Cevapi - Easy Balkan Beef Sausages (2024)

Dinner/ European/ Recipes

27/01/2023

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Cevapi are the perfect addition to your next home cooked BBQ. They’re so easy to mix by hand with simple ingredients – no fancy sausage maker required. Grill them over charcoal for that classic smoky flavour!

Why We Love This

Cevapi are not just an example of delicious European street food, they’re an amazing addition to family BBQs!

You can easily make these caseless sausages by hand with simple ingredients – no fancy sausage maker required. Then grill them over charcoal for that classic smoky flavour!

Why not make a double or triple batch and freeze some for later?

Related: Aussie Beef Rissoles / Japanese Style Burgers

What are Cevapi?

Cevapi (written as ćevapi, pronounced che-vah-pee) are small, finger-sized, caseless sausages said to have originated during the Ottoman Empire. They’re quite similar to Turkish kofta kebabs, but are cooked and served without skewers.

Cevapi are traditionally made from ground beef and/or veal, seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed by hand with baking soda and cold water or shaved ice to emulsify the mixture. This process is what gives cevapi their smooth, springy texture once cooked (similar to how Indonesian bakso meatballs are made!).

While cevapi are considered the national dish of Bosnia and Serbia, they can also be found across many Balkan countries such as Slovenia, Macedonia and Albania (to name just a few). Each region tends to have slight variations to the ingredients and seasonings.

How to Make Cevapi

First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.

1. Place the beef mince in a large mixing bowl along with the garlic, parsley, sweet paprika, salt and pepper. Mix by hand until roughly combined.
2. Next grab a small dish and mix the cold water and baking soda together until it dissolves a little bit (it won’t dissolve entirely, this is fine).
3. Add the baking soda mixture into the meat mix and massage together for a good 5 minutes until it’s all combined. Tip: This process is essential to help emulsify the mixture and give it the smooth, springy texture we love in cevapi!
4. Take a small handful of the mixture and first roll it into a ball, then into a small sausage shape. Pat each end to flatten and pop it on the plate. The length should be around the width of your hand.
5. Fire up your charcoal grill OR heat the vegetable oil a large cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium heat. Cook the cevapi for a few minutes per side until browned. Tip: Slice one in half to test if they’re cooked in the middle. A slight pink is okay for beef sausages.

Wandercook’s Tips

• Mixing – Take your time to really ‘massage’ the meat, spices and baking soda together to tenderise the mixture. This is essential for the proper cevapi texture and the end result is totally worth the effort! To make it even more smooth you can add finely shaved ice while mixing.
• Cooking – Make sure the heat isn’t too high, otherwise it will burn the outside and the middle will be raw.

FAQs

Variations

Non-traditional ideas to make them your own!

• Protein – Swap the beef for lamb or mutton, or a mix of lamb, pork and beef. Feel free to experiment with the ratios and mixture, for example 50 / 50 lamb and beef, or 50 / 25 / 25 beef, lamb and pork.
• Seasonings – Add your own seasoning blends to make something completely unique, such as savoury baharat.
• Forming the Shape – We’ve heard that you can press the mixture through a funnel to form the sausage shape, but haven’t tested this. If you try it, let us know how you go!
• Extra Flavour – Add grated or finely chopped onion into the mix, or season with your favourite savoury spice blends. Serve the cooked sausages with chopped raw onion or finely grated onion for an intense flavour burst.
• Condiment Ideas – Try serving them with natural yoghurt, garlic sauce or sour cream or Serbian kajmak cheese.
• Leftover Cevapi? – Make curried sausages or chop them up and serve in a batch of creamy sausage pasta.

Try these amazing recipes next:

• Karniyarik – Turkish Stuffed Eggplants – Juice eggplants stuffed with beef and delicious spices.
• Hungarian Goulash – 15 mins prep then let your stove or slow cooker handle the rest.
• Greek Moussaka – Feed a crowd or have plenty of leftovers.
• Homemade Pasta Sauce – Made from scratch with fresh tomatoes!
• Aussie Campfire Stew – Make anywhere with sausages, veggies and baked beans!

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!

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