The viral smash burger taco trend is getting a mediterranean makeover with these Greek-style Smash Burgers that taste like your favorite gyro! The meat is a perfectly spiced mixture of ground beef and lamb and pressed into a pita before being cooked until golden brown and crispy.
Top it with some marinated sumac onions, tomatoes, lettuce and a quick garlic yogurt sauce for a really easy and fresh summer dinner!
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The Best Viral Food Trend You’ll Ever Try!
I’m typically not one to chase food trends, but when I started seeing the viral smash burger tacos showing up all over my feed, I was intrigued! I absolutely adore smash burgers and this felt like a streamlined version that I could get behind.
Instead of going with the typical big mac flavors (boring), I figured I would jazz things up with all my favorite mediterranean flavors. The burger meat is a mixture of lamb and ground beef with bright flavors from lots of garlic, lemon zest, and mediterranean spices like cumin, coriander, and a touch of cinnamon.
Not only are these greek-style smash burgers fun to make, they’re easy to cook up in a cast iron or griddle and don’t require any special equipment. You use your hands to press the meat into a fluffy pita and they cook so quickly.
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Recipe Ingredients
full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- ground sirloin — because lamb is fairly fatty, I like to use a leaner ground beef, like sirloin
- ground lamb
- red onion
- garlic
- lemon zest
- parsley
- pita
- spices: zaatar, sumac, cumin, coriander, cinnamon
- greek yogurt
- lettuce
- tomato
Jenny’s Tip: Lamb not your thing? No problem! You can omit the lamb and make this recipe exclusively with ground beef. You can also make it exclusively with ground lamb if you prefer a bolder flavor!
How to Make Greek Smash Burgers
- Make the ground meat mixture. To keep the smash burger meat from getting tough, I always mix by hand and only just until the ingredients are evenly mixed. If you have the time to let the meat marinate for a bit, the flavor only gets better! I like to let the mixed meat come together for at least 8 hours.
- Marinate the onions. Did you know that marinating the onions takes some of the oniony heat away? I use a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil with parsley and sumac and it really mellows out the sharp onion flavor.
- Press the meat into the pita. I use my hands here! I portion the meat into 6 even portions, roll it into a ball, and use my fingers to press the meat to the edges of the pita. It’s quick and easy and you don’t need a burger press!
- Cook the smash burgers. I like to use a large cast iron pan or stovetop griddle–something that retains heat well. All you have to go is press the meat into the hot pan and let it cook for 4-5 minutes and it’s done!
- Assemble the smash burgers. I’m a big toppings gal, so I like to go all in here! I load up my greek-style smash burgers with lettuce, tomato, marinated onions, feta, and a drizzle of the garlic yogurt sauce and dig in!
What to Serve with Smash Burgers
While these Greek-style smash burgers are truly a meal on their own, they’re even better served up alongside your favorite side dishes! I’m a big fan of cross-utilizing ingredients that you may have purchased for this recipe (like sumac and zaatar!), so here are some easy side dish recipes that also use similar ingredients.
- Sumac Roasted Potato Wedges
- Fattoush Salad
- Cucumber Yogurt Salad
- Lemon Dill Potato Salad
- Roasted Carrots with Whipped Feta
- Lentil Rice Pilaf
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Summer Sandwich Recipes to Try
Crab Cake Sandwiches
Grilled Pork Banh Mi Sandwiches
Giant Italian Sandwich
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Greek Chicken Gyros
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Greek-Style Smash Burgers
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Ingredients
Meat Mixture
- 3/4 lb ground sirloin
- 3/4 lb ground lamb
- 1/4 red onion, very finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup minced parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 1/2 tablespoons zaatar, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons sumac
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- 1/2 cup full-fat greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Sandwiches
- 6 – 6” pita flatbreads
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
- 2 oz crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Make the meat mixture. In a large bowl, mix the ground lamb, sirloin, lemon zest, garlic, minced red onion, parsley, spices, salt and pepper together. Use your hands to mix everything together until it’s well combined and then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 48.
- Make the white sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon zest, garlic, and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Whisk in just enough water to make it drizzle-able and then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. You can store this in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Marinate the onions. An hour before you plan to cook, mix the thinly sliced red onion with the lemon juice, parsley, olive oil, and sumac and season with salt and pepper. Toss the onion well to coat and let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Press the meat into the pita. Divide the meat mixture into 4 oz portions and roll each portion into a ball. Press the meat in an even layer on the flatter side of the pita so that it extends to the edges. Sprinkle the meat with more za’atar.
- Cook the smash burgers. Preheat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat for at least 5 minutes. Drizzle a small amount of oil into the pan and press the pita into the skillet, meat side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes, pressing down occasionally, until the lamb is browned and crispy. Remove the lamb pitas from the griddle, wipe out any excess oil, and return them to the pan lamb side up to toast the pita for 1 minute.
- Assemble. Transfer the lamb pitas to a serving platter and top as desired with the sumac onions, garlic yogurt sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and feta.
Nutrition
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Rate & Review This Recipe
Okay, this sounds incredible! A gyro-smash burger fusion is pure genius — crispy, juicy, and packed with flavor. Definitely adding this to my must-try list. Who knew viral food trends could get even better with a Mediterranean twist?
It really is so good!