How Many Pounds of Kabobs per Person

Made of skewered meat, sometimes with chicken, delectable vegetables or tofu that are all grilled to perfection, kabobs are the perfect summertime treat for you and your family or friends to enjoy. They’re fairly easy to make and fun too. You can even make cooking it an activity before dinner!

Kebabs are popular due to their portability—they’re fun on a stick and you can take them virtually anywhere—and are a novelty in the consumer market. It’s ideal for parties and celebrations if you want to whip up something quick that you know for sure everyone would love. 

How Many Pounds of Kabobs per Person For A Crowd

Planning an event but don’t know the ideal serving of kabobs? Easy, the recommended amount would be one-fourth (0.25) to one-third (0.3) pounds of regular-sized meat kabobs per person and one-fourth (0.25) to two-fifths (0.4) pounds of regular-sized vegetarian kabobs per person.

Kabobs 4 Ways For A Crowd

How Much Is a Serving of Kabobs?

Make sure to do a quick survey among your guests prior to cooking. You must know which of them prefer meat kabobs and which would opt for a more vegetarian-friendly version. There are also some who couldn’t care less or would probably eat both, as long as they’re kabobs! 

How many kabobs do you need for 30 people?
How many kabobs do you need for 30 people? I would have 70 Kabobs Available

If you have all the information you need, you just have to remember the rule of thumb: 0.25 to 0.3 pounds per person for meat kabobs and 0.25 to 0.4 pounds per person for veggie kabobs. 

Below is a table with a calculation of kabob servings:

PeopleAmount of Meat Kabobs in PoundsAmount of Vegetarian Kabobs in Pounds
10.25 – 0.30.25 – 0.4
20.5 – 0.60.5 – 0.8
41 – 1.121 – 1.6
82 – 2.42 – 2.3
123 – 3.63 – 4.8
205 – 65 – 8
Handy Table Of Meat and Vegetarian Kabobs For A Family BBQ

How Many Pounds of Meat Do You Need for Kabobs?

One serving or stick of meat kabob needs about 0.25 to 0.4 pounds of meat or about 4-5 pieces of actual grilled meat. If you want to add chicken, you can use 0.25 pounds of it per serving. 

The best beef cuts to use would be beef tenderloin (also called filet mignon), sirloin (specifically the tip), tri-tip steak, chuck beef or steak, and flat iron steak. For chicken, you can opt to use skinless chicken breasts or thighs. 

If your kids do not like kabobs and you have a crowd to feed chicken nuggets and chicken wings always go well at a party.

How Many Kabobs Per Person For A Crowd

Rather than calculating the pounds of meat, you may want to prepare for your big event by just calculating the number kabobs you need to serve for each person.

How To Calculate How Many Kabobs Per Person

When feeding a large group I would calculate 2.5 cut bobs per person. This will allow enough for all, with a few second servings available.

How Many Kabobs For 10 People

  • for 10 guests have 25 kebab’s ready

How Many Kabobs For 20 People

  • for 20 guests serve 50 kabobs

How Many Kabobs For 50 People

  • for 50 people serve 125 kabobs

What Vegetables and Fruits to Use for Meat Kabobs?

There are a variety of vegetables to choose from and best of all, you can definitely mix and match them! You can start by using zucchini, mushrooms (baby bella, cremini or chestnut), tomatoes (cherry or grape), brussels sprouts, and onions (preferably red). 

For some added flavor, you can also use bell peppers (red, green or both), cauliflowers, potatoes, corn, cabbage, pineapples, tofu, beetroots, and even ciabatta or any white bread you have available in your kitchen pantry. 

You of course can have fruit-only kabobs or skewers at a party

Pro tip: whether it’s for meat or veggie kebabs, always skewer in some cheese. You can never go wrong with it!

What Do You Eat Kabobs With?

If you want the perfect side dishes to pair with kabobs, you can use couscous with feta, salads (greek, green, potato, or caesar), potatoes (mashed, roasted, chips), cabbage slaw, coconut rice, corn on the cob, orzo, lemon rice pilaf, dinner rolls, garlic bread, and guacamole. 

With beverages, you can try a classic soda (diet coke), wine (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, chenin blanc, pinot noir), cocktails (mojito, vodka martini, margarita), beer or other non-alcoholic beverages (sparkling cider, ginger ale, grape or cranberry juice, lemonade, cold tea). 

For the sauce, you can use a yogurt garlic sauce made out of greek yogurt, minced garlic cloves, lemon juice, and salt. You can add in some mayonnaise, oregano flakes, and za’atar if you’re feeling particularly creative. 

What Are Tips in Cooking Kabobs?

Marinate your chosen meat cut to add a unique flavor for about 15 to 45 minutes—the longer you marinate, the better tasting it would be. You can opt for a simple salt and pepper seasoning or steak seasoning. Remember to marinate inside the refrigerator and not at room temperature.

For the skewers, use double skewers to make the meat, chicken or veggies easier to turn. Bamboo or wooden skewers will help make the steak cuts cook nice and pink. Regarding equipment, use a gas grill, coal-fueled grill or a stove-top grill pan for the best heating choice. 

Lastly, make sure they’re not too burnt by keeping an eye on them as you cook. Test the doneness of the meat, chicken, or veggies using your finger or your tongs. 

How Do You Cook Kabobs Evenly?

Your meat cuts should be evenly cut into cubes of about 0.75 to 1.5 inches per cube before they’re skewered onto the stick, with ample space in between ingredients of about 0.25 inches so that the entire skewer can circulate and be heated up evenly. 

If you’re using some relatively larger, smaller, or delicate ingredients, they should be skewered separately from the rest. They should also be cooked at a faster rate so that they won’t burn. Some ingredients such as potatoes or corn should be precooked before grilling. 

What Are The Differences Between Kabob and Kebab?

Kabobs or kebabs are basically the same and can be used interchangeably. With a Middle Eastern origin, kabobs in Turkish mean “roasted meat” and have a lot of varieties such as Döner kebab, Chicken Adana, Adana Kebab and Hara Masala Kebab. 

When roasted meat is placed on a skewer or shish, it is called a shish kebab. Western culture dropped the use of shish although some still use it every now and then. The usual base used in a traditional Middle Eastern shish kebab is lamb and beef—never pork since it goes against their dietary prohibitions. 

Kabobs in the West may also be called brochettes, which uses the French word for skewer. Whatever the culture that uses kabobs, it is oftentimes used as appetizers but are also great main dishes for parties, dinners, and other celebrations that call for a number of guests.