A Glug of Oil

Easy and delicious recipes including midweek dinner ideas, English and world cuisine.

Doner Kebab Recipe

Homemade Doner Kebab

Also spelt döner kebab or doner kabob - this is street food at its best, check out my fakeaway kebab recipe

Doner kebab with salad in pitta bread with fries.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Now, this is my version and so of course, it's not quite the same as a doner kebab you'll find from a typical takeaway.

But I will say it actually tastes just as good, and at least you'll know exactly what you put in it.

If you buy one from the typical local kebab shop, they do tend to be made up of goodness knows what kind of meats and you never know what 'extra bits' you might find. 😬

What is a doner kebab?

Doner kebab is a type of kebab, made of seasoned meat that is cooked on an upright rotisserie.

The meat is stacked in the shape of an inverted cone which is then turned slowly on the rotisserie, next to a vertical grill. The outer layer is sliced into thin shavings as it cooks.

If you're really into kebabs, you can even buy a doner kebab machine for the home - who knew?!

What to serve with doner kebabs

A simple salad of iceberg lettuce, white cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, onion and a wedge of lemon for squeezing over the meat.

I particularly like these Cooks & Co Hot Green Chillies; they are a vital side served with your doner kebab if you ask me, as are thin and crispy fries.

Recipe Top Tip!

  • I always use leftover beef for the Sunday roast. Just slice it really thinly and marinade in the same way, of course, it will just need heating, rather than cooking, but be sure it's piping hot before serving.
  • If you use steak rather than leftover roast beef, it helps if you put it in the freezer for 45 minutes before slicing, it will be so much easier to slice thinly.

How to make doner kebabs

Mix the spices together with vegetable oil.

  • 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of hot chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
  • a good pinch of black pepper

Heat up a large frying pan and throw in the sliced meat along with the oil it's coated in - you shouldn't need to add any more oil.

Doner kebab meat.

To serve

  • white cabbage - thinly sliced
  • iceberg lettuce -thinly sliced
  • cucumber - sliced
  • tomato - sliced
  • onion - sliced
  • lemon wedges
Salad for doner kebab.

Pile into the warmed pitta, and serve with fries and enjoy.

Doner kebob in pitta with salad.

Do let me know in the comments below if you make this!

Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe card below!

doner kebab recipe, doner kebob, homemade doner kebab, kebab meat
dinner, main, snack
Turkish
Yield: 2
Author: Jan Bennett
Doner Kebab Recipe

Doner Kebab Recipe

If you use a piece of steak rather than leftover roast beef you may want to cook it a few minutes longer.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 5 MinInactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min

Ingredients

  • 2 handfuls of thinly sliced leftover roast beef (or 350g sirloin steak)
  • Mix together in a bowl
  • 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of hot chilli powder
  • 1 teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
  • a good pinch of black pepper
To serve
  • pita bread - sliced and warmed in the microwave (just a few seconds) or heat on a hot griddle pan
  • white cabbage - thinly sliced
  • iceberg lettuce -thinly sliced
  • cucumber - sliced
  • tomato - sliced
  • onion - sliced
  • lemon wedges
  • green frenk chillies taken from a jar - drained well
  • chilli sauce - I use Encona hot pepper sauce - available in any good supermarket

Instructions

  1. Mix the oil and spices together in a bowl, add the meat and use your hands to mix, making sure the meat is well coated. If you use more beef than I stated you will need a little more oil and perhaps more spices.
  2. Cover the bowl with cling film and put it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes but an hour is better.
  3. Half an hour before you're ready to cook, remove from the fridge and mix again.
  4. Heat up a large frying pan and throw in the sliced meat along with the oil it's coated in - you shouldn't need to add any more oil.
  5. Pile into warmed pita bread with the salad. Serve with pickled chillies and of course, hot chilli sauce and lemon wedges on the side.
Did you make this recipe?
@aglugofoil # aglugofoil

9 comments

  1. Jan, I like your version better. It's real, identifiable meat...doners seem to be a mystery.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Now that's good mood food! Will be making one of these with leftover lamb for lunch.

    Never had a takeaway one though - feel I've missed out. From salmonella. How many days does that meat get heated up, cooled down and then left out overnight?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mystery meat has never been my cup of tea! Like your version a lot better! Looks fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a fabulous idea Jan. I gave up on Doners many years ago. I never liked the idea of what might be in the meat, and I never really enjoyed them...the thought of them was always better than the reality!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Living in the Middle East I'm fortunate to be able to get a doner kebab any time I live from my local Turkish kebaberie (is that a word?). I never really thought of doing it at home, but I think I'll give it a shot now, thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for sharing this with us Jan. The weather is cooler and we need a blast of Greek cooking as a reminder right now.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I haven't had a donner kebab in years, but after seeing this I'm tempted!
    Lovely colourful photos Jan.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Another super recipe, Jan. It's years since I had a doner kebab, dodgy or otherwise. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Do you deliver ?

    Sadly doners have been given a very bad name (and taste) by most of the places that sell them. If they were like yours, they'd be on my list of 'fast foods' to eat on the way home from a night out.
    The photo got me dribbling so my initial question still applies ;-)

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from everyone so thanks for taking the time to comment. Please note comments containing links will NOT be published.

Cheers
Jan