Lamb Souvlaki with Tzatziki

This lamb souvlaki recipe is a great way to celebrate Greek cuisine and it grills up in no time! Super versatile, these lamb souvlaki skewers are juicy and packed full of flavour. Don't forget to serve with pita and tzatziki!

We LOVE Greek food! And our love has only increased since we visited the beautiful island of Rhodes recently. Now, we aren't claiming to be authentic or even have the best recipe. This lamb souvlaki recipe is to celebrate the wonderful food and culture we've experienced and all credit goes to the Greeks!

You can't go far down the road in Rhodes and not bump into some local with a big smile and greeting of καλημέρα (kalimera) or kαλησπέρα (kalispera) - good morning/evening. The culture is super friendly and inviting and so is the food. We hope you can enjoy our lamb souvlaki with tzatziki as much as we do. And in doing so absorb some of the wonderful Greek culture too. And if you're after something a little less Greek then you need to try our Pineapple Chicken Kabobs or our Loaded Sweet Potato Fries.

We know you'll love this lamb souvlaki recipe, just imagine sitting in a Greek taverna as you tuck into this delight. Leave us a comment and rating below as we love hearing from you. Γεια μας (yamas)! Cheers!

Jump to:

• Why you'll love this recipe
• What is souvlaki?
• Ingredients
• Variations
• How to make lamb souvlaki
• How to make tzatziki
• Cooking times and temperatures
• What to serve with it
• Expert tips
• Recipe FAQs
• Related recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Why you'll love this recipe

If you're not yet convinced, here are some simple reasons you'll love this lamb souvlaki recipe:

Easy - these skewers are really simple to whip up. They can easily be made ahead of time to avoid prep on the day of your grilling session.

Satisfying - you'll definitely be satisfied after tucking into these. Especially if served with the suggested sides.

Flavourful - the spice and herb blend is really simple which is important to a good lamb souvlaki. Secondly, cooking on a grill, preferably a charcoal one, really adds that extra special flavour.

What is souvlaki?

Souvlaki (σουβλάκι), pronounced su'vlaci, is a traditional Greek street food which is made from meat threaded on to skewers and grilled. It literally means, small skewer. The most common and traditional Greek souvlaki is created with pork and chicken but lamb is also used or even beef in some areas.

The meat is marinated in a blend of herbs and spices which varies on location, but at its heart is most simply is oregano and garlic. It will often include cumin and paprika too.

Souvlaki can be eaten most often with pita, tzatziki, some form of fried potatoes such as fries and/or rice (often with orzo throughout).

Ingredients

You'll only need simple ingredients to create this Greek delicacy, this is what you'll need to make lamb souvlaki:

Lamb - we love using lamb leg or shoulder cut into 1 ½ inch cubes for our souvlaki. Trim any excess hard fat off that will not render in the time you are grilling.

Flavourings - we went with the blend of oregano, a touch of cumin and paprika, as we found it came closest to the flavour for the souvlaki we experienced in Rhodes. The most important herb though is oregano; Greek oregano if you can get it!

Garlic - garlic is prevalent in many Greek dishes, but we found that it isn't over-powering, so adding just a couple of smashed garlic cloves to the marinade to bring in that dimension goes a long way.

Variations

Here's some variations if you want to mix this lamb souvlaki recipe up a bit:

Souvlaki pita - serve your lamb souvlaki in an opened out warm pita with tomatoes, onions, fries and tzatziki if you want a meal to grab rather than a platter.

Meat - change up the meat with some lovely chunks of pork shoulder or chicken thigh which will make a tasty meal if you aren't keen on lamb.

Spices - if you want to simplify the flavourings even more, omit the cumin and paprika and just go with the oregano, salt and pepper.

Veggies - if you fancy some vegetables you can add a piece of bell pepper or onion between the chunks of lamb on the skewer if you like.

How to make lamb souvlaki

Follow these steps for the most succulent Greek lamb souvlaki with tzatziki:

1. Add the cubed lamb into a large bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, paprika and the bashed garlic cloves, stir to combine and ensure all the meat is covered evenly. Leave to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours or preferably overnight.
2. Thread the cubes of lamb on some soaked bamboo skewers ready for you to cook on the grill. Cook for 4 minutes on each side on a preheated grill at 200°C/400°F until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Leave to rest for 5-10 minutes before eating.

How to make tzatziki

Follow these quick and easy steps to whip up a delicious tzatziki to serve with your lamb souvlaki:

1. Get all your ingredients prepared. Grate your cucumber and place it into kitchen paper and squeeze as much as liquid out as you can, you don't want it leaching into the yogurt.
2. Add the squeezed out cucumber to the Greek yogurt along with the garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil and some salt and finely ground black pepper. Stir together and serve with an olive and a drizzle of EVOO on top.

Cooking times and temperatures

What to serve with it

We love to serve lamb souvlaki with a myriad of options for everyone to dig in meze style. Here are some suggestions:

Pita - lovely grilled fluffy and soft Greek pita are the perfect vehicle to enjoy your lamb souvlaki on.

Rice - Greeks are after our own heart serving many dishes with carbs on carbs, serving orzo rice alongside the pita and fries too.

Fries - most places will throw a handful of oregano seasoned fries along with your souvlaki skewer to enjoy. If you love fries as much as us, try out our Loaded Sweet Potato Fries.

Greek salad - there's a lovely freshness that goes along with this grilled platter and that's a lovely Greek salad with tomatoes, onions, pepper and feta.

Tzatziki - oh and don't forget the famous Greek yogurt dip tzatziki. Our experience in Greece so far is that it has a gentle garlic note rather than a blow your head off raw garlic flavour, so half a small garlic clove grated finely should be more than enough. Add more if you prefer.

Expert tips

Get the best out of your lamb souvlaki with these tips:

Marinade - to let the meat absorb the flavours as much as you can, be sure to marinate it for at least 4 hours but overnight is better. It will allow the salt to penetrate the meat and tenderises it too.

Digital probe - use a digital thermometer to get accurate results as to how the meat is cooking. The worst thing would be to overcook the lamb as it will be dry. Do yourself a favour and invest in this little gadget to help you.

Herbs and spices - when you buy dried herbs and spices, don't buy more than you'll use in a short period of time. They go stale after a while and you want to give the best flavour to your lamb souvlaki, this will really help you with that.

Recipe FAQs

Related recipes

If you love this Greek lamb souvlaki recipe you'll find more inspiration in our grilling section. Here are some other suggestions to get you started during summer:

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