Greek-Style Lamb Burgers
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If you like Greek food, you’ll love these flavorful lamb burgers topped with tzatziki, feta, tomatoes and red onions.
These Greek-style lamb burgers topped with tzatziki, feta, and all the fixins’ are a fun way to change up the standard cookout fare. The secret to making the burgers extra flavorful and juicy is mixing a panade, or bread and milk paste, into the ground meat along with lots of seasoning. You can’t taste the panade, but it guarantees tender and juicy burgers every time, especially if you like your burgers a little more well done or you accidentally overcook them (a little insurance never hurts!). If you can’t find ground lamb, feel free to substitute 80/20 ground beef.
What You’ll Need To Make Greek-Style Lamb Burgers
Step-by-Step Instructions
Combine the bread pieces and milk in a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until a paste forms. 
Add the shallots, garlic, mint, oregano, salt, and pepper.
Mix well.
Add the lamb.
Use your hands to mix until well combined.
Form the meat mixture into 6 oval-shaped patties about ½-inch thick.
Oil the grilling grates. Grill the patties, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached.
Place the burgers on a tray and cover with foil while you warm the pita rounds on the grill. Assemble the burgers and pass the toppings and tzatziki sauce alongside.
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Greek-Style Lamb Burgers
If you like Greek food, you’ll love these flavorful lamb burgers topped with tzatziki, feta, tomatoes and red onions.
Ingredients
For the Lamb Burgers
- 1 slice white bread, crust removed and cut into ¼-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup finely chopped shallots, from 1 to 2 shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ pounds ground lamb (not lean; 80/20 beef may be substituted)
- 6 pita bread rounds* (hamburger buns may be substituted)
For The Toppings
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- Tzatziki sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high heat.
- Combine the bread pieces and milk in a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until a paste forms. Add the shallots, garlic, mint, oregano, salt, and pepper; mix well. Add the lamb, then use your hands to mix until well combined. Form the meat mixture into 6 oval-shaped patties about ½-inch thick.
- Oil the grilling grates. Grill the patties, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, 2 to 4 minutes. Flip the burgers and cook for a few minutes more until desired doneness is reached. Place burgers on a tray and cover with foil while you warm pita rounds on the grill. Assemble the burgers and pass toppings and tzatziki sauce alongside.
- Note: There are two types of pita bread: pita pockets and pocketless pitas. You can use either for this recipe. For pita pockets, be sure they are at least 6 inches wide. Trim off the top ¼ of each round and stuff the burgers and toppings inside. For pocketless pitas, serve burgers open-faced or, if pitas are large enough, wrap them around burgers.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The uncooked burgers can be made and refrigerated up to one day ahead of time or frozen for up to three months. (Freeze the burgers on a baking sheet or plate so their shape sets, then transfer them to a sealable plastic bag for easy storage.) Defrost the burgers overnight in the refrigerator prior to serving and then cook as directed.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Serving size: 1 burger
- Calories: 514
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Sodium: 456 mg
- Cholesterol: 83 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This recipe was delicious! We just topped off all that goodness with thin Claussen pickle slices to add a layer of crunch and bite. Incredible!
Absolutely delicious. Even the non-lamb eaters in my family loved them. I used gf bread to accommodate allergies, and subbed scallions for shallots. Will definitely make these again!
Hi Jenn! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE your website!! Delicious recipes!!! Can you substitute turkey for the lamb in this recipe?
Thank you!!
Hi Kim, so glad you like the recipes! I think these are best with lamb, but you could use turkey here. (Avoid the extra lean variety– they’ll be too dry with that.) LMK how they turn out!
I will stick with the lamb. I meant to tell you Jenn, I feel like I stumbled upon a gift finding your website. I was searching for a recipe for Peruvian Chicken when I found it. Delicious!! I’m so happy to be in your circle! :o))
That is so sweet, Kim! Glad to have you 😊!
Made these over the weekend and they are absolutely delicious! Another winner from you Jenn!!
Is there nutritional information for these burgers?
Hi Wendy, I just added it. Enjoy the burgers!
We can’t have bread (wheat) or milk (dairy), what would you suggest substituting? Or could this just be omitted? Or could you add egg instead?
Hi Minnie, Could you use wheat/gluten-free bread and dairy-free milk (like almond or soy milk)?
Excellent burgers! Great flavor and very juicy. I made the recipe as written with a couple of minor changes. I added a pinch of cinnamon to the meat mix, and used sour cream instead of Greek yogurt for the tzatziki. To draw the moisture from the English cucumber, I sprinkled the grated cuke with a pinch of salt and let it drain for about 30 minutes in a sieve before pressing it dry. I couldn’t use an outdoor grill for the patties so pan-seared them on medium in a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet for about 4 minutes on each side. I didn’t disturb them while they were cooking and they got well caramelized on both sides. Great recipe!
Can you substitute type of bread? French bread, wheat bread, etc… I can’t see purchasing a whole loaf of white bread for one slice. Thank you in advance.
Yep, any bread would really work here. Hope you enjoy!
These lamb burgers are delicious and even people who say they don’t care for lamb end up loving these!
This is a great recipe.I made these following the directions just as written,and the burgers were flavorful,juicy,and delicious.I make them often and enjoy them very much.
Delicious! I cheated this time and used Trader Joe’s Tzatziki (not as good as yours but I was feeling lazy) but the lamb burgers were still super yummy. My family only has lamb once or twice a year but this recipe never disappoints.
Loved the burgers. I going to try them next time with a feta dressing for the sauce.