Grilled Lamb Kabobs
These low-carb Grilled Lamb Kabobs are great with Tzatziki Sauce, and cooking the lamb with veggies makes it more budget friendly! And everyone who’s a fan of grilled lamb is going to swoon over this recipe.
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The first time I tasted lamb was in college when I worked at Le Parisien Restaurant in downtown Salt Lake (now closed), where we would occasionally have Rack of Lamb as a special. We certainly never had anything remotely like these Grilled Lamb Kabobs at home when I was growing up! But I loved the flavor of lamb from the first time I tried it, and it’s something I’ll buy occasionally as a splurge.
When I had some leg of lamb from Costco and decided to make this for a dinner and snap some better photos, I couldn’t resist putting some pieces of zucchini on the skewers along with the red onion and making the marinade a bit simpler. And lamb is somewhat pricey, so adding some vegetables makes makes the lamb kabobs a more budget-friendly dish.
We absolutely loved this recipe, but the zucchini took longer on the grill than we thought it would, so if you like your lamb on the rare side, I’d cut the zucchini a bit thinner than you see in my new-and-improved photos. And even though you see four skewers in the photo, this recipe will easily serve six if you serve your shish kabobs with some tasty low-carb side dishes.
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.)
- leg of lamb
- red onion
- zucchini
- Onion Powder (affiliate link)
- Garlic Powder (affiliate link)
- dried Greek Oregano (affiliate link) or Turkish oregano
- dried ground rosemary (affiliate link)
- ground cumin (affiliate link)
- Smoked Paprika (affiliate link) (or use regular paprika if you don’t have the smoked kind)
- fresh ground black pepper
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
- Olive Oil (affiliate link)
What cut of lamb should you use for grilled lamb kabobs?
I used leg of lamb for these kabobs, and trimmed the meat and cut it into cubes. You could also use lamb shoulder or lamb sirloin.
Can you make grilled lamb kabobs without an outdoor grill?
If you don’t have an outdoor grill or it’s not grilling season these lamb shish kabobs can cook perfectly on a Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link) or George Foreman Grill (affiliate link).
How low in carbs are the Grilled Lamb Kabobs?
This grilled lamb recipe that’s cooked on a skewer with vegetables has only about 5 net carbs per serving!
What did I serve with the Grilled Lamb Kabobs?
I served the Lamb Kabobs with my favorite Low-Carb Pita Bread and Tzatziki Sauce, but the lamb with Tzatziki Sauce was a great combination, whether or not you wrapped it in pita!
More Lamb Recipes to Try:
How to make Grilled Lamb Kabobs:
(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.)
- Trim fat from the lamb and cut in cubes.
- Whisk together ingredients to make the marinade.
- Put lamb in a Ziploc bag, pour in marinade, and let it marinate all day in the fridge (or even overnight and part of a day).
- When you’re ready to cook, drain lamb into a colander and let it come to room temperature while you preheat the grill.
- Cut zucchini and red onions into same-size pieces (remember to make the zucchini a bit thinner if you want lamb that’s on the rare side.)
- Thread skewers with lamb pieces, zucchini pieces, and red onions.
- Brush kabobs with a bit of olive oil so they won’t stick on the grill.
- Cook lamb kabobs to desired doneness, turning the grill down to medium-high when you put the kabobs on and using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to see when the lamb is done to your liking.
- Serve hot, with Low-Carb Pita Bread and Tzatziki Sauce if desired.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
The Grilled Lamb Kabobs were delicious with Low-Carb Pita Bread and Tzatziki Sauce. Add American Greek Salad, Greek Salad with Peppers, or Greek Cabbage Salad if you want something more.
More Tasty Meat Cooked on the Grill:
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Beef, Pork, and Lamb on the Grill for lots more ideas for grilling meat.
Grilled Lamb Kabobs
These Grilled Lamb Kabobs served with Tzatziki Sauce are a great summer dinner for a special occasion. And cooking the lamb on a skewer with veggies makes it a bit more affordable!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. leg of lamb (before trimming), trimmed and cut into pieces 1 1/2 inches square
- 1 large red onion, cut into pieces 1 1/2 inches wide
- 2 small zucchini, cut into thin pieces about the same size as the meat but not too thick
Marinade Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. onion powder
- 2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. dried Greek or Turkish oregano
- 1/2 tsp. ground dried rosemary
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (or use regular paprika if you don't have the smoked kind)
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 3 T fresh squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
- 1/3 cup olive oil, plus more to brush kabobs
Instructions
- Trim some but not all the fat from the lamb, leaving the amount of fat you prefer. Cut lamb in cubes about 1 1/2 inches square.
- Whisk together onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, ground rosemary, ground cumin, paprika, black pepper, lemon juice, and olive oil to make the marinade.
- Put lamb in a Ziploc bag, pour in all the marinade, and let it marinate all day in the fridge (or even overnight and part of a day.) Longer marinating time really improves the flavor.
- When you're ready to cook, drain lamb cubes into a colander placed in the sink and let the lamb come to room temperature while you preheat the grill to high. (I like to spray the grill with non-stick grill spray before I start to preheat.)
- Cut ends off zucchini and peel red onions; then cut zucchini and onions into same-size pieces about 1 1/2 inches big. ( If you prefer lamb that's on the rare side, remember to make the zucchini a bit thinner so it will cook more quickly.)
- Thread skewers with lamb pieces, zucchini pieces, and red onions. Brush kabobs on all sides with olive oil so they won't stick on the grill.
- Lay skewers on the grill end immediately turn the temperature down to medium-high.
- Turn the lamb kabobs about every 3 minutes or when you see grill marks. Cooking time will be 8-12 minutes, depending on how done you like your lamb.
- I recommend using an Instant-Read Meat Thermometer (affiliate link) to test when the lamb is done. Cook to 145F/65C for medium rare, 160F/70C for medium, or 170F/75C for well done. (These times are based on the recommended safe cooking temperature for Lamb, which is 145F?65C. Many cooking experts recommend lower temperatures; take your choice on that.)
- Serve hot, with Low-Carb Pita Bread and Tzatziki Sauce if desired.
Notes
I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice for this recipe.
Nutritional information does not include optional pita bread or Tzatziki sauce.
This recipe created by Kalyn many years ago, with inspiration for several cookbooks.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 598Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 14gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 25gCholesterol 165mgSodium 136mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 47g
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:
Lamb Kabobs are a great dish for low-carb or Keto diets, and this is also perfect for the original South Beach Diet if the lamb is well-trimmed. If you use the low-carb pita bread, that would be phase two or three for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Grilling Recipes for 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 Grilled Lamb Kabobs was first posted in 2007. The photos were updated in 2019 and the recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.
21 Comments on “Grilled Lamb Kabobs”
Amazing recipe. Is one skewer of Kabobs 1 serving?
The total recipe makes six servings, so you would need to cook it on six skewers if you wanted one skewer to be a serving to match the nutritional information.
Hey Your Lamb Kebabs Recipe is Just Awesome it also gave us nice taste because of the ingredients you have told to incude for making this food.
Mmmmm. That looks like something I might want to put on the braai (BBQ) this summer! I love the taste of lamb and I love it even more when it’s served in a vaguely middle-eastern way, as it is here. Great idea – thanks Kalyn!
I use almost the same marinade with lamb, but I never used rosemary and oregano. After reading your post, it didn’t make sense why I never used them. Next time I’m adding rosemary and oregano, too. Thanks for sharing.
Kelly, thanks.
Katerina, Oh I am sorry to hear that onions don’t agree with you that well; I love grilled onions. But your idea of using them to flavor the meat is a good one.
Katie, I can only imagine the Irish lamb.
Maria, I’ve only had Utah lamb once and I admit, it was just fantastic.
Cinnamon, thanks for reading and commenting. (My brother makes the banners; he’s a gem!)
Sher, trying to go for using the tripod every time so I don’t get lazy. It does make a difference. I actually had to cook this twice (such a sacrifice) because the first time I forgot to change my camera setting and none of the photos were any good. (And of course we had eaten all the kabobs.)
Ed, see above about the banner. I haven’t had New Zealand lamb, but I always heard it was good. Don’t imagine we get much of it here (that’s rather a long trip by freezer I’d say.) I’ve never had bad lamb either!
That is a great new banner – I wish I’d thought of it. Also I didn’t realize lamb is so popular. I’ve never heard anything about NZ lamb being too gamey. I know Welsh lamb has a unique flavor from whatever they eat as does the French lamb farmed on salt marshes. To me it’s all good.
Well, my mouth is watering after reading that! Beautiful pictures! Did you use a tripod for that? :):)
A regular reader of ur blog, but first time commenting… I guess its the new banner and its amazing 🙂
The lamb kebabs were a feast to my eyes!
Lovely! I love lamn and kebab is my favourite. The recipe is very inspirational, Kalyn!
I don’t eat lamb, but I hear Morgan Valley lamb is the best in UT. Have you tried it?
I didn’t have lamb growing up either, and not love it! We used to get fantastic lamb in Ireland (no kidding!, duh).
I think it’s time for kebabs again. Sometimes I do other vegetables on seperate skewers.
Love the marinade!
I don’t like that many onions (or they don’t like me) but I always but them between meat in skewers because thy totally add flavour. Looks yummy!
I love kabobs this time of year, they look delicious!
Tanna, me too. I don’t hate beef, but lamb just has a richness of flavor that beef doesn’t have imho.
Padma, thanks. I’d love to go to India and try those lamb kabobs! Maybe someday.
Donna and Lydia, great ideas to use two skewers or to use the flat skewers.
Pille, you know how much I love Greece too, even though I was only there for a few days. I remember our discussion about Greek salad!
Peter this is American lamb, but not from Utah that I know of.
Sounds delish Kalyn. Is this a locally raised lamb or New Zealand? Many find the NZ-lamb to be too gamey and I always say buy local if you can.
Kalyn – I love your Greek food posts – they bring back so many nice food-related holiday memories from my travels to Greece! Thank you!
Beautiful skewers! I love the combination of grilled lamb and tzatziki. By the way, have you seen the flat bamboo skewers in your local market? They address that problem of meat spinning on the skewer.
++These two things keep the pieces of meat from spinning on the skewer so you can turn the kabobs to get all sides done. ++
Kalyn,
Or you can thread the meat on two skewers. If you’re using bamboo, you’ll want to soak them for 20 minutes or so, but if you plan on two per skewer, things stay in place. 🙂
Which reminds me…I’ve got a leg of lamb in the freezer…sounds like it’s time for some kebabs.
– Donna
I love lamb kababs, its favorite for Indians and you will find them in every corner of a busy street in India… Tzatziki sauce goes very well with Lamb…
Lovely platter!
These are beauties. I think if it’s good lamb, I’d pick it over beef every time.
Umm and with the Tzatziki sauce, yes these would be perfectly wonderful.