Lebanese Kafta Burger with Warm Spices and Garlic Yogurt

About This Recipe

This burger takes its flavor directly from kafta, the ground meat mixture found across Lebanese cooking, usually a blend of beef and lamb seasoned with grated onion, parsley and warm spices like allspice and cinnamon, then grilled over charcoal. Turning kafta into a burger shape rather than the traditional skewered or flat-pressed form is a home-cook adaptation, but the seasoning stays true to the original. Grating the onion rather than dicing it is the key technique: it releases moisture directly into the meat, which keeps the patty tender, and it disappears into the mixture rather than leaving crunchy bits. A generous amount of chopped parsley goes in as well, which is standard in Lebanese kafta and gives the meat a fresh, herbal backbone that plain ground beef burgers lack. A garlicky toum-inspired yogurt sauce, rather than ketchup or mayo, finishes the burger, echoing the garlic sauce that typically accompanies grilled meats throughout Lebanon.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 gground beef
• 200 gground lamb
• 1onion(grated)
• 0.5 cupparsley(finely chopped)
• 1 tspground allspice
• 0.5 tspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspground cloves
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 1 cupplain yogurt
• 2 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 4pita or burger buns
• 1tomato(sliced)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the garlic yogurt sauce

   Whisk yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate while you prepare the patties so the flavors meld.

2. 2

   Mix the kafta blend

   Combine ground beef, ground lamb, grated onion, parsley, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper in a bowl, mixing gently with your hands until just combined.

   Overmixing compacts the meat and makes the patties dense; mix only until the seasoning is evenly distributed.

3. 3

   Shape the patties

   Divide into 4 equal portions and shape into patties about 2cm thick, pressing a shallow dimple into the center of each.

4. 4

   Grill or pan-sear

   Heat a grill or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties 4-5 minutes per side until well browned outside and cooked through, with an internal temperature of 71C/160F.

5. 5

   Rest briefly

   Let the patties rest 3 minutes off heat so the juices redistribute before assembling.

6. 6

   Build the burger

   Warm the pita or buns, spread with garlic yogurt sauce, add the patty and tomato, and finish with another spoonful of sauce on top.

Variations

• •

  Traditional kafta skewers: shape the same mixture around flat metal skewers and grill instead of forming patties.

• •

  Add a pinch of Aleppo pepper to the meat mixture for gentle heat.

• •

  Swap pita for lavash and wrap the patty with the sauce, tomato and pickles for a handheld version.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked patties for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat. Garlic yogurt sauce keeps separately for up to 4 days refrigerated.

Frequently Asked Questions