Lamb Burgers
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These Mediterranean lamb burgers have it all—charred edges, lots of fresh herbs, and bright toppings that balance the richness of the lamb.
This lamb burger recipe has a Mediterranean spin, thanks to toppings like tzatziki and feta. It’s a fun way to change up standard cookout fare. The secret to making the lamb patties extra flavorful and juicy is to mix a panade, or bread-and-milk paste, into the ground meat as a tenderizer and binder, along with plenty of seasoning. You won’t taste the panade, but it guarantees juicy burgers every time—especially if you like them a little more well-done or accidentally overcook them (a little insurance never hurts!).
The flavor of lamb pairs especially well with the fresh, herby toppings, but if you can’t find ground lamb, feel free to substitute 80/20 ground beef.
“Wow! Wonderful…Best recipe for lamb burgers.”
What You’ll Need To Make Mediterranean Lamb Burgers
To make this lamb burger recipe, you’ll need: white bread, milk, shallots, garlic, fresh mint, oregano, salt, pepper, ground lamb, and pita bread (feel free to substitute burger buns).
For the toppings, you can use any or all of the following: iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the panade. Combine the bread pieces and milk in a large bowl, then mash them with a fork until a smooth paste forms.
Pro tip: The paste should be completely smooth with no visible chunks of bread remaining — if it’s not getting there with a fork, just use your fingers to work it into a uniform consistency.
Step 2: Season the base. Add the shallots, garlic, mint, oregano, salt, and pepper to the bread mixture and mix well.
Step 3: Mix in the lamb. Add the ground lamb and use your hands to mix until the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
Step 4: Shape the patties. Form the meat mixture into 6 oval-shaped patties, each about ½-inch thick.
Pro tip: Wetting your hands lightly before shaping helps keep the meat from sticking to them and makes it easier to get smooth, even patties.
Step 5: Grill. Oil the grilling grates and grill the patties, covered, until nicely browned on the first side, about 2 to 4 minutes. Flip and cook for a few minutes more until they’ve reached your desired doneness.
Pro tip: Resist the urge to press down on the patties while they cook—it squeezes out all those flavorful juices.
Step 6: Rest the burgers, warm the pitas, and assemble. Place the burgers on a tray and cover them with foil to rest while you warm the pita rounds on the grill. Assemble the burgers and pass the toppings and tzatziki alongside.
More Lamb Recipes You’LL Love
Lamb Burgers
Ingredients
For the Lamb Burgers
- 1 slice white bread, crust removed and cut into ¼-in (6-cm) 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 lbs ground lamb (not lean; 80/20 beef may be substituted)
- 6 pita bread rounds, or use hamburger buns (see note)
For The Toppings
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 6 oz crumbled feta cheese
- Tzatziki sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high heat.
- Combine the bread pieces and milk in a large 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-in (13-cm) 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.
Notes
- 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 in (15 cm) 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/Freezing 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.
Nutrition Information
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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Best Greek burgers ANYWHERE.
I made these last night they were great! My husband who does not love lamb like I do loved them as well and so did the kids. The tzatziki was great too. Thanks for sharing the great recipe.
Last night was my husband’s birthday so I wanted to make something nice but not too complicated after a long work day for both of us. I had the lamb in the fridge, so I went searching and found your site!! 🙂 I made the burgers and the sauce, and they were both amazing!!!! One of the rare times I actually went shopping to find everything I needed to follow the recipes exactly and not just wing it as usual.
Well – funny story. The local Kroger doesn’t sell Fage, and I didn’t have time to run to the market. So I bought a different brand of Greek yogurt and raced home to get dinner going. We loved everything!! My husband asked, what is that sweetness in the sauce? I said nothing but mint, there isn’t much to it really, it’s very simple. Well, as we were cleaning up from dinner, I noticed I had bought honey yogurt, and not plain!! LOL Well – just so you know, it really wasn’t that bad! It actually did have a nice sweet balance to all the garlic and onions, but not so much it tasted like breakfast.
Oh well – goes to show you, racing through the grocery store at the end of a long day is not always the best idea. Slow down and enjoy the dairy aisle!!!
Thanks for a great site, you are bookmarked now! 🙂
I made these last weekend and they were delicious! Exactly the recipe I was searching for. Thanks so much!
We made this for dinner last night and oh. my. god. it was heavenly! We did cheat a bit and picked up Tzatziki sauce from trader joes, but we have a 4 month old so I figure that grants us some liberties.
Really delicious recipe. My husband and I enjoyed these a lot. Thanks so much!
This looks so good. The tzatziki looks so easy to make, I had no idea. I haven’t had lamb in so long…time for a trip to our Whole Foods…and fast!
These were fantastic. I made these and served them with your tzatziki (also wonderful), and my homemade pita bread. *swoon* Thanks so much!
Delicious! Yet another new staple from this great site (the other is the chicken meatballs).
It’s really quite finger-friendly to eat the pita pocket as a burger 🙂