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The best Greek lamb souvlaki recipe with overnight marinade.

Juicy Greek lamb souvlaki marinated overnight in lemon, olive oil, and oregano. Grilled to perfection on a braai, BBQ, or griddle pan
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Greek lamb souvlaki and easy homemade pita recipe
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes

Ingredients

Lamb souvlaki:

  • 900 grams 1kg lamb leg meat cut into small cubes
  • 60 ml cup olive oil 1/4 cup
  • 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice approx. 1 lemon
  • 2-3 garlic cloves sliced or crushed
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried or fresh thyme
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 2 small red onions sliced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 8 wooden skewers to cook

Pita

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 2 tsp instant dry yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 ½ cups flour divided – plus extra for kneading
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Instructions

To make the souvlaki (marinade in advance)

  • Place all the ingredients for the lamb into a large Ziploc bag, seal, and massage so that everything is evenly coated. Lay this flat in the fridge overnight. Turn it over after a few hours if you remember.
  • Remove the marinaded meat about an hour before you want to grill them. Do this over a fire (coals) or on a griddle pan on the stovetop.
  • Thread the meat onto 8 skewers and cook as desired. If cooking on a griddle pan, lightly brush each skewer with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
  • Season the kebabs with salt once grilled and spritz with fresh lemon juice.

To make the pita bread:

  • Place the warm water, yeast, sugar, and ½ cup flour in a large bowl and mix to combine. Let it stand for about 15 minutes to get foamy.
  • Add the salt oil and remaining 2 cups of flour and mix with a spoon until it starts coming together. It will be a bit shaggy. Tip this out onto a floured surface and knead for around 8 minutes until you have a smooth dough. Add a little extra flour if necessary and to prevent sticking.  
  • Put the dough ball into a clean bowl, cover with cling wrap, and place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour. It should double in size.
  • Tip the proved dough back onto a surface and divide it into 8 even-sized pieces. Roll these into balls and place them on a tray and cover them with a tea towel and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
  • Preheat the oven to the highest it can go – 250C / 500F and place a pizza stone in the middle. If you don’t have a pizza stone, you could preheat a very thick oven stray or cast-iron skillet.
  • When the oven and stone are preheated, roll each piece of dough into thin rounds about 20cm (8 inches) in diameter. Place as many as you can on the stone and bake for around 4-5 minutes. They should start puffing up almost immediately. Once puffed up quickly remove and bake the others. Wrap them in a clean tea towel as they come out of the oven.
  • Serve the pita bread with the grilled lamb souvlaki, tzatziki, lemon wedges, mint, tomato, and cucumber salad (or any other salad of your choice).

Notes

Storage and reheating

The marinated raw lamb can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours before cooking. Once grilled, the souvlaki keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheat gently in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil or in the air fryer at 180°C for 3 to 4 minutes. The pita bread is best eaten on the day it is made. Cooked pita can be frozen once fully cooled, wrapped individually, for up to one month. Reheat from frozen in a hot oven, in the air fryer, or directly on a hot griddle pan for a minute or two on each side.
Servings: 4 serves 4
Author: Sam Linsell