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Greek Gyro with Homemade Gyro Meat

Make your favorite American-style Greek gyros at home! This gyro meat recipe combines ground beef and lamb to get that distinctive flavor you find at Greek restaurants. The texture is meatloaf-style rather than restaurant-style, but the flavors are on point. Doing it this way saves tons of time. Top with Tzatziki Sauce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 718 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

For the gyro meat
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 2 tablespoons bacon grease OR butter*
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic smashed and finely minced
  • 4 teaspoons kosher salt yes, 4 teaspoons**
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons dried cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried marjoram optional
To assemble
  • 1 batch Tzatziki sauce
  • 1 large red onion sliced thin
  • 2-4 tomatoes sliced
  • 1-2 cucumbers sliced
  • 8-10 pita rounds
  • fresh dill to garnish, optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Start by making the Tzatziki Sauce. It needs time to marinate, so get it done first so it can sit in the fridge while you make the rest.
  2. Make the gyro meat. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Or line with foil and spray with nonstick spray.
  3. If you have a food processor, use it to finely chop the onion and garlic. If not, use a knife to chop finely.
  4. In a large bowl, add all gyro meat ingredients: 1 pound ground beef, 1 pound ground lamb, 2 tablespoons butter OR bacon grease,* 2 eggs, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 cup Panko crumbs, chopped onion, minced garlic, 4 teaspoons kosher salt (see note), 2 teaspoons black pepper, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon marjoram. (It's ok if you don't have the marjoram.)
  5. Combine the meat using your hands. I like to wear disposable gloves when I do this. Using your hands feels a little weird, but it mixes the meat so much faster and more evenly than using a spoon, resulting in nice tender meat (as opposed to being overworked.)
  6. Shape the meat into about 10 oval patties. See photos. Line them up on the pan making sure they are not touching each other.
  7. Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees F. Remove from the oven and keep warm.
  8. Meanwhile, prepare the gyro toppings: Thinly slice a red onion. Slice the tomatoes. Slice the cucumbers. Warm the pita bread either in the microwave or in the still-warm oven. Chop extra fresh dill, if you want.
  9. How to construct your gyro: Add a layer of Tzatziki Sauce to a warm pita. Slice a gyro patty in half lengthwise for easier eating, and place on top of Tzatziki. Garnish with red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh dill. Devour!
  10. Gyros are traditionally served with french fries, or you could try it with these 3 ingredient Roasted Potatoes. It would also be great served with this Greek Salad!

Notes

  • *I tried this recipe once with butter and once with bacon grease. I added it because lamb is very lean and tends to dry out when baked. You can probably skip it if you have high-fat ground beef. 
  • **If you are using table salt, add 3 teaspoons salt. 
  • Once your gyro is fully assembled, you should definitely serve it right away. However, you can prep the different components ahead of time, so they’re ready to go whenever the gyro mood strikes. Here’s how:
  • Veggies: Slice the veggies up and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
  • Tzatziki Sauce: Make the sauce in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
  • Gyro meat: Prep and cook the meat, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat, thaw in the fridge if frozen, then warm in the oven until heated through. If you like, you can slice the meat before freezing so you can pull out just the amount you want at any time.
  • Pita bread: Pita bread can be kept on the counter for 2-3 days, or you can freeze it for 2-3 months and just warm it up in the microwave whenever you like.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1gyro Calories 718kcal (36%) Carbohydrates 52g (17%) Protein 32g (64%) Fat 43g (66%) Saturated Fat 15g (75%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 13g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 148mg (49%) Potassium 602mg (17%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 7g (14%) Vitamin A 693IU (14%) Vitamin C 10mg (11%) Calcium 265mg (27%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 718

% Daily Value*

Serving 1gyro
Calories 718kcal 36%
Carbohydrates 52g 17%
Protein 32g 64%
Fat 43g 66%
Saturated Fat 15g 75%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g 18%
Monounsaturated Fat 13g 65%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 148mg 49%
Potassium 602mg 13%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 7g 14%
Vitamin A 693IU 14%
Vitamin C 10mg 11%
Calcium 265mg 27%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.