If you’ve followed my meal plans for more than a minute, it is obvious to you that GREEK night is as much of a staple in our home as a taco or pasta nights. I like to give credit to my Greek roots, but the truth is no matter your ancestry, you won’t be able to deny the delicious combination of ground lamb and authentic spices, dressed up with Greek staples like feta and kalamata olives. I love this recipe so much, I wanted to shine up this post to give more details on how to cook them and top them.
These are my family’s favorite lamb burger recipe. However, while the recipe calls for ground lamb, you can also use ground beef, ground turkey, or a combination of whatever ground meat your prefer. I’ve been making these for years because they are juicy, flavorful, and a burger that the whole family will devour- no ketchup needed.
While they are delicious on a bun, you can get more creative by serving them on a pita or on a bed of crunchy romaine with tzatziki. The flavors really shine when served on this Greek pasta salad or alongside another family favorite, this no-lettuce-needed Greek salad.
How to Make Greek Lamb Burgers
Gyro Lamb Burgers Ingredients
The ingredient list is simple but produces a surprisingly flavor-packed burger thanks to the additions of fresh lemon juice and finely chopped red onion, along with the Greek spices. You’ll need:
- ground lamb (or you can substitute ground beef, ground turkey, or a meat mixture of your choosing)
- red onion
- fresh garlic
- salt and pepper
- cumin
- nutmeg
- oregano
- fresh lemon juice
What’s healthier- ground beef or ground lamb?
Trying to decide between using ground lamb or ground beef? Though perhaps not as common to eat in the US, lamb is a nutrient-dense meat that is rich in protein, iron, and vitamin B12. It is also lower in fat than beef and has fewer calories. If you are considering fatty acids, like CLA and omega-3’s, lamb has more than beef. If you look at vitamins, like B12 and zinc, beef wins out. The takeaway is both are excellent and both make a great base to this burger.
The only note worth mentioning is that when using ground lamb, you want to be mindful to not overwork the meat. Simply mix the ingredients together gently and they’ll be good to go.
If you are nervous about trying lamb, try it mixed as half lamb and half ground beef. Ground lamb has a similar texture to ground beef but is more rich and flavorful.
How to Cook a Greek Lamb Burger
Good news, there are a lot of options! Grilling these works great. After creating the patty, put a small dent in the middle of the burger. Grilling burgers often causes them to swell a bit in the center, but the indentation prevents this and results in a more evenly cooked and shaped patty instead of a sphere shape.
Pan-frying them is also a great option. Over medium heat in a little avocado oil in a cast iron skillet, cook them for about 3-4 minutes per side, until cooked through. You’ll know they are done when the lamb burger reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, just as you would want for a beef burger.
A third option is to bake them in the oven. Yes, you can bake burgers with surprisingly delicious and juicy results! Plus, if your burgers are prone to falling apart when grilling, baking them solves this problem. Place them in a baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Then let the burgers rest for about 5 minutes before serving to let the juices reabsorb into the burger for maximum flavor and tenderness.
These burgers are great to make ahead of time. You can prep the during the day or even the night before. Just wrap tightly with plastic wrap and pull them out when you are ready to cook them. You could also prep ahead of time and freeze them. When stored properly, the uncooked burgers will last 3-4 months in the freezer. Then just switch them to the fridge 24 hours ahead of time to defrost before proceeding with cooking them in one of three methods outlined above.
How to Serve a Lamb Burger
These burgers totally hit the spot every time and the topping and serving options are plentiful. You can enjoy these burgers on a regular burger bun topped with romaine, sliced tomato, and tzatziki on a pita. Serve them over salad greens like romaine or baby spinach drizzled in olive oil and sprinkled with feta cheese and kalamata olives. They make a great side to a pasta salad at a summer potluck. You can cook them as usual and serve them in a warming dish or stacked in a slow cooker. Add fresh herbs like oregano, dill, parsley, or fresh mint on the side for people to doctor them up as they please and offer slices of pita bread that people can stuff the burger into or layer it between slices.
Any way you choose is sure to be delicious! And once you fall in love with these Greek lamb burgers as much as we have, you can branch out and try their Greek meatball cousin. Delicious! Give these a try and let me know what you think. Tag me on Instagram (@ahealthyslice) or leave a comment below. It always makes me so happy to hear that you’ve enjoyed one of the recipes I’ve shared.
Print
Greek-Style Gyro Burgers
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 4 burgers 1x
Description
These gyro burgers are a household favorite. Made from ground lamb and authentic spices, these can be dressed up with Greek favorites like feta and kalamata olives, but they pack such a punch of zesty flavor on their own, that you can eat them any way you please.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Using your hands, mix until well-combined, being careful not to overwork the meat.
- Form into 4 patties that fit the size of the pita bread you are using.
- Pan fry over medium heat, about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through.
- Serve on pita bread with cucumbers slices, tomato and tzatziki.
Do you ever use more exotic meats, like lamb or bison, at home?
Why or why not?
Karen says
We love bison, its expensive and hard to find but for a treat once in awhile, why not, right?
I cant wait to give this burger recipe a try.
Thanks
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I am absolutely LOVING the concept of those burgers. I will have to attempt a vegetarian version!
Brittany Dixon says
Oh if you do, please share it!
Tricia says
I make those exact burgers all the time. We love gyro burgers. I usually make my yogurt dip but now I realize they sell a similar dip to what you had at Trader Joe’s. Just cut my prep time down. I also bought the quinoa noodles since you had mentioned them but have yet to use them. Looking for a good recipe. Did you know they also sell that same brand of macaroni and cheese? I have yet to try it with my daughter but I definitely bought it!! A $4 box of mac and cheese. Yikes!
Brittany Dixon says
No, I haven’t seen the mac and cheese kind! I’ll have to look for it, though, like you said, $4 for a box of mac means she better love it 😉
Jayme says
I love these meal planning posts! I’ve adopted your Sunday ritual of meal planning, shopping, and prepping and it eases my stress level, too. Please keep these coming – they inspire me!
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks so much for the feedback! It’s nice to hear they are helpful. Hooray for food prep!
Heather says
We love occasionally treating ourselves to bison burgers or lamb burgers as well! My husband likes to try anything and everything, so he’s also grilled up frog legs and is always on the look out for deals on exotic meats to try.
Brittany Dixon says
oh frog! Crazy brave 🙂 I love adventurous eaters, though. Makes meals fun!
Beth Sheridan says
I really like bison, but we can rarely find it around here. I’ve never been a big fan of lamb, but I think I might like it the way that you’ve fixed it here with all the spices and seasoning. Those look wonderful 🙂
Mike @ Midwestern Bite says
My favorite burger isn’t all that exotic due to the meat. It’s due to the nostalgia. The Wife was able to somehow create this that’s based on my favorite homemade hometown garlic salad dressing.
http://midwesternbite.com/the-husbands-favorite-salad-burger-aka-the-not-brutus-burger/
christina says
I had lamb meatballs last night and they were fantastic. This makes me want mooooore!!
Kelli D. says
Do these really taste like Gyros? I love Gyros with real ground lamb but can’t stand the taste of lamb chops. I would hate to spend the money on ground lamb and then have it taste “gamey” like lamb chops. They look really good though!
Brittany Dixon says
Not gamey at all! To be honest, I can’t remember the last time I had a real gyro (still begging to visit Greece one day ;)), but these are freaking great. I mean it. I’m a little weird about venison, quail and such, but these are pure deliciousness. Please try them and let me know what you think!
Jodi says
I made chili Sunday using ground bison from Teeter! Delicious! We have a similar route for shopping… Josh’s, teeter, meat house. Target is a luxury if I can find time w two kiddos. The meat house is awesome! I get their plain chicken breast freezer packed individually. We even call ahead and they have it ready for us. Their salmon is great as well as tun- both wild caught. If you ever do tilapia, their frozen is pretty good, downfall it’s farm raised. Love that place! Spices are great too.. Great price for what you get! Can you tell we love it there!?!:)
Brittany Dixon says
I’m obsessed with The Meat House, too! Have you tried their chicken marinated in their own Meat House seasonings? We are a bit obsessed with it right now- so juicy and delicious.
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries says
I totally agree with you about the meal planning thing. Having a plan makes me feel way less stressed than just winging it.
I’ve never experimented much with lamb, but these burgers sure do sound amazing!
Nicole says
Did you get the yogurt dip at Target? Was it by deli meat and hummus? I want to find it and buy it! 🙂
Matt @ The Athlete's Plate says
These look delicious! I <3 lamb.
lindsay says
You can meal plan for us any day! especially with those lamb burgers! lamb is a favorite here.
Maria says
I love when I read food blogs and they say, “This will please your husband” and I’m thinking, “Wait. This is MY kind of meal”. I must eat like a man 🙂
Also, I meal planned this week. And by meal plan, I mean I chopped up a watermelon and bought some pre-made TJ’s salads for my lunch. Baby steps.
blackhuff says
Lamb is big here in South Africa. It’s expensive as well but we do enjoy it on the BBQ and in the oven.
Jan @ Sprouts n Squats says
Yum those look so delicious 🙂
Love your meal plans for the week.
Ashley says
…so maybe this would be a little much for you… But I’d love the recipes/grocery list for all of this so I could follow it the next week. Sounds delicious. All of it! Maybe a new post if not too much??
Brittany Dixon says
I’ve thought about posting the grocery list, too, but didn’t want to seem too crazy with the details. Maybe I’ll do it in the future?! Thanks for the idea! 🙂
Neil Butterfield says
Exotic meats are too expensive. I love the look of your burger here.
Jennifer says
I just made these burgers last night for dinner and it’s crazy how flavorful they were! I served them without the bread over spinach, tomato, red onion, avocado and a homemade tzatziki. Even my oldest kids (2 & 3.5) gobbled them up. Thanks for the recipe!
Helen says
These lamb burgers are the best!!! They are an absolute favorite and one of our go-to weeknight dinners. Do you know if there are any health benefits for selecting lamb over beef?
Brittany Dixon says
Not any benefits that are outstanding. For these burgers, I prefer the taste of lamb more, and if you are buying conventional versus natural/organic, then lamb can be a bit more humane/healthier because it is not mass produced. However, comparing apples to apples, I don’t believe there is much difference. So glad you enjoy these burgers as much as I do!
Mackenzie says
Just had this for dinner on zoodles and it was so yummy! Thanks for the recipe!!
Brittany Dixon says
So glad you liked them! 🙂
Sara says
Awesome! Made this tonight with ground chicken and ate it over zoodles seasoned with olive oil, fresh lemon, dill, and garlic salt. SO GOOD!
Brittany Dixon says
Awesome! I”m so glad you loved them as much as I do. Thank you for the feedback!
Sarah says
These were great. We put them on hamburger buns with tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, & tomatoes. My 8 year old asked why they were the best burgers ever. 🙂
Erin L says
These are delicious. I use ground turkey or beef and they are amazing!!
Brittany Dixon says
I’m so glad you love them as much as we do, Erin! Thank you for your review!