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This recipe for juicy, gently spiced Lamb Burgers with Mint, tzatziki and homemade pesto is quick and easy enough to make on busy weeknights. Serve them by themselves for a quick meal, or with a fat handful of fancy salted crisps, potato wedges or some air fryer French Fries (yum!)
There is just something about a Greek-inspired lamb burger that just screams summer. And they’re so simple to make, either at the last minute or simply when you’ve got a moment, ready for later. They’re a great shout for a family dinner as they’re something everyone will love, but work great for entertaining too.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Juicy, spiced lamb with no extra fillers. Just tender meat and lots of flavour.
- Pair with a creamy homemade tzatziki to cut through the richness of the lamb.
- It is simple enough for a quick weeknight meal but you could also serve for friends and family too.
- You can prep the sauces and meat ahead of time to make it a simply assembly job when ready to eat.
Ingredients
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Lamb mince – don’t go for lean mince as it’s the fat in the burger that helps hold it together!
Paprika – sweet smoked is best here, but go for hot smoked it you want your burgers to have a bit of spice!
Greek yoghurt– full fat works best here as it is thicker: you don’t want a runny tzatziki in your burger!
Substitutions and Variations
Lamb mince – these are lamb burgers but you could swap for beef or pork mince too. You could also use chicken mince but they may be more prone to falling apart as they have a lower fat content and the high fat content in the lamb helps this.
Pesto – you could swap for shop bought fresh pesto too. If you want to use another herb than basil, you could make a pesto with a mix of herbs such as mint, parsley and chives.
Brioche buns – these lamb burgers would be delicious in a crustier roll or even in a pitta or flatbread, since they contain mint, it all works.
Here’s how to make lamb burgers with mint, tzatziki & pesto:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.
ONE: Add the lamb mince to the bowl along with the minced garlic, spices, mint, a dash of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Mix together with your hands, and shape into two burger patties. In a nonstick frying pan fry the burgers on each side until golden, then place in the oven for about 7 minutes until cooked through
TWO: Meanwhile, grate 1/2 the cucumber and place it on top of a clean towel. Use the towel to squeeze out any excess moisture.
THREE: Mix with the rest of the tzatziki ingredients.
FOUR: Add all pesto ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth.
FIVE: Slice the tomato and use a peeler to create cucumber ribbons.
SIX: Assemble the burgers with the tzatziki, pesto, a couple of slices of tomato, some cucumber ribbons and one of the patties.
Cooking Tips
Burger seasoning: if you’re not sure of the seasoning (not enough salt can make or break a lamb burger!) fry a little pinch of the seasoned mince off in a frying pan with a splash of oil. Then you can taste it and see if the burgers need more!
Toasting buns: if you’re working in a small kitchen, you can do this in the same pan just before you cook the lamb burgers. If you’re not too fussy about presentation you can also pop them in the toaster.
Frequently Asked Questions
Obviously we LOVE this dreamy tzatziki / pesto combo, but if you’re looking for a speedier option crumbled feta would work in place of the tzatziki (or, our fave feta brand Odysea make a creamy feta and yogurt spread that’s absolutely dreamy) and of course your favourite pre-made pesto would work here too. Or you can leave the pesto out. It adds an extra layer of flavour, but you do really want something creamy with the lamb burgers.
Yes, the pesto, tzatziki and the burgers (uncooked) can be made a few hours in advance and kept in the fridge for easy entertaining.
We find baking lamb burgers the easiest no-fuss method for weeknights, but you could grill them, barbecue them or air fry them! Just keep in mind that lamb mince gives off A LOT of fat which catches fire and smokes easily so keep an eye on them!!
You Might Also Enjoy
Try these Lamb Meatballs with Buttery Rice and Tzatziki for another lamb recipe. I also suggest my Lamb Meatballs with Feta and Muhammara, Chicken Souvlaki Pita with Greek Yoghurt or Greek Orzo Salad with Feta.
If you tried this Minty Lamb Burgers or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Lamb Burgers with Mint, Tzatziki & Pesto
Ingredients
For the Lamb Burgers:
- 400 g lamb mince
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 large tomato
- 1 small bunch fresh mint
For the tzatziki:
- 200 g Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cucumber
- 1 small handful fresh mint, chopped
- salt
For the pesto:
- 100 g pine nuts
- 25 g parmesan
- 1 bunch fresh basil
- 1 garlic clove
- 50 ml olive oil
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C.
- Add the lamb mince to a bowl along with the garlic cloves, spices, some chopped fresh mint, a dash of olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. Mix together with your hands, and shape into two burger patties.
- In a nonstick pan fry the burgers on each side until golden then place in the oven for around 7 minutes.
- For the tzatziki grate 1/2 the cucumber and place on top of a clean towel, squeeze out any excess moisture. Add to the yoghurt along with some chopped mint and a good pinch of salt.
- For the pesto, simply blitz everything together in a blender until smooth.
- Slice the tomato and use a peeler to create cucumber ribbons.
- In a dry pan lightly toast the brioche buns.
- Assemble the burgers with the tzatziki, pesto, a couple of slices of tomato, some cucumber ribbons and one of the patties.
