Make restaurant worthy homemade gyro meat that’s bursting with garlicky, herby, and is perfectly spiced in the comfort of your own home.
I’ve been experimenting making gyros at home for a while. Gyros are one of those things that just seem… impossible to make at home, right? However being keto, I’ve come to learn, nothing is impossible in my kitchen. And this gyro is proof… it’s not at all difficult to make, and is every bit as good (better, even) than our favorites from Greek and Middle Eastern take out places with the added benefit of no fillers.
While traditional gyro meat is cooked on a vertical spit and then shaved off, that’s not exactly practical in a home kitchen. So I decided to use a mix of ground lamb and beef, seasoned with all the right spices and bake it, kind of like a meat loaf. Once done I like to completely cool it and then cut it up into cubes or thin slices. It’s even better the next day actually, because cold meat is so much easier to cut without having to worry about breaking. I prefer making it at least a day ahead, it makes my life so much easier and dinner is ready in a jiffy.
The best part about this recipe is that it’s super VERSATILE. A true crowd pleaser. I make a big salad, low carb tortillas, pita, and some rice and serve it family style. Kids love making their own plates with the toppings they enjoy, and I can make one dish that everyone will love. This makes a great do ahead recipe as well. You can make it the day ahead and keep it in the fridge, chop it up when it’s cold and get it ready when you want to serve. This recipe also freezes beautifully.
I love a combination of 50/50 ground lamb and beef. I am lucky enough to easily find it premixed at my local butcher. Most Mediterranean stores carry the ground lamb and beef mix but if you can’t find it, you can either buy them separately and combine yourself or just use ground beef.
I like to use a food processor to get the meat to a super fine, dense texture and it makes the job super easy. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking, pack the meat mixture in, and bake. Now the gyro does not look appetizing when it comes out of the oven but don’t let that fool you. Because I promise that it tastes absolutely delicious when ready. The most important step is to reheat the cooked meat with the pan juices leftover from the baking. This will ensure that your gyro is moist and delicious. So share good food and love with your family!
EASY HOMEMADE GYRO
Ingredients
For the gyro meat
- 1 lbs ground beef
- 1 lbs ground lamb
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 bell peppers chopped
For the sauce:
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp powdered sweetener or sugar
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano crush it between your palms to make it super fine.
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2-3 tblsp water to thin out the sauce
Instructions
GYRO
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Add the ground meat into a food processor along with the chopped onion, garlic, thyme, and the spices and process until everything is mixed well.
- Spray a square casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and add the meat mixture.
- Pack the meat mixture into the dish making sure there are no bubbles.
- Bake for 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.
- It’s better if you cook the “gyro meatloaf” ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator. That makes it so much easier to cut without worrying about being breaking.
- Cut the meat into squares for salads or to serve or rice, or slice it thinly for sandwiches.
- Heat a small amount of avocado oil or cooking oil of your choice in a skillet.
- Add the chopped bell peppers and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Push the peppers to one side of the pan and add the meat in the pan.
- Cool for just a couple of minutes to get a bit of color on the meat pieces.
- Add some of the juices leftover in the casserole dish from baking. This is important because it will rehydrate the meat and make it juicy and delicious. Mix everything together and remove from heat.
- Serve over salad, rice, pita or low carb tortillas with the sauce.
SAUCE
- Add all the “sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Add a couple of tablespoons of water to thin the sauce out to the consistency of your liking. See notes for nutritional information for the sauce.