Best Grilled Kabob & Skewer Recipes for Your Next BBQ

Food on a stick is easy to eat, easy to serve, and people always reach for it first at a cookout. These cover beef, chicken, lamb, shrimp, sausage, and vegetables — enough variety that you could pick two or three and have a full spread.

1. Classic Beef and Pepper Kabobs

Sirloin or top round cut into 1-inch cubes, marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, Worcestershire, salt, pepper. At least an hour, up to overnight. Thread onto skewers with chunks of bell pepper and red onion.

Grill over medium-high, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. The peppers and onion char a bit at this temp, which is what you want. These are the kabobs everyone pictures when you say “we’re grilling kabobs” — no reason to complicate them.

2. Greek Chicken Souvlaki Skewers

Olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, garlic, dried oregano, salt, pepper. Marinate boneless thigh chunks for at least 2 hours. The lemon and vinegar together are what gives souvlaki that specific tang you get at Greek restaurants.

Grill 4-5 minutes per side over medium-high. Serve in pita with tzatziki, sliced cucumber, tomato, and red onion. Or just on a plate with a Greek salad. The pita version is easier for a party since people can assemble their own.

3. Lamb Kofta Skewers

Ground lamb mixed with grated onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and a handful of chopped parsley. Mix it together, shape it around flat metal skewers in an elongated oval — about 4-5 inches long, squeezed on firmly so it doesn’t fall off.

These need flat skewers, not round ones. Round skewers and the meat just spins when you try to turn them. If you only have round, shape the meat into patties instead and grill them flat.

Medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side. The fat in the lamb keeps them juicy. Serve with flatbread, hummus, a simple salad of diced tomato and cucumber with lemon juice.

4. Garlic Butter Shrimp Skewers

Large or jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined. The marinade is melted butter, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, salt, red pepper flakes. Only marinate for 15-20 minutes — shrimp in acid too long turns rubbery.

Grill over medium-high, 2-3 minutes per side. They cook fast so stay with them. Done when they’re pink and curled into a C. Brush with extra garlic butter when they come off the grill.

These go from raw to done in under 6 minutes, which makes them good for a party where you want to grill something right before people eat instead of making everything ahead.

5. Hawaiian Chicken and Pineapple Skewers

Chicken thigh chunks marinated in a mix of soy sauce, pineapple juice, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil. Alternate on skewers with fresh pineapple chunks and pieces of green bell pepper.

Marinate the chicken for 1-4 hours. The pineapple doesn’t need to marinate — just thread it on. Grill over medium-high, turning every few minutes, about 12 minutes total. The pineapple caramelizes on the grill and the edges of the chicken get sticky from the sugar in the marinade.

6. Steak and Mushroom Skewers

Sirloin cubes and whole cremini mushrooms. Toss both in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper. Let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Mushrooms shrink on the grill, so use ones that look a little too big — they’ll be the right size by the time they’re done. Grill over high heat, 3-4 minutes per side. The balsamic gets slightly sweet when it hits the heat, which pairs well with the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Keep it at two ingredients. Sometimes skewers get too busy.

7. Grilled Vegetable Skewers

Zucchini, bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes. Olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder. The main thing is cutting everything roughly the same size — about 1 to 1.5 inches — so it cooks evenly.

Cherry tomatoes are the exception. They cook faster than everything else, so either put them on their own skewer or thread them between sturdier vegetables that hold them in place and insulate them a little.

Grill over medium-high for 10-12 minutes, turning a few times. A grill basket works too if you don’t feel like threading 30 pieces of zucchini onto sticks.

8. Spicy Chorizo and Pepper Skewers

Fresh chorizo (the raw kind, not the dry cured kind) cut into thick coins, threaded onto skewers with bell pepper and onion chunks. The chorizo is already seasoned, so all you need on the vegetables is olive oil and salt.

Grill over medium heat — slightly lower than the other skewers because the chorizo has more fat and will cause flare-ups at higher temps. About 5-6 minutes per side until the sausage is cooked through and the edges are crispy.

These don’t need a marinade, a sauce, or much prep at all. Cut, thread, grill.

Skewer Tips

Metal vs. wood. Metal skewers don’t burn and you can reuse them. Wood skewers need to soak in water for 20-30 minutes or they catch fire. Either works.

Don’t crowd. Leave a small gap between pieces so heat circulates. Jammed-together skewers steam instead of grill.

Separate proteins and vegetables when cook times differ. If you want rare steak and well-charred peppers, put them on different skewers so you can pull each one when it’s ready.