All the flavours of a lamb kofte – in burger form! These Easy Lamb Kofte Burgers are quick and simple to make, and far less fiddly than making traditional koftes. Perfect served in pittas with tzatziki and salad!
A happy accident!
These lamb kofte burgers came about because, when I made lamb koftes the traditional way on skewers, I always found it annoyingly fiddly and messy. One day, in frustration, I took the lamb mixture off the skewers and reshaped it into burgers. This made the whole process of cooking them much easier and a whole lot less fiddly, and is the way I always do it now!
A quick and simple recipe…
The ingredients list for the lamb kofte burgers might look a little long, but the method is not complicated at all! All you need to do is throw lamb mince, spices, herbs, garlic, pistachios, lemon juice, flour and an egg into a large bowl. Then mix everything together, shape into 4 burger shapes and grill for 5 minutes each side. Easy peasy!
If you want to simplify things further, you could replace the chilli and spices with 2 teaspoons of mild chilli powder, which would give you a similar flavour. And if you are not keen on pistachio nuts, just leave them out.
Perfect grilled, fried or barbecued!
You can fry these lamb koftes (try 5 minutes on each side in a medium hot frying pan), but I much prefer to grill them, as I can more or less ignore them while I get on with making the accompaniments. (I set myself an oven timer so I don’t forget to turn them over!)
Alternatively, they are delicious cooked on a BBQ.
What to serve with lamb koftes?
These koftes are delicious served in pittas, with homemade tzatziki and salad. They also work well with my Easy Peasy Greek Salad and, if you have a little more time, you could have a go at making your own flatbreads.
Other great dishes to serve with these simple Lamb Kofte Burgers include:
What to drink with lamb koftes?
Lamb koftes work well with robust reds, such at Côtes du Rhone, Languedoc reds and Rioja Crianza.
Can you reheat lamb kofte burgers?
Absolutely! Put any leftover burgers into an airtight container and place in the fridge, where they will keep for up to 3 days. To reheat, place in an oven preheated to 180C (160C fan / gas mark 4 / 350F) for 10 minutes, or until piping hot all the way through.
You can also reheat these burgers in the microwave, if you prefer. (Again, make sure you reheat them until they are piping hot all the way through.)
Can you freeze lamb kofte burgers?
Lamb Kofte Burgers freeze well and so this makes a great batch cooking / fill the freezer recipe! Put the cooked and cooled burgers into an airtight container and place in the freezer, where they will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Lamb Kofte Burgers
Ingredients
Lamb Kofte Burgers:
- 500 g lamb mince
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds ground
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds ground
- ½ teaspoon chilli (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped finely
- 1 tablespoon mint chopped finely
- 3 garlic cloves grated or crushed
- 25 g pistachio kernels chopped finely or bashed in a pestle and mortar
- Salt and pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 egg beaten
To Serve:
- Homemade Tzatziki
- Pittas
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sliced cucumber
- Shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium.
- Place all the ingredients for the koftes in a bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 roughly equal burger shapes.
- Oil the bars of your grill pan and grill the koftes for about 7 minutes on each side, or until done to your liking. (See Note 1.)
- Serve with Homemade Tzatziki, pittas and salad.
Notes
- You can also fry these burgers or cook them on a BBQ, if you prefer.
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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GiGi Eats says
This is totally my FAVORITE kind of food, EVER! Seriously love 🙂 I need to try and make it at home!
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Gigi. It’s one of my favourites too – such great flavours! And so easy to make. Thanks for commenting 🙂
Karen says
These look delicious. Great idea to make them in to burgers, I think I would prefer them that way too. #cookblogshare
Eb Gargano says
They are so much easier as burgers! And the kids prefer them that size too. Thanks for commenting, Karen. 🙂 Eb x
Lucy @ BakingQueen74 says
I love this recipe, it looks really healthy and would be great to make for the family for a different meal to our usual. Flatbreads are such fun to make and your ones look great.
Eb Gargano says
It is a really fun family meal. The kids had great fun making up little parcels of salad and koftes in their flatbreads. (They both refused to try the tzatziki, though!) These flatbreads are so easy and make a great standby as they only use store cupboard ingredients. Thanks for your kind comments, Lucy 🙂 Eb x
beth says
We love lamb koftes. Lovely recipe
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Beth! Eb x
Leila ( A Polyglot Mum) says
Lovely, just my kind of food!!! #TastyTuesdays
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Leila! Eb x
Alison says
This looks lovely. I must give it a try as my husband would love it. I tried making flat bread the other day and totally failed, must give it another go
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Alison, they really do taste good! Hope your husband likes them 🙂 Oh no what went wrong with your flatbreads? My best bit of advice would be make sure you have a really hot pan. Let it heat up on a high heat for at least a minute. Eb x
Honest Mum says
Oh wow, this whole meal looks ah-mazing! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Vicki! It is pretty scrumptious 🙂 Thanks, as always, for hosting! Eb x
Mandy says
These look like lovely burgers. I don’t buy lamb very often but I’m pretty sure that the kids would really enjoy these so we must give this a go at some point. Thanks for linking up with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Mandy…my kids loved them (though not the tzatziki which they both refused to even try!) – they are fun for kids to make too 🙂 Eb x
Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed says
Delicious Eb & I love how you make it so achievable, grilling the koftes while you make the flatbreads is a great idea & healthy too. Pinning for later x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks for your lovely comments, Sarah! I really try to make all my recipes do-able. This one was a challenge as the koftes and the flatbreads need to be cooked at the last minute, but by getting everything prepped first and grilling the koftes rather than frying them, it means you are not trying to do 3 things at once! Eb x
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says
Eb these look so good! I love all of the flavour combinations, these would be a success here! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Kirsty. They were certainly popular with my lot – anything wrap/flatbread based always goes down well with my kids! Eb x