This easy Greek gyro entree salad takes all the bold flavors of a classic gyro and turns them into a fresh, delicious salad. Slices of juicy gyro meat are paired with crisp romaine lettuce, ripe cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions, then topped with a light Greek dressing and a generous spoonful of creamy tzatziki sauce. It's a lighter, gluten free twist on the beloved Greek street food that delivers the same irresistible mix of textures and flavors in every bite.
I love gyros, but I find myself craving salads a lot lately. And a gyro salad is the perfect way to enjoy all the savory flavors of a classic gyro in a fresh, crisp bowl. You still get the juicy meat, cool tzatziki and vibrant veggies, but the pita can be served on the side or skipped entirely. It's truly the best of both worlds.
Ingredients
- Gyro meat
- Romaine lettuce
- English cucumber
- Cherry tomatoes
- Red onion
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Oregano
- Tzatziki sauce
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Gluten free - gyro salad is naturally gluten free and doesn't need any adjustments. If you serve pitas on the side or are making gyro sandwiches, use gluten free pita bread.
- Tzatziki sauce - while Tzatziki sauce is quick and easy to make, you can also buy pre-made tzatziki sauce.
- Red wine vinegar - the best substitute for red wine vinegar is white wine vinegar. After that, I would recommend using rice wine vinegar (rice vinegar). Rice wine vinegar is more mild, but you can always add a squeeze of lemon juice for a little extra zing.
Gyro Sandwich
Is it a sandwich or a wrap? That seems debatable lately, but I'm going to go with sandwich for now. Either way, you can take all of the salad ingredients (yes, the lettuce too) and wrap it in a pita to make a sandwich or wrap. You can make your own gyro meat or buy it at places like Trader Joe's or Costco. And if you buy it at Costco, you get a lot of meat. And one way to use up all that gyro meat is to make two easy dinners. Start by cooking enough meat and cutting enough veggies for two nights of dinner. One night, have a gyro sandwich and the next night, gyro salad. Or vice versa. It's less work overall and it feels like two really different dinners even though they aren't all that different. Just skip the Greek dressing for the gyro sandwich.
Storage
You can store any unused cooked gyro meat, tzatziki sauce and cut vegetables separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Any lettuce that has dressing on it doesn't last long but can be stored in the refrigerator overnight.
Next Level Tips
- If you want to add cheese, crumbled feta tastes great and is a perfect choice!
- If you don't love raw onions, soak the sliced raw onions in water for at least 10 minutes before draining and using and they will be milder.
- You can use the same gyro salad ingredients and wrap it in a pita to make a gyro sandwich. Lettuce and extra cucumber aren't traditionally found in a gyro sandwich, but I love any extra opportunity to sneak in more lettuce and veggies.
FAQ
You certainly can, but then gyro salads and sandwiches are no longer easy weeknight meals. I suggest starting by buying pre-made gyro meat at Costco or Trader Joe's or your local grocery store if they carry it. If the meat part of dinner is easy, then that leaves more time for cutting veggies or making sides!
You can use any type of lettuce, including bagged lettuce, but overall romaine is a great choice. Regular romaine lettuce heads are cheaper than romaine hearts, but go with the romaine hearts if you want the crispest lettuce.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Easy Greek Gyro Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Gyro meat cooked according to package instructions
- 6 cups romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ medium cucumber halved and thinly sliced
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved or quartered
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- 1 cup tzatziki sauce homemade or store bought
Instructions
- Cook the gyro meat according to the package instructions and set aside to cool.
- Chop the vegetables and lettuce.
- Assemble the salad by splitting the lettuce between two large entree salad bowls or plates. Then, layer on the vegetables and gyro meat.
- Drizzle the salads with olive oil, red wine vinegar and sprinkle with oregano. (Alternatively, you can mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano together first and drizzle it on the salads as a dressing.)
- Top each salad with ½ cup of tzatziki sauce. Enjoy!
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