Ever wanted to make your own mouth-watering Greek gyros at home? You won’t believe how easy it is with this homemade gyro seasoning that’s made with just a few pantry ingredients. Transport your taste buds straight to Greece with authentic tasting souvlaki and gyros, or use as a marinade or rub for any kebabs, grilled meats, potatoes and more!

What’s gyro seasoning?

Gyro seasoning is a magical blend of herbs and spices that bring the authentic flavors of Greece to your dishes. With a mix of dried herbs and spices, like oregano (of course!), paprika, garlic powder and cumin, it copies the distinct and very delicious taste found in traditional gyro meat.

Whether you’re grilling gyro skewers, making homemade gyro pitas, or just beginning to explore adding Mediterranean flavors to your recipes, gyro seasoning is the flavor-packed secret ingredient to transport you to the sun-drenched shores of Greece with every bite!

What’s gyro meat, anyway? Well, it’s seasoned pork or chicken (and sometimes other meats) traditionally cooked on a vertical rotisserie, but replicate it at home by cooking in the oven or on the grill. Served in pita bread or on skewers (souvlaki meaning ‘little skewer’), it’s usually served with tsatziki, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce for a delicious Greek street food delight!

Why you’ll love this version

Here’s why I think this is the very best Greek seasoning for gyro meat!

• Made with just pantry ingredients, so easy to make at the last minute. Perfect for elevating a simple midweek meal!

• A very simple version with just a few key flavors. It tastes authentic Greek but the ingredients list is kept fairly short!

• So versatile! Make ahead, then marinate pieces of chicken, pork or beef for gyro wraps or souvlaki skewers, rub all over a pork or lamb shoulder before slow cooking, or even drizzle over potatoes before roasting!

About the ingredients

For the ultimate gyros meat seasoning (marinade), gather these 10 flavorful ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil: A good quality brand if you can.

Paprika: Either regular or smoked will do the trick.

Garlic powder: Substitute with dried onion powder if you don’t have garlic. Or you can use crushed fresh garlic instead, of course!

Dried oregano: This is a key ingredient in a seasoning for gyro meat since it helps to create that quintessential Greek flavor profile that is often associated with this delicious street food snack! Make sure you use Mediterranean oregano (and not Mexican which has a different flavor profile!).

It’s best to try to use oregano for the reason mentioned above. However, there are ways to subsitute oregano effectively if you don’t have any. In fact, I wrote a whole list of best oregano substitutes if that interests you!

Cumin: Ground cumin is the most convenient to use. However, I recommend buying it in small quantities since it can lose its flavor quite quickly. Alternatively, if you only have whole cumin seeds you can grind them yourself for the recipe in a pestle and mortar for optimal freshness!

Salt and pepper: The essential duo, for perfect seasoning!

Lemon juice: This adds aromatic citrus notes to the seasoning blend, and provides a pleasant acidity that helps balance the richness of the meat and other spices. The natural acidity in lemon juice can also help break down proteins, resulting in juicier, more tender gyro meat!

No lemon? No worries! White or red wine vinegar comes to the rescue as a worthy substitute, infusing your marinade with its own zesty acidity.

Honey: This adds a touch of natural sweetness, as well as a little delicious caramelization to the meat and acting as a glaze, coating the meat and helping to seal in moisture! All in all, it’s worth including!

Mustard: I like to add this for a little extra depth and complexity of flavor. It can also help to bind the other ingredients together, creating a more uniform coating on the meat. Dijon mustard is a good choice, or go for American or any yellow mustard.

How to make gyro seasoning

The step-by-step guide below should help you make the recipe perfectly first time. Scroll down to the end for the full recipe including ingredient amounts.

As you can imagine, it’s VERY easy to make this incredibly delicious and versatile Mediterranean seasoning!

All you have to do is mix together all of the ingredients!

As already mentioned, you can either mix together only the dry ingredients and store them in your pantry, adding the wet ingredients (so honey, mustard and lemon juice) only when you’re ready to prepare your meal.

Or you can simply add all of the seasoning ingredients, both wet and dry, directly to the meat. I like to use large Ziploc bags for this. Simply seal the bag tightly, then squish and massage so that all the ingredients get well mixed together and completely cover all of the meat.

This is perfect if you’re making pita wraps or souvlaki on skewers as pictured below.

In this instance, I added all of the ingredients to chopped chicken thigh in a big bowl and mixed well. Then I spread the meat out on a lined baking sheet and baked for just 20 minutes at 425F/220C until the chicken was sizzling, crisp and delicious!

Check out the separate post for everything you need to know about using the seasoned meat to make my favorite easy chicken gyro pitas!

Alternatively, you can thread the meat onto skewers and grill, or use the marinade in one of the great ideas below!

How to use it

By far, my favorite way to use this amazing Mediterranean seasoning for gyros is, of course, to make homemade gyros!

Please do yourself a huge favor and check out this easy and very delicious recipe for Greek chicken gyros wraps!

But this is by no means the only way to use gyro seasoning. Here are more ideas to bring a burst of Greek flavor to your dishes:

Marinated meats: Use the gyro seasoning as a marinade for chicken, lamb, or beef. Let the meat soak in the flavorful blend for a few hours or overnight for the best results. Then grill, roast, or pan-fry it to perfection.

Sizzling skewers and kebabs: Create mouth-watering kebabs by threading marinated meat cubes, veggies, or a tasty combo onto skewers.

Mediterranean roast potatoes: Toss parboiled potatoes with gyro marinade and roast at 425F/220C for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender and crisp for the most delicious roast potatoes you’ve even eaten (perhaps apart from these sensational Greek potatoes which I highly recommend you try too!).

Roasted vegetables: Toss your favorite vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and red onion, with plenty of gyro marinade. Pop them in the oven and roast for around 30 minutes at 220C/425F or until tender and slightly caramelized.

Greek-inspired Burgers: Give your burgers a Greek twist by mixing the dry gyro seasoning into the ground meat. Shape the seasoned meat into patties and grill or pan-fry them to perfection. Pair these juicy burgers with tsatziki sauce, fresh tomato slices, and leafy greens.

Variations

By all means, give your amazing Mediterranean seasoning recipe a personal touch!

• Play around with different herbs to switch up the flavor profile. Consider adding different dried Mediterranean herbs like rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram, dill, mint or parsley.

• Try different citrus fruits such as orange or lime.

• Give your gyro seasoning a spicy kick with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, a dash of cayenne pepper, or even a finely chopped chili pepper.

• For a creamier and tangier marinade, consider mixing in a few tablespoons of Greek yogurt. It adds a tanginess that complements the other flavors so well. It will also help to keep the meat moist.

• Garlic lover? Don’t be shy to amp up the garlic in the marinade. Add more dried garlic, or some crushed fresh garlic if you like.

• Consider adding a pinch or two of other common Mediterranean spices. How about ground cinnamon, coriander, or nutmeg for a subtle boost in flavor?

• Try with different meats such as lamb. If you use lamb, consider using this easy Greek marinade for lamb recipe instead.

Love the idea of a versatile seasoning recipe? Also try this all-purpose seasoning recipe that works with so many dishes from meat and fish to potatoes, stews and more.

Recipe FAQs

Recipes to serve with gyro meat

• Greek lemon potatoes! Just trust me and make them. I’ve made them tens (if not hundreds) of times, and they never disappoint.

• Don’t serve any kind of meat seasoned with this gyro marinade without this 10-minute tsatziki sauce on the side. It’s such an easy, tasty and healthy recipe to have up your sleeve!

• This maroulosalata (Greek lettuce salad) is simple enough not to draw attention away from the star of the show (the delicious marinated meat!) but adds an interesting flavor twist to a simple green salad.

• You can NEVER go wrong serving a horiatiki salata (Greek village salad) on the side!

Or see all my easy Greek recipes.