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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Comments
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Hi Jenn,
Can I use ground beef instead of lamb? My husband doesn’t like lamb. If I use bread crumbs, how much should I use? Thank you for sharing this recipe…
Could you please send me the link to your new book? I would like to pre-order it. I couldn’t wait and look forward to having it. I have the first one.
Thank you so much
Rose G.
Hi Rose, Yes, you can use beef here and if you want to use bread crumbs, I’d recommend 1/4 – 1/3 cup. And thanks so much for inquiring about the cookbook! See where to purchase it here. Hope you enjoy the burgers if you make them!
Ingredients:
1-1/2 pounds ground lamb means 1.5 pounds?
Correct – hope you enjoy!
Jenn,
This is one of our favorite recipes. We love, love, love these lamb burgers.
I often serve it over mixed greens and, of course, with your tzatziki sauce. My husband brags about my cooking frequently, but it is really your recipes.
Thanks so much!
Hi Kate – I totally agree, we “home chefs in training” are indebted to our mentors for providing such wonderful recipes that they have perfected. Thank you Jenn Segal and Ina Garten for being my primary sources for flawless dishes. You DO make me look good!
Hi
Could I use a grill pan instead of a barbecue?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
I made these burgers several times in the past few months – they are so good! My daughter, who doesn’t really like regular burgers, LOVES these. I followed the recipe exactly and they were perfect every time. Thanks Jenn!!
These lamb patties are delicious. I made them pretty much to the recipe, but had no Greek yoghurt or tzatziki, so made up as burgers with what I had. Huge hit with the 10yo.
I made a similar recipe. Very tasty and worth repeating. definitely use a good meat thermometer to make sure you cook them to 180F, but not overdone. I made it smash burger style so it cooks faster, more browning.
180F, wouldn’t that basically create
charcol?
Could I use dill instead of mint? I am using dill in the tzakziki.
Sure – enjoy! 🙂
Can you substitute bread crumbs instead of white bread? If so how much bread crumbs?
Sure, Sarah – I’d guesstimate you’d need about 1/4 – 1/3 cup. Hope you enjoy!
So, so good! The most moist lamb burger ever!
Hi, your recipes are so great. When you say slice of bread in this recipe is it toast or I use any type of bread? Thank you
Glad you like the recipes! For this, you’ll need just regular bread (not toasted). Enjoy!
Thank you for your quick response