These lemon-garlic Grilled Lamb Chops are juicy, tender, and grilled to perfection. Serve them up with this bright mint-pistachio sauce for the ultimate summer dinner.

Lamb chops grill up so quickly and feel impressive–that makes them a great option for holidays, dinner parties, or even backyard BBQs!

Lemon-Garlic Grilled Lamb Chops

Welcome to the final day of the third annual So Much Food Grilling Week! For the last week, I’ve been sharing all my new favorite summer grilling recipes. They’re fresh, simple, and so delicious–I firmly believe anyone can grill these up. You now have bunch of brand new grilling recipes just in time for Memorial day and the start of summer!

I didn’t grow up eating a lot of lamb, so it was a protein that always sort of intimidated me. It wasn’t until I tested recipes for a whole chapter on lamb in my cookbook that I started to feel comfortable and excited about cooking with lamb!

Grilled lamb chops are honestly so simple to prepare, but they always feel so impressive. The lemon-garlic marinade is super flavorful and helps tenderize the lamb chops. I serve it alongside a quick mint-pistachio pesto that pairs so perfectly with the lamb.

How to Make Grilled Lamb Chops

While you can make these lamb chops in a cast iron skillet, the flavor from the grill is so good!

Helpful Cooking Tools

• Outdoor Grill
• Microplane
• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Grilling Tongs
• Small Food Processor

Recipe Ingredients

full list of ingredients, quantities & method in the recipe card at the end of the page.

• rack of lamb
• lemon zest
• lemon juice
• garlic
• olive oil
• mint leaves
• pistachios
• parmesan
• sherry vinegar

Step-by-Step Photos & Instructions

1. Prep the lamb. Pat the racks of lamb dry and trim away any excess fat. Cut them into thick chops (about 1 inch thick or so) and set them aside.
2. Marinate the lamb. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and pepper together. Coat the chops evenly with the marinade and transfer to a ziplock bag or into a baking dish covered with plastic wrap. Let them marinade in the fridge for 2-4 hours.
3. Make the mint-pistachio sauce. Make the sauce: Place the pistachios on a small baking sheet and toast them in a 350 F degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until golden. Let them cool and then roughly chop them. In a small food processor, combine the garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, mint, sherry vinegar, and parmesan and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer the contents to a small bowl and stir in the pistachios and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Prep & preheat the grill. Remove the lamb from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium heat. If using charcoal, spread the lit charcoal briquettes in an even layer. The grill should sit at 450-500 F. Clean the grates of any debris.
5. Grill the lamb chops. Remove the chops from the marinade and shake off any excess. Grill the lamb chops over direct heat for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 130-135 F. Remove the lamb from the grill and transfer to a serving platter. Loosely tent them with foil and let them rest for 10 minutes. Serve drizzled with the mint-pistachio sauce.

Grilling 101 Tips

Grilling can feel intimidating, but it’s an easy skill to learn and will totally elevate your cooking game in the summer. Here are all my best tips for grilling like a pro!

Work with a clean grill. This is such an important step and makes all the difference when it comes to grilling. Make sure to clean your grill of any food or debris before you start cooking. This helps keep food from sticking.

Adequately preheat your grill. Making sure your grates are completely heated through is so important! Food sticks when the grates aren’t adequately heated. Make sure to let your grill preheat for at least 15 minutes. The best option is to preheat the grill over medium heat, not high heat.

Lightly grease your grill grates. You can use nonstick spray, but the best method is a rag lightly soaked with high-temperature oil. Use tongs to rub the cloth on the grates to give them a light coating of oil. This also helps when grilling foods with sticky marinades or fish, which can stick easily.

Use a meat thermometer. I always give estimated cooking times, but every grill and piece of meat is different. I always recommend using a thermometer to determine doneness!

Buying & Breaking Down Lamb Chops

There are two types of lamb chops that work well in this recipe: rib shops and loin chops. Either will work, but the rib chops are my favorite and are what I used in this recipe for grilled lamb chops.

Rib chops: These are the equivalent of a ribeye steak on a cow, and are recognizable by the long, thin rib bone extending from the tiny lollipop of meat. They’re a bit more expensive, but they’re so tender and flavorful.

Loin chops: they sit between the ribs and the leg of the animal — it’s the lamb equivalent of a porterhouse steak. There’s more meat on a loin chop than on a rib chop, and the meat, although ever so slightly less tender and flavorful than a rib chop, it’s still delicious and a great option for this recipe.

In an effort to cut down on cost, I typically buy the whole rack of lamb (a rack of rib chops) and trim/cut them myself. I recommend heading to your local butcher because they can also do that for if you’re less than comfortable with a knife.

Understanding Lamb Cooking Times

Lamb cooking times will depend on the heat of your grill and the cut and thickness of your lamb chops. I provide estimated cook times, but the best way to ensure that your lamb is properly cooked is to use a simple probe thermometer.

An important thing to remember: as your lamb chops rest, the temperature will come up an additional 5-10 degrees–this is known as carryover cooking. Always pull your meat 5-10 degrees shy of your desired temperature.

• Rare lamb: This will have a cool, red center. Aim for a pull temperature of 115°F and as the lamb chops rest, they should come up to 120-125°F.
• Medium-rare lamb: The lamb will still be quite red in the center but still warm throughout. Aim for a pull temperature of 125-130°F and as the steak rests it’ll come up to about 135°F.
• Medium lamb: The inside of the lamb will be warm and pink. Plan to pull the chops at 135°F an with carryover cooking you should end up around 140°F.
• Medium-well lamb: Your lamb will mostly be brown with just a tiny hint of pink. Your target temperature is around 145-150°F, so pull the chops around the 145°F mark.

I find that lamb is best served medium and so I typically pull it between 130-135°F so that it finishes at a temperature of 140°F.

Serving Suggestions

Because this dish is so fresh and summery, I like to serve it with lighter sides like fattoush salad, grilled asparagus, or a simple cucumber-tomato salad. While I love the mint-pistachio sauce, if you aren’t a mint fan this would be great with my classic chimichurri sauce.

In terms of carbs on the side, I love serving grilled lamb chops with simple steamed rice or rice pilaf, grilled vegetable pasta salad, or a simple potato salad if I’m going for backyard BBQ vibes. My summer tomato orzo would also pair perfeclty with the lamb!

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Don’t let cooking lamb be intimidating, because these Grilled Lamb Chops are so simple and so perfect for summer. They’re tender and juicy and the mint-pistachio sauce is to die for! If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.

More Grilling Recipes to Try

Thai Grilled Shrimp
Mojo Chicken Legs
Grilled Tuscan Steaks
Grilled Lobster Tails

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