Homemade Lamb Doner made quicker, easier and healthier! Did you know you can make delicious lamb doner at home in SUPER QUICK time? I have tweaked Tom Kerridge’s lamb doner recipe to make it even easier – my family gave a 10 out of 10 for this fakeaway!
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In Partnership with ‘Lamb – Try It Love It’
What’s a Doner Kebab?
Doner kebabs are a very popular takeaway especially after a night out… (sigh) remember those? Although doner kebabs originated in Turkey they are now hugely popular around the world.
The Doner Kebab (also known as a döner or donner, ) is made with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, similar to Greek Gyro.
The Turkish word döner comes from dönmek (“to turn” or “to rotate”), so the Turkish name döner kebap translates as “rotating roast”.
The meat is shaved into thin strips and served in pita bread or as a platter with a variety of sauces, salad, tomatoes, onions, potatoes etc.
My homemade lamb doner recipe is not authentic* but it tastes AMAZING – family gave a 10 out of 10 and since it is so easy, fun and so quick to make – I guarantee it will become a regular in your house too.
WHAT’S IN A DONER KEBAB?
Traditionally Turkish döner is made with lamb but these days you can find beef and chicken versions too.
Investigations published in the UK discovered that several kebab shops claim to selling lamb kebabs but testing revealed that many only contained 5% lamb.
Making lamb doner meat at home means you have control over the ingredients – and can therefore create a healthier, but no less tasty!, version of doner kebabs.
One serving (with sauce and onions but no other toppings) is 680 calories which is significantly lower than your average street food.
I have included bacon in my recipe which I realise is not at all authentic* since pork is not eaten for religious reasons in Muslim countries.
*Why add bacon? Because bacon adds flavour and a little fat to the lamb doner mix which would otherwise dry out. You can leave it if you prefer.
The remaining ingredients are red onions, garlic, ground cumin, paprika, onion and garlic powder, dried oregano, dried mint, salt and bicarbonate of soda
HOW TO MAKE LAMB DONER
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
STEP 1 Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan. Put the bacon (if you are using), onions, garlic, salt, herbs and spices in a mini chopper or food processor. Blitz until you have a smooth paste.
STEP 2 Add the paste to a large bowl with the ground lamb and mix using your hands until all the ingredients are combined. Divide the mixture in half.
STEP 3 Roll each portion into a disk and roll out between two large sheets of baking paper using a rolling pin (or a bottle). You want the meat to be very thin so that it cooks quickly.
STEP 4 Place on a rimmed large baking sheet and peel off the top sheet of baking paper and bake for 3–4 minutes until browned. The meat will likely release juices while it is cooking so keep that in mind! Leave the meat to cool for a few minutes then slice into strips.
STEP 5 Pan fry the meat strips for a couple of minutes if you like crispy edges! Also a great way to reheat leftovers.
HOW TO SERVE LAMB DONER
You can serve this in pita bread or flatbread or as part of a platter. My kids love having doner kebabs with tzatziki sauce, shredded lettuce, cucumber, carrot, tomatoes and feta cheese.
I have mine in a salad bowl for a keto serving option with my special sour cream sauce and sumac onions <––– highly recommended!
To make sumac onions simply mix all the ingredients together. The vinegar lightly pickles the onions and sumac adds a fabulous lemony tang.
HAVE YOU MADE MY LAMB DONER RECIPE? Please leave a rating, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Homemade Lamb Doner – Quicker, easier and healthier!
Ingredients
Sour Cream Sauce
- 120 g (½ cup) sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard (such as French’s)
- 1 tbsp ketchup
Sumac Onions
- 1 large red onion , thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sumac
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
For the lamb doner
- 200 g (½ cup packed) chopped streaky bacon
- 1 red onion , roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , chopped
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried mint (optional)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 500 g (1.2 pounds) lamb mince ground lamb
Serving suggestions
- Tortillas or pita bread (warm)
- Iceberg lettuce , shredded
- Cucumber , thinly sliced
- Carrots , thinly sliced
- Tomatoes , thinly sliced
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Tzatziki (instead of the sauce)
- Hot sauce
Instructions
Sumac Onions & Sauce
- To make sumac onions simply mix all the ingredients together. The vinegar lightly pickles the onions and sumac adds a fabulous lemony tang.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and set aside until needed (in the fridge if not using straight away).
Make the Doner Meat
- Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan (460F / 430 Fan). Put the bacon (if you are using), onions, garlic and the remaining doner ingredients in a mini chopper or food processor. Blitz until you have a smooth paste.
- Add the paste to a large bowl with the ground lamb and mix using your hands until all the ingredients are combined. Divide the mixture in half.
- Roll each portion into a disk and roll out between two large sheets of baking paper using a rolling pin (or a bottle). You want the doner meat to be very thin.
- Place on a rimmed baking sheet, peel off the top sheet of baking paper and bake for 3–4 minutes until browned. The meat will likely release juices while it is cooking so keep that in mind!
- Leave the meat to cool for a few minutes then slice into thin strips.
- Pan fry the strips in a non stick pan, stirring, for a couple of minutes if you like crispy edges!
Serving suggestions
- Serve in warm tortillas or pita bread with your favourite toppings, sauce and sumac onions or serve in a salad bowl for a healthier option.
Neet says
I made (just the doner) with beef mince as that’s what I had -it was so tasty, I can imagine how much tastier it will be next time when I have lamb! I used the back of a spoon and spread it much thinner than here but it stuck to the paper. The second one I spread onto a silicone baking sheet, easy peasy!! Thank you!