Gyros
γύρος
Home-roasted gyro meat, pita, tzatziki, tomato, onion, chips in the pita if you are doing it the Greek way.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: γύρος.
0 people cooked this in the public kitchen yet. Kitchen-tested by I Want Some Food. Not a purchased rating.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 2 hr
- Total
- 3 hr
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
Gyros is spit meat. You do not have a vertical spit. This is seasoned pork or chicken, roasted and sliced, stuffed into pita with tzatziki, tomato, onion, and — in Greece — often fries in the wrap. It is not a doner and it is not a souvlaki stick. The marinade is oregano, garlic, oil, a little vinegar. Without a vertical spit, roast seasoned pork shoulder or chicken thighs until the edges catch, then slice thin. Oregano, garlic, oil and a little vinegar or lemon is the marinade; yoghurt in the mix is a home tenderiser, not a Greek shop rule. Warm pita, tzatziki, tomato and onion. In Greece fries often go in the wrap. It is a gyro, not a döner and not a souvlaki stick. Leftover meat makes a next-day salad if you refuse to waste it.
Ingredients
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Marinate pork with oil, garlic, oregano, vinegar and salt 2 hours. Roast at 220°C 30–35 minutes, then slice.
20 min220°CStep 2
Warm pita. Tzatziki, meat, tomato, onion, fries if you are committed.
15 minStep 3
Wrap tight. Eat over the plate. Juice will escape. That is the tax.
Adapt this recipe
The canonical recipe stays intact. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are maths, not AI.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 10 October.
Substitutions
Pork → Chicken thigh
Same marinade, cook through.
Tips
- Chicken thigh gyro is the other shop default.
- A last grill on the sliced meat gives fake-spit edges.
History & culture
Greek street food with Ottoman-era spit cousins. The pita wrap is the modern lunch. Athens and other Greek cities sell this as walking lunch. Pork is the common Greek gyro meat; chicken is widespread; lamb is more of an export expectation. The pita stack and the paper wrap are urban service, not a village picnic. Argue about tzatziki quantity. Do not argue that a home tray roast is a spit.
Related to döner. The Greek pork gyro and the pita stack are 20th-century urban food. Spit-roasted seasoned meat has Ottoman-era cousins across the eastern Mediterranean. The Greek pork gyro and the stuffed pita as a standard city lunch took shape in the twentieth century. Related to döner, not identical. Naming the home version as sliced roast in pita is more honest than claiming a stainless-steel tower.
Modern adaptation
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips — not a chatbot.
How long does Gyros take?
3 hr all in — 20 min prep, 40 min cook, 2 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 4 wraps. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Easy.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Nut-free.
What does it cost to cook?
Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Oven, Baking tray.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much vinegar?
1 tbsp of Vinegar.
What can I use instead?
Pork → Chicken thigh. Same marinade, cook through.
Any tips from this recipe?
Chicken thigh gyro is the other shop default. A last grill on the sliced meat gives fake-spit edges.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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