Greek Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce

Up your burger game and be the hero of your next barbecue with Greek lamb burgers and homemade tzatziki!

I season these lamb burgers with some of Greece’s most-loved flavors – like garlic, dried lemon peel, and oregano – before grilling them up and serving them on toasted buns.

I like to set out a little buffet of Greek-inspired toppings near the grill for everyone to help themselves. Some of my favorites are fresh tomatoes, lettuce, feta, red onion, and of course, that tzatziki.

You can make your tzatziki up to three days in advance. I like to pre-salt and drain my cucumbers for a few hours or as long as overnight. If you’re pressed for time, you can salt the cucumber, let it drain for just 10 minutes, and then use a tea towel to press out as much moisture as you can.

If you’re wary of lamb because you find it too gamy and strong-tasting, I recommend trying lamb from New Zealand. It has a clean, grassy flavor and stays nice and juicy after cooking.

And If you’re really unsure about lamb, you try mixing it with some ground beef — up to half of the total weight of the meat in this recipe.

Lamb burgers may not be the most popular burger in the US, but this recipe might very well convince you that it should be!

Greek Lamb Burgers with Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

Recipe can be doubled or tripled to serve larger crowds.

Look for dried lemon peel in the spice section of your grocery store, or order it online. Skip it if you can’t easily find it.

You will likely have some leftover tzatziki sauce after making this recipe. It will keep refrigerated for about a week, and it can be used on sandwiches or as a dip with pita chips

Ingredients

For the tzatziki:

• 1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt (full fat is best here)
• 1/3 cup lightly packed chopped fresh herbs (I used a equal amounts of mint, parsley, and dill)
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 cloves chopped garlic

For the lamb burgers:

• 1 tablespoon dried onion granules
• 1 tablespoon dried garlic granules or powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried lemon peel, optional
• 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds ground lamb (or a combination of beef and lamb)
• 4 burger buns

To serve:

• Sliced tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Crumbled feta
• Red onion
• Tzatziki sauce

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