Grilled Beef Kabobs with Marinade
by Sommer Collier — on May 7, 2025 
This grilled beef kabob recipe features a savory, lightly sweet and perfectly spicy marinade and your favorite hearty veggies. Juicy and flavorful marinated steak shish kebabs are an easy and versatile dish you’ll be making again and again all grilling season!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Grilled kabobs – or, kebabs – are a classic barbecue staple. We have been making various shish kabob recipes for years, and the basic concept is always the same… You have some sort of meat or main protein cut into chunks and threaded onto skewers with equal-sized vegetables. But there are nearly endless combinations of meat and veggies you can use!
Today, we are sharing a tried-and-true steak kabob marinade recipe that is our go-to for summertime BBQs and large casual gatherings.
Why You’ll Love These Beef Kabobs with Marinade
- Incredible Marinade – We’ve created a simple yet power-packed marinade with soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, and hot sauce. It infuses the meat with flavor and gives the beef the biggest bang for the buck!
- Versatile Veggies – You can skewer all sorts of hearty vegetables onto your beef kebabs for a lean meal that is wonderfully satisfying!
- Easy Crowd Pleaser – Just marinate the beef, thread the meat and veggies onto skewers, and grill. You’ve got 16-18 kabobs ready to serve in as little as 10 minutes!
The steak can marinate for as little as 30 minutes or up to 12 hours (overnight), so you can start prepping this flavor party well in advance!
Ingredients and Tips
- Beef Kabob Marinade – You likely have what you need in your kitchen right now: olive oil, soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, and your favorite hot sauce.
- Steak – Make sure to buy the best quality beef you can, within your budget. We used New York strips in this recipe. Ribeyes and Beef Tenderloin are also a great choice. But for a more budget-friendly kabob recipe, buy good quality thick-cut top sirloin steak.
- Veggies – Onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms are traditional in most beef kabob recipes. But feel free to mix things up and add in Brussels sprouts, as we did, or zucchini, summer squash, broccoli or cauliflower florets, fat asparagus, or even chunks of fresh pineapple.
How to Make Marinated Beef Kabobs
Tips for Success – If using wooden skewers or bamboo skewers, buy the thickest skewers you can find.
Soak your skewers! This will ensure they don’t burn up completely on the grill. While the beef is marinating, set out a baking dish and fill it with one inch of water. Place the bamboo skewers in the water to soak, for at least 30 minutes, but as long as it takes you to prep and marinate the steak.
Find the full Beef Kabobs recipe with detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Take the meat and veggies off the skewers and place them in an airtight container. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing – The veggies won’t have the same tender texture if frozen, thawed, and reheated. But the meat will keep well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating – Reheat leftovers in the microwave. Heat them in short bursts at 50% power so the shish kabob beef and vegetables rewarm without overcooking.
Serving Suggestions
The combination of sweet, savory, and sharp flavors in the marinade really can go any way with side dishes!
Here we are pairing steak kabobs with yellow rice and crunchy cucumber onion salad. It’s also delicious with other bright salads like chunky Mediterranean salad, Israeli chopped salad, or grilled Mexican street corn salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope, there is no need to cook the veggies ahead of time when making this beef kabob recipe. Simply skewer raw vegetables alongside raw cubes of steak and grill them at the same time.
The beef should be evenly browned on all sides, and the vegetables will have a nice light char on the outside when grilled. You can use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature for doneness. Perfectly medium-rare beef is between 130-140 degrees F.
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Beef Kabobs with Marinade
Video
Ingredients
For the Beef Kabob Marinade –
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey or agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce Cholula, Tabasco, Frank’s, Sriracha
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 clove garlic, mined
For the Shish Kabobs –
- 3 pounds thick-cut steaks 1 ½ inch (We used NY strips, but consider ribeye, sirloin, and London broil.)
- 1 large red onion
- 2 large bell peppers any color
- 1 pound mushrooms button or cremini
- 1 pound brussels sprouts
Instructions
- If using wooden or bamboo skewers, buy the thickest skewers you can find. Then set out a baking dish and fill it with 1-inch of water. Place the bamboo skewers in the water to soak, for at least 30 minutes, but as long as it takes you to prep and marinate the steak. This will ensure they don't burn up completely on the grill.
- Set out a small bowl (or measuring pitcher) for the beef kabob marinade, and a large bowl (or baking dish) for the beef.
- In the small bowl, combine the olive oil, soy sauce, honey, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and garlic powder. Whisk well to combine.
- Cut the steaks into large 1 ½ inch cubes. (Big chunks – so they won’t burn to a crisp before the vegetables are cooked.) Place the beef chunks in the bowl.
- Pour 1 cup of the beef marinade over the steak cubes, reserving the rest of the marinade for later use. Toss well to coat. Then cover and allow the beef to marinate for at least 30 minutes. If planning to marinade longer, place the steak cubes in the refrigerator and marinade for up to 12 hours.
- When ready to grill, cut the onion, and bell peppers into large 1 ½ inch chunks. Clean off the mushrooms and trim the brussels sprouts.
- Preheat the grill to medium heat, about 400°F. Set out a rimmed baking sheet.
- Now carefully slide the beef chunks and vegetables onto the skewers, alternating meat and vegetables. Be careful with the brussels sprouts, as they are dense and need a little work getting on the skewers. Place the finished kebabs on the baking sheet.
- Once all the beef kebabs are prepped and ready, brush the remaining marinade over the beef cubes and vegetables.
- Grill over medium heat for 5 minutes per side, 10 minutes total. Allow the kebabs to rest for 3-5 minutes then serve!
Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Take the meat and veggies off of the skewers and place in an airtight container. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezing – The veggies won’t have the same tender texture if frozen, thawed and reheated. But the meat will keep well in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating – Reheat leftovers in the microwave. Heat them in short bursts at 50% power so the shish kabob beef and vegetables rewarm without overcooking.
Hands down the best kabob recipe I’ve ever tried. The marinade is next-level – sweet, savory, and totally addicting!
I made these for a weekend BBQ and everyone raved about them. Easy to prep, packed with flavor, and perfect with grilled veggies!
These kabobs were amazing! The marinade soaked in so much flavor, and the meat turned out incredibly juicy. Definitely making these all summer long!