You can have these super juicy lamb burgers on the table in less than 30 minutes – just mix lamb with ingredients you probably already have, then pan-fry for 5 minutes on each side. Load on the Greek-style toppings for a fun twist on your regular burger night.
Get ready for a very Mediterranean twist on burger night. Packed with gorgeous Greek flavours, you’re going to love these juicy lamb burgers. They’re fab for weeknights but work equally well for weekend entertaining, barbecues or as an elevated game-day watch party bite (they would even make VERY cute mini burgers or sliders).
While I’ve cooked these on the stovetop, you can easily cook these on your grill or barbecue (especially lovely during summer) to get that charred, smoky flavour that makes them even more delicious. Because ground lamb tends to be fattier than ground beef, these are much less likely to dry out, even if you do accidentally overcook them!
I’ve paired the spiced lamb burger patties with some very fresh, zingy Greek and Mediterranean accompaniments but you can really get creative here. Swap the burger buns for pita bread or flatbreads, serve them with a chopped Greek salad and sauces on the side for a low-carb version, or make the mixture, then cook it without forming patties to make a very delicious topping for hummus.
Ingredients
- Ground lamb mince. Ground lamb tends to have a higher percentage of fat than ground beef – you’ll normally find it has at least 10% fat content and you want that for these burgers. It’s key for a lovely, juicy burger patty.
- Feta. A little feta adds another lovely texture to the burger patties, but you can leave it out if you like. I’m actually using my marinated feta here to amp up the flavour even more.
- Onion. I like to grate the onion for this recipe – it releases a lot of the liquid so keeps the burgers juicy, and I find it disappears into the patties more, so you’re not left with chunky pieces of onion running through (my worst nightmare as an onion hater!) I’ll also often use my mini food chopper to chop the onion, garlic and flat-leaf parsley to save time.
- Tzatziki. A quintessential Greek sauce, this light, bright cucumber and yogurt mix freshens up the burgers and really ties all the flavours together. You could use regular thick Greek yogurt or labneh too.
- Zhoug sauce. This spicy cilantro (coriander) sauce is similar in consistency to pesto but is loaded with chilli and warming spices (cumin and cardamom) which perfectly match the other toppings here. I urge you to give it a go – it takes 5 minutes to make and uses everyday ingredients.
How to make them
Start by mixing your ground lamb, spices, feta, onion, garlic, flat-leaf parsley and a little salt. Really make sure you’re mixing it well – you want all the flavours well dispersed through the ground lamb. Using your hands will give you the best result.
Scoop up a couple of heaped tablespoons of the ground lamb mix, and use your hands to form them into thick burger patties. PRO TIP: Wet your hands before doing this to make the patties easier to form without sticking to your hands. The mixture should make six large burger patties.
Heat a little oil in a large, high-sided frying pan or skillet, then cook the patties for about 5 minutes on each side over high heat, until a lovely golden crust starts to form. Or, you can cook these on the grill/barbecue for a lovely charred, smoky result.
Toast your sliced burger buns if you like, then spoon the tzatziki on the top and bottom of the buns. Layer on some spinach leaves, finely sliced or shaved cucumber, then your lamb burger patty. Finish with a dollop of the zhoug sauce, then place the top bun on to form your burger. Popping a skewer through the top helps them keep their shape when you’re transferring them to the table to serve.
Got a question?
You can! Form the patties and then pop them in the fridge, covered, and then you can cook them the next day. Once cooked, the patties will keep for 4 days, stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Either enjoy cold or reheat in the microwave. They also freeze well – form the patties then freeze in ziplock bags and defrost overnight in the fridge, then just cook as per the recipe.
Lovely fresh tomatoes, arugula (rocket), chopped olives (or marinated olives), sliced red pepper or red onion would work well on the burgers, as would sundried tomato feta dip, hummus, green tahini sauce or tahini yogurt sauce in place of the tzatziki or zhoug.
You should be fine with this recipe because ground lamb tends to be fattier so it’s already going to be juicier, plus we’re adding ingredients that will help keep the meat juicy, but another key thing to remember is not to overwork the mixture. We want the lamb to be mixed thoroughly with the other ingredients but stop as soon as it is. Overmixing can cause the meat to dry out in the pan.
Watch how to make them
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Juicy Greek Style Lamb Burgers
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
You can have these super juicy lamb burgers on the table in less than 30 minutes – just mix lamb with ingredients you probably already have, then pan-fry for 5 minutes on each side. Load on the Greek-style toppings for a fun twist on your regular burger night.
Ingredients
For the lamb burger patties –
- 500g/1lb ground lamb mince
- 1 small white onion, finely diced (or grated)
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 50g/2oz feta (or marinated feta)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the toppings –
- 6 burger buns
- 1/4 cup tzatziki sauce
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced or shaved into strips
- 1/4 cup zhoug sauce (or use basil pesto)
Instructions
- Mix your lamb burger patties. Add 500g/1lb ground lamb, 1 finely diced or grated onion, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt, the finely chopped flat-leaf parsley and the feta to a large mixing bowl. Use a large wooden spoon (or your hands) to mix the ingredients through the lamb. Make sure everything is properly mixed through – you want every bit of lamb to be beautifully seasoned.
- Form your burger patties. Prepare a large plate or wooden board to put your formed patties on. Wet your hands, then scoop up a couple of heaped tablespoons of the lamb mix and use your hands to form it into a chunky burger patty. Place on the prepared plate or board, then repeat with the rest of the mixture. You should get six large patties from this mixture.
- Prepare your burger toppings. Slice your burger buns in half, then set yourself up with all your toppings so you’re ready to assemble once the lamb patties are cooked. PRO TIP: You can give your burger buns a quick toast if you like – either in the toaster or under your grill/broiler on high for 2 minutes.
- Cook your lamb burger patties. Drizzle your olive oil into your large pan or skillet and set it over high heat. Add the lamb patties, and cook for about 5 minutes on each side, until a lovely golden crust forms on both sides. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need to do this in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Assemble your burgers. You can serve the burgers family style, with the buns, patties and all the toppings laid out for everyone to help themselves to, or you can assemble them and serve them finished at the table. For entertaining or parties, I love assembling them because they look spectacular lined up and served. Spoon a little tzatziki onto the top and bottom of your buns, then pile on spinach leaves and the thinly sliced cucumber. Top with a lamb burger patty, dollop on some zhoug sauce, then place the top bun on top. I like to pop a skewer through the buns to help secure them (especially if you’re moving them to a table).
Notes
STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS: Once cooked, the burger patties will keep well for 4 days, stored in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also prep the burgers ahead of time – form the patties, then pop (covered) in the fridge to cook the next day. Uncooked, they freeze well too (for at least 3 months) – let them defrost overnight in the fridge then cook as per the recipe.
INGREDIENT NOTES: Lamb is a fattier cut of meat than beef (which is what we want to make juicy burgers) so a fat percentage of at least 10% is what you want here. Skip the feta in the patties themselves if you like, and you can play around with the flat-leaf parsley – use cilantro (coriander), mint or dried herbs instead.
SWITCH IT UP: Swap the burger buns for soft garlic flatbreads, or serve the burger patties with a chopped Greek salad with the tzatziki and zhoug on the side from a low-carb version.
GRILL OR BARBECUE: You can absolutely cook these on an outdoor grill or barbecue – they’ll cook a little quicker on a super hot grill, so just keep an eye on them. Cooking them this way gives them a gorgeous charred, smoky flavour you can’t replicate in a pan so I love to do this in summer.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: fakeaways
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: greek
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burger
- Calories: 465
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 836.1mg
- Fat: 30.9g
- Saturated Fat: 11.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16.9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 21.5g
- Cholesterol: 69.8mg
These burgers are absolutely divine, my whole family loved them! Super easy & so tasty.
Ahhh I’m so happy you all enjoyed them Helen! xx