Your favorite Greek greasy indulgence gets a make over! Now super healthy, vegan Greek gyros, loaded with protein and full of pure authentic flavors and seasonings.
Anyone else spend a year in Greece gorging on greasy delicious gyros at two in the morning after a night out at the bars? I see you Greeks out there nodding. This was my year abroad when I was supposed to be taking college classes to bring back credits to UC Davis for my senior year. Although biology was my major, I opted for more of a social study term instead 😉
Turning the unhealthy greasy gyro into a weekly staple
Once we changed our diet ditching our meat filled meals, I knew there were some must have foods I needed to convert. Gyros are traditionally a thinly sliced lamb and that clearly wasn’t going to cut it for us anymore. So I put on my science hat and got to work in my lab…aka kitchen.
There are so many ways to make a gyro. I found loads of options when I did a search:
I really wanted to hone in on that traditional flavor and texture so I played around with the tempeh idea. I was not a fan of tempeh the first time I tried it. That bitterness…nasty. Then I learned that you can boil it to get the bitter taste out. Genius!
Once it’s boiled, you can use a sharp knife to cut thin slices. If you over boil, it can crumble if you slice too thin so watch it, but even so, crumbles are still delish. All you need is to soak these puppies in marinade and you are good to go!
That Greek marinade though
After using my mamas traditional recipe to basically nail my Vegan Tzatziki, I went back to her for the perfect marinade. I basically took her flavors, added the broth for soaking plus an ooomph of Tamari for the salty taste a gyro must have, and let this tempeh soak it all in.
Boom. Success. Load these up with ALL the fixings (fries are where it’s at), smother it in Tzatziki and dive in like it’s two in the morning and you’ve just danced your ass off.
These Vegan Greek Gyros look pretty amazing, don’t they? Go ahead, one small lick of the screen.
This recipe was originally published on 2/27/2014
Your favorite Greek greasy indulgence gets a make over! Now super healthy, vegan, loaded with protein and full of pure authentic flavors and seasonings.
- 8 oz tempeh (package in block form)
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic , finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons Greek oregano (use regular oregano if you don't have Greek)
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Tamari , low sodium if needed (or soy sauce for non gluten free version)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (see notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- 2 red or yukon gold potatoes
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 tablespoons veggie broth or aquafaba, or drizzle of olive oil (see notes)
- 8 pita bread
- 2 fresh tomatoes , sliced
- ½ red onion , sliced
- 2 cups lettuce , sliced (optional, not a traditional topping)
- Vegan Tzatziki
Cut the block of tempeh in half width wise so it makes two shorter blocks.
Boil in a pot of water for about 20 minutes. This cuts the bitterness from the tempeh.
Meanwhile, make marinade by combining everything in a large container.
Once the tempeh is done, allow to cool. Then cut into thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Using a very sharp knife will make this easier.
Add thinly sliced tempeh into the marinade and allow it to soak for at least 4-6 hours, overnight is best.
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
Take tempeh slices out of the marinade (save it!) and spread them out in a thin layer in a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Gently pour about 1/4 cup of the marinade over the tempeh slices.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the edges are brown.
Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into thick french fry sized slices. I keep the skins on but you can peel them if you prefer.
Place them in a bowl and cover with water to help remove some of the starch. Allow to soak for 5-10 minutes.
Prep the tomatoes, red onion, lettuce and make tzatziki if you haven't yet.
Drain the potatoes and pat dry. Put them back in the bowl.
Add broth, aquafaba or oil (whatever liquid you prefer) and salt. Mix well.
Once tempeh gyro slices are done, remove from oven and cover with foil to keep warm. Set aside.
Turn the oven up to 450 F (230 C).
Spread the potatoes over a cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
When the potatoes are done, warm the pita bread in a damp towel for 2-3 minutes to soften.
Build your gyros with the tempeh gyro slices, potatoes, tomatoes, red onion and lettuce if preferred.
Drizzle tzatziki over the top and devour!
Nutrition info does not include Tzatziki, see the recipe for the info. It also only takes into account about 1/4 of the marinade since you are not eating the entire marinade.
You can use veggie broth, aquafaba or olive oil to coat your fries. Aquafaba is simply the juice from a can of chickpeas.
Adjust the amount of salt based on your taste. You may need more or less depending on what both and Tamari/soy sauce you use.
You can substitute garlic powder for fresh garlic if you don't have it, but the fresh garlic yields a more authentic flavor.
Cherish says
This was my first experience with tempeh and it was EXCELLENT!! I did substitute wild rice (cooked in the Instant Pot) for the potatoes and included a palm-sized amount of grass-fed beef, but even without the beef, it was GREAT! I’m looking forward to the leftovers! Thank you!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Cherish! Yay! I am so happy you liked it! And glad you were able to make it your own!
laura says
Wow these were good! I would’ve never thought of including potatoes, but they were great and I’m always looking for ways to use up any potatoes that come in my CSA box. This was my first time eating tempeh, and I thought it was a very good meaty type substitute. I also served these sandwiches with some curried red lentil hummus and pickled turnips. Loved the tzatziki sauce, although next time I’d use less garlic as I’m not really a fan of super strong raw garlic flavors, and I used dried dill because I didn’t have fresh.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Laura!! Thank you so much for the awesome review! Yes, in Greece they put potatoes in the gyros! They are so good! I was touch and go with Tempeh for a while but once I learned to boil it, I have used it in so many ways! I so appreciate all your support!
Mardy says
I woke up to a text from my son, it was your shopping list for these gyros. 🙂 I prepped the tempeh and the cashew tzatziki (YUM) and he prepared dinner. OMG! This was fantastic!! I am a little embarrassed to say, this serving for 8, fed our family of 3 w/ only one leftover lunch. This recipe made the cut and will now be in our rotation. You are a master! Thanks Sophia!
veggiesdontbite says
Hahaha!! Don’t be embarrassed, we eat them all too!! I am so happy you guys love them as much as we do. Thank you so much for the great review!
Carla says
Thanks for helping me get my Greek food fix again! It was one of the things I missed most after going vegan. Your marinade and tzatziki are right on–real keepers.
While trying to find good vegan Greek food, I stumbled across the Pita Street Food chain. They have a decent-ish falafal, which when covered with their garlic sauce, helped quell my Greek food cravings. But their sandwich isn’t as good as yours. One thing I did learn from them, though, was to use chopped dill pickles. I added them to your recipe as part of the toppings and it was totally delicious. But I’m wondering if that’s an authentic Greek thing to do or if they just made it up. It doesn’t matter because it’s delicious and I’ll keep doing it but I was just curious.
Thanks again to you (and your mom!) for such great recipes. 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Carla!! I am so happy you loved the recipe!! The dill pickles are not a greek thing, in Greece the gyro have fries, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki. Simple and delicious. But I LOVE pickles and am totally trying it!! Thank you so much for the great review!
Alexandra Nash says
These look AMAZING! I am so excited to try them. My only request is maybe change the prep time to include the marinating time. I bought everything to make them and came home to start and then saw the marinating time kind of knocks these out of contention for dinner tonight (and my fiance and I were so excited!). Personally, when I meal prep and find recipes, I look at the ingredients and the prep and cook time but not the full steps. But we are still psyched to have them tomorrow!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Alexandra! So, when I first got this recipe card, they did not have an option for an extra time slot and I didn’t want to include the marinating in the overall time, which is why I put it as the first instruction in bold. Now they do for things like marinating or freezing, so I can go back in and add it. I am slowly adding things like this, just don’t have time to go through every recipe so I add them as I go. Hope you enjoy them!
Mila says
I like this recipe because it doesn’t have cumin. Cumin in my experience isn’t used much in traditional Greek cooking though it is present in a lot of dishes that came from the influence Turkish cuisine had on Greek cuisine… it just overwhelms all other flavors and makes everything taste like generic Middle Eastern food…also for some reason cumin makes food so hard to digest (just me maybe?) but honestly
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Mila! Yes, cumin is not an ingredient in traditional Greek food. My mom actually can’t stand cumin, probably because she is 100% Greek and doesn’t have the taste for it. So none of my traditional Greek recipes have the spice. Glad you enjoyed it!
Annika says
Oh my lanta!
I’ve never had a meat gyro, but these are incredible! We just got back from Greece, so this recipe feels like we’ve extended our vacation. I can’t wait to make your moussaka tomorrow!
Veggiesdontbite says
Thanks so much Annika, I’m so happy you enjoyed them. Moussaka is one of my favorites, enjoy!
Becky says
Do you think this recipe would work with soy curls by Butler Foods? We really miss gyros! Thanks 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Becky! I have never had or worked with soy curls so I honestly have no idea! If they act much like tempeh I don’t see why not! Let me know!
Chelsea says
Should the marinade with tempeh be refrigerated while it’s soaking? Or just on the countertop?
Also, the marinade smells amazing and I can’t wait to try these gyros. Amazing recipe!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Chelsea! So sorry but I was out of town and am just seeing your message. Either way is fine. I put it in the fridge. How did they turn out??
Faye says
I made the gyros. They were not the greasy yummy ness I would normally go and buy. They were darn good vegan replacements. They were so good I ate 2.
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Faye! So good to hear! They are definitely meant to hit that craving but in a much healthier way so I am thrilled to hear you liked them enough to eat 2!! Thanks so much for giving them a try!
Kitty says
Hi! I’m a relatively new vegan, a long time celiac, and a mess in the kitchen. I was excited to see you stated your recipes are vegan and gluten free. Many call for tortillas and this one calls for pita. I have yet to find a decent gf tortilla and have never found gf pita. Can you recommend a sub for pita or better, do you know of a brand? I am quite limited in the kitchen due to a disability so I would be grateful to have the option of purchasing over having to make my own if there is such a thing. Love your site!!
veggiesdontbite says
Hi Kitty! So happy to have you here! My go to brand for gluten free is the BFree brand. https://us.bfreefoods.com Check them out! They have a store locator too. It’s the best I have tried so far, although we often do sprouted wheat because we don’t have the celiac issue. But I bet you love these ones!
Kitty says
Wonderful! Thanks for your help! So happy I found you! 🙂
Traicetrak says
I’m so excited to try this! I’ve been craving gyros for some reason lately.
veggiesdontbite says
Ha! I crave them all the time, lol!! I hope you like them as much as we do!
The Vegan 8 says
Girl, I’m so confused, I thought this was a new recipe that came through but I see comments from 2014 above, am I losing my mind, LOL?! Regardless, these look insane and full of flavor. Love that you added tempeh! I love tempeh now, so so good. I have never had a gyro though, can you believe that?? But judging by all of these delicious flavors and marinade, I know it’s good! My mouth is watering!
veggiesdontbite says
HAHAHAHA! Sorry to confuse you. I have been going through and updating old recipes. Reshooting the ugly old photos and updating the recipe with little tweaks to make it even better. So it’s technically an “old” recipe that has gotten a bit of a makeover. It happens when you get old, a little upkeep never hurt. LMAO!! Thanks girl! You’d love it!!
Cassie Thuvan Tran says
Yum yum yum! I’ve never had a gyro before, but I have always wanted to! These gyro wraps look absolutely incredible–I would love to dig into one right now!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you Cassie!! I loved gyros before we changed out diet so I knew I needed to fill that void!
Maria Koutsogiannis says
I’m a sucker for a good Greek inspired recipe and this looks delicious!
veggiesdontbite says
Thanks Maria! This is a huge hit in our house and hits that gyro craving quite well!
JD says
These are so good. It’s crazy that the flavor is so much like the traditional. I usually get meatless gyros with all the veggies and fries so I love having a “meaty” option!
Mandie S says
I made this last night and it was so good…I can’t wait to make it again!! The tzatziki sauce is addictive; I had some leftover, so tonight I just poured it over cucumber, avocado and tomato stuffed in a pita with some black pepper. Such a wonderful treat. Thank you for sharing 🙂 Yum!
veggiesdontbite says
So glad to hear! I love the Tzatziki as a dip for so many things. Thanks for sharing!
Becca J says
Great Yummy Wonderful!!! Thank You!!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you for following!
Heidi Minett says
These look so good! Does your wonderful Greek mother have a recipe for the bread? 🙂
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much! Unfortunately she does not have a recipe for pita bread, however she has many more amazing recipes that I will be posting about in the future!
feedmecolor says
Oh my gosh these look delicious! Thanks so much for sharing- yum!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much! You’re welcome!
afreshsliceofrye says
This looks absolutely phenomenal. I loved Gyros when I was a meat-eater, so I am definitely going to try this!
veggiesdontbite says
Thank you so much! I felt the same way when I saw the idea. Since I am 100% greek, this was a definite must try for me. Luckily they turned out great! Let me know how you like them.
Chris says
Just made these for dinner tonight. Amazing! And the Tzatziki!!!
veggiesdontbite says
Awesome!! So happy you liked them!
afreshsliceofrye says
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