Name: Chapli Kebabs in Air Fryer
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Pakistani
Ingredients: FOR THE KEBABS; 1 medium onion, very finely chopped; 1 tomato, finely chopped; 2 tbsp coriander (cilantro) finely chopped; 2 tbsp garlic and ginger paste; 3 green bird’s eye chillies, very finely chopped; 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes; 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder; 1 tbsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed; 1 tbsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed; 1 tsp garam masala; 1 tsp ground black pepper; 1⁄2 tsp salt, plus extra to taste; 1 tbsp roasted gram (chickpea) flour; 500g (1lb 2oz) minced (ground) beef (preferably 20% fat); 150g (5oz) beef marrow (available from most butchers and many supermarkets), coarsely chopped; TO FINISH; 1 tomato, thinly sliced; Oil spray; Flaky salt, to taste; 2 limes, quartered

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Just like deep fried chapli kebabs but without all the oil and mess.

I love chapli kebabs. Everything about them is amazing and deep frying them will always be my favourite method. That said, these air fry chapli kebabs are really good too and a lot better for you.

What are chapli kebabs?

Chapli kebabs are normally made with beef and are very popular at food stalls in Pakistan. Traditionally, the spicy beef patties are deep fried until crispy. I posted a recipe for deep fried chapli kebabs a while back if you want to try that too.

With the South Asian diaspora, chapli kebabs have gained popularity worldwide. They can be found in Pakistani and Afghan restaurants across North America, Europe, and the Middle East.

The kebabs can be served on their own with a good chutney such as this simple coriander chutney or served on flat breads or burger buns topped with the veggies and sauces of your choice.

Will any air fryer work for this recipe?

Yes but with smaller air fryers, you might need to cook in batches.

I use a Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer Air Fryer (<– Affiliate Link) and can highly recommend it. You can see it in the photos below.

How do you add the beef marrow?

I have added it in two ways. This time, the marrow was finely chopped and added to the beef and other ingredients. That works really well.

Having added it in larger chunks in the past, I do prefer it that way. It’s really up to you and both methods are used at street stalls.

When you add larger chunks of marrow, the patties look more impressive and it is nice to bite into a large chunk of beef marrow.

Can you work ahead?

You can and if you do, your air fryer chapli kebabs will be even better.

You can mix the kebab mixture one to two days ahead of cooking. Place it covered tightly in the fridge until ready to use.

As it sits in the fridge, the flavours will develop and the results are amazing!

How long can you store leftovers in the fridge?

These air fryer chapli kebabs are always best served right out of the air fryer.

If you do have leftovers, you can store them in your fridge for about 3 days. Then just reheat them in your air fryer or in your microwave.

Can you freeze chapli kebabs?

You can freeze them cooked or raw. For best results, make the meat mixture and press it into patties to freeze.

Then just follow the cooking instructions. You can even air fry them from frozen but the cooking time might vary some,

Step by step photographs.

Get all your ingredients together before starting. I cut the bone marrow finely but prefer larger chunks FYI.

The kebab ingredients in a mixing bowl ready to blend together.

Place all of the kebab ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead them together to incorporate the ingredients and break the meat down.

Kneading the meat and other ingredients for the kebabs.

You want to knead the ingredient until the meat is quite fine. I added the marrow at this stage but prefer adding it later with larger chunks.

Pressing the kebabs into patties with the sliced tomatoes on top.

Divide the meat into 2 to 4 patties and top with tomato slices. Then press to flatten like a smash burger.

The chapli patties in an air fryer ready to start cooking.

Spray the basket with oil and then carefully place the patties inside. Spray the tops with oil and cook at 200°C/400°F for 15 minutes.

The cooked air fryer chapli kebabs in the air fryer.

After 15 minutes, the exterior of the chapli kebabs will be nice and crispy just like when they are deep fried.

Chapli kebabs plated up with flat breads, vegetables and sauces.

You are in for a real treat with these chapli kebabs!

Air fryer chapli kebab wrapped into a flat bread and topped with vegetables and sauce.

Dig in!

If you like this air fryer chapli kebab recipe, you might like to try some of these air fryer recipes too.

Have you tried this Air Fryer chapli kebab recipe?

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Yield: 2 to 4