Gyros
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Yee-roh or ji-roh? No matter how you say it, a Greek gyro is all about juicy, seasoned meat, warm pita, and cool tzatziki—plus whatever fresh toppings you love. This easy recipe lets you enjoy those flavors at home, whether for dinner tonight or freezer-friendly meal prep.
Chances are, you’ve enjoyed a delicious gyro, but have you been pronouncing it correctly? It’s actually yee-roh. (Do yourself a favor and watch this Jimmy Fallon/Luke Bryan clip about the pronunciation—it’s hilarious.) The Greek word gyro means “turn,” referring to the traditional method of slow-roasting meat on a vertical spit as it crisps and browns.
In Greek restaurants in the States, you’ll find two types of gyros: The Greek-American version, made from ground meats and spices formed into a cone and cooked on a rotisserie, and traditional Greek gyros, made with marinated whole cuts of meat that are stacked and roasted.
Both are delicious—but the Greek-American style is much easier to pull off at home. This Greek-American style recipe skips the rotisserie; you just shape the ground meat into loaves and bake them in the oven.
Homemade gyros are super flexible when it comes to serving! You can serve the meat over a Greek salad for a lighter meal or wrap the slices in a warm pita with tzatziki sauce, juicy tomatoes, crisp lettuce, and crumbled feta. Bonus: The recipe makes two loaves, so you can freeze one for another night.
“This recipe is very, very near the real thing…can’t wait for my next dinner !”
What You’ll Need To Make Gyros
- Ground Meat: This best gyro recipe uses both ground beef and ground lamb, the classic combo for that rich, savory gyro flavor you know and love.
- Plain breadcrumbs: Helps bind the meat mixture so it holds together nicely.
- Spices and seasoning: A flavorful mix of salt, black pepper, dried oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground cumin gives the meat that classic gyro flavor.
- For serving: Pita bread, tzatziki sauce, sliced tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, and crumbled feta—mix and match to suit your taste. Note that you can find pita bread with and without pockets; if you plan to eat these as wraps, you’ll want to buy pocketless pitas.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Gyros
Step 1: Combine the ingredients. Add the beef, lamb, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
Step 2: Blend. Pulse until the mixture is smooth, cohesive, and paste-like. Really blending it well ensures the meat holds together when sliced and gives it that signature gyro texture—tender, compact, and easy to crisp in the pan. You’ll need to scrape down the bowl a few times to make sure everything mixes evenly.
Step 3: Shape the gyro loaves. Shape the meat into two free-form loaves right on a foil-lined baking sheet. Each loaf should be about 1 inch high, 8 inches long, and 4 inches wide—they don’t need to be perfect, just evenly shaped so they cook uniformly.
Pro tip: Using moist hands helps keep the raw meat mixture from sticking to your hands and makes it easier to work with.
Step 4: Bake. Place the loaves in a 300°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes. The lower oven temp cooks the meat gently, helping it stay tender and juicy rather than drying out. Let the loaves rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. Once cool, you can refrigerate the unsliced loaf of meat for up to 4 days if you’re making them ahead or freeze for up to three months.
Step 4: Slice the meat. Transfer the loaves to a cutting board and thinly slice. If you sneak a taste (and you should!), you might notice the meat tastes a little salty on its own—that’s by design. You need the extra salt to be sure the flavor shines through once the meat is paired with pita, veggies, and sauce.
Step 5: Brown the meat. When you’re ready to serve, heat a little oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook the gyro slices in batches, in a single layer, until lightly browned. Browning adds that irresistible crispy edge and brings out even more flavor, just like you’d get from a traditional rotisserie.
Step 6: Assemble the gyros and serve. Pile the crispy slices of beef and lamb gyro meat into warm pita bread and top with tzatziki, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and feta—or mix and match your favorite toppings.
There’s lots of flexibility when it comes the best gyro toppings. You can stick with the classics or add some kalamata olives, sliced bell pepper, traditional hummus, tahini sauce, roasted red peppers, or a spot of harissa for a spicy kick to your gyro wraps.
You can also prepare a spread of other Mediterranean favorites such as falafel, baba ganoush, and whipped feta dip. Or for a meal, pair it with some crispy roasted potatoes!
More Greek Recipes You May Like
Gyros
Everything you love about a classic Greek gyro, made easy at home—perfect over a salad or wrapped in warm pita.
Ingredients
For the Gyro Meat
- 1 pound 80% lean ground beef
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
For Serving
- Olive oil
- Pita bread
- Tzatziki sauce
- Thinly sliced tomatoes and red onion
- Lettuce
- Feta cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Place the beef, lamb, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process until the mixture is well combined and paste-like, scraping down the bowl as necessary, about 1 minute.
- Using moist hands, form the mixture into two free-form loaves about 1 inch high, 8 inches long, and 4 inches wide directly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until meat is firm in the center and reaches an internal temperature of 160°F. Let sit for about 10 minutes, or chill until ready to slice, up to 4 days. Transfer the loaves to a cutting board and slice between ⅛ and ¼ inch thick.
- To serve, working in batches, heat about 1 tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the gyro slices in a single layer until lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds per side. Serve with pita bread, tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, onion, lettuce, and feta.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The gyro loaves (or unbrowned slices) can be prepared up to 4 days ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before browning and serving.
- Note: Nutritional information is for gyro meat only.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 446
- Fat: 33 g
- Saturated fat: 14 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Sodium: 377 mg
- Cholesterol: 109 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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Loved this recipe!! It was a huge hit with our family. And so easy! However…mixing it all up in my food processor was too overwhelming and it fried my food processor. I’d suggest half or a third at a time. I should have known better but I did it all at once.
But this recipe is delicious and it’s going in my recipe binder for sure!
Wow Jenn. You nailed it with this ! Where I live I don’t have a decent gyro takeout available so making my own was my best option and your recipe is perfect and so authentic tasting. This will be my go to recipe on regular rotation
Question we don’t like lamb. Could I do all beef or beef & pork
I love all your recipes they never fail to please
Sure, Cheryl – either one. Glad you enjoy the recipes!
I trust your recipes and have had wonderful success with soooo many of them. I would like to make it ahead for guest coming next week. Can I cook it then freeze and defrost and cut the day I am to make it?
Yep that’s fine, Barbara – and so glad you enjoy the recipes! 🙂
Are there any protein alternatives that could work? I track macros and one serving is about 75% of the day’s fat macro. I’d love to try a leaner option, if possible.
Hi Megan, You can try using all ground beef with a lower fat percentage (like 90/10 or 93/7). Just keep in mind that lean meats are drier, so the gyros won’t be nearly as juicy.
How would using 90% ground beef instead of 80% change the recipe? I am trying to reduce saturated fats where I can.
Thank you for all your delicious recipes.
Hi Danielle, It will work but the meat won’t be quite as juicy. Hope that helps!
Jenn, could I substitute ground pork for the beef? I have a Hindu exchange student in my home for a semester. Thank You, I absolutely love your recipes!
Hi Nancy, Yes that should work. Enjoy!
This is a delightful recipe. Flavors are very good and it’s a breeze to make. The baked loaves freeze well so there’s no need to adjust the recipe for fewer servings. I served again last evening with a spinach and orange salad using leftover dressing from your apricot couscous recipe (added a little olive oil and red vinegar). I really appreciate the innovation and common sense in your recipes–they’re a pleasure to prepare and eat. Thank you!!
My wife loves Gyros every time the fair comes to town. When I made this I was apprehensive to say the least. It was every bit as good as the fairs and all I have to do now is find the right Pita Bread.
Can I use Panko breadcrumbs?
Sure, that should work. Enjoy!