Middle Eastern Spiced Lamb Burger Recipe
Looking for a new burger recipe? This Middle Eastern Spiced Lamb Burger recipe was delicious and simple. The lamb burger patty is seasoned with middle eastern spices and it is topped with a tahini yogurt sauce. While the burger is not complicated, it is full of complex flavor.
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All about the Burgers
Who doesn’t love a good burger? I’ve made an Italian Sausage and Peppers Burger, a Pork Burger with Hatch Chiles, Bacon Goat Cheese Burger with Pepper Jam and even a vegan Potato Veggie Burger.
Every year, I try out a new protein. Since I did beef last year, I switched it up to lamb this year. I have made a lamb burger with mint and a lamb burger with feta, and a combination of the two, but this time I wanted to change it up and try something new.
While I love over the top burgers, sometimes they are a challenge to eat. I end up having to disassemble it and it separately, which totally defeats the purpose, or with a knife and fork and I don’t want to be that girl.
Lamb Burger Ideas
To me, lamb and middle eastern spices go hand in hand. Of course it goes with mint and feta also, but I tend to gravitate toward the warm spices of middle eastern cooking. Baharat spice blend is one of my go-to blends for lamb skewers, so it was the first thing I thought of when thoughts of a lamb burger danced in my head. The flavors of that blend are used in this burger.
You might be surprised to realize that you have most of this already. You may not have sumac, but most of the spices are fairly common. Sumac is slightly fruity and tart, very similar to lemon. If you are trying to broaden your spice repertoire and want to branch out to incorporate different spices, this is a great time to do it.
Lamb Burger Recipe
Once I figured out what I wanted to burger to taste like, I got stuck on condiments for a second. I wanted to keep it fairly simple because the burger is so flavorful, I didn’t want to toppings to be overwhelming. I had plain Greek yogurt in the fridge and I always have tahini in the cupboard, so I combined the two to make a quick and easy spread.
Lamb isn’t as popular as beef, but I can always find it at my grocery store. It usually comes in 1 pound packages, which is perfect for this recipe. I know the list of spices is a bit long, but don’t let that deter you from trying this burger. If you happen to have baharat in your cabinet, use it and just add in the sumac and sesame seeds!
What can I serve with my burgers?
Sides can be just as important as the burger. We almost always have something creamy like a potato or macaroni salad, something crunchy (chips, pretzels, etc) and something with a little kick to it like vinegary pickles or something spicy. Here are a few of my favorites for you to try:
- Pickled Banana Peppers – super easy and done in under 30 minutes
- Pimento Cheese Potato Salad – need I say more?!
- White Beans with Arugula and Sun Dried Tomato – as an alternative to baked beans
- Bulgur Wheat Salad with Chickpeas and Red Onion – this would go perfectly with these burgers!
Used in my kitchen and in this recipe:
Pin it to your burger board!
Middle Eastern Spiced Lamb Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup tahini paste
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice optional
- 4 seeded hamburger buns
- 4 slices tomato
- 4 lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Combine lamb, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, sumac and sesame seeds in a medium bowl.
- Mix to combine, but do not overwork the mixture.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or grill to medium/medium-high heat.
- Portion lamb mixture into 4 equal sized balls of 4 ounces each and form into patties.
- Cook for 4 - 5 minutes per side.
- Set aside to rest while you make the sauce.
- Combine yogurt and tahini in a small bowl. Add lemon juice if desired. Stir to mix until uniform.
- Assemble burgers: lettuce, tomato, tahini yogurt and burger on a sesame seed bun.
All the flavors in this burger speak to me. Besides I need ways to use up the rest of that huge jar of tahini I bought. LOL And that tahini sauce looks and sounds delicious.
Thank you so much, Christie! This burger was tasty and I liked that it was fairly simple to make 🙂