Grill Lamb Gyros for a great summer cookout. Wrap a fluffy pita bread around grilled lamb meatballs and top with chopped tomato, cucumber, parsley, and drizzle with a cool Tzatziki Sauce.
In Greece, gyros are usually made with pork, but other meats like chicken, lamb, or beef are also used there and in many other countries around the world.
Homemade gyro sandwiches are sublime with the cool veggies and sauce all tucked in a pita ...
How To Make Gyros
Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ cucumber (seeded and peeled)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint minced
- pinch salt and black pepper
- In a small bowl, whisk Greek yogurt, minced garlic cloves, chopped cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped mint, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, this helps the flavor pop.
You can swap in sour cream or plain yogurt, but it really makes a difference to use real Greek yogurt.
Homemade Gyro Meat Lamb Kabobs
All these ingredients for this gyro meat recipe are easily available at your local grocery store. You can swap in some ground beef or ground pork in place of lamb, or do a blended mix. I made this recipe for young adults, and they absolutely loved it the traditional way with ground lamb.
- ¼ cup red onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon fresh black cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 egg
- 3 lb ground lamb
- 8 pita wraps
Grilling Gyros
- Soak wood skewers in cold water for 1 hour, or use metal skewers.
- In a large bowl, add diced onions, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, rosemary, cumin, allspice, paprika, salt, pepper, and crumbled feta.
- Crack in one egg and add the ground lamb. Using clean hands or a spatula, combine until and mix the lamb gyro meat well until it comes together.
- Use a medium-size ice cream scoop and then roll the meat mixture into almost 3" meatballs in size, as they will shrink on the grill.
- Push 4-5 lamb meatballs onto each skewer leaving space in between. Place them on a large rimmed baking sheet until you are ready to grill.
- Preheat your grill, for direct cooking on medium-high heat.
- Set the lamb kabobs on the wire rack of your gas or charcoal grill for 5-6 minutes per side. Turn every 5-6 minutes until nice grill marks form on the surface of the meatballs. They are done at 160 degrees f internal temperature.
PRO TIP: To make your own ground lamb at home, slice the lamb meat into 1-inch cubes, and remove all bone and excess fat. Freeze the meat for 30 minutes. This helps "grind" it in a food processor or in a meat grinder.
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Assemble Ground Lamb Gyros
- Warm each pita bread briefly on the grill for 20-30 seconds. Don't leave it there too long, you want a nice soft pita bread.
- Place 3 grilled meatballs onto the warm pita bread, and sprinkle on fresh toppings of chopped tomato and cucumber.
- Dollup on the tzatziki sauce and garnish with parsley. You can serve them with some more Greek food recipes, try a Greek salad, a tabbouleh salad, or Greek fries.
Gyros FAQ
The English word pita, comes from the Greeks. Pita bread is a round flatbread or leavened bread made with flour, water, yeast, and salt.
The dough is rolled flat, and baked in a hot oven. It originates from the Middle East and is found all through the eastern Mediterranean and in wheat-eating areas of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
No, in fact, the flavor of grass-fed lamb is actually closer to what mother nature intended because the animals only eat lush, green, and abundant pastures. Young lamb is mild and almost nutty in flavor and aroma.
No, it is only dry if you over-cook it. Seared in a hot pan or grilled, lamb is more tender, flavorful, and juicy between rare and medium.
Cuts like legs and shoulders require a longer cook time, low and slow is the best way to go.
160°F for ground lamb used for kabobs or lamb kofta.
For lamb chops and rack of lamb, you don't want to cook much past 145°F, or else it will dry out.
In Greek, the word gyro or γύρο (pronounced YEE-roh) means "turn or revolution."
In Greece, gyros are normally made with pork, though other meats are used in other countries. Chicken is common, and lamb or beef may be found more rarely.
In Greek restaurants, you will often find an upright giant cone of meat turning on an upright vertical rotisserie grill. Thin slices of traditional gyro meat are carved off as it turns to make gyros.
A gyro loaf is produced by shaping ground meat which can be lamb, chicken, beef, or most commonly pork in a round cylinder. It is frozen and sold commercially to restaurants.
Miss Sassy sure wants one...
More Grill Recipes
For more lamb recipes, try these easy and impressive Grilled Lamb Chops, with peaches, and a parmesan mint pesto. Serve with cool drinks and a salad, and the party is on!
An elegant easy entertaining grill recipe ready in 45 minutes, serve your guests with Cabernet Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops paired with grilled watermelon skewers.
I have dozens of ideas for outdoor grilling and party food, here are a few more to get you inspired to at your next cookout.
The Best Cheeseburger with sauce, and homemade relish. Oh and be sure to try the best burger seasoning plus all my tips!
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Lamb Gyros With Greek Tzatziki Sauce
Ingredients
Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ cucumber (seeded and peeled)
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint minced
- pinch salt and pepper
Gyros (Lamb Kabobs)
- ¼ cup red onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 egg
- 3 lb ground lamb
- 8 pita wraps
Garnishes
- tomatoes chopped
- cucumber chopped
- parsley minced
Instructions
Tzatziki Sauce
- Using a whisk, mix Greek yogurt, minced garlic, chopped cucumber, lemon juice, olive oil, chopped mint, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, this helps the flavor.
Lamb Kabobs
- Soak wood skewers in cold water for 1 hour, or use metal skewers.
- In a large bowl, add diced onions, minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cinnamon, oregano, parsley, rosemary, cumin, allspice, paprika, salt, pepper, and crumbled feta.
- Crack in one egg and add the ground lamb. Using clean hands or a spatula, combine until and mix the lamb gyro meat well until it comes together.
- Preheat your gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat, 400 degrees.
- Use a medium-size ice cream scoop and then roll the meat mixture into almost 3" meatballs in size, as they will shrink on the grill.
- Push 4-5 meatballs onto each skewer leaving space in between. Place them on a large rimmed baking sheet until you are ready to grill.
- Preheat your grill, for direct cooking on medium-high heat. Set the lamb kabobs on the wire rack of your gas or charcoal grill for 5-6 minutes per side. Turn every 5-6 minutes until nice grill marks form on the surface of the meatballs. They are done at 160 degrees internal temperature.
Assemble Gyros
- Warm each pita bread briefly on the grill for 20-30 seconds. Don't leave it there too long, you want a nice soft pita bread.
- Place 3 grilled lamb meatballs onto the warm pita bread, and sprinkle on fresh toppings of chopped tomato and cucumber.
- Dollup on the tzatziki sauce and garnish with parsley. You can serve them with some more Greek food recipes, try a Greek salad, a tabbouleh salad, or Greek fries.
This is the best recipe. The gyro meat is spot on!
This has become our go-to recipe for Gyros! The lamb meatballs are so full of flavor, we really like the tzatziki sauce too!
So glad you love it too Suzy! Happy Grilling.