Lamb Lollipops with Tzatziki Sauce

By Editor On Mar 20, 2025

Delicious lamb lollipops are coated in a garlic, lemon, and fresh mint marinade then pan-seared or grilled to perfection. They’re served with a classic Greek tzatziki sauce to brighten up the dish.

Lollipop Lamb Chops

This lamb recipe features a rack of lamb cut into lollipops then marinaded in a mixture of fresh herbs, lemon, garlic and olive oil. To round out the dish it’s served with a tart and fresh cucumber yogurt sauce.

For a classic seasoning, you can use a batch of my popular lamb seasoning instead.

Ingredients

Most of the ingredients for this lamb lollipop recipe are straight forward, but it’s important to take into consideration a few things before buying the ingredients:

Rack of Lamb – I always buy mine from Costco as they’re already Frenched. This means the butcher removes all the excess meat, fat, and cartilage from the rack for me. All I have to do is cut them into individual lollipops.

Marinade – The marinade isn’t the kind that drowns the meat in liquid. If you prefer tons of marinade, I recommend doubling the marinade recipe. After several rounds of testing, I cannot tell the difference, so why waste ingredients?

Greek Yogurt – I recommend sticking with a brand you love. If you use a brand that’s very tart (like Oikos), the yogurt dipping sauce will be tart. I stick with Chobani or The Greek Gods as they aren’t as tart.

Cucumber – Any kind of cucumber works. I stick to English Cucumbers as they have less seeds than the common Kirby cucumber.

Lamb Lollipops marinating in a glass backing pan.

How To Make Lamb Lollipops

There are 3 methods I prefer using to cook lamb lollipops: pan seared, grilled or smoked. Choose the option that works best for you.

Pan Seared Lamb Lollipops – Using the stovetop to cook lamb chops is extremely quick and easy. Once the cast iron is pre-heated over medium-high heat you’ll cook the lamb lollipops for just 2-3 minutes per side.

Grilled Lamb Lollipops – Grilling the lamb is a great option during the warm weather months. To grill, you’ll pre-heat to medium high heat and cook for just 3-4 minutes per side.

Smoked Lamb Chops – To make smoked lamb chops using this recipe, follow the cooking instructions I provide in my Smoked Rack of Lamb recipe.

Three raw lamb chops in a cast iron skillet.

Temperature Guide

Lamb lollipops are extremely lean and relatively small, so it’s easy to overcook. I highly recommend using a digital thermometer to watch the temps of the chops while cooking.

Resting the lamb will only increase the temp by 1-2°, so pull accordingly once you determine your final temperature.

Rare Lamb Chop: 120-129°F
Medium-Rare Lamb Chop: 130-134°F (experts recommendation)
Medium Lamb Chop: 135-144°F (my personal preference)
Medium Lamb Chop: 145-154°F
Well Done Lamb Chop: 155°F +

For more cooking tips and a free printable reference sheet, visit my Lamb Temperature Chart guide.

Instructions

PREP THE TZATZIKI SAUCE:

Grate the cucumber, place in a towel or fine mesh sieve, and gently squeeze out as much excess water as possible.
Combine the cucumber, yogurt, garlic, dill, mint, lemon juice, oil, and salt in a large bowl and chill for at least an hour. Note – the tzatziki sauce tastes best if chilled for 12-24 hours.

PREP THE LAMB:

Trim excess fat from the lamb and cut into 8 lollipops.
Up to 24 Hours Prior to Cooking: Add all of the marinade ingredients to a blender and blend for approx. 15 seconds, until well combined. Apply evenly over the lamb. Cover and refrigerate. Remove 30-60 minutes prior to cooking.

PAN SEARED LAMB LOLLIPOPS:

Add 1 tbsp. of avocado oil to a cast iron or grill pan and pre-heat over medium-high heat.
Add the chops to the pan and sear for 2 minutes. Flip the chops and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare. Cook for an extra 30-60 seconds for medium. The smaller chops will cook quicker than the thicker chops. (*Note 5)
Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve immediately next to the tzatziki dipping sauce.

GRILLED LAMB LOLLIPOPS

Pre-heat the grill to medium-high heat. Place the lamb chops on the grill grate and sear for 3 minutes. Flip the chops and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare. Continue to flip every 2 minutes until your desired internal temperature is achieved. The smaller chops will cook quicker than the thicker chops. (*Note 5)
Remove from the pan and let rest for 10 minutes. Serve immediately next to the tzatziki dipping sauce.

Notes

Note 1 – Try and purchase a rack that has already been Frenched, so you don’t have to butcher and clean up the rack yourself. Note 2 – This marinade makes exactly enough to coat the chops. If you prefer a higher volume of marinade to meat, I recommend doubling the recipe. Note 3 – I used dried oregano as it’s what I had on hand. If using fresh Oregano, use 1 tbsp. Note 4 – Store bought tzatziki works in place of homemade. Note 5 – I highly recommend using a digital thermometer as it’s easy to overcook lamb lollipops. Rack of Lamb Cooking Temperatures

Rare Lamb Chop: 120-129°F

Medium-Rare Lamb Chop: 130-134°F (experts recommendation)

Medium Lamb Chop: 135-144°F (my personal preference)

Medium Lamb Chop: 145-154°F

Well Done Lamb Chop: 155°F +

Nutrition