Shawarma-Inspired Pita Smash Burgers is an awesome recipe, submitted to us by Sarah Powell. She is a mom of 5, 3 on the spectrum. Check out her social media at Pancakes and Pandemonium.
Shawarma-Inspired Pita Smash Burgers (Made with Ground Lamb!)
If you’ve ever had street food in the Middle East, you know that shawarma is iconic. It’s flavorful, warm, spiced just right, and almost always wrapped up in some kind of pita.
What Makes This Shawarma Smash Burger So Good?
I wanted something that:
- Stretched the meat (because lamb is usually a splurge),
- Came together fast on a weeknight,
- And packed all the shawarma-style flavor I remember from my childhood.
These smash burgers hit every mark. With just two pounds of ground lamb, I made nine full-sized smash burgers that totally satisfied my big-eating crew. And I used the smashburger method, but on flat pita instead of buns — so it’s fast, easy and totally family-friendly.
Ingredients for Shawarma Pita Smash Burgers
For the Lamb Patties:
- 2 lbs ground lamb
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 TBSP of fresh lemon juice
For Assembly:
- 9 pita rounds (flat, not pocket-style)
- Olive oil for cooking
Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Sliced tomato
- Diced cucumber
- Za’atar (for seasoning the salad)
- Fresh parsley or mint (optional)
Garlic Yogurt Sauce
This sauce pulls the whole dish together. Just mix:
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Pinch of salt
First assemble the sauce and salad and put in fridge an hour or more-the more time, the better the flavor!
How to Make Shawarma Smash Burgers
- Mix the Lamb
Combine all the spices, lemon juice, and garlic into the ground lamb. Mix gently — just enough to combine.
- use a large ice cream scoop and put a scoop full of lamb on a pita and spread thin to the edges..
- Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat with a little oil. Place a pita down, top with a lamb ball, and smash it into the pita. Let it cook 3–4 minutes, then flip to crisp up the meat side.
- put meat side down on the griddle and press to make sure it’s smashed, cook through about 5 minutes then flip to warm the pita side
- Top with salad and garlic sauce and Serve
* serve with hummus and thick cut French fries for an authentic feel!
Make It Budget-Friendly and Versatile
Even though lamb can be pricey, this is a smart way to stretch two pounds of meat. And you can absolutely swap it out for:
- Ground chicken
- Lean or grass-fed ground beef
- Or even half beef, half lamb to make it go further
No matter what you use, don’t skip the toppings. Even my picky eaters cleaned their plates with the cucumber-tomato salad and yogurt sauce on top.
Cooking like this reminds me that we don’t need a passport to explore. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple recipe, a good story, and a table full of people you love.
In case you missed out, here’s a Catalina Taco Salad recipe blog we wrote a week ago
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