This delicious authentic souvlaki recipe has juicy, tender pork, homemade Greek pita bread, tzatziki sauce, and lots of aromatics.
If you love this Authentic Souvlaki Recipe, you will also love the Pork Skewers With Yogurt Lemon Sauce, Greek Lamb Burger Bowl or Bifteki-The Greek Burger!
What is souvlaki?
It is the closest thing Greeks have to fast food and it is probably a much healthier option than the various fast food burger versions you find in the US because it is always made with fresh ingredients.
Souvlaki consists of small pieces of meat grilled usually on a skewer or as gyro, (meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie) wrapped in pita with tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce.
What kind of meat is used for souvlaki?
The most common meat for any kind of souvlaki in Greece is pork, although chicken, beef, and lamb may also be used. Every souvlaki shop makes its own meat marinade, tzatziki sauce, and cut-up tomato wedges. There is no prefabricated gyro; they always make their own. The cooking oil is always olive oil, no matter where you go. And the fries are always from real potatoes; no prefab there.
This is a souvlaki gyro pita recipe
This is my version of making souvlaki with gyro and pita at home. I marinate very thin pieces of pork in a souvlaki marinade for 30 min to an hour, I grill each piece on the stove for 1-2 minutes. I cut tomatoes, slice onions, and some feta cheese, and mix them together to add to the souvlaki.
Homemade pitas are amazing and make this souvlaki recipe great but I also use store-bought Greek pitas in a pinch.
The tzatziki sauce is an essential sauce for souvlaki. It is super easy to make, and it is so aromatic and fresh.
French fries can be included in a souvlaki, although not necessary. It’s a matter of preference.
Ingredients for souvlaki with gyro & pita
For the souvlaki marinade
- Butterflied boneless pork loin chops
- Onions
- Fresh herb sprigs like rosemary, thyme or oregano.
- Garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Honey
- White wine vinegar
- Sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
for the filling
- Greek pita breads (flatbreads)
- Tomatoes
- Greek feta cheese (optional)
- Onion slices
- Extra virgin olive oil
- White wine vinegar
- Dry oregano
- Sea salt
- Tzatziki sauce
In a bowl, mix fresh herb sprigs, onion & garlic slices, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Place meat in a large pan and add the marinade. I like to massage the meat a little with the marinade mixture. Cover with a towel and let it marinate from 30 minutes to an hour.
Heat a grill pan or cast iron pan. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is very hot grill a few pieces at a time for 1-2 minutes tops.
Don’t overcrowd the pan, the pieces will boil instead of grill if you do.
Cut up the tomatoes in slim wedges, thinly slice up half an onion and cut some feta in small cubes(or crumble). Sprinkle a little dry oregano. Season with a pinch of sea salt, some pepper, a teaspoon of olive oil, and a dash of white wine vinegar. Mix together and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Feta is not traditionally in the souvlaki but I love adding it in. I love the tangy flavor it brings.
Making tzatziki is super easy. You mix Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, minced garlic, some dill, a splash of white wine vinegar and you are done. You can also purchase it from your local grocery store. I like the Cedars brand.
A few minutes before you are ready to serve warm up your pitas. You can either place them on a rimmed baking sheet in a 350 F oven for a few minutes or grill them on the same pan you used for the meat. Whatever method you choose, make sure to brush a little olive oil on the pitas before warming.
How to assemble a souvlaki.
Place a pita on a piece of parchment paper. Right in the center, add some meat pieces. Add some tomato-onion mix and a couple of tablespoons of tzatziki sauce. You can also add a couple of French fries if you like. Roll up your souvlaki securely with the help of parchment paper. Fold the end bit so your sauces won’t drip at the end. Souvlaki is ready to eat.
You can also opt-out of rolling up your souvlaki and enjoy it open-faced.
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Cooked this? Rate this recipe! You can also leave a comment below. I love hearing from you!
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Authentic Greek souvlaki
Ingredients
the meat and marinade
- 1 lbs butterflied boneless porkloin chops sliced in 1/2 inch strips
- ½ onion thinly sliced
- 2-3 Fresh herb sprigs like rosemary, thyme or oregano.
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
- sea salt
- freshly ground pepper
for the filling
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Greek feta cheese cut in small cubes or crumbled
- 1/2 onion sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- dried oregano
- sea salt
- ½ cup tzatziki sauce
For serving
- 8 Greek pita bread
- extra virgin olive oil to brush the pita
Instructions
marinate the meat
- In a bowl mix fresh herbs, onion slices, olive oil, vinegar, honey, and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Place meat in a large pan and add the marinade. I like to massage the meat a little with the marinade mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and let it marinate from 3-4 hours to overnight in the fridge.
- Take it out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour ahead of cooking so it can get to room temperature.
make the tomato & onion filling
- Cut the tomatoes into thin slices, add them to a medium bowl. Add the sliced onion, and the crumbled feta cheese. Season with sea salt to taste. Sprinkle some dried oregano. Drizzle olive oil and a tsp or so of red wine vinegar.
- Mix well but gently and let it sit for at least half an hour ahead of the souvlaki assembly.
cook the meat
- Add 2-3 tbs of olive oil to a cast-iron grilling pan or the pan of your choice. Let it heat up almost to the point of smoke. add the meat 2-3 slices at a time. You don't want to add more because the temperature will go down and the meat will boil instead of the grill.
- Cook meat for 2-3 minutes for each side. I always do a test drive; cooking time changes depending on how thin my meat slices are.
right before serving
- On the same pan, you cooked your meat, clean it lightly with a paper towel, drizzle a little olive oil and grill the pitas to warm them up. This will allow them to get some of that charred, smoked flavor.
assemble the souvlaki
- Take a pita bread, add two-three slices of meat, 2-3 full tablespoons of tomato & onion filling, and 2 tbs of tzatziki. Wrap it up in parchment paper just like they do in Greece and enjoy!
Notes
- If fresh herbs are not available, just use dried ones. Dry oregano is a staple in Greek cuisine.
- Make your own Greek pita bread following our popular recipe.
Nutrition
Sometimes all you want is a great sandwich for dinner. A stuffed pita is perfect. I know this would be a hit in my house.
Perfect for a the warm evenings we are having in CA. The filling is delicious. I could eat a side of that as well as wrapped with pita.
This authentic meal is just what I want when I’m looking for something different other than burgers or sandwiches. The tzatziki sauce is the perfect topping!
Thank you Sharon! x Jenny
Souvlaki is my favorite Greek food ever! An amazing dinner option for weekdays. I love the flavors going on in this recipe.
Thanks so much Jo! x Jenny
Now this is what I call a sandwich!! Hubby was stationed in Greece and he always talks about the souvlakis he would eat. I’m surprising him with this recipe plus making some homemade pitas. The herbs and feta are just like he remembers.
Thanks so much Marisa, so glad you liked it! x Jenny
So authentic and delicious! The meat was so tender and juicy! I love that all of the ingredients are so fresh and homemade. Definitely a healthier alternative to a burger for sure!
Thanks you so much Tara! x Jenny
I love Greek food and love trying new recipes so I was super excited to try this. It turned out delicious and my family already asked for it again. THank you!
Thanks so much Jamie, so glad you liked it! x Jenny
Yes! Souvlaki is one of our favorite dishes, we have it at least two or three times a month. This looks incredible!
Thanks so much Kerri! x Jenny
Love souvlaki! Would be keen to try and make a vegetarian version of this- do you think falafel would make a good substitute?
Falafel will work great with this recipe. Thanks so much! x Jenny
Thank you Denise! x Jenny
I could eat like this every day. Thanks for revealing the secrets of how to make souvlaki at home, it never occured to me it would be possible.
It’s possible! I make souvlaki with pitas every time I get homesick and they are delicious. Thanks so much!!
You are using the wrong pork meat for the souvlaki. Nobody uses the Loin. It’s too dry and no fat. You should use the pork shoulder or butt as they call it. Maybe even a little pork belly mixed in.
Hi Nicholas,
Thank you very much for your suggestions. They are very useful. It is great to have options.
Thankfully the marinade results in very tender souvlaki, even if it is pork loin. The quick grill helps with the meat staying juicy and not tough.
Thanks again,
x Jenny
Lived in Athens Greece for 2 and 1/2 years. My son was born there. The whole time that I was pregnant with him I craved pita souvlaki. The restaurants close about 9 and I craved it at 11. Learned how to make it when I lived there
Hi Marcia! That’s great! I make it whenever I am homesick, it makes me feel I am back in Athens.
x Jenny
This looks absolutely wonderful. But I’m puzzled. Obviously, it’s not up to me to teach a Greek about Greek food but when I was in Greece I had it explained to me several times that souvlaki was the meat cooked on a little skewer and gyros was the big meat thing that rotates and you slice things from. So you ask for souvlaki with pita or gyros with pita. So having souvlaki with gyro and pita sounds to me like two different types of meat. Nevertheless, I’m definitely going to have a go at making this recipe – once I’ve worked out what a ‘cup’ is. Why do Americans have to do everything differently. 🤣
Hi Baz!
When I am at home, I can’t be bothered with making skewers, and I prepare souvlaki as shown in the post. That’s the only reason and the flavor, to be honest, is the same. They have it on a skewer at the souvlaki shops to hold the meat together as it grills over the coals and sell it as a skewer with a piece of bread and a wedge of lemon. This recipe is an easy preparation for a souvlaki experience with pita. Check my other post for making gyo, I bet you will like that one also. https://thegreekfoodie.com/homemade-traditional-greek-pork-gyros/
As for the cup, I feel you! American cups and European cups are so different! But don’t worry about it for this recipe, use a cup like the one we drink tea in and you will do great.
Thanks so much,
x Jenny
I know it should be blindingly obvious, but a lot of people write their shopping list by copying the ingredients. There’s no pitta bread in the ingredients. As I said, it should be obvious, but I’d add it just so that no-one forgets to buy them. Looks a good recipe. I’ll definitely give it a go. Love Gyros.
That’s a great tip, Benny. Thank you! x Jenny
This is one of my favorite things to order when we go out for Greek food! 🙂 Can’t wait to give this recipe a go at home soon. Looks delicious!
This souvlaki came out so good! The pork was so juicy and flavorful. Loved it with the tzatziki sauce. Will definitely make this again!
That’s so good to read, Amanda! Thanks so much! x Jenny
We love souvlaki and this is the best ever. Better than a restaurant. Thank you!
Wow, thanks so much Colleen! x Jenny
Wow! This dish looks incredibly delicious with a sense of Greek cuisine! The presentation makes it so enticing and very tempting! Totally love it!
Thank you so much Jamie! So happy you enjoyed it! x Jenny
These souvlaki with pita were the real deal! Amazing flavors and easy to follow recipe. It seemed like we were in Greece while we were enjoying them 😉 .
That is so good to read Loreto and Nicoletta! Thank you so much! x Jenny
The filling was delicious! I can never have enough pita or recipes for wraps.
Wow, thank you so much Sangeetha! x Jenny
Thank you so much Valentina! x Jenny
Cool recipe. But it’s neither a traditional souvlaki nor gyros. Gyros refers to the rotating spit of meat. I think trying to replicate it at home does a dis-service to the hard work that goes into preparing gyros. In the same way that you can’t really make döner at home.
As to why it’s not a souvlaki… you need to understanding the meaning of the work. Souvla means skewer in Greek, and hence souvlaki means small skewer (with the ‘-ki’ suffix denoting the ‘small’). Hence it should be cooked on a skewer. Pork is the default meat, although you’ll also find chicken, sometimes beef and, to a lesser extent, lamb souvlakia in Greece and Cyprus. Lamb, chicken and then pork are most common (in that order) when it’s a souvla (bigger chunks of meat cooked on the larger skewer).
I’m blogging about this stuff if you search ‘@kebabination’ on Instagram!
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your comment.
The recipe does not claim to be a souvlaki just like in a souvlaki shop in Athens. It represents how I dealt with my cravings for an authentic gyro souvlaki at home in the USA. When I created the post it was just as I made it at home to fight my homesickness. I am mentioning all in the post. It is authentic as far as it is made from a Greek, born and raised by many good Greek cooks.
Right now I share my time between New York and Athens so my cravings have subsided. I lived in Greece more than half my life so I have eaten lamb directly from the souvla you are mentioning at Easter. Its the best! My preference is pork for souvlaki, not a big fan of lamb on a skewer. I love it as paidakia.
Check out our gyro in a rotisserie recipe if you like. https://thegreekfoodie.com/homemade-traditional-greek-pork-gyros/ The recipe was also created out of need for the real thing. My posts are recipes just like I make them in my Athenian home or in South Orange NJ.
Thanks again for checking us out.
x Jenny
This was incredible!! We made it with chicken, and my husband misread recipe and only marinated it for an hour and it was still fabulous! Made some tzatziki to go on the side, and the whole thing was roll-your-eyes -back good.
That’s awesome, Sue! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you, x Jenny
Can you tell me what kind of tomatoes you used?
Hi John,
My favorite tomatoes to use year round are organic Campari tomatoes. They are sweet and have great flavor, their aroma reminds me of Greek tomatoes and are available at any big supermarket. This time of the year you can find nice tomatoes at farmers markets and grocers. If you don’t have anything near you try the Campari tomatoes, sugar bombs and summer medley available at grocery stores.
Thank you! x Jenny