Marinated Greek Lamb Kebabs

When you’re craving lamb, but don’t need to roast a whole leg, these tender, flavorful Marinated Greek Lamb Kebabs will fit the bill. The Mediterranean flavors work perfectly with lamb, and these Greek kebabs are destined to become a family favorite.

Marinated Greek Lamb Kebabs

I am the daring eater in our household.  A few of my forays away from the standard meat and potatoes my hubby grew up with have become his new favorites. Rice and pasta were infrequent on his childhood dinner table, and ethnic dishes were pretty much non-existent. 

Bill loves lamb, thanks to an introduction to an Easter leg of lamb my mom served early in our marriage, studded with garlic and roasted to perfection. But grilled, marinated Greek lamb kebabs are perfect for those times you crave lamb, but a roast is way too much meat.

Tips for Making Lamb Kebabs

These are marinated Greek lamb kebabs super easy to prepare. Just make your marinade the night before you plan to grill and marinate your lamb cubes overnight.

• PRO-Tip: Big chunks of lamb are better than smaller ones. I aim for about 1 1/2-inch cubes so that the lamb does not get overdone as can easily occur with small pieces of meat. You also want the onions and peppers to have enough time on the grill so they cook and soften.
• Keeping the lamb and veggies in the marinade overnight allows the wine, vinegar and lemon juice to tenderize the lamb. The acid in those ingredients helps denature the proteins in your meats while imparting a delicious flavor (although the marinade works mainly on the surface of the meat).

• PRO-Tip: I like marinating in a large Ziploc bag. Make sure to seal well, so the marinade does not spill in your refrigerator.
• Flip the bag once or twice during the marination time and agitate it so that all the surfaces of the lamb are exposed to the marinade.

• We love to grill over charcoal as often as possible as the smoke provides an additional flavor to the lamb that is lacking with a gas grill. But either option will work well.
• Remove the lamb from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before grilling to get the chill off.

• Grill your lamb to medium rare for the best results. Check the internal temperature with an Instant Read Thermometer.
• It should read 120-125º when you pull it off the grill. There will be some residual cooking and the final temperature will be higher. Tent the kebabs with foil and let them rest for about 10 minutes before serving. This allows the juices to reabsorb and the meat to come up to temperature.

Kabobs, Kebabs, or Souvlaki?

I have been known to spell the word “kebab” both ways. Kebab is the more popular spelling, a Turkish word meaning sword or skewer. Cabob is also seen on occasion. And to confuse you even more, this dish is also known as souvlaki, which translates to “made from lamb” in Greek and Latin.

No matter what you call these or how you spell it, if you enjoy lamb, or want to try it for the first time, I think you’ll enjoy this recipe for Greek kebabs! It’s picky hubby approved!! Serve it with my favorite Greek Salad with Feta, Cheesy Spinach Rice Casserole, Homemade Pita Bread and Greek Lemon Bundt Cake for dessert! If you’re looking for a leg of lamb recipe, here’s my Glazed Leg of Lamb.

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Lamb Kebabs

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Marinated and grilled lamb kebabs with a Greek flair!

• Author: Liz
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 6 minutes
• Total Time: 21 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Lamb, Entree
• Method: Grilling, Marinating
• Cuisine: Greek-American, Greek

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lamb, cut into 1 1/2-2-inch cubes (my butcher cubed some leg of lamb)
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 + large cloves of garlic (minced)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or sprinkle of dried thyme
• 1 large onion (cut into 1+ inch chunks)
• 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1+ inch chunks)

Instructions

1. Combine wine, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, lemon juice and onion in large ziplock bag. Add lamb and mix to combine. Marinate overnight in the fridge.
2. Skewer lamb chunks with slices of onion and bell pepper. Grill to desired doneness.

Notes

Adapted from Greek Cookery Marin.

Recipe first shared in 2011. Photos and text updated in 2019.