Steak Gyros feature warm pita, juicy grilled steak, fresh veggies, and a tangy lemon tzatziki sauce.
Steak Gyros
I can’t get enough Greek food – I make chicken gyros way too often each month. The other night, my husband suggested steak in the gyros, and it was an aha moment! How have I not shared a steak gyros recipe yet? Fixing that today!
Today’s recipe features olive-oil-and-oregano marinated steak (just five ingredients, but so flavorful) grilled and loaded into warm pita. The steak is topped with a quick veggie salad (cucumber, onion, tomatoes, and parsley) and a simple, flavorful tzatziki sauce. Each component is easy, and with the prep spread out, assembly is so simple.
Steak Grilling Tips
A few overall steak cooking tips:
- Pick a thick steak: Aim for at least 1 inch, preferably 1.5–2 inches thick for a pink center.
- Heat the grill: High heat sears the steak for a juicy interior and great char.
- Clean and oil the grates: Oil paper towels and rub them on the grates to prevent sticking and improve sear.
- Let steak sit: Rest for 5–10 minutes under foil to redistribute juices for a juicier steak.
- Slice steak the right way: Cut across the grain for tender pieces.
Steak Cooking Temps
I think New York steak is best at medium rare and cooking beyond medium can impact flavor and texture, but cook your steak to your preference! Here are the temps for each doneness:
- Rare: 120-125°F
- Medium-Rare: 135°F (4-5 mins per side)
- Medium: 140°F (5-7 mins per side)
- Medium-Well: 150°F (8-10 mins per side)
- Well-Done: 160-175°F
Note: Cooking time varies based on steak thickness, grill, and temperature.
Pull steaks off the grill 5°F below the target temp—they’ll cook a bit more while resting. While they rest, prep the toppings for your Steak Gyros.
Quick Tip
Use the OK system to check steak doneness. Thumb and forefinger together = rare, middle finger to thumb = medium, pinkie to thumb = well-done. Feel the difference in firmness!
Tzatziki Sauce
The tzatziki sauce on Steak Gyros is the best! It’s also super quick and easy to whip together and uses many of the same ingredients used in the marinade. I like making it in advance because it becomes more flavorful as it sits in the fridge.
- Full-fat Greek yogurt: Avoid watery sauce and skip vanilla-flavored yogurt.
- Red wine vinegar: Adds perfect tanginess with a touch of sweetness.
- Cucumber: Use Persian or English cucumbers. Wring out excess water to prevent a bland sauce.
- Real lemon: Zest only the outer yellow part (using a microplane) and avoid the bitter white pith. Skip bottled lemon juice.
Steak Gyro Tips
- A gallon-sized, zipper-top freezer bag is the best way to marinate the steak. It not only makes clean-up easy, but it also helps to ensure all of the steak is well coated. To save on dishes, you can dump all your marinade ingredients in the bag, shake them up and knead to mix, and then add in the steak. If you remember, flip the steak over halfway in between marinating time and give the plastic bag a few squeezes to mix.
- Grill pita bread: Since you’ve already got the grill hot for the steak, add the pita bread for the last 30 seconds or so. Giving the bread a quick grill makes it much more flavorful and helps it fold without breaking. If you don’t grill the pita bread, I recommend warming it through in a toaster or charring on an open flame over the stovetop.
- Enjoy Steak Gyros hot of the grill. The steak from these gyros is at its very best when it’s hot off the grill; the meat doesn’t reheat well and the onion overpowers the rest of the veggies.
- If you don’t like the bite of raw red onions, soak the sliced onions first in some cold water with a pinch of salt. Drain thoroughly and then add to the salad or directly to the steak gyros.
More Easy Grilled Recipes
- Grilled Flank Steak with an easy sauce
- Grilled Chicken Marinade reader favorite recipe
- Ice cream and graham cracker-topped Grilled Peaches
- Grilled Chicken with Avocado Salsa and sweet corn
- Flat Iron Steak with a sun-dried tomato sauce
Steak Gyros
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4th large English cucumber or 1 Persian cucumber; 1/2 cup, measured after grating
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt full-fat, I recommend Greek Gods
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1-1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 large lemon
- 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 to 6 pitas
- 1/3 of a large red onion thinly sliced, see note 1
- 1-1/2 cups diced English cucumber or Persian cucumbers
- 1-1/2 cups diced cherry tomatoes
- Fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat steaks dry with a paper towel and place in a large resealable plastic bag. In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, honey, dried oregano, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Once the marinade is combined, pour over the steak in the bag and seal it without air. Turn to coat and massage into the steak; then refrigerate 2–3 hours and up to 8 hours (at a minimum, marinate for 20 minutes). I like to make the tzatziki sauce when marinating the steak.
- While steak marinates, prepare the sauce so it can chill before serving. Grate a cucumber with the large holes of a grater. Line a small bowl with a few paper towels (or a clean kitchen towel) and place grated cucumber on top. Squeeze out as much extra moisture as you can from the cucumber to keep the sauce from being watery. Once drained, place grated cucumber in a medium bowl and add Greek yogurt, minced garlic, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat grill to medium heat (400–450°F). Prepare grill by cleaning and generously oiling it (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates). Return heat to 400℉. Remove steak from the marinade and discard any remaining marinade.
- Add steak to grill. Cook steak 4–5 minutes on one side, then flip and cook another 3–5 minutes for medium-rare (I usually grill 5 minutes, flip, then 3 minutes). For medium-rare, the internal temperature should be 135°F. Add 1–2 minutes to get medium (140°F) and 3–4 minutes to get medium-well (150°F). I generally grill 5 degrees below, as carryover heat will take it up 5–10 more degrees. Remove grilled steak and tent with foil. Once everything is removed, give the grates a quick clean with the brush and grill pita bread for 15–30 seconds per side or until toasted and warmed through.
- In a large bowl, toss the thinly sliced red onion, diced cucumber, and diced tomato. Season with salt and pepper (just a pinch) and toss to combine.
- While steak is resting under the foil (5 minutes), set everything out: grilled/warmed pita, sauce, and veggies. Very thinly slice the steak against the grain. Set out pita bread and top with veggies and fresh parsley. Add steak on top (season with a pinch more of salt and pepper if desired), and drizzle tzatziki sauce on top. Enjoy immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
