These lamb burger sliders with turmeric aioli are the perfect gourmet appetizer for game night or dinner. Seasoned with robust spices, these lamb sliders will stand out as a new favorite. Sear the patties in a cast iron skillet or cook them on the grill, either way, make sure to slather on the turmeric aioli and serve on brioche rolls!
This post is sponsored by The American Lamb Board. Although I received compensation, all opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission off of any sale made through those links at no extra cost to you.
One of the things I look forward to the most when the weather is perfect is grilling and getting to hang out with friends! I also love to watch baseball with my dad and get super excited to watch the World Series in the fall. Whether you like baseball or football or soccer or basketball, a good game-watching party is always in need of some good food to snack on! I’m going to blow your mind with these lamb burger sliders because they will be the next big hit appetizer that everyone is going to want the recipe for.
What Does Lamb Taste Like
Burgers have been around for a long time and there are so many variations that accommodate lots of tastes and preferences. Lamb burger sliders are the perfect way to introduce lamb to those who have never tried lamb before.
Lamb doesn’t taste anything like beef. It definitely has it’s own distinct flavor profile; it’s sweet, grassy, and meaty. With having such a pronounced flavor profile that is pretty complex for an animal protein, you can get away with seasoning lamb with some really powerful seasonings. It pays to be adventurous with lamb because that’s how it shines the most.
Lamb is full of great protein, minerals, vitamins, and healthy fatty acids that are great for our health. Plus lamb tastes awesome, so why not eat more of it?! To learn more about how amazing lamb is, be sure to check out americanlamb.com
How to Season Lamb Burger Sliders
Lamb is great in a lot of different cuisines, which means that the flavor combinations are endless in making the best tasting lamb slider. There are recipes for Moroccan, Mediterranean, and even Greek burgers. If you want to learn more about flavor pairings and how to cook regional cuisines, I highly recommend this article.
I kept this lamb burger slider recipe simple because I love a simple burger and I felt that I needed to let the lamb shine. Whatever seasonings you choose, make sure that they compliment lamb well. I love using The Flavor Bible (affiliate) as a reference while I was creating this recipe.
Whatever you choose to season the lamb slider with, make sure that you add enough salt and pepper to the lamb patty. There is nothing worse than an under seasoned and flat tasting piece of meat. I like to sear a piece of seasoned lamb patty to make sure that I have the taste just right before cooking the whole batch.
How Should Lamb Burger Sliders Be Cooked
The great thing about cooking lamb is that it’s simple to cook. When I think about how to cook a certain cut of lamb, I like to envision where that cut came from on the animal and then think about what cooking process is best for that cut. I did a whole Facebook Live video dedicated to answering questions about lamb. Use this link to watch.
Meat that comes from joints and areas of the animal that helped it to walk is going to be tougher than meat that comes from the belly or ribs. Those tough cuts are going to need slower and more gentle cooking methods (braising or roasting) to break down that hard muscle. Cuts that come from more tender parts of the animal can withstand being grilled, sautéed, or broiled. My post on How To Roast A Leg of Lamb is the perfect recipe that shows you how to treat a tough muscled cut of lamb!
However, when it comes to ground meat, like what’s used for burgers and sliders, grilling or searing is the perfect way to go! If you have an outdoor grill, an indoor grill, or a cast iron with grill grates, that’s perfect for getting those iconic burger grill marks. If you don’t, a simple cast iron skillet will work just fine to sear these patties.
Can Lamb Burger Sliders Be Eaten Pink
This is a matter of preference. I like to treat my lamb the same as I would any other burger. I, personally, find my burgers to be the most enjoyable when they’re medium rare, medium if I’m feeling forgiving that day. The same can be said for lamb.
However, wanting to avoid the harping of health code nazi’s everywhere, I will mention that health departments will say that ground meats need to be cooked to 160 degrees Fahrenheit, but that’s for a whole separate, future post.
I only cooked my lamb burger slider patties for about 4 minutes total and got a perfect medium rare on the inside. If you like things a bit more on the well-done side, then cook for longer.
What Goes On Lamb Burger Sliders
Like I mentioned earlier, burgers can be made in such a wide variety of ingredients that it’s mostly up to personal preference. But, I’m going to share with you my favorite way of building the perfect lamb burger slider.
I wanted to stay true to a classic American Burger with toppings and such. First and foremost, I have to give a shout out to the perfect bread for making burgers and sliders, brioche!
Brioche is a French bread that is heavy on the butter. It’s chewy, buttery, and is perfect for housing this lamb slider recipe. They’re neutral enough to allow the other ingredients to shine and they soak up lots of flavors! I love using brioche for my buns!
You can’t have a burger without a tomato and these Campari tomatoes are perfect for a slider. About the size of golf balls, Campari tomatoes are sweeter than their other friends. With just a sprinkle of salt and pepper, Campari tomatoes give a nice refreshing taste to these sliders.
Sprouts??? On a burger??? Yes! Because sprouts are awesome and they also play really well with the taste of lamb. Sprouts have a nice earthy undertone to them which balances the sweetness and the grassiness of lamb. I loved them on these lamb sliders.
Lamb Burger Slider Sauce
My favorite part about these sliders is the turmeric aioli! It’s pungent, fragrant, and helps the lamb shine so much in this slider recipe.
Turmeric is this awesome little root that( it kinda looks like ginger), after peeled, is bright orange inside. Once you cook with it (or make aioli out of it), it turns bright yellow. I would strongly recommend wearing disposable gloves on your hands while dealing with turmeric because it will stain your hands for a few days.
If you can’t get your hands on fresh turmeric, no worries, ground turmeric will work just the same (be sure to look at the recipe for how much to use!)
Aioli is a term that I need to out my culinary foot down for once and for all. Lately, there’s been a trend to call any mayo-based sauce “aioli.” And it annoys me beyond belief. Aioli is a French sauce that is very much like mayo but it has roasted garlic in it. So if it has roasted garlic in the mayo, it’s aioli. If it doesn’t, it’s just mayo.
I like to add some rosemary and thyme to my garlic before roasting it to give my garlic a little extra love. To make aioli making easy, I love using my food processor (affiliate). Everything gets processed evenly and the oil is added in at the perfect speed.
Can Frozen Lamb Sliders Be Reheated
Absolutely! Sometimes you make too much of a good thing and don’t want it to go to waste. You can feel free to reheat your cooked lamb slider patties in the oven or in the microwave.
Speaking of leftover lamb, be sure to check out some awesome recipes that use leftover lamb, such as this Leftover Lamb Sandwich and a Moroccan Lamb Stew with Herbed Pearl Couscous.
I hope that you have enjoyed this post and that you take the chance to try out lamb! I’m all about supporting local farmers in the US, so be sure that you check with your butcher about buying American Lamb. You can also use this link to find local lamb purveyors in your area.
If you have enjoyed this recipe, be sure to leave a comment (along with a rating) down below!
Happy eating.
These lamb burger sliders with turmeric aioli are the perfect gourmet appetizer for game night or dinner. Seasoned with robust spices, these lamb sliders will stand out as a new favorite. Sear the patties in a cast iron skillet or cook them on the grill, either way, make sure to slather on the turmeric aioli and serve on brioche rolls!
- 2 pound ground American lamb
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 jalapeno minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- 1 ounce fresh turmeric peeled and grated
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 head of garlic roasted
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 16 brioche buns
- 4 Campari tomatoes sliced
- 1 head butter lettuce small
- 1 package alfalfa sprouts
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In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together ground lamb and seasonings. Make sure to mix well but not to over mix. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
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In a food processor, or blender, blend all ingredients for aioli, except oil, until smooth. Slowly add in oil and blend until well combined.
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Preheat grill or skillet to medium high heat, spray with cooking oil. Scoop lamb burger meat with a two ounce scoop and pat into a flat disc, slightly bigger than the slider buns. Place on grill or skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side for medium rare. Repeat with all patties.
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To put the sliders together, slice the slider buns in half. Smear both halves with turmeric aioli, place a small piece of butter lettuce on the bottom brioche. Place lamb burger on top of the lettuce, top with two slices of Campari tomato. Top with alfalfa sprouts and the top part of the bun.
Recipe Video
If you need to use ground turmeric instead, add about 1 teaspoon to the aioli recipe.
I’m obsessed with lamb! it’s my favourite red meat but I am also bias being australian! these look fantastic and loving the look of the tumeric aioli!
I’m pretty obsessed with lamb too! Thanks, Georgie!