Juicy, spiced-up lamb shawarma burgers topped with feta-yogurt sauce and fennel slaw. Easy to make and so delicious!

Devouring a great burger has to be the most satisfying way to eat a complete meal with your hands (okay, I realize that’s open to argument).

These spiced-up juicy shawarma lamb burgers deliver big time — they have layers of flavor, spice, cool and creamy things going on. You’re going to love them!

Everyone loves a burger, the iconic American sandwich. 

I am crazy about making and eating them because their construction —  layers of ground lamb, sauces, condiments, vegetables and bread — are open to so many creative variables beyond basic beef and ketchup.

Ground Lamb makes fantastic burgers.

Lamb’s earthy flavor pairs so well with spices and seasoning, making it a fun reason to experiment with stuff in the spice cabinet.

For some reason lamb consumption in the United States is among the lowest compared to other countries in the world — an interesting story for another day.

Lamb burger spices

Middle-Eastern fragrant spices are a natural partner with lamb, especially shawarma spice blends, associated with Eastern Mediterranean street cooking.

They contain a range of spices that vary from mix to mix, but most all have a base of the “sweet” ones like allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, often associated with pastries and desserts in European culture.

I mix up a small batches of my own shawarma-style blend to make these burgers, and it comes in handy to spice up other meats I like to grill too, like pork, beef and chicken.

I highly recommend that you make a batch of my simple green sauce to put on these, which makes them insanely delicious, I promise!

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Yield: makes 4 burgers

Shawarma Spiced Lamb Burgers with Fennel Slaw

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The most delicious spiced shawarma lamb burgers topped with fresh fennel slaw, spicy green sauce, yogurt and feta cheese. 

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Spice mix:

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Burgers:

• 1 ½ pounds ground lamb
• 1 small onion

Yogurt sauce:

• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt
• Fennel slaw:
• 1 small fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced or shaved
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

To serve:

• 4 burger buns or small pita, split and toasted
• Lettuce leaves and sprouts
• Thinly sliced cucumber
• Simple green sauce (recipe here); optional but delicious!

Instructions

1. Stir the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, allspice and nutmeg together in a small bowl to blend.
2. Put the lamb in a large bowl. Grate the onion on a box grater and add to the lamb. Add the spice mix. Blend well with your hands or a large fork and form into 4 patties.
3. Stir the feta and yogurt together in a bowl.
4. Toss the fennel in a bowl with the lemon juice, olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt.
5. Grill or broil the burgers until cooked to your liking. Serve the burgers on buns or pita, topped with some of the feta-yogurt sauce, fennel slaw, green sauce, lettuce, cucumber and sprouts.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 805Total Fat: 48gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 183mgSodium: 1547mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 5gSugar: 10gProtein: 53g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Nutritionix. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate with your favorite calculator.