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Marinated succulent lamb, juicy and beautifully charred. These Greek Lamb Souvlaki Kebabs are so tasty. Cook them on the BBQ for added flavour!
“Very good. Easy and tasty, just as we like it. I added some onion into the kebabs between lamb pieces, seemed a good idea and it was. You could add all manner of other veg to a) make the meat go further and b) add complementary flavours.”
Nicky’s Notes
The marinade for this lamb imbues some seriously deep flavours – salty, garlicky and with a good dash of lemon, they’re very very moreish.
They taste their best when cooked on the barbecue, but you can also cook them under the grill (broiler) or on a griddle (you don’t even need to skewer them if they’re cooked on the griddle).
They’re quick to make, but you’ve got to let them sit in the marinade for at least 2 hours. There’s no shortcut on this. If you want, you can prepare ahead by marinating the lamb in the morning, and then cooking them for dinner.
Table of Contents
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Marinate the lamb in the marinade for 2 hours. Thread onto skewers and brush with oil. Barbeque/griddle/grill/broil for 10-12 mins (turning every couple of mins) until lightly charred and cooked through.
Here’s the lamb with the marinade ingredients just about to be mixed:
Souvlaki cooking on the barbecue:
Recipe Tips
- The two hour marinating time is important to allow the acid from the lemon to penetrate the meat. This makes the lamb more tender. It also helps the rest of the flavours from the marinade absorb into the meat.
- Lamb shoulder is a good cut of meat to use. Lamb leg will also work. You want a bit of fat on there for flavour, but cut of any sinew so it’s not chewy.
🍽️ What to serve with souvlaki
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Pin ItMake ahead and Leftovers Guide
- This recipe call for being marinating ahead of time. You can marinate in the morning, then cook and eat in the evening.
You can cook and then reheat the kebabs (cool, cover and refrigerate, then cook in the oven at 190C/380F, covered with foil for about 15 minutes – or until piping hot throughout). They’re not quite as tender when reheated, but still good. - Yes. Cool, cover and freeze. Then defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat as per above.
📺 Watch how to make it
Greek Lamb Souvlaki Kebabs
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp table salt
- ½ tsp dried dill
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- pinch of cinnamon
- pinch of ground black pepper
- zest and juice of one lemon
Lamb
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) lean lamb cut into bite sized chunks
- 2 tbsp oil I use avocado oil, but other neutral oils such as sunflower or canola work too.
Instructions
- Place the garlic, salt, dill, oregano, cinnamon, pepper, lemon juice and zest in a bowl or ziplock bag. Add the lamb and give it a good mix together. Seal the bag (or cover the bowl) and leave to marinade for at least two hours (but no more than 10).2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp table salt, 1/2 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, pinch of cinnamon, pinch of ground black pepper, zest and juice of one lemon, 500 g (1.1 lbs) lean lamb
- After two hours, you’ll see that the lamb has started to go paler in colour. This is caused by the lemon juice which has been tenderizing the lamb.
- Light the barbecue and wait for the coals to turn white before cooking (this takes around 20-30 minutes). Alternatively, preheat the griddle or grill/broiler.
- Take the lamb out of the bag and place the lamb pieces on 4 skewers. Brush the remaining marinade on top of the skewers and brush with the vegetable oil.2 tbsp oil
- Place the lamb kebabs on the barbecue (or on the griddle/under the grill/broiler) and grill until they’re dark brown and thoroughly cooked. You can test this by cutting into one of the pieces of lamb and checking that it’s not pink in the middle and that any juices run clear.
- Serve with pita bread, tzatziki and a tomato-onion salad.
Video
Notes
Can I make it ahead?
This recipe calls for being marinating ahead of time. You can marinate in the morning, then cook and eat in the evening.You can cook and then reheat the kebabs (cool, cover and refrigerate, then cook in the oven at 190C/380F, covered with foil for about 15 minutes – or until piping hot throughout). They’re not quite as tender when reheated, but still good.
Will it freeze?
Yes. Cool, cover and freeze. Then defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat as per above. Nutritional information is per kebab, NOT including Tzatziki or pita bread.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in September 2014. Updated later with new photos, recipe video, extra tips and for housekeeping.
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Very good. Easy and tasty, just as we like it. I added some onion into the kebabs between lamb pieces, seemed a good idea and it was. You could add all manner of other veg to a) make the meat go further and b) add complementary flavours.
Great recipe but I cooked the lamb they myself and my family like it.Medium rare
I have some lamb in my freezer I’ve haven’t been sure what to do with. This recipe is it! Can’t wait to try this out!
Excellent….
Your site makes it impossible to print the recipe
Hi Paul,
Sorry you are having problems printing the recipes. There is a print recipe button at the top of every page and also within the recipe card its self.
Are you getting an error when clicking those buttons? If so please let me know and i will try and help if i can
Thanks
Chris