Recipe: $16.43 | Per Serving: $4.10 | Yield: 4
We are getting fancy today with Homemade Lamb Gyro Wraps! Herbed ground lamb is cooked and thinly sliced, crisped up under the broiler, and served with tangy marinated vegetables and lemon-dill yogurt sauce. This recipe is an absolute show-stopper, perfect for when you want something homemade that feels restaurant-worthy, or for date nights at home. And it is AIP, and Low FODMAP-friendly!
*Note that tomatoes are not AIP! Just omit them. :)
It's time for one of my all-time most popular recipes from Instagram: Lamb Gyro Wraps. These are gluten-free, dairy-free, AIP, and Low-FODMAP! It is also the perfect New Year's Eve dinner for when you want to be fancy but you're not going out.
Quick story: last fall (2020) we experimented with AIP for some autoimmune issues going on in my household. The intervention wasn't that helpful, but it was fun experimenting with new and different recipes and ingredients. This AIP Lamb Gyro Wrap came from that experiment and has become one of our favorite meals.
I have hesitated putting this on the blog because it is definitely more expensive (spoiler: AIP in general is more expensive) than my normal Frugal Nutrition recipes.
But we made these Lamb Gyros for a fancy New Year's Even meal last year and it was amazing, and then I made it for my sister's family this fall and it was a huge hit. Even her 3-year-old declared it "soooo delicious" and that was motivation enough to put it out into the world.
And at the end of the day, this is one of our go-to restaurant-worthy meals that feels so fancy when we have it or make it for friends, and it is STILL cheaper than ordering out! One of those fast casual Greek grills opened up near us and we got hooked on the lamb gyro - so I had to figure out how to make it for ourselves.
I did a lot of digging to find some fun AIP lamb recipes to use the ground lamb from our Moink (affiliate link) box. Most of the recipes were some variation of this same basic thing; some recipes used both lamb and beef, often with minced onion, and with a combination of herbs.
In this recipe, I wanted a Low FODMAP version, so I replaced the minced onions with some dairy-free coconut yogurt and amped up some of the other spices.
How to Make Homemade Lamb Gyro Meat
- First, combine your meat with spices and coconut yogurt. I recommend mixing in a stand mixer if you have one as this will give you the best texture and ensure everything is evenly combined, but you can certainly do this with a standard bowl and spatula.
- Press your meat mixture into a square or rectangular baking dish. For this recipe, I usually use the square 4-cup Pyrex, but other sizes will work just fine. You will be double cooking this meat so if it is a little underdone after the first bake, that shouldn't be a problem.
- Bake the loaf of meat for about 45 minutes. Once done, cool completely. I recommend refrigerating for at least 30 minutes, but ideally you want it to be completely cooled off and a little cooler than room temperature. The cooler it is, the easier it is to slice into thin strips.
- Thinly slice the meat. You should get 30+ slices of meat from this loaf.
- Crisp up the meat by either cooking it in a pan or broiling it for a few minutes in the oven. This is the best way to add texture and get a hint of that open-spit flavor you'd usually have in a gyro.
- Add to your wraps with your favorite gyro fixins' and enjoy!
Feel free to add other fun mediterranean-style accoutrements like hummus, olives, and feta cheese. I think this would be perfect as part of a mezze platter for a larger group, for whenever we're having large groups of people together again!
Dietary Modifications for Lamb Gyro Wraps
Vegetarian: Sorry, not this time.
Paleo: yep!
AIP: yes! This recipe is AIP compliant. Skip the tomatoes, but everything else is a-okay!
Low FODMAP: yes! This recipe is low FODMAP!
PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!
Lamb Gyro Wraps (AIP)
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 4 Tablespoons coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon onion powder optional, not low FODMAP⠀
- Other add-ins - I think minced garlic red pepper flakes, and finely minced onion would all be great here!
For Marinated Vegetables:
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 cup English cucumber or garden cucumber, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch salt ⅛ teaspoon
For Lemon-Dill Yogurt Sauce:
- ½ cup coconut yogurt for dairy free, I like Culina, and GT's coconut yogurts
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- For Serving: cassava tortillas lettuce wraps, or pita
Instructions
For the Lamb:
- Mix the ground lamb and other gyro ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (or food processor) until paste-like.
- Press the mixture into a baking dish. I like using this 4x4 Pyrex (~4 cup), but a loaf pan works too. Or free form shape it (I have done this and it works just fine)!
- Bake for 45 minutes on 325F.
- Drain the oil (save this!) then let cool completely. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or several hours or overnight.
- Once completely solid, slice into thin pieces. Not shredded, but thin.
- PAN COOK: using the reserved lamb fat (or other fat of choice), cook the lamb pieces on the stovetop to crisp up the outside.
- BROIL: place the thin pieces of lamb on a baking sheet and broil for 3-4 minutes or until browned on top.
For the Gyros:
- Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber-tomato salad: chop the vegetables into a small dice, and add to a bowl with the red wine vinegar, dried oregano, and salt.
- Prepare the lemon-dill yogurt sauce: combine the coconut yogurt, lemon juice, and chopped dill in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside. For non-Low FODMAP, feel free to make Tzatziki instead.
- Warm your pitas or tortillas, or wash and dry butter lettuce leaves and serve everything together as a make your own gyro bar!
Linnae
Hi! Yes! Food is the best! What purpose does the coconut milk serve in making the loaf of meat? Is it just moisture? I like to compare spice mixtures when I’m looking at a new recipe. I purchased ground lamb as a challenge to myself, since I haven’t cooked with it myself previously. I like to understand the reasons and the processes in a recipe. Thank you! I’m new to celiac, so my whole life is changing, and as much as I can learn about a step in one recipe it may help me with improving overall. Thank you very much for your time and for this recipe!
Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN
Hi Linnae! Great question. The coconut milk provides moisture since this is being cooked low & slow without any bread crumbs or eggs for binding. It also provides a little more fat that helps it have a slightly firmer texture than standard meatloaf (which is a bit more crumbly). I hope that helps. And good luck with your journey - those first few months of a celiac diagnosis can be such a challenge to navigate. Take care!
Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN
Oh and one note - feel free to use yogurt (coconut or dairy-based) instead of the coconut milk in this recipe. I have tried both!
Lyn
Yummy gyros! I think I'm going to try them as lettuce wraps for a bit low carb.