Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe
Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe is a classic recipe for pork that’s marinated in Greek flavors and cooked on a skewer. I’ve been a fan of this Greek Pork Souvlaki for years and if you like Greek Food I bet you’ll enjoy this recipe.
PIN the Pork Souvlaki Recipe to try it later!
It’s grilling season, and Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe is a favorite kabob recipe I love to make on the grill! Pork Souvlaki is easy to make and delicious and I often serve it with my perennial favorite Greek American Salad for a summer dinner that I’d never get tired of.
And a few years ago I updated the photos for this recipe, and I hope the new photos might entice you to make these grilled Pork Souvlaki kabobs if you haven’t already tried the recipe. And if you’re a huge Greek food fan like I am, scroll down to see lots more good ideas for Greek flavors for summer!
What is Souvlaki?
Souvlaki is a well-known and well-loved Greek dish of meat cooked on a skewer, and the more authentic spelling of this when it’s multiple skewers would be Souvlakia. It’s traditionally made with pork, marinated in the Greek flavor trinity of lemon, garlic, and oregano, and Greek Pork Souvlaki is a dish you’ll always find on the menu at a Greek-American restaurant.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- thick boneless pork chops
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
- fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- Red Wine Vinegar (affiliate link)
- Dried Oregano (affiliate link)
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Do you have to marinate the pork overnight for this Pork Souvlaki recipe?
For this Pork Souvlaki recipe I highly recommend cutting up the pork and making the marinade in the evening, letting the meat marinate overnight and the next day, and having it for dinner that night. But if that’s just not happening, marinate the meat as long as possible, preferably at least eight hours.
How low in carbs is this Pork Souvlaki Recipe?
This recipe for Greek pork cubes that are marinated and cooked on a skewer only has about 2 net carbs per serving!
What do you serve with Pork Souvlaki?
Souvlaki is great served with Tzatziki Sauce, which is the Greek cucumber-yogurt sauce that’s also served with Gyros. Most Greek or Greek-American restaurants serve Souvlaki with pita bread, and I’d love this with my favorite low-carb pita bread. And Souvlaki with be great with a salad with Feta Cheese on the side.
Want more Souvlaki options?
I’m a fan of Greek flavors and also love food cook on skewers on the grill, so my site also has great recipes for Chicken Souvlaki and Greek Lamb Souvlaki.
How to make Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- I’ve often made Souvlaki with those thick boneless pork chops you get at Costco. But this time I was shopping at the regular grocery store where thick pork chops weren’t available so I got a pork loin boneless roast, and after I trimmed the roast and cut into cubes it was close to 3 pounds of pork. (The cooked Souvlaki is great warmed up, so I didn’t mind having leftovers.)
- I cut the pork into cubes about 2 inches square, mixed together olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dried Oregano (affiliate link), Minced Garlic (affiliate link), and a little salt and pepper to make the marinade.
- Let the pork marinate overnight if possible, or all day while you’re at work.
- When you’re ready to cook, drain the pork cubes in a colander placed in the sink.
- Thread pork on to skewers and let it come to room temperature while you preheat the grill.
- Cook the souvlaki until it’s nicely browned on all sides, about 15 minutes cooking time.
- I used an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to check that the pork had reached 150F/65C.
- Let it rest for at least 5 minutes after you remove from grill. Serve hot.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
The Pork Souvlaki in this photo was served with Cucumber and Tomato Salad with Marinated Garbanzo Beans and Feta. But if you want a low-carb meal, this would be great with Cucumber Salad with Easy Balsamic Dressing, Al’s Famous Hungarian Cucumber Salad, Cucumber Salad with Parsley and Feta, Spicy Chopped Greek Salad with Peperoncini, or Grilled Zucchini Greek Salad.
More Greek Flavors for Summer:
Weekend Food Prep:
This Pork Souvlaki recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Kalyn's Pork Souvlaki Recipe
This recipe for Kalyn's Pork Souvlaki is a classic version of Greek Sovlakia, or Greek grilled pork on a skewer.
Ingredients
- 6 thick boneless pork chops (see notes)
- 2 T olive oil, for brushing kabobs right before grilling
Marinade Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- 1 T dried oregano
- 1 T finely minced garlic
- salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut pork chops or pork roast into cubes about 2 inches square and place in Ziploc bag.
- Combine marinade ingredients and pour over meat. Marinate in refrigerator for 6-24 hours.
- When you're ready to cook, drain the pork cubes in a colander place in the sink while you preheat grill to high heat.
- Thread meat on to skewers, pressing meat closely together so it doesn’t spin on the grill. Double Kabob Skewers (affiliate link) or thick blade skewers are great if you can find them.
- When grill is hot, brush kabobs with olive oil on both sides, place Souvlaki skewers on grill and reduce heat to medium-high.
- Grill skewers, turning as soon as you see grill marks on each, until the Souvlaki is very well browned on all sides. This will take about 15 minutes total cooking time, but actual cooking time depends on the temperature of the meat, temperature of your grill, and the air temperature, so I like to use an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to check that the pork has reached 150F/65C.
- Let it rest for at least 5 minutes after you remove from the grill, then serve hot.
Notes
You can use three pounds of pork loin boneless roast if you don't find thick pork chops. I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice for this recipe. Souvlaki is delicious served with Tzatziki sauce, a traditional Greek sauce made from yogurt, cucumbers, onions, garlic, and dill.
This is the Pork Soulaki Recipe that Kalyn has been perfecting for years, probably first discovered in a cooking magazine long before there was such a thing as the internet!
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 553Total Fat 44gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 31gCholesterol 110mgSodium 234mgCarbohydrates 3gFiber 1gSugar 1gProtein 39g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe is a perfect main dish for a low-carb, Keto, or low-glycemic meal, and if the pork is trimmed of most fat this would be suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use the Grilling Index to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe for Pork Souvlaki was first posted in 2006, and since then I’ve made it many times during the summer months. It was last updated with more information in 2024.
20 Comments on “Kalyn’s Pork Souvlaki Recipe”
Can I cook this pork, after being marinated, in an air fryer instead of on the grill?
I haven’t tried cooking skewers in the Air Fryer but I am guessing it will work. You would need to watch it because I don’t know if the cooking time would be the same.
What I meant was not use skewers at all. I wonder what heat and time would be with just the pork pieces?
Sorry but I wouldn’t know the answer to that. You might find something on Google that would help or just watch the pork and take it out when it’s done.
This was excellent. I made it last night and it will be a regular. Thanks I saved lots of money eating out.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Denyse, so glad it was a hit. I do have several recipes for Greek Salad and grilled chicken and a good recipe for Greek Lemon Rice Pilaf as well. You can find any individual recipe by entering the name in the search bar on the top right.
Hi Kalyn. I love Greek food so I decided to make your Seasoned Grilled Pork Chops with Lemon and Oregano for my husband's lunch party with his friends. To go with the Greek themed menu I added a salad, the chicken mediterranean wraps which I ordered out and a seafood pasta dish. Your recipe was a hit! I am grateful to have stumbled into your food blog.
Would you have some good Greek salad recipes and grilled chicken with rice pilaf wraps recipes so I don't have to order out?
Greetings from Manila, Philippines.
Thanks Allison. I think pork tenderloin would be okay for this, just be sure not to overcook since it's pretty lean.
Kalyn, I love your blog. Do you think that Pork Tenderloin would work for this recipe? thank you, Allison
Walt, this is what I use in my recipes:
1 T = 1 tablespoon
1 tsp. = 1 teaspoon
Happy cooking!
Kalyn
I am a novice at cooking.
Would like to know when you say 1T of salt, or other ingredient, is that teaspoon, tablespoon or truckload?
Thanks,
Walt
Kalyn – your post made me very hungry – I want some souvlaki now!!! Luckily, I’m off to Greece next week, so I’ll get some there:)
Kalyn, I wrote the other day about those great chops from Costco, too! And I use a marinade just like yours with boneless pork sirloin, but never knew it had a name. How do you pronounce it? Soov lah’ key?
Cyndi, great minds think alike and all that! I’d say it’s pronounced Soo Vlah Key, and it’s really the name of this Greek shish kabob dish rather than the name of the marinade. Try it, it’s really good.
Karen, you can also cook it right on the grill without even using skewers. I’ve done that a few times. The double skewers are wonderful though.
Kalyn
This looks great! I’ll have to give this a try – I need to find some double skewers like you have. I’m always looking for some “lighter” ways to use pork, as I get a bit tired of chicken all the time!
Karen
Nerissa, it would be great with chicken.
Karina, welcome back. Look forward to seeing you posting regularly soon.
Just wanted to say a quick hola and tell you I’ve missed visiting, and blogging, but hope to be back in full swing soon. Happy June!
This is all very inspiring but I think I’d use the chicken and not pork. I’m sure it would be delicious.