{"id":51686,"date":"2024-07-24T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/?p=51686"},"modified":"2026-09-03T04:55:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T11:55:02","slug":"vegan-skewers-and-kebabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodrevolution.org\/blog\/vegan-skewers-and-kebabs\/","title":{"rendered":"Tasty Vegan Skewers and Kebabs Perfect for Parties, Picnics, and BBQs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Jump to Recipes<\/a>\n <\/div>\n
\nI wish I\u2019d been there the day kebabs were invented. I picture a group of Neanderthals holding chunks of mammoth in their fists over an open flame, sweating and hopping up and down in pain, fingers blistering. And then they turn and see Gorg calmly roasting his dinner arm\u2019s length from the fire, meat neatly skewered onto a long pointy stick.<\/p>\n

Kebab technology has come a long way through the millennia \u2014 according to some historians, the cooking technique was pioneered by medieval Turkish soldiers<\/a> who used swords as campfire skewers.<\/strong> (Not exactly swords into plowshares, but at least a step in the right direction.)<\/p>\n

Kebabs accompanied the spread of the Ottoman Empire, showing up in the cuisines of the Middle East and Mediterranean regions, and from there around the world.<\/p>\n

And no wonder \u2014 food on a stick is convenient, efficient, and fun. Done over a campfire, it allows people to socialize while their dinner cooks and requires minimal preparation.<\/p>\n

Cultures around the world have innovated skewered food in ways both savory and sweet. In the Middle East, there are kebabs, both shish and doner. Japanese cuisine features yakitori<\/a>, while in China there\u2019s sweet tanghulu<\/a>. India has tikka, Thailand satay, and Russian shashlik. And, of course, American carnivals and state fairs feature<\/a> corn dogs, fried cheese, and deep-fried candy bars.<\/p>\n

Whoa, that got unhealthy fast! Can we turn things around and go in the other direction? Is it possible to make kebabs out of healthy, whole foods? Can we enjoy food on a stick the plant-based way?<\/p>\n

Why Choose Vegan Skewers or Kebabs?<\/h2>\n
\"Woman
iStock.com\/Liudmila Chernetska<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are many reasons to limit or eliminate meat from your diet, including those related to health<\/a>, the environment<\/a>, and ethics<\/a>. If health is a main concern of yours, there\u2019s even more reason to avoid meat that\u2019s grilled or cooked over an open flame at high temperatures.<\/p>\n

Better for Your Health<\/h3>\n

Cooking meat in this way forms AGEs<\/a>, a very apt acronym for Advanced Glycation End-products that can accelerate aging in your brain and lead to cognitive decline<\/a>. Open flame high-heat cooking also creates carcinogenic compounds in meat, such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only do these harmful compounds end up sticking to the outside of the grilled meat, they\u2019re also released into the air<\/a> \u2014 so just hanging around next to the grill at a barbecue can introduce them into your body.<\/p>\n

By contrast, grilling fruits and vegetables doesn\u2019t create nearly as much of these compounds. While any food high in fat and protein \u2014 including soy foods like tofu and tempeh, as well as highly processed plant-based meat alternatives<\/a> \u2014 will produce some level of AGEs, HCAs, and PAHs when grilled, eating a plant-based diet can reduce AGEs by 79%<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can reduce your AGEs exposure even further by using oil-free marinades<\/a> rather than oils to coat plant-based kebab ingredients.<\/p>\n

And plant-based diets are healthier<\/a> in general. Plant-based foods that aren\u2019t highly processed contain fiber, which is severely lacking in industrialized diets (and almost entirely absent from meat).<\/p>\n

If you choose whole foods over processed ones, you\u2019re also getting more nutrients per calorie, including antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.<\/p>\n

Plants are much lower than meat in saturated fat, and they don\u2019t contain certain compounds in meat that cause inflammation<\/a>, such as TMAO and IGF-1.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Better for Animals and the Environment<\/h3>\n
\"Holstein
iStock.com\/guter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Eating plants instead of animals is also better for those animals and for the environment<\/a>. It turns out that animal agriculture is responsible for a surprisingly high amount of the world\u2019s greenhouse gas emissions, as well as being a leading cause of deforestation.<\/p>\n

Because converting plant protein to animal protein is so inefficient, huge amounts of land produce animal feed instead of feeding hungry people directly.<\/p>\n

Industrial animal agriculture is not only cruel to animals, it\u2019s also pretty cruel to humans. Factory farming<\/a> contributes to algal blooms, foodborne illness, pandemics, water pollution, and other major health issues.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Replacing animal foods with plant foods is a healthier and environmentally friendly choice. And fortunately, there are many ways to get creative with vegan versions of skewer or kebab recipes.<\/p>\n

Essential Plant-Based Ingredients for Food on a Stick<\/h2>\n

So what kinds of plant-based ingredients can go on a stick? Basically, anything you can cut into chunks or pierce whole that won\u2019t fall off.<\/p>\n

That includes many vegetables, such as mushrooms, cauliflower, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, cherry or grape tomatoes, and summer squash like zucchini. Onions can be tricky because, as Shrek pointed out, they have layers.<\/p>\n

Some fruits do really well in kebabs, especially the firm ones like jackfruit, pineapple, mangoes, grapes, and just-ripe peaches and apricots.<\/p>\n

If you want to add more meaty texture and umami flavor to your kebabs, there are plant-based proteins and meat analogues that can range from lightly processed (tempeh, tofu, and bean\/lentil burgers) to medium (seitan) to highly processed (plant-based meat alternatives to chicken tenders and meatballs).<\/p>\n

For flavoring your food on a stick, consider plant-based marinades, sauces and dips, and herbs and spices.<\/p>\n

\"Vegan<\/p>\n

Preparing Your Skewers<\/h2>\n
\"Marinated
iStock.com\/Emilija Milenkovic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can use wood<\/a> or metal skewers<\/a> to put together your creations. If wood, soak them in water first to keep them from burning.<\/p>\n

Next, prepare your marinade (see the recipes below for examples and inspiration).<\/p>\n

Then, cut the ingredients into chunks or slices for easy skewering and cooking (except for round whole foods like small tomatoes and cocktail onions). One of the secrets to good kebabs is to have all pieces roughly the same size; that way, you don\u2019t end up with mushy bits of abandoned tomato skin wedged between hard, raw zucchini bites.<\/p>\n

Marinate<\/a> the ingredients to add flavor: 10\u201315 minutes for softer fruits and vegetables with high water content, and longer (even overnight) for firmer foods.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a video of someone making classic veggie kebabs in an improbably clean kitchen.<\/p>\n\n

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