Spiced Lamb Flatbread Bites (Lahmacun)

Mini Turkish pizza bites topped with spiced lamb, onion, and herbs. These disappear at parties faster than you can make them.

Appetizers · Prep 25 min · Cook 10 min · Serves 6 · Medium · By Tina · Published

Spiced Lamb Flatbread Bites (Lahmacun) - appetizers recipe

Ingredients

  • 300 g ground lamb
  • 400 g pizza dough, or homemade
  • 1 medium onion, grated
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp chili flakes
  • 3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 lemon, for serving
  • salt, to taste

Lahmacun is basically Turkish pizza — thin, crispy flatbread topped with spiced minced lamb. But instead of making big ones, I make mini versions that are perfect for parties and snacking.

The topping is a mixture of lamb, onion, tomato paste, and a load of spices — cumin, paprika, chili. It goes on raw and cooks in the oven in about 8 minutes. The result is this thin, crispy base with a savory, slightly spicy lamb topping that is completely addictive.

I have brought these to dinner parties and they have never lasted more than 10 minutes.

Pro Tips

  • Roll the dough thin. Really thin. You want it crispy, not bready.
  • Spread the lamb mixture thin — it should be a layer, not a mound.
  • Bake at the highest temperature your oven goes. Speed and heat are key.
  • You can use store-bought pizza dough in a pinch. No judgment.

Serving

Squeeze lemon over the top, add a few fresh parsley leaves, roll them up, and eat with your hands. That is the authentic way.

More appetizers recipes

  • Spicy Tuna Tartare (Medium · serves 4)
    Fresh, fiery, and impossibly elegant. No cooking required — just pristine tuna, a spicy kick, and creamy…
  • Spinach Artichoke Dip (Easy · 30 min · serves 10)
    Warm, creamy, and absolutely irresistible. This baked spinach artichoke dip is the crowd-pleasing appetizer…
  • Stuffed Grape Leaves (Warak Enab) (Hard · 60 min · serves 8)
    Tender grape leaves stuffed with herbed rice, cooked slowly with lemon and olive oil. These take patience but…
  • Thai Fish Cakes (Medium · 10 min · serves 4)
    Crispy, fragrant, and dangerously addictive. These Thai fish cakes are the starter that everyone fights over.…
  • Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla) (Medium · 15 min · serves 4)
    Crispy outside. Bouncy inside. Absolutely addictive. Loaded with red curry paste, kaffir lime, and green…
  • Whipped Feta Dip with Roasted Red Peppers (Easy · serves 6)
    Creamy, tangy, and ridiculously easy. This dip disappears in minutes at every party I bring it to.

All 21 appetizers recipesBrowse all 277 recipes