Lamb Burgers with Pesto Whipped Feta

These lamb burgers can be made on the grill or over the stovetop and are topped with the most delicious pesto whipped feta. They're loaded with flavor and easy to make--a must-try! 

Well, we did it! We finally bought a grill. I'm not sure what took us so long, but now that we have one, I kind of want to grill EVERYTHING.

Admittedly, lamb is one of my favorite meats. I like it in bowls and in meatball form too. I don't eat it super often, so when I do eat it, it feels like a treat. These lamb burgers with feta might be my favorite recipe yet! You can grill them OR cook them on the stovetop, so really, they're a year-round recipe.

Recipe features

• Lamb on its own is very flavorful, so you don't need a ton of extra ingredients for it to taste good. These burgers are made with minimal ingredients but are incredibly flavorful.
• They can be grilled or cooked on the stovetop, whatever method is easier for you.
• They're topped with pesto-whipped feta, which if you haven't tried it, is the BEST way to eat feta cheese.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Make the burgers. Add the ground lamb, garlic, salt, and pepper to a bowl and stir to combine. Use your hands to form the mixture into 5 burgers, then cook them on the grill or in a skillet. Plan to cook the burgers for 4-5 minutes per side, depending on how "done" you want your burgers to be.

Step 2: Make the pesto: Add ALL of the pesto ingredients to your food processor and then pulse for 20-30 seconds.

Step 3: Add the feta: Leave the pesto in your food processor, then add the feta ingredients into the food processor as well and pulse until everything looks like the photo below (a mostly smooth texture).

Tips and FAQs

• Don't overwork the meat; otherwise, it'll be too dry. Instead, gently use your hands to form the meat into burgers.
• A new tip I recently learned: once the meat is formed into burgers, use your thumb to press into the middle of each one, creating an indent. This helps the burgers to cook more evenly!
• If you're cooking these in a skillet rather than on a grill, I recommend using a cast iron skillet, heating it over medium-high and cooking for around the same length of time (4-5 minutes per side).

How should I serve these?

Lamb burgers are delicious as pictured on a whole wheat bun, or you could serve it on top of a spinach or arugula salad. Though I love whipped feta, homemade tzatziki (paleo-friendly!) would be a delicious topping, as would tomato, greens of any kind, olives, red onion, and/or cucumbers.

Any side dishes to go alongside this recipe?

• Sun-Dried Tomato Salad
• Tomato Bacon Green Bean Salad
• Fried Halloumi Lentil Salad
• Feta Harissa Roasted Carrots
• The BEST Roasted Artichokes
• Mediterranean Chickpea Tuna Salad (without the tuna)

More burger recipes

• Pan-Seared Salmon Burgers
• Asian Quinoa Burgers
• Cheesy Broccoli Potato Burgers

If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!

Lamb Burgers with Pesto Whipped Feta

These lamb burgers can be made on the grill or on a stovetop and are topped with a must-try pesto whipped feta.

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 5 burgers

Author: Erin

Ingredients

for the burgers:

• 1 lb. ground lamb
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

for the whipped feta:

• 4 oz. feta cheese softened
• ¼ cup plain cream cheese
• 2 tablespoon milk any kind
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1 cup spinach or arugula
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

• For the burgers: add all ingredients to a bowl, then mix it together with your hands. Once everything is combined, form the mixture into 5 burgers. Then, use your thumb to press down into the center of each burger, which will help them cook more evenly.
• Heat your grill as you normally would, OR heat a skillet with 2 tablespoon olive oil, then add the burgers and cook until the meat is done to your liking, approximately 4-5 minutes per side.
• For the whipped feta: add the basil, spinach/arugula, garlic, and olive oil to a food processor and pulse until everything is combined. Then, add the feta, cream cheese, and milk and pulse until the pesto and feta are mixed together. You may need to pour everything into a bowl and stir by hand a bit if your processor won't completely mix it.
• To assemble: place burgers on a bun, then top them off with a spoonful of pesto whipped feta.
• Enjoy!

Notes

*Calories are an estimation and are per burger with approximately 2 tablespoon of the whipped feta on top

Tip: Use your thumb to create a dent in the center of each burger before cooking, which will help them cook more evenly. I recently learned this tip (hence why the photo doesn't reflect this), but it works well so I'm recommending it. 

Nutrition

Calories: 459kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 584mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1064IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 2mg

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UPDATE NOTE: This recipe was originally created in August 2018. It was updated with new text in July 2020.