens in a new tab) and paprika (opens in a new tab) and knead for several minutes until sticky and well combined.

    • 8 min

    Food safety: Wash hands and surfaces after handling raw meat.

    Hands kneading dough on a floured surface
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour so the mixture firms up.

    • 1 min

  3. Step 3

    With wet hands, shape into finger-sized sausages about 2 cm thick and 8 cm long.

    • 8 min

  4. Step 4

    Grill over high heat on an oiled grill or griddle, turning, until browned and cooked through. Warm the flatbreads on the grill.

    Food safety: Minced meat must be cooked through to 71 °C with no pink.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Serve 5–10 ćevapi in each flatbread with raw onion (opens in a new tab), ajvar and sour cream (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Bosnia and Herzegovina · Commonly attributedMost closely associated with Bosnia; also central to Serbian and Croatian grilling.Also popular in Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Grills & kebabs · Street food · Main courses
Cooking method
Grilled
Taste
savoury, smoky, garlicky, mild
Diet
No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
Cook more with
Ground beef · Ground lamb · Pita bread · Garlic · Baking soda · Sparkling water
Techniques
Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Kneading

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom sour cream
  • Contains: Wheatfrom pita bread
  • Contains: Glutenfrom pita bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom pita bread

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

659 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 297 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 25%
  • Carbohydrate 23%
  • Fat 52%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy659 kcal222 kcal
Protein39.7 g13.4 g
Carbohydrate37.7 g12.7 g
Net carbohydrate35.5 g12 g
Sugars2 g0.7 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre2.2 g0.7 g
Fat37.6 g12.7 g
Saturated fat13.9 g4.7 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol131 mg44 mg
Sodium1480 mg499 mg
Salt equivalent3.7 g1.2 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
653 mg
Calcium
97 mg
Iron
5.4 mg
Magnesium
57 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
19 µg
Vitamin C
3 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
4.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
123 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: roasted red peppers (jarred), sour cream.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Resting the mixture overnight gives an even better texture.

Common mistakes

  • Using very lean mince gives dry, crumbly ćevapi.
  • Turning them too early, before a crust forms, makes them stick and break.

Serve with

  • Serve with ajvar, chopped onion and kajmak, plus a shopska salad.

Storage

  • Freeze shaped raw ćevapi on a tray for up to 2 months.

Reheating

  • Best cooked fresh; reheat leftovers in a hot pan.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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