Greek Souvlaki (Tender, Juicy, Easy!)

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Transport yourself to the streets of Greece with this mouth-watering Greek souvlaki recipe. Greece is one of the few major countries in Europe that I haven’t visited, but in college I worked at an authentic Greek restaurant owned by an immigrant from the island of Santorini. One of the dishes there was pork souvlaki (as well as Greek lemon potatoes), and this year I finally got around to recreating it at home, based on what I learned watching them make it at the restaurant.

Like chicken kabobs, souvlaki is marinated and grilled to perfection on a skewer. Souvlaki recipes can be made with pork, chicken, beef, or even lamb, but I opted for pork souvlaki here because that’s the most traditional.

Why You’ll Love This Greek Souvlaki Recipe

Tender and succulent meat
Packed with Greek flavors
Just 6 ingredients (plus salt and pepper)
Cooks fast in 10 minutes
Naturally healthy, low carb, and gluten-free

What Is Souvlaki?

Souvlaki is a popular Greek street food consisting of small pieces of meat, typically pork, chicken, or lamb, which are marinated, skewered, and grilled to perfection. Like gyro meat, it is often served with pita bread, tomatoes, red onions, and tzatziki sauce.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for pork souvlaki marinade, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

Pork – You can use pork tenderloin, pork loin, pork shoulder, or pork steak. Cut into small, bite-sized pieces that are uniform in size (1 to 1.5 inches). For best results, cut the meat against the grain to help keep it tender and juicy.

VARIATION: Make chicken souvlaki, lamb souvlaki, or beef souvlaki!

If you prefer, you can use chicken breasts or thighs, lamb, or beef instead of pork. Different meats may take more or less time to cook.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This is the traditional oil used in Greek souvlaki marinade, but regular olive oil or avocado oil can also work as a substitute.
Lemon Juice – Gives tangy flavor in the Greek souvlaki marinade and tenderizes the meat. Use fresh squeezed if you can, but bottled works if you don’t have fresh lemons. Lime juice can also work as a substitute, but lemon matches the flavors here better.
Seasoning – Sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. This recipe is very garlicky, so you’ll need a whole head of garlic if you want to substitute fresh minced garlic in the marinade. A lot of garlic is always a good thing in my book, but you can use less if you’re not crazy about it.
Herbs – I used dried oregano and dried rosemary, but you could use fresh herbs instead (you’ll need to triple the quantities).

How To Make Greek Souvlaki

This section shows how to make souvlaki, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

Season. Place the diced pork into a large bowl. Season evenly with salt and pepper.
Marinate. Add the marinade ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, and rosemary). Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours.
Prep. Preheat an outdoor grill or a grill pan on the stove. Thread the pork pieces onto 6 wood or metal skewers.

TIP: If using wooden skewers, soak them first.

If using wood skewers, soak them in water for 30-60 minutes first, to prevent burning.

Grill. Place the Greek pork souvlaki skewers on the grill, or onto a cast iron grill pan. Cook, flipping halfway through, until browned and cooked through.

TIP: Use a meat thermometer for best results.

You can use the time estimates on the recipe card below, but for best results, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer (this one is my favorite and so precise!) to know when the souvlaki recipe is done.

Pork should reach 145 degrees F. If using other meat, go for 165 degrees F for chicken or 135-140 degrees F for beef or lamb.

Storage Instructions

Store: Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Meal prep: Marinate the pork in the fridge up to 1 day before.
Reheat: To reheat Greek souvlaki, place the skewers on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat them in a hot skillet or grill pan for a few minutes per side.
Freeze: Keep in a freezer bag or airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Finished Greek souvlaki with salad on a plate.

What To Serve With Pork Souvlaki

This Greek souvlaki recipe pairs with a variety of sides to make a complete Mediterranean meal. Here are some tasty options:

Greek Classics – Serve with pita bread (or try my gluten-free pita bread), a sprinkle of feta cheese, and tzatziki sauce for a classic presentation.
Salad – I often serve this dish with fresh cucumber tomato avocado salad because I always have those ingredients handy. For a Greek meal, try a classic Greek salad (a variation of this is pictured above), a crisp Mediterranean salad with Greek salad dressing, or a Mediterranean quinoa salad.
Easy Vegetables – Try grilled broccoli and caramelized grilled cabbage steaks, or simply prep some sauteed zucchini or tender roasted mushrooms. You can also just add some veggies to the souvlaki skewers, like I do for chicken kabobs.
Potatoes – A side of garlic parmesan fries, mashed potatoes, or roasted Greek lemon potatoes would compliment this dish perfectly. For a lighter side, try mashed cauliflower.
Rice – If you need something more hearty in addition to meat and veggies, serve this souvlaki recipe with white rice or brown rice. If you need lighter options, try cauliflower rice.

More Easy Mediterranean Recipes

Mediterranean flavors are so fresh and bright! If you want to bring more of them to your table, here are some more easy recipes that you can try:

Mediterranean Chicken

Lamb Kofta Kebab

Baked Feta

Grilled Lamb Chops

Tools Needed For Greek Souvlaki

Outdoor Grill – Has convenient side tables for placing serving trays, plus helpful tool hooks.
Grill Pan – Perfect for using on all cooking surfaces including oven, grill and campfire.
Skewers – You will need 6 wood or metal skewers for cooking the meat.

Greek Souvlaki

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Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

1.5 lbs Pork (pork tenderloin, pork loin, or pork shoulder; cut in 1 inch cubes) ▢
1/2 tbsp Sea salt ▢
1/2 tsp Black pepper ▢
1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil (divided) ▢
2 tbsp Lemon juice ▢
2 tsp Garlic powder ▢
1/2 tbsp Dried oregano ▢
1 tsp Dried rosemary ▢
6 Wood skewers (or metal) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

Place diced pork into a large bowl. Season evenly with salt and pepper.
Add olive oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, oregano, and rosemary. Mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, up to 24 hours. Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat an outdoor grill for 10-15 minutes, or a grill pan on the stove for 2-3 minutes, over medium-high heat.
Skewer the pork pieces onto 6 wood or metal skewers. (If using wood skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first, to prevent burning.)
Place the pork souvlaki skewers on the grill, or a grill pan on the stovetop. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Flip and cook for 5-7 more minutes, until browned and cooked through.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 pork souvlaki skewer

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 236

Fat 15.5g

Protein 21.5g

Total Carbs 1.7g

Net Carbs 1.3g

Fiber 0.4g

Sugar 0.3g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Greek

Keywords: Greek souvlaki, pork souvlaki, souvlaki recipe

Calories: 236 kcal

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