Going out to eat is considered a luxury in our household and we almost never go anywhere due to our destructive precious toddler. If we did go somewhere, it had to be a place that had no judgement, fast service, and yummy food. Thankfully there is a little diner right around the corner from our house and (pre-Covid) it was the only place we felt comfortable dining in at with my daughter. Every time I went, I would always order the same thing with out fail, the Greek Gyro with extra Tzatziki sauce. The sandwich isn’t fancy but the flavors are so perfect that I drool just thinking about it. Well all that stopped when I started rocking my keto lifestyle and I had to stop ordering my beloved sandwich… *que the tiny violin music*. I know I sound super depressing speaking about this Gyro like it was a long lost friend, but it was seriously that good to me.
A couple years ago I stumbled across an amazing recipe for a Gyro Lettuce Wrap in the cookbook “Simply Keto” by Suzanne Ryan and it changed my life (By the way if you do not have this book, please consider buying it. It’s that fabulous!). My mother and I decided to give this recipe a try because we were craving some Greek food and thought why not? Well it was mind-blowing, an instant favorite in our households, and a regular part of our dinner rotations. Last summer though I started doing a strict squeaky clean keto to help me drop the extra baby weight I had been carrying around and of course that meant buh-bye dairy. No more gyros or tzatziki for me, or at least that’s what I initially thought.
Well I couldn’t bear the idea of no gyros so I decided to create my own dairy-free option and my recipe for Gyro Meatballs with a Garlicky Tzatziki was born! This recipe gives you all the flavor of a traditional Gyro but none of the guilt of going off plan, even if you are being strict. I love pairing it with my Greek Marinated Salad as a side dish and I have even been known to top my meatballs with it. Now if you aren’t worried about being dairy-free or strict, you can easily add in the optional feta cheese and I have even wrapped my Gyro in a low-carb whole wheat tortilla for the full effect. The options with these Gyros are endless and can be created to fit whatever low-carb/keto lifestyle you are currently living.
Now I know some of you will see the lamb and want to substitute it, trust me on this and keep it in the recipe. When you mix the lamb and the ground beef together it gives you that Greek flavor without being overwhelming or tasting gamey. Also don’t forget to drain the cucumber! There is a lot of liquid in them and it completely changes the consistency in the sauce if you don’t. I even squeeze the grated cucumber with a paper towel to really remove the liquid, you will be surprised with how much is there (Cucumber martini anyone?? JK!).
This is seriously one of my favorite recipes so if you loved this recipe and want to share your handy work, please tag me @exhaustedketomomma on Instagram and use the hashtag #exhaustedketomomma so I can see your amazing creations! I can’t wait to hear what you think about it and as always stay #ketostrong my friends!
Gyro Meatballs with a Garlicky Tzatziki
Created by: Danielle Randall, Exhausted Keto Momma
Gyro Meatballs
- 1 lb of ground beef
- 1 lb of ground lamb
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
- 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup full-fat mayo
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Garlicky Tzatziki Sauce
- 1/2 cup full-fat mayo
- 2 tbsp. full-fat, no sugar added coconut milk (can)
- 1/2 English cucumber, grated
- 1 clove of finely minced garlic
- 1 tbsp. fresh dill
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp MCT oil or olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp. crumbled feta optional (don’t use if dairy-free)
Directions
- For the Garlicky Tzatziki grate your cucumber and place on a paper towel to help drain off the extra liquid. Mix together the rest of your ingredients with the cucumber in a small bowl and salt and pepper to taste.
- To get the best flavor make this 1-2 hours a head of time or let it chill and rest overnight. This will keep for about 3-4 days.
- For your Gyro Meatballs, mix your ingredients together in a large bowl until well incorporated. Form your meatballs, I made 18, and you can either bake them or use your air-fryer.
- If using your airfryer, I preheated the airfryer for 2-3 minutes and then I cooked my meatballs at 375 for 15 minutes. Don’t overcrowd your basket and you will have to cook in batches.
- If using the oven, preheat to 400 degrees and bake for about 20-25 minutes on a baking sheet.
- For both methods, you want the meatballs to be a beautiful brown and your internal temperature to be 160 degrees F.
- Plate the Gyro Meatballs over the Garlicky Tzatziki sauce and you can serve with the Marinated Greek Salad, cauliflower rice, or in a low-carb tortilla. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Exhausted Keto Momma 