Minted Lamb Burgers

These minted lamb burgers make a great alternative to beef burgers and they are really quick and easy to make from scratch.

They are simply flavoured with onion, garlic and fresh mint, which makes them great for summer eating on the barbecue or just under the grill.

With just 5 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking you can be tucking into juicy burgers in no time!

Perfect in a bun with some crispy halloumi and a yogurt dressing.

Enjoy!

As soon as the sun comes out in spring the shops seem to be full of burgers, urging us to rush out into garden for a barbecue.

There always seems to be new flavours to try, to tempt you to to buy them too. However, it's really easy to make your own burgers at home, for a fraction of the cost. And, of course, you will know what is in them as well.

I love lamb with mint sauce, so for a change here is a minted lamb burger to try at home. They are so easy to make and hold their shape really well so, if you are lucky enough to be able to cook on the barbecue, they won't start to fall apart.

While mint goes really well, there are lots of alternative flavours too, that I've included as variations.

Jump to:

• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Grilling Time
• 🥗 Side Dishes
• Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• Storage
• FAQs
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🥘 Ingredients

• Lamb mince - around 20% fat. It's important to have at least 20% of fat in a burger with 80% lean meat. If the burger has less fat than this it will be dry and tough rather than succulent.
• Garlic - garlic loves lamb, so use garlic cloves rather than powder of granules.
• Onion - medium brown onion for flavour and moisture.
• Salt - flaked sea salt.
• Pepper - freshly ground black pepper.
• Mint - fresh mint leaves. The flavour and strength can be different with the variety you use. Most mint found in grocery shops is spearmint, but it may also be the stronger peppermint. You may need to add more or less to taste, so try the mint first to test its strength.

See recipe card for quantities.

🍽 Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Fork
• Cheese Grater
• Oven dish with rack
• Sharp knife
• Garlic press

🔪 Instructions

Peel the onion and use a box grater on the coarse side to grate it.

Take the leaves off the mint and chop finely.

Peel and crush the garlic. If you don't have a garlic press then use the side of a large sharp knife to crush the clove and then chop as finely as you can.

Put the minced lamb in a large bowl.

💭 Top Tip

• When lamb has been minced it tends to be quite difficult to mix with other ingedients. Use a fork or a potato masher to loosen it up first.

Add the mint, onions, garlic and pepper.

Mix everything together with a fork, or clean hands if you prefer.

Divide the mixture into 4 portions. Roll each one into a ball and then flatten it.

At this point you could cover the burgers and refrigerate a day in advance of cooking.

💭 Top Tip

• The lamb and mint burgers don't tend to shrink much when cooking, so decide on your preferred thickness depending on the size of the buns, if you are using them.

⏲️ Grilling Time

Preheat the grill to medium.

For best results put the burgers on a grill rack.

You can use a little oil, but I don't think it is needed for these burgers.

💭 Top Tip

• The most important thing is the season the burgers with salt just before cooking. If you add salt too early it draws out the moisture from the burgers and can start to dissolve the proteins, leading to a tough burger.

Grill for about 4 minutes each side.

Unless you have just ground the meat yourself, it is important to cook the lamb and mint burgers all the way through intil the juices run clear.

If your burgers are thinner or fatter then you will need to cook more of less accordingly.

Let the burgers rest for a minute of two before serving.

I love to serve the minted lamb burgers with brioche burger buns, some grilled halloumi and a lemon yogurt dressing.

🥗 Side Dishes

• Minted Mushy Peas
• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
• Mushroom Salad
• Fennel and Pear Salad
• Hummus
• Tarragon Potato Salad
• Cherry Tomato and Feta Salad
• Broccoli and Edamame Salad
• Carrot and Celeriac Remoulade
• Baked Halloumi Fries

Substitutions

• Fresh mint - if you need to use dry mint then a rough guide is 1 teaspoon of dried for every tablespoon of fresh. As mint can be strong I would use 3 teaspoons.

📖 Variations

• Herbs - swap the mint for 1 tablespoon of finely chopped rosemary or 4 tablespoons of parsley.
• Lamb - try pork mince with 2 tablespoons of chopped sage or turkey or chicken with 4 tablespoons of tarragon.

Storage

• Refrigerator - prepare the burgers and store covered in the fridge for 1 day before cooking, or up to 3 days if they are cooked.
• Freezer - store cooked burgers well wrapped for up to 3 months. For uncooked burgers, open freeze them then transfer to bags or containers for up to 1 month.
• To reheat - defrost the burgers in the fridge overnight. Reheat under the grill or wrapped in foil in the oven at 180 C / 350F.

FAQs

More burgers and barbecue recipes

• Pinchos de Pollo
• Lincolnshire Sausage Skewers
• Vietnamese Grilled Chicken
• Venison Burgers with Bacon
• Spatchcock Chicken
• Pomegranate Lamb
• Blackbean and Mushroom Burgers
• Falafel Burgers
• Beef and Stilton Burgers
• Thai Fish Burgers

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📋 Recipe

Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

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