Middle Eastern Spiced Burger Recipe

By
Anita Schecter
Anita Schecter_BW
Anita Schecter
Professional recipe developer, food photographer, and blogger with more than a decade of experience creating Middle Eastern recipes.
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Updated on 11/18/21
A plate with a Middle Eastern spiced burger

The Spruce / Anita Schecter

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings

A hamburger is classic comfort food, but it's ultimately a bit of a blank slate, too, which means it can be dressed with more than just ketchup mustard, and/or relish. Simply put, a hamburger can—and should be—more than just ground beef.

This Middle Eastern burger recipe takes many of the classic spices associated with Middle Eastern cooking such as cumin, coriander, and oregano, and mixes them into the beef along with garlic, salt, and pepper. It has a touch of baharat, but you can skip it or substitute a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. The result is a burger that is well flavored inside and out!

Instead of the classic American, Swiss or cheddar cheese, these burgers are topped with tangy, salty feta cheese along with sweet red onion and a tahini sauce that's easy to make. Serve these Lebanese burgers with za'atar-dusted french fries, along with a cold salad such as tabbouleh or fattoush. A simple green salad would work great, too.

Ingredients

For the Burgers:

  • 1 1/4 pounds ground beef, 85 or 90 percent lean

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

  • 1/4 teaspoon baharat, optional

For the Toppings:

  • 4 large hamburger buns, or rolls

  • 1 cup arugula, or spinach

  • 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

  • 1/4 cup tahini sauce

Steps to Make It

  1. In a medium bowl, add the ground beef, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground coriander, dried oregano, black pepper, salt, and baharat, if using. Mix well.

  2. Form into 4 equal-sized patties.

  3. Place the patties on your grill pan (indoor or outdoor) and cook the burgers to your desired doneness.

  4. Place the burgers on the buns. Divide the greens, crumbled feta cheese, red onion, and tahini sauce evenly among the burgers and serve immediately.

Tips

  • While the baharat is optional, we highly recommend using this as it adds a sweet and smoky flavor that is divine. It's a combination of paprika, cinnamon, cumin, and nutmeg. It is to Middle Eastern cuisine what garam masala is to Indian food.
  • An instant-read thermometer will take away the guesswork as to how done your burgers are. According to the USDA, the safe minimum temperature for ground beef is 160 F.

How to Store and Freeze Middle Eastern Burgers

You can store these burgers once they are cooked, well-wrapped in an airtight container, for 3 to 4 days. Reheat on a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Variations

  • Instead of a tahini sauce, you can serve these burgers with a yogurt with cucumber and dill sauce such as tzatziki or similar.
  • Serve the burgers inside halved pita bread instead of on buns.
  • You can also wrap these burgers in lettuce leaves if you need to serve them to someone who is gluten-free.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
723 Calories
41g Fat
36g Carbs
51g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 723
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 41g 53%
Saturated Fat 15g 76%
Cholesterol 151mg 50%
Sodium 949mg 41%
Total Carbohydrate 36g 13%
Dietary Fiber 3g 9%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 51g
Vitamin C 3mg 15%
Calcium 322mg 25%
Iron 7mg 41%
Potassium 767mg 16%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)