Cevapi - or cevapcici - are the juicy grilled minced meat rolls you know from street stalls and grill restaurants all over the Balkans. The first time I made them at home, I couldn't believe how close they came to the ones we ate on vacation: crispy outside, tender inside, full of garlic and smoked paprika.
You don't need a sausage maker or any special equipment. Just ground beef, a handful of pantry spices, and a hot BBQ or grill pan. Two hours of chilling does the real work.
Don't just take my word for it. Chef Dennis wrote in the comments: "I couldn't believe how delicious those were! My family loved them." And Toni: "This was so good!"
Serve them the traditional way, stuffed into warm flatbread with chopped raw onion and a generous spoon of garlic sauce or ajvar, and dinner is on the table with almost no effort.
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Wait, are cevapi actually sausages?
Technically, no and a Serbian reader, Goran, rightly pointed this out in the comments. A sausage is stuffed into a casing; cevapi are hand-rolled, case-free minced meat rolls, closer to a small kebab (the name comes from the Turkish kebap - ćevapčići literally means "little kebabs").
I use the word "sausage" here because that's what most home cooks search for and recognize, but if you order cevapi in Sarajevo or Belgrade, don't call them sausages!
Every Balkan country has its own version:
- Bosnia: shorter, fatter, usually all beef (or beef and lamb): considered the national dish
- Serbia: often a mix of beef, lamb, and pork
- Croatia: thinner and longer, typically beef and pork
My version uses beef only, so it's closest to the Bosnian style and it's the easiest to shop for. Want it more Serbian or Croatian? Use the meat swaps in the tips below.
Traditional Cevapcici Recipe: Grilled Serbian Sausage
Cevapcici, or Cevapi, is an easy meat dish in the Balkans, southeastern Europe. They are spicy sausages that you make from minced meat and then grill.
Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro, eastern European countries, have their own variant. And you can eat them as a take-away.
They are eaten on flat (pita) bread and served with finely chopped onion, lettuce, and sauce. It's a delicious meal, that's for sure!
Cevapcici grilled spicy minced meat sausages are not only delicious on holidays. You can now prepare them quickly at your own home!
Balkan cuisine
You know this dish from the Balkans (southeast Europe), where every country has its own variant.
The cevapcici recipe Bosnian (cevapi) is shorter and a bit fatter. They are usually made from two types of ground beef.
You get a beef, lamb, and pork mixture if you order Serbian Cevapcici in Serbia.
In Croatia, the cevapcici are made from a mixture of beef and pork. This variant is thinner and longer compared to the Bosnian version.
The recipe is very similar to other kebabs, such as kofta and shish kebab. Dishes you see a lot in Turkey.
A rich history
Cevapi go back to the Ottoman era in the Balkans. By the mid-1800s they were a favorite in Belgrade. First as a late-night snack, later as one of the region's first takeaway meals. Today they're beloved across Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, and Montenegro, and fiercely debated everywhere.
What do you need for the Serbian Cevapi Recipe?
You require the following ingredients to prepare this Cevapi (Grilled Serbian Sausage). You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
- 1 pound ground meat total: use all beef, OR ½ lb beef + ½ lb pork, OR ½ lb beef + ½ lb lamb.
- Paprika Powder: Use a combination of different spices for a deeper flavor. I use smoked paprika and sweet paprika powder.
- Baking soda: Add a little baking soda to crisp up the crust of the meat.
- Vegeta: A spice widely used in the Balkans, where everyone seems to have it in their pantry. It is available at stores like Amazon and can be used in soup, sauce, and stews in addition to this recipe. If you don't have it at home? Then, you can replace it with vegetable stock powder.
- Garlic sauce: Serve the cevapcici with a flatbread, like pita bread, and sauce. In this recipe, I chose garlic sauce (because it's one of my favorite sauces), but sour cream, Greek yogurt (a slimmer version), and pepper sauce are also popular.
- Parsley: Gives a fresh flavor.
- Egg: Binds the meat so it doesn't fall apart.
- Flour: Keeps the meat moist and helps bind it.
- Cayenne pepper: Add some spice to the meat.
- Garlic: Adds great flavor to the ground meat.
How to prepare Cevapcici Sausages
You can find a printable recipe with a step-by-step description at the bottom of this blog.
- Place the ground beef, chopped parsley, and squeezed garlic in a large bowl. Add the flour and Vegeta, sweet paprika powder, and the smoked paprika powder.
- Sprinkle with cayenne pepper and with baking soda. Put the egg on top. And knead everything well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to cool so you can form the meat better and it won't fall apart when you grill it.
- Form small rolls with your hands. If you wet your hands before shaping, the minced meat will stick less. Brush the meat with oil. Because it is baked on the grill or BBQ, you oil the outside of the meat instead of the pan.
- Heat the BBQ or grill (pan) until it is very hot. Place the Serbian sausages on the baking plate and grill for 12 minutes (turning the meat in between).
What to serve with cevapcici? Finely chop the onion and fry the flatbread. Fill the bread with onions and cevap and serve with the garlic sauce. Enjoy your meal!
Top Tip
- Ground Beef: Instead of lean ground beef, you can use half ground beef/ half ground pork or half beef and half lamb (both ground).
- Vegeta: Replace with vegetable stock powder. If you don't have it at home either, leave it out.
- Garlic Sauce: Instead of this creamy sauce, you can also serve this with sour cream or Greek yogurt. Or serve with Ajvar (available in supermarkets or online).
- Baking soda: Don't have baking soda in your pantry? Then leave it out.
- Kid-Friendly: Instead of one teaspoon of smoked paprika, add ½ teaspoon. Omit the cayenne pepper.
- Spicy: Do you like it spicy? Add a finely chopped red pepper to the meat mixture.
- Also tasty: Serve with crispy fries.
- Mix baking soda through the meat. This way, you get a crispy layer when grilling.
- Chill the flavored meat in the refrigerator for at least two hours. This makes it easier to shape them, and you can grill the sausages better.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What's the difference between cevapi and cevapcici? Nothing, really. Ćevapčići is the diminutive of ćevapi which means "little cevapi." Which word people use depends on the country and region.
- Can I make cevapi without a BBQ? Yes. A very hot grill pan or cast-iron skillet works perfectly - that's how I make them outside of summer. About 12 minutes, turning a few times.
- What do you serve with cevapi? Traditionally: warm flatbread (lepinja or pita), chopped raw onion, and ajvar (roasted red pepper relish) or kajmak. Garlic sauce, sour cream, or Greek yogurt all work too. Fries on the side never hurt.
- Why don't cevapi contain breadcrumbs like meatballs? The baking soda plus a long chill gives them their signature springy, sausage-like bite, no breadcrumbs needed.
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
cevapcici
- 1 pound ground beef, Or half and half minced pork / minced beef or ½ pound of minced beef and ½ pound of minced lamb
- ½ oz Fresh Parsley, flat, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, squeezed
- 1 egg, size M
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground
- ¾ teaspoon Vegeta
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
To serve
- 8 pita breads, or any other flatbread
- 2 red onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup garlic sauce, sour cream or Greek yogurt
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
- Put the ground beef in a bowl. Add the parsley and garlic.1 pound ground beef, ½ oz Fresh Parsley, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the smoked paprika, sweet paprika, flour, baking soda, cayenne pepper, and Vegeta. Also, put the egg in the bowl.1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper ground, ¾ teaspoon Vegeta, 1 egg
- Mix all the ingredients with your hands.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Form small meat rolls with your hands. Place on a platter or plate.
- Brush the meat with oil.2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- Heat the BBQ or grill pan until very hot.
- Place the cevapcici in the pan and grill for 12 minutes while turning the meat a few times.
To serve
- Cut open the flatbread (pita bread) and fill it with cevapcici and red onion.8 pita breads, 2 red onions
- Serve with garlic sauce.1 cup garlic sauce
Notes
- You can use different types of minced meat in this recipe. Only ground beef, 50 % ground beef, 50 % ground pork, or a combination of ground beef with ground lamb (50%: 50%).
- Chill the flavored meat in the refrigerator for at least two hours. This makes it easier to shape them, and you can grill the sausages better.
- Kid-Friendly: Instead of 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, add ½ teaspoon. Omit the cayenne pepper.
- Also tasty: Serve with crispy fries.
- Spicy: Do you like it spicy? Add a finely chopped red pepper to the meat mixture.
- After shaping the cevapcici, before brushing them with oil, you can keep them in the fridge for up to one day. You can also freeze them. Place them in a freezer container (with baking paper between each roll, so they do not stick). You can keep them for up to 2 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator and grill them according to the directions.
- After grilling the cevapcici, you can keep them covered in the refrigerator for three days. You can also freeze them. Then, place them in a freezer container (with baking paper between each roll, so they do not stick). You can keep them for up to 2 months. Thaw them in the fridge and heat them in a skillet or the oven for 20 minutes at 320 °F (160 °C).
Nutrition
Jerika says
What a unique recipe can't wait to try this yummy recipe.:) Thanks!
Chef Dennis says
I couldn't believe how delicious those sausages were! My family loved htem.
Toni says
This was so good! It is so tasty and delicious!
Andréa says
Thank you!
Andréa says
So glad to hear that!
Andréa says
Thank you! It sure is!
Goran Stefanović says
Just for a note — "ćevapi" (plural of "ćevap") or "ćevapčići" (diminutive, plural of "ćevapčić") ARE NOT sausage(s) — at least, not in Serbia nor anywhere else in the Balkan.
'When referred to as "a sausage," the product is usually cylindrical and encased in/stuffed into a skin.' — to quote Wikipedia.
Andréa says
Goran, you're absolutely right. When comparing to the official terms cevapi aren't sausages. I used the term because readers who don't know the official name can also find this recipe and can relate to it and enjoy it. Kind regards, Andréa
Susan says
This sounds amazing and I am making them tonight but I'm confused by the meat measurements.
Is it:
1 pound ground beef
or
1 lb half and half minced pork / minced beef =2lbs
or
2½ pound of minced beef and ½ pound of minced lamb =3lbs
I have done 1lb of beef and 1lb or pork mixed...I hope that I have it right! 🙂
Andréa says
It's a total amount of 1 pound. So when mixing two sorts of ground meat, you'll half the weight.