Favourite Gyro Meat Recipes
These three gyro meat recipes use ground beef and lamb to get that distinctive flavor. The texture is meatloaf-style rather than restaurant-style such as a Greek restaurant, but the flavors are on point. What’s not to love? The recipe rating is superb! Perfect for Christmas recipes, Easter recipes, lunch recipes, easy dinners, or whatever the occasion. Read on and enjoy our Gyro Recipes!
Easy Homemade Gyros
The first favourite homemade gyro meat recipe is Lamb or beef marinated in yogurt and flavored with warm spices served in a pita wrap with homemade tzatziki sauce and all the toppings you love!
INGREDIENTS
MEAT MIXTURE:
- 1 pound ground lamb, or beef
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Oil, for grilling or frying, as needed
MARINADE
- 2 cups greek yogurt (570 g)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (60 mL)
- ¾ cup olive oil (180 mL)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
SANDWICH
- 4 rounds flatbread, or pita
- 4 leaves lettuce
- 1 medium tomato, sliced or diced
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup Tzatziki sauce
TZATZIKI SAUCE
- 1 large cucumber, shredded
- 2 cups greek yogurt (570 g)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- ¼ cup lemon juice (60 mL)
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 8 pita pieces of bread
- onion, sliced
- tomato, sliced
INSTRUCTIONS:
- In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients and stir well.
- On a cutting board, place a piece of plastic wrap over the beef or lamb and pound until about ½ inch (1 cm) thick with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy pan.
- In another large bowl or gallon plastic bag, combine beef or lamb and marinade, stirring well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to one day.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Shred the cucumber, be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid.
- In a medium bowl, combine tzatziki ingredients and stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Set aside.
- On a baking sheet or a large cast-iron skillet, use the onion half as a base and position the skewer vertically like a spit. Skewer the beef or lamb individually, rotating each one 90 degrees.
- Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours, until internal temperature reaches 165°F (75°C). Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Carve off slices of beef or lamb to fill a pita. Top with onion slices, lettuce, tomato slices, and tzatziki sauce.
- Enjoy! It’s the perfect snack to bring to the park or to the best beach spots in Melbourne!
Gyro Lamb Burgers
So when a recipe for Lamb Burgers promised the flavor of a Gyro where you put the meat together yourself, it was a no-brainer. If you are a burger fan like me, you should add this one to your repertoire of summer grilling gyro meat at home.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
- ¼ cup minced yellow onion
- 1 lb. ground lamb
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon each finely chopped parsley, mint, and dill
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ⅓ cup pareve white cheese substitute
- 5 or 6 romaine or iceberg lettuce leaves, shredded
- 8 black olives roughly chopped
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (you can use fresh tomatoes)
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 hamburger buns, toasted
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in a skillet over high heat. Add the onions and cook until browned, about 6 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Transfer onions to a plate; let cool.
- Mix the onions, lamb, mustard, herbs, spices, garlic, and salt and pepper in a bowl. From meat into two thick patties and then set them aside.
- Form meat into two thick patties and then set them aside.
- Prepare a grill to medium-high (or heat a Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet). Grill burgers, flipping once until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 10 minutes for medium-rare.
- In a small bowl, combine pareve cheese, lettuce, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes; toss with the remaining oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
- Place each burger on the bottom half of a bun and top each with the vegetables and bun top.
Grilled Gyro Kebabs
These Greek-style grilled gyro kebabs dish recipes are a quick and easy supper to eat while camping, delivering vivid Mediterranean flavor on a stick. One of the best dinner recipes! You’ve got the makings of a great campfire supper when you combine them with sour yogurt sauce and toasted flatbread.
INGREDIENTS
- ½ pound lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 oz halloumi
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons oil
- salt, to taste
- 4 flatbreads or large pitas
MARINADE
- juice of 1/2 lemon, (about 2 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
LEMON YOGURT SAUCE
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- juice of 1/2 lemon, *
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
AT HOME (OR AT LEAST AN HOUR BEFORE DINNER)
- Stir together all marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Place the lamb in a large zip-top bag or resealable container and pour in the marinade, making sure the meat is completely coated.
- Meat should marinate for at least an hour and up to 48 hours.
AT CAMP
- Fire up your grill or get your campfire going. You will be cooking the kebabs over medium-high to high heat.
- Build your skewers by threading the lamb, tomatoes, and halloumi on their skewers. Brush the tomato and cheese skewers with oil, and season the lamb skewers with salt.
- Once the grill has reached medium-high heat, place all the skewers on the grate. Grill until the lamb has cooked through (about 10 minutes), the tomatoes are soft and beginning to blister (about 4 minutes), and the halloumi is soft and grill marks form (about 3 minutes on each side). Heat the flatbreads over the grill until warm.
- *If you would like, you can also grill the lemon half until it begins to brown and caramelize a bit before juicing for the marinade.
- In the meantime, make the yogurt sauce by combining the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.
- Build your gyros by spreading some of the sauce on each flatbread and topping with the lamb, tomatoes, and halloumi. Make sure to have paper towels nearby!
- Enjoy!
