How many calories in Adana kebab?
Last updated: · Prepared by: QuickCalo Team
Short answer
One skewer of Adana kebab (about 100 g) has about 265 kcal and 24 g of protein; 100 g has about 263 kcal. What changes the calories most is the amount of lamb tail fat in the mince. The values are for spicy, mostly lamb mince grilled on skewers; the serving is meat only, and a restaurant serving with lavash and sides is in the table too.
Adana kebab is minced lamb mixed with tail fat and red pepper, pressed by hand onto wide skewers and grilled over charcoal. It is named after the southern city of Adana and is served with lavash, grilled tomatoes and peppers, and a salad of onion with sumac and parsley.
The tail fat is what keeps the kebab juicy, and part of it melts away over the coals. In restaurants the flatbread and sides often add as many calories as the meat, which is why both are listed.
| Serving | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 skewer | 100 | 265 | 24 | 1 | 18 |
| 1 serving (meat only, ~200 g) | 200 | 525 | 47 | 2 | 35 |
| 100 g | 100 | 263 | 23.6 | 0.8 | 17.7 |
| Restaurant serving (with lavash, grilled tomato and pepper, onion salad) — 1 serving | 525 | 875 | 56 | 62 | 44 |
What changes the calories in Adana kebab?
- Fat in the mince: more tail fat makes a juicier and more calorific kebab.
- Lavash: the flatbread under and around the kebab adds carbohydrate.
- Number of skewers: restaurant portions vary from one to two skewers.
How to enjoy Adana kebab a little lighter
- Eat less of the lavash and more of the grilled vegetables and salad.
- Have it with an onion and herb salad rather than rice.
How were these values calculated?
No official record matches this dish directly, so the values come from a recipe calculation: the nutrients of each ingredient were taken from USDA FoodData Central, added up and divided by the cooked weight. Raw total 815 g, cooked weight 800 g.
By cooked weight: 8 skewers; spicy mostly-lamb mince, calculated with USDA cooked lamb and beef records. Lavash, grilled vegetables and onion salad not included.
| Ingredient | Grams | Calories (kcal) | Protein (g) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ground lamb, broiled (cooked) | 600 | 1698 | 148.5 | USDA FDC 172544 |
| ground beef patty, broiled (15% fat, cooked) | 150 | 375 | 38.9 | USDA FDC 174032 |
| red bell pepper | 60 | 16 | 0.6 | USDA FDC 170108 |
| paprika | 5 | 14 | 0.7 | USDA FDC 171329 |
Spices (under 5 g in total per recipe) are not counted.
Other rows in the table:
- Restaurant serving (with lavash, grilled tomato and pepper, onion salad): Recipe calculation. 200 g meat, one lavash, one tomato and two peppers grilled without oil (raw weight), onion and parsley salad and one teaspoon of olive oil. Ayran and rice not included.
Ingredient Grams Calories (kcal) Protein (g) Source Adana kebab 200 526 47.2 calculated on this site Lavash bread 90 248 6.6 calculated on this site tomato 100 18 0.9 USDA FDC 170457 green bell pepper 60 12 0.5 USDA FDC 170427 onion 60 24 0.7 USDA FDC 170000 parsley 10 under 5 0.3 USDA FDC 170416 olive oil 5 44 0 USDA FDC 171413 Total 525 876 56.2
Serving weights:
- 1 skewer: one of 8 equal portions of the recipe
- 1 serving (meat only, ~200 g): typical serving, approximate
Calories per 100 g are rounded to a whole number and macros to one decimal; serving calories to the nearest 5 and protein to a whole gram.
Can you count the calories in Adana kebab from a photo?
Yes: in QuickCalo, snap a photo of your plate or type what you ate, and get the calories and protein in seconds.
Frequently asked questions
How much does one skewer of Adana kebab weigh?
On this page, one skewer of Adana kebab is taken as about 100 g (one of 8 equal portions of the recipe). The real weight depends on the recipe, the size and how it is served.
How much protein is in Adana kebab?
One skewer of Adana kebab has about 24 g of protein; 100 g has 23.6 g.
What is the difference between Adana and Urfa kebab?
Both use similar minced lamb; Adana is spicy and Urfa is mild. Their calories are almost the same.
Similar foods
- Doner kebab
- Chicken doner kebab
- Iskender kebab
- Turkish meatballs (izgara kofte)
- Sate ayam (chicken satay)
- Chicken shawarma
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central — SR Legacy (2018) and FNDDS 2021–2023 datasets; accessed 16 October 2026
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