Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Ćevapi
Hand-rolled grilled beef fingers tucked into pillowy somun with raw onion and kajmak, Sarajevo’s pride.
Bosnian · easy · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 15 min
~556 cal · 46g protein · 7g carbs · 36g fat · 1g fiber · 3g sugars · 17g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Cevapi are the little grilled minced-meat sausages that anchor Bosnian eating, and nowhere are they more at home than in Bascarsija, the Ottoman-era bazaar at the heart of Sarajevo. The cevabdzinicas there have grilled them over charcoal since Ottoman times, and the smell of the coals is part of the old town's character.
The ordering has its own etiquette: locals ask for them by number, five, ten, or fifteen, rather than by any dish name, and they arrive tucked into somun, a soft flatbread warmed over the same coals until it puffs and takes on a breath of smoke. A heap of raw chopped onion and a spoon of kajmak, the rich clotted cream, are the classic companions.
Though grilled minced meat runs across the whole Balkans and back to the Ottoman kitchen, every city insists its own are best, and Sarajevo's, plump and served in tens with smoky somun, have a particularly devoted following. It is street food and civic pride in equal measure.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1.5 lbs ground beef (some lamb welcome)
3 cloves garlic, grated
1/2 tsp baking soda (the texture secret)
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp black pepper
4 somun or pita flatbreads
1 large raw onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup kajmak (or thick sour cream)
a jar on the table ajvar (red pepper relish), optional
Hard to find? jarred roasted red peppers pureed with a clove of garlic and a spoonful of oil - a quick approximation; real ajvar is slow-cooked and deeper, and Balkan brands are worth seeking out
Instructions
1
Knead the meat with garlic, baking soda, paprika, pepper, and salt for a full 5 minutes, the knead builds the signature springy bite. Rest overnight if possible.
2
Roll into finger-sized cylinders, all the same width.
3
Grill over hot coals (or a screaming grill pan), turning often, 8-10 minutes until charred outside and juicy within.
4
Warm the somun over the same fire; split like a pocket.
5
Serve five or ten to a bread with a snowdrift of raw onion and a spoon of kajmak. Ajvar within reach.
Baščaršija ćevabdžinica tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sarajevo. Cevapi here are beef and lamb, ground and shaped without any casing at all, and never pork. They come ten to a portion inside a round of somun still warm from the oven, with raw onion and kajmak, a soured cream skimmed thick and counted as part of the dish rather than a garnish.
🗺️
Bosnia & Herzegovina. Bosnian cooking is Ottoman-rooted and hearty, ćevapi grilled sausages, slow-cooked meat-and-vegetable pot dishes, and flaky burek pastries. Grilled meat, bread, and strong coffee define a warm, unhurried table.
🌍
Europe. Europe has written a great deal of its food into law. A regulation of 1992 created the protected designation of origin and the protected geographical indication, tying a name to a place and a method, and an EU evaluation published in 2021 counted more than three thousand registered names across those schemes, from cheeses and hams down to particular shapes of bread.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Bosnia & Herzegovina
Uštipci with KajmakLittle fried dough balls served warm with kajmak clotted cream and soft cheese.
Begova ČorbaA rich, velvety chicken and okra soup finished with a sour cream and egg yolk liaison, the noble Bey's soup of Bosnian cuisine.
TufahijeWhole apples poached in syrup and stuffed with sweet walnuts, topped with cream, an elegant Ottoman-Bosnian sweet.
Browse all Bosnia & Herzegovina recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Grill or barbecue, Rolling pin.
Storing it: Best straight off the heat. Leftovers keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and reheat well in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
Make it a Bosnia & Herzegovina meal
TufahijeDessert
Begova ČorbaLunch
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Ćevapi?
Hand-rolled grilled beef fingers tucked into pillowy somun with raw onion and kajmak, Sarajevo’s pride.
Where does Ćevapi come from?
Ćevapi is a Bosnian dish from Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Can Ćevapi be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Ćevapi recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Ćevapi safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Ćevapi take to make?
About 40 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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