Meat-free Vegan Kebabs made from marinated soy curls and tender veggies. Grill them up for a flavorful summer meal or make them in the oven instead!
Easy, quick, and full of flavor, my Vegan Kebabs were made for summer barbecues. Not only are they loaded with tender, colorful veggies, but the marinated soy curls soak in classic Mediterranean flavors. It’s one of the best skewer recipes ever!
You may be thinking, “how is it possible to replicate the bright Greek flavors in vegan chicken kebabs?” All you need is a great vegan meat substitute and an amazing marinade!
I used soy curls and a marinade made from oil, lemon, agave, garlic, and herbs. The hydrated soy curls soak up the zesty flavors like a sponge and in just a few hours, they’re ready to be grilled alongside an array of colorful veggies.
In the end, you have tender and flavorful vegetarian kebabs that are necessary at any backyard barbecue party. Serve them with potato wedges, rice, and BBQ cauliflower to keep all of your guests full and happy!
What is vegan kebab meat made of?
I made my vegan chicken kebab meat out of soy curls! Soy curls were the perfect choice because they’re made from one ingredient (whole soy beans) and they soak up flavor like crazy. If you’ve never used soy curls before, you can buy them online on Amazon or at health food stores.
The soy curls will be rehydrated with water before they soak in the tangy and herbaceous kebab marinade. They can be left for as little as 30 minutes but I recommend letting them marinate for 4 to 5 hours for the best flavor!
How to grill vegetarian kebabs
Begin by rehydrating the soy curls in hot water. Once they’re doubled in size and soft, drain and squeeze out the excess water, and place them in a large bowl with the kebab marinade ingredients.
Thread the cut vegetables and marinated soy curls onto the skewers. Grill each vegan chicken kebab until the vegetables are tender.
Oven roasted vegan “chicken” kebabs
Once the soy curls have been rehydrated and marinated, thread them onto the skewer sticks along with the vegetables. Place the kebabs on a lined baking sheet and bake at 450ºF until the vegetables are tender.
Tips and substitutions
- Instead of soy curls – Premarinated tofu is a great substitution and skips the wait time! Alternatively, marinate extra firm tofu pieces in the kebab marinade or use tempeh or seitan (like my vegan chicken) instead. Or use vegan sausages, sliced, such as Field Roast brand.
- Veggies – Use as many different veggies as you like! Mushrooms or cooked potato chunks would both be delicious.
- Bamboo skewers – Soak these in a bowl of warm water for 10 to 30 minutes before assembling the kebabs. Don’t skip this part or else the sticks will burn on the grill!
- You only need half of the soy curls – The large soy curls are easy to thread on the skewers. Use the leftover small pieces to make my soy curl BBQ sandwiches or stir fry them with the leftover marinade. Yum!
- Serving – I love the kebabs with rice and potato wedges on the side, but you can lighten things up with a vegan cobb salad or chickpea salad. Dress them up with ranch dressing, chimichurri, garlic sauce, or leftover marinade on top and enjoy!
More vegan BBQ favorites
Vegan Kebabs
Ingredients
- 8 ounce bag soy curls see notes for options
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced into thick rounds
- 1 large yellow summer squash, sliced into thick rounds
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into chunks
Marinade
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- If using bamboo skewer sticks, soak them in warm water for 10-30 minutes while you prepare all the vegetables. This will help them not burn on the grill!
- In a large bowl, add the dehydrated soy curls, then cover with about 4 cups of hot water. Let them rehydrate for about 10 minutes until they have grown in size and softened. Drain in a colander and squeeze any excess water from the pieces.
- In a large bowl (large enough to fit all the veggies and soy curls), whisk together the marinade ingredients. Add all the large pieces of soy curls to the marinade and the veggies, stir to coat and let marinate for at least 30 minutes. 4-5 hours is best! Save the little pieces of soy curls for another recipe or simply mix with a little bbq sauce and eat on a sandwich or salad.
- Thread all the vegetables and larger pieces of soy curls onto the skewers until you have used everything up. The soy curls are a little delicate, so only use the larger pieces. They will thread just fine.
- TO GRILL: Preheat the grill between 400-450 degrees F. Place the kebabs on the grill and grill for 15-20 minutes, depending on how cooked/softened you want the vegetables to be. Turn the kebabs every 5 minutes or so and let them char a little bit.
- OVEN: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the skewers on a large baking sheet or two lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, flipping the skewers after 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately. I like to eat them with some rice or potato wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
- You could skip the soy curls or substitute some marinated tofu (don’t marinate the already marinated tofu, just the veggies!) or even plain super firm tofu, if desired. Tempeh would also work, or vegan chicken, cut into pieces. You could also use vegan sausages, sliced up.
- Feel free to use different veggies such as mushrooms or even cooked potato chunks.
- You will only use about ½ the package of soy curls (only the large enough pieces to skewer). Make soy curl bbq sandwiches out of the leftovers! Or stir fry with the leftover marinade, yum!
Nora,
The kebabs were delicious 😋
We used tofu instead of curls and did fresh corn as well.
It was a feast!
Thank you for sharing your great recipes!
Nancy
You are very welcome, Nancy! I appreciate you using my recipes! Thank you for your awesome feedback!
These were delicious! I squeezed out some of the excess water from the soy curls before marinating them and the texture was perfect after bbq-ing them! The marinade was delicious on the vegetables as well. I made your macaroni salad to go with the kebabs; it was the perfect summer meal! Thanks for all the wonderful recipes you create and make available to everyone!
Hi Genevieve. You are welcome! Your meal sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing your great feedback and review! I appreciate you using my recipes! I love creating them!
These kebabs were hands down a big hit in a big family of carnivores and vegans. I made them with your vegan tofu marinade. My carnivorous friend who said she refused to eat tofu- thought the tofu was delicious, and ate the kebabs cold the next day- including the tofu!! The kebab marinade was delicious! Will not use another marinade again. Thanks for your recipes. I always start with your recipes when i search for a vegan meal.
Thank you! I am really glad to hear the kebabs were a hit! I love this marinade as well! Thank you for taking time to share your wonderful feedback! Happy cooking!
I made these for 6. This is a little different and easy to make recipe with a really good marinade Nora. Per your notes, I decided to make these with tempeh and it was delicious. I just wanted to share that when I make this again with tempeh, I will marinate it separately from the veggies because there was a little wash off from the tempeh that I think affected the flavor of the marinade. I will try the soy curls next time though. Thanks for another keeper Nora!
So glad you enjoyed the kebabs, Connie! Thank you for leaving your feedback and review!
Made these but skipped the skewers (we were going to just slide them right off anyway). Delicious!! With a side of cous cous… Will make again – especially if we’re heading to a BBQ… non vegans would never miss the meat. A great new method for soy curls.
Hi Margaret. I’m so glad you loved the kebabs! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
This is the best use of soy curls EVER! The marinade is so delicious and the soy curls and veggies get so nice and crispy…yum! A family favourite!
Hi Kate. I’m happy this is a family favorite! Thank you for sharing your great review and comments! Wishing you happy cooking!