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Kick off your grilling season with these easy lamb burgers! Featuring ground lamb and loaded with aromatics, they turn out ridiculously juicy and tender.
Love grilling some burgers? Try my healthy burgers, ground chicken burgers, shrimp burgers, and bison burgers next.
My family might be out of the norm, but my lamb burger recipe is a BBQ staple over beef burgers. Comparing the two, lamb burgers are naturally juicier, hold onto so much more flavor, and are also super affordable. Our summer barbeues have slowly converted all our friends, too!
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Mouthwatering. The patties themselves are tender, juicy, and absolutely flavorful.
- Quick and easy. Combine the ingredients, shape them into patties, and grill them for 10 minutes! Also, there is no resting time!
- Make ahead. These burgers are perfect for batch prepping. Make in bulk and freeze until use.
Ingredients Needed
- Ground lamb. I like to get my lamb from my butcher who grinds the meat fresh. If you are feeling adventurous, feel free to grind your own lamb, too, using a food processor (use lamb forequarters or chops).
- Onion. Grated onion melds into the burger patties beautifully and amps up the flavor.
- Garlic. Freshly minced cloves.
- Egg. Helps to bind the patty together.
- Flavor boosters. Kosher salt, black pepper, Rosemary, lemon zest and ground cumin. These are my 5 go-tos for the juiciest lamb burgers ever!
- Burger fix-ins. Hamburger buns, tomatoes, red onion, salad, arugula, and my favorite garlic yogurt sauce (or Big Mac sauce!).
How to make lamb burgers
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Combine ingredients. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
Step 2- Shape the mixture into four circular patties using your hands.
Step 3- Grill the patties on each side for 4-5 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 165F.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Check the internal temperature. My #1 tip for perfectly cooked burgers! Insert an instant-read thermometer into the center of the burger and check for doneness. Look for 140F for medium, 150F for medium-well done, and 165F for well-done.
- Chill the patties. To keep your patties held together and juicy, store them in the fridge while your grill heats.
- Press a circle in the center of the patties to prevent them from swelling and shrinking during the cooking process and yield even juicier burgers.
- Flip only once to avoid tough and gummy burgers.
Variations
- Use another sauce. Swap out the Greek yogurt sauce for Tzatziki sauce, or whisk sour cream with cucumber and fresh mint.
- Amp up the patties by adding crumbled feta cheese or chopped kalamata olives.
- Mix your meats. If you are a little skeptical about an all-lamb burger, mix ground beef and lamb for the meat mixture.
- Add more herbs and spices, like fresh dill, lemon, oregano, or basil.
Storage instructions
To store. You can keep the uncooked burger in the refrigerator for up to a day.
To freeze. Wrap the patties individually in cling wraps or aluminum foil and store them in the freezer for up to three months.
To reheat. Cook the frozen patties on a grill or iron skillet.
Frequently asked questions
Sure, you can! If you don’t have a grill or don’t feel like lighting up one, heat a cast iron skillet to high heat and grease it with any neutral oil. Fry the patties on both sides for 5 minutes each.
More delicious ways to cook lamb
- Lamb kabobs
- Lamb ribs
- Lamb meatballs
- Lamb lollipops
- Roasted boneless leg of lamb
- Or any of these lamb recipes
Lamb Burgers
Video
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground lamb, garlic, egg, cumin, salt, pepper, lemon zest, Rosemary, and onion and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Using your hands, shape the mixture into four patties.
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Lightly grease the grill grates with the olive oil.
- Add the lamb patties and cook for 4-5 minutes, flip, and cook for another 4 minutes or until the desired doneness is reached. For medium, aim for 140F; for medium-well done, aim for 150F, and; for well done, 165F.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published June 2023, updated and republished May 2024
These are the best lamb burgers I’ve ever made!
Very Good! Glad I gave them a try
Excellent!! Thank you!
Which will provide a stronger rosemary flavour, fresh or dried?
Fresh would 🙂