Beef Gyro Recipe

Flank steak stars in this street cart-inspired pita wrap recipe. Tuck the Greek-marinated Beef Gyros inside a fluffy pita bread, and top with homemade tzatziki sauce.

Traditional gyro meat is cooked on a vertical spit roaster and sliced off in strips when you order it. As a classically-trained chef, I knew I could crack the code and deliver the same authentic flavors at home without the need for any special equipment.

I’ll walk you through my easy recipe with the freedom to grill or roast your meat in the oven. One reader even made it in a slow cooker and her family loved it! Add my fool-proof tzatziki sauce, soft pillowy pita, and all your favorite toppings and thank me later!

What is gyro meat?

Gyro meat is a processed meat made with lamb or a mixture of both lamb and beef. Occasionally, some gyro meat blends might contain pork, too. Traditional gyro meat is cooked on a vertical rotisserie in a cone shape and sliced off in pieces to order. This version is made with just beef which is easy to find and just as flavorful as lamb.

Beef Gyro Ingredients

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

• Plain Greek yogurt: Any fat percentage will do, but I adore the richness that you can only find in a 2 to 5 percent variety (translation: 0% yogurt is not my top choice; proceed with caution).
• Beef flank steak: While traditional gyros are made with lamb, beef is a wonderful, crowd-pleasing alternative. Flank steak is widely available and budget-friendly. If desired, swap in skirt steak, hanger steak, or flat iron steak.
• Cucumber: Peel, grate, and strain this before incorporating into your tzatziki sauce so the condiment doesn’t get too watery.

How to Make Homemade Gyros

1. In a large bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well. Add the beef pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover bowl or transfer into zip-top bag and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

2. While the beef is marinating, shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Toss with ½ teaspoon salt and set over a strainer or paper towels (a coffee filter also works well) and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible.

3. In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, dill, garlic, and white wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with oil or nonstick spray and arrange beef in a single layer. Cover with parchment paper, tucking the paper around the beef so it is completely covered. 

5. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, until the beef reaches 140 degrees when tested with an internal thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or chop into pieces.

6. Serve on pita bread with feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, tzatziki sauce, and fresh dill.

Gyro Pita Tips and Variations

• Yield: This recipe makes enough to build 4 generous gyros with approximately 4 ounces of beef per gyro.
• Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Make ahead: Make the tzatziki up to 4 days in advance. Marinate the beef one day in advance.
• Greek omelet: Put leftover gyro meat to work in an omelet with feta cheese, tomatoes, and fresh spinach. Just sauté all your filling ingredients together until hot before adding to the omelet.
• Think outside of the pita: A gyro wrap is my favorite way to serve Beef Gyros, but feel free to try this same beef recipe and tzatziki sauce as part of a grain bowl, salad, or even piled atop pita chips for a Mediterranean twist on nachos.
• Pick a different protein: If red meat isn’t your favorite, try my Chicken Gyros instead.
• Favorite sides: I love to eat Gyros with a huge pile of French fries, but Lemon Rice Pilaf and Greek Salad make a delicious platter, too.

Gyro Pita Toppings

Because gyro meat is heavy and somewhat greasy, the toppings are often fresh, crunchy vegetables like cucumbers, tomatoes, and sliced red onion. Some versions include shredded lettuce, olives, pepperoncinis, and feta cheese. Wrap everything in a piece of pillowy pita bread, and serve plenty of Tzatziki sauce (a cucumber-yogurt dip) on the side.

Recipe FAQs

Chicken Gyros Recipe

My Chicken Gyros Recipe will change the way you think about chicken breast dinner ideas. The tender, yogurt-marinated chicken is juicy, flavorful, and once cooked, it’s begging to be tucked inside pita alongside fresh veggies and slathered with an easy, homemade tzatziki sauce.

1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

View Recipe

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Homemade Gyros

By Meggan Hill

Flank steak stars in this street cart-inspired pita wrap recipe. Tuck the Greek-marinated Beef Gyros inside a fluffy pita bread, and top with homemade tzatziki sauce.

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Marinate Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Servings 4 servings

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Greek

Calories 246

4.88 from 32 votes

ReviewPrint

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

For the beef:

• ▢ 2 teaspoons garlic minced
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed (from 2 lemons)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt (see note 1)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 1/4 pounds beef flank steak (see note 2)

For the tzatziki sauce:

• ▢ 1 medium cucumber peeled (see note 3)
• ▢ 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh dill plus more, for garnish
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
• ▢ Olive oil

For serving:

• ▢ Pita bread
• ▢ Feta cheese cubed
• ▢ tomatoes chopped
• ▢ red onion thinly sliced

Instructions 

To marinate the beef:

• In a large bowl, combine the garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl and whisk well. Add the beef pieces to the bowl and mix well to coat. Cover bowl or transfer into ziploc bag and refrigerate for about 1 hour.

To make the tzatziki sauce:

• While the beef is marinating, shred the cucumber or chop in food processor. Toss with ½ teaspoon salt and set over a strainer or paper towels (a coffee filter also works well) and let sit for 20 to 30 minutes. Squeeze cucumber to remove as much liquid as possible.
• In a medium bowl, combine yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, dill, garlic, and white wine vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To cook the beef in the oven:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with oil or nonstick spray and arrange beef in a single layer. Cover with parchment paper, tucking the paper around the beef so it is completely covered. 
• Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, until the beef reaches 140 degrees when tested with an internal thermometer. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or chop into pieces.
• Serve on pita bread with fresh dill, feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, tzatziki sauce, and fresh dill.

To cook the beef on the grill:

• Preheat grill on medium-high heat. Grill the beef turning occasionally until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees on a thermometer, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice or chop into pieces. Serve on pita bread with feta cheese, tomatoes, red onion, and tzatziki sauce.

Recipe Video

Notes

1. Plain Greek yogurt: Any fat percentage will do, but I adore the richness that you can only find in a 2 to 5 percent variety. (Translation: Use the 0 percent kind with caution.)
2. Beef flank steak: While traditional gyros are made with lamb, beef is a wonderful, crowd-pleasing alternative. Flank steak is widely available and budget-friendly. If desired, swap in skirt steak, hanger steak, or flat iron steak.
3. Cucumber: Peel, grate, and strain this before incorporating into your tzatziki sauce so the condiment doesn’t get too watery.
4. Yield: This recipe makes enough to build 4 generous gyros with approximately 4 ounces of beef per gyro.
5. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 4 ounces (meat only)Calories: 246kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 30gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 80mgPotassium: 541mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 103mgIron: 2mg

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Meggan Hill

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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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