Turkish Lamb Beyti (Traditional Yogurt-Topped Kebab, 480 Calories)
Beyti is a classic Turkish kebab created at Beyti Guler’s restaurant in Istanbul, where it has been served since the 1960s. The dish wraps spiced ground lamb inside a thin flatbread, then tops the sliced roll with warm tomato sauce, garlic yogurt, and browned butter. Each portion delivers about 480 calories with 32g of protein. This home version uses gluten-free tortillas to make it accessible to people avoiding wheat while keeping the authentic flavor profile intact.
Why This Recipe Works
Beyti’s signature flavor comes from three elements that work together. The lamb is seasoned with red pepper, sumac, black pepper, and fresh parsley, then formed into a long log and grilled or oven-roasted to develop char.
The traditional preparation uses charcoal, but the oven at 425F on a wire rack over a sheet pan gives you similar browning at home. Wrapping the cooked lamb in a warm flatbread and slicing it into 1-inch pieces (like a jelly roll) means every bite gets bread, meat, and eventually all three sauces.
The three-part sauce is what elevates the dish: tomato sauce reduced with a touch of butter and paprika, garlic-yogurt sauce with a squeeze of lemon, and a dramatic drizzle of browned butter with dried mint or thyme poured over just before serving.
Shopping List for Turkish Lamb Beyti Recipe
Ground lamb (300g / 0.66 lbs), red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, sumac, fresh flat-leaf parsley, black pepper, full-fat plain Greek yogurt, tomato paste, unsalted butter, dried thyme (or dried mint for a more Turkish flavor), gluten-free tortillas or Turkish yufka, garlic cloves, fresh lemon.
For more on this topic, check out our guide on turkish shish kebab.
Lamb Beyti Recipe
Ingredients
Meat
- 3/5 lbs. lamb meat
- 2 tsp. sumac
- 2 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- 2 tsp. crushed black pepper
- 3 tsp. salt
Yogurt Sauce
- 2 cups of Greek yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 tsp. salt
Caramelized Tomato Sauce
- 1 cup tomato paste
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. dried thyme
- 2 cups of water
Wrapping
- 4 gluten-free tortillas
Instructions
- Begin by preheating the oven to 200°F. Combine all meat ingredients, knead well, and store in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Put water in a small bowl and keep it next to you. Divide the meat into 3 equal parts. Gently form the mixture into small patties around the skewers using your fingers. Tip: Dip your hands in this water frequently while skewering the meat. The water will help keep the mixture from breaking.
- Get your 3 gluten-free tortillas. Wet both sides. Submerge your hand in the water and make sure the water touches all sides of the tortillas. Put the meat between the tortilla and wrap it with the skewer. After wrapping in several layers, gently pull the skewer and continue wrapping. Keep your finished wraps aside and move on to the next tortilla.
- Cut the lamb meat wraps into 1 1/2-inch rolls. Transfer each meat roll to your oven-safe pan and bake for 1 hour. You can use the time you wait while they are baking to prepare the yogurt sauce. Tip: Cut off the two ends of the rolls with a knife. There will be just a surplus of bread that is not needed.
- Get a medium-deep bowl. Add Greek yogurt and salt to it. Crush the garlic and add it too. Finally, add water and whisk for 2 minutes until well combined and set aside.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add tomato paste, butter, dried thyme, and water and stir until all are dissolved. You may add more water until you achieve a sauce-like consistency. Set it aside.
- Place the baked lamb rolls around the plate on their side. Cover the rolls with our yogurt sauce. Drizzle the tomato sauce over the yogurt. Garnish the plate with dried mint as desired and roasted hot pepper.
Video
Nutrition
Ingredient Notes
Ground lamb from a butcher (rather than pre-packaged supermarket lamb) will be fresher and less gamey. If lamb is not available, ground beef with 20 percent fat is an acceptable substitute; leaner beef will make the kebab dry.
Aleppo pepper is the authentic choice for the mild fruit-and-heat character; substitute a mix of paprika and cayenne if unavailable. Sumac (lemony-tart) is what gives beyti its Turkish character; you can find it at Middle Eastern grocers or online.
Full-fat Greek yogurt for the sauce; low-fat yogurt goes watery. Turkish yufka (a thin, unleavened flatbread) is traditional, but gluten-free tortillas or Armenian lavash both work. Real unsalted butter for the finishing drizzle; margarine will not brown properly.
Tips and Variations
Mix the ground lamb with 1 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon sumac, 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Knead by hand for 2 minutes to develop a slightly sticky texture; this helps the log hold its shape.
Form into a log about 8 inches long and 2 inches thick. Roast on a wire rack over a sheet pan at 425F for 18 to 20 minutes until an internal temperature of 160F. Meanwhile, whisk 1 cup Greek yogurt with 1 minced garlic clove and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Simmer 1/4 cup tomato paste with 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1 tablespoon butter for 5 minutes. Warm the flatbread, wrap around the lamb, slice into 1-inch pieces. Plate with tomato sauce underneath and yogurt on top.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter with 1 teaspoon dried mint and drizzle over the whole plate at the table. For a vegetarian version, use spiced lentil-mushroom mixture in place of lamb. For a lower-fat version, use 90 percent lean ground turkey plus 2 tablespoons olive oil for moisture.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate cooked lamb log and sauces separately for up to 3 days. Reheat lamb slices in a 350F oven for 8 minutes covered with foil. Do not microwave the assembled plate; the yogurt will separate. Reheat sauces gently over low heat. Freezes well for 2 months as an unassembled lamb log; thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
