BIG, Bold Greek-Inspired Flavor, Minimal Effort.
ICYMI, we’re kiiiinda obsessed with Mediterranean foods and flavors here at PWWB!
Greek-inspired recipes are some of my favorite to cook, as evidenced by Our Favorite Greek Farro Salad, these Lemony Greek Chicken Wings, these epic Lamb Meatballs, and, of course, this easy Greek Marinade recipe.
This simple marinade has been a community favorite ever since we shared it for the first time back in 2019 and thousands of PWWB readers have raved about it each month since, for good reason!
It’s a quick and easy marinade made with just 7 staple ingredients, combining Greek yogurt, fresh garlic, dried oregano, and red wine vinegar in a single bowl in 5 minutes or less.
The yogurt acts as a natural tenderizer and adds tangy richness, while generous amounts of lemon, garlic, and oregano create the big, bold, bright, delicious flavors that come to mind when you think of Greek food. It’s so simple and so good!
The best thing about it, though, is its versatility – feel free to consider it your go-to all-purpose Greek yogurt marinade. You can use it as a chicken marinade or for lamb, pork, veggie kabobs and more!
Want more marinades for grilling season? Got you covered! Check out PWWB’s 15 Go-To Grilling Marinades.
Key Ingredients
One of the best things about this easy marinade recipe is that it’s made with very simple ingredients that pack a major punch of flavor.
You need just 7 simple ingredients, and most of them are probably already in your pantry!
Here’s what you’ll need…
- Greek yogurt – Similar to buttermilk, Greek yogurt is filled with proteins that act as a natural tenderizer, helping keep whatever meat you marinate super tender. As a bonus, Greek yogurt transforms into the most insane crust once grilled – so good! I prefer using full-fat Greek yogurt, but you can definitely use skim or nonfat in this marinade.
- Aromatics – Namely, loads of garlic and dried oregano to create the bold Greek-inspired flavor we’re after here. If you like a kick of heat, add in some crushed red pepper flakes, too!
- Lemon – Use both the zest and juice for maximum flavor. Look for a lemon that has thin skin and feels heavy for its weight to ensure it’s juicy enough!
- Red wine vinegar – A generous splash to offset the natural sweetness of lemon with bold, punchy flavor.
- Honey – For sweetness that balances out the lemon and vinegar. As a bonus, honey helps your Greek chicken, lamb, or whatever you’re making take on crispy, caramelized edges that are so good!
- Olive oil – A little bit to hold the marinade together! Since this grill marinade has so many other big flavors, you don’t need to use an expensive oil. If you prefer grilling with high smoke point oils, that’s cool! You can use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or whatever neutral oil you love most as an alternative.
Dairy-Free or Vegan?
If you try to avoid dairy, or you’re looking for a vegan Greek marinade to use on veggies and plant-based proteins, try the oil-based Greek marinade used in this recipe that’s loaded with lemony flavor!
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DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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How to Make Greek Marinade
Aside from packing a big punch of Greek-inspired flavor, the other thing you’ll love about this recipe is how quickly it comes together.
It’s a really simple one bowl, 5-minute operation!
To make this Greek marinade, simply add all of the ingredients to a medium bowl, whisk to combine, and add your protein or veggies of choice. So easy!
Suggested Marinating Time: Marinating time will vary based on the type of protein you use. Having tested this recipe with a variety of different proteins and marinating times, here’s what I suggest:
- If using as a Greek chicken marinade, for Greek-style pork, or with other mild protein be sure to soak in this marinade for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.
- Rich or gamey proteins like beef and Greek lamb should soak in this all-purpose marinade for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days.
- Veggies last even longer – you can marinate them for at least 20 minutes or up to 5 days.
- Delicate proteins (i.e. seafood – salmon, shrimp, flaky white fish) have a shorter marinade time – aim for at least 20 minutes and no more than 1 hour.
Meal Prep
Despite the suggested marinating times for this Greek marinade recipe, you can still get ahead on your dinner by prepping the marinade in advance. Prep the marinade and store it in a jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When you’re ready to start marinating, simply give the marinade a shake and pour it over whatever meat or veggies you’re using it on – easy!
Serving Suggestions
This Greek marinade is a weeknight dinner rockstar! It adds so much Mediterranean-inspired flavor to whatever you marinate!
A few favorite pairings to try…
- Chicken. It’s the BEST Greek chicken marinade! Its zesty, lemony notes add SO much flavor to chicken.
- Lamb. Another staple in Greek cooking! Use it as an easy Greek lamb marinade on lamb chops or leg of lamb. The yogurt tenderizes tough meat, while the brightness of the lemon and red wine vinegar helps neutralize any gamey flavor. So good!
- Pork. It works great with juicy grilled pork chops or pork tenderloin, too.
- Kebabs. Because this Greek marinade is so versatile you can easily mix and match your favorite protein with veggies to create the ultimate grilled Greek kebabs.
- Veggies. Perhaps my favorite of them all, this marinade isn’t just for meat! Try adding it to your favorite hearty veggies, like onions, potatoes, or even cauliflower!
No Grill? Use Your Stovetop or Oven!
If you do not have access to a grill, this greek marinade also works great with any other preparation – stovetop, skillet meals, sheet pan meals, etc. Just be sure to spritz the pan or skillet with a bit of cooking oil to prevent sticking. Tip! ⇢ You can create a similar caramelized, grilled effect by using a grill pan on the stove or baking in the oven and finishing under the broiler.
I can’t wait for you to try this Greek Marinade recipe! It is filled with flavor and pairs with just about anything. I know you’ll love it as much as we do!
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations!
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5-Minute Greek Marinade (for Chicken, Pork, Lamb & More!)
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: Sauces & Condiments, Marinde
- Method: No-Cook, Grill
- Cuisine: Greek
Description
This Greek-inspired Marinade is perfect for giving any meal a little bit of Mediterranean flair! It’s an easy 5-minute marinade recipe that bursts with punchy and bright flavor from tons of garlic, lemon & oregano. Plus, its Greek yogurt base acts as a natural tenderizer to meat and keeps whatever you’re marinating completely tender & juicy.
Perfect as a grilled Greek chicken marinade, or for making Greek-style lamb, pork, veggies & more!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds meat or veggies of choice
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 lemons, zested & juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
Instructions
- Mix the Greek grilling marinade: Add the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, & oregano to a bowl or jar. Season with 2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper or crushed red pepper, as desired. Whisk or shake to combine. Set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- Marinate: Pour the Greek grilling marinade over your meat or veggies of choice. Marinate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
- Grill as desired. Enjoy!
Equipment
DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil
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- Tip ⇢ Greek marinade doubles as a really great salad dressing: Reserve some of your Greek marinade for drizzling over a Greek salad filled with cucumbers, bell peppers, feta & kalamata olives. You won’t regret it!
- Suggested marinade time: Marinating time will vary based on the type of protein you’d like to use. Having tested this Greek Marinade recipe with a variety of different proteins & a variety of different marinating times, here’s what I suggest:
- Seafood – At least 20 minutes & no more than 1 hour.
- Chicken & pork – At least 6 hours & up to 3 days.
- Beef & lamb – At least 12 hours & up to 3 days.
- Veggies – At least 20 minutes or up to 5 days.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: If you’d like to marinate something beyond the suggested marinade times above but would like to do some meal prep, I suggest prepping the marinade in advance. Store it in a jar or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days – the flavors meld together even more as the marinade sits. When you’re ready to start marinating (refer to the suggested marinating times above), simply give it the marinade a shake & pour it over whatever meat or veggies you’re using it on – easy!
Recipe by Jess Larson, Plays Well With Butter | Photography by Eat Love Eat
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Definitely going in my regular rotation! Made this with chicken and my biggest complaint is that I didn’t make enough chicken (haha). So next time I will be making a much bigger “batch”, because it turned out so yummy that it disappeared way too quickly.
Also I only cooked this in a pan on stove-top- not a grill- and it still turned out so lovely, with a beautiful char on the outside!
Thanks so much for this gem 🙂
We’re so glad to hear you loved this marinade, Laura! It’s one of our favorites, too. And we definitely recommend making a big batch! 🙂
My family and I loved this marinade! So flavorful and easy to make. This will be a repeat recipe for sure!
Can you bake the chicken instead of grilling? Seems like a waste to not use all of the marinade.
Hi Tim! We’ve never tested baking Greek Marinade chicken as the recipe is really intended for grilling – so it’s hard to say for sure! As with any marinade there will be some leftover that will be discarded prior to grilling but with the 2 pounds of meat of veggies that you can use with this recipe we think it feels in line with other marinade recipes out there (& others you’ll find on our site too!).
Another thing to mention, is that because it is a Greek yogurt-based marinade there’s a chance it could burn or affect the final chicken’s texture if the chicken is left to bake within the marinade itself instead of grilling. Just something to keep in mind. All in all, we’d recommend sticking with grilling but if you do give baking a try let us know how it goes!
Looks tasty. Can’t wait to try this out for dinner.
Great, hope you love it! Let us know if you do end up trying, Keira!
I’m not a fan of strong lemon flavor. How prominent is lemon in this dish? It sounds delicious and I’d like to try it. Just wondering. Thanks
Hi Kathy! The lemon is definitely there! You can scale back on lemons to just 1 lemon, juiced (don’t zest), & that should help!
Kathy, I’m wondering what part of the lemon flavor you don’t like. Lemon zest has the oil and that imparts the lemon flavor similar to something like a lemon cake or lemon candies that aren’t sour. The lemon juice is the sour component but I find can be too much, especially if it isn’t countered or balanced with something sweet. I think the great thing is that you can taste the marinade and add the zest and juice (at the very end of the recipe as there is also wine vinegar in the recipe) to your liking before it is used as a marinade. I strongly believe lemon zest should be added but start with maybe 1/4 tsp; remember though as the marinade sits longer and has a chance to meld, the flavors change. Just my 2 cents to give you a little more insight.
Thanks, Wendy! We agree it’s always best to taste & adjust a recipe to your own liking. Everyone has different preferences for food & flavors – which we love!
Is there any nutrition information for this? It sounds so good!
I happen to have all of the ingredients to make the marinade except for the red wine vinegar. Would apple cider vinegar work as a good alternative? I don’t want to go to the store for just one ingredient if I don’t have to
Hi Jennifer! We’ve never tested it before with apple cider vinegar but you can certainly try it as an alternative if you’d like. Please note, apple cider vinegar tends to be a bit more potent & fruitier than red wine vinegar so you may want to use less & substituting will likely change the flavor & color of the marinade.
Just made this- and I set some aside to make a Greek Salad.. OH MY GOODNESS! I could not stop eating my salad. I can’t wait to make the chicken later.
Yay, Jennifer!! So glad you enjoyed! Hope your chicken turned out delicious as well!
Will shrimp work? Marinade for 30 mins?
Hi Michele! You can definitely try with shrimp – we’d recommend anywhere from 20 minutes but no more than an hour marinade time given the acidity from the lemons. 30 minutes should work great – keep us posted on how it turns out if you give it a try!
I have made this marinade over chicken thighs several times for my family and it’s one of our favorits. The lemon flavor is really good.
Gwen! Thank you so much for your review – so so glad you love the lemon flavor!
Hi, I want to make this recipe but don’t have a grill (I know, crazy, right?) What would be a good alternative way to cook it? Thanks!
Hi Joni! If you have one, a cast iron griddle or skillet can work nicely. I’ve personally used a cast iron griddle on the stovetop before & it turned out great! Let us know if you end up trying & how it goes!
This is my FAVORITE marinade of Jess’ series but let’s be real, all of them are absolutely delicious. You cannot go wrong with this marinade. My family stated it’s better than any restaurant and we prepare it at least twice a month. I love Jess, her recipes, her morals, EVERYTHING!
Thank you Ann! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this marinade & that it is a favorite!! 💜
I tried the marinate yesterday, and my family loved it! We marinated boneless/skinless chicken thighs and it tasted great. We made a Greek salad and roasted potatoes to go with it. This is going to be a mainstay for us. Delicious!
Ann! So glad you enjoyed!! We love how easy it is to whip up this marinade & it is soooo good on chicken! Thank you for sharing!
This was a hit with the family tonight ! Super easy marinade and let the chicken breasts marinade overnight. Definitely a staple at my house now !
Thank you for sharing & so glad we could find a new staple in this Greek Marinade! 💜
Soooooo good, this marinade is amazing. Would like to try on veggies, have only done chicken so far. The flavor is fantastic. Thanks for the recipe, will be a staple for meal prep.
Hi Alyce! Completely agree, this marinade is PERFECT for meal prep & adding flavor to whatever you use it for! Thank you for sharing & so glad you enjoy it as much as we do!
Thanks for sharing! Does the marinade keep long?
This looks so good! What a versatile & mild marinade for summertime!
This marinade sounds delicious, but doesn’t the lemon juice start to cook the chicken while it’s marinating?
Hi Carol! There is some acidity in this marinade so we only recommend marinating the chicken for at least 6 hours or up to overnight – hope that helps!
Tried this recipe out and was surprised I had all the ingredients. I put it in a charcoal pan on top of the stove with a tiny bit of olive oil, then finished cooking in the oven. The chicken was so moist with lots of wonderful flavor. I can’t wait to try it again on my charcoal grill (outside)!
So glad you enjoyed, Gabrielle! 🙂
I’d like to try this marinade but i’m marinating tofu, what would you suggest substituting the greek yogurt with if I didn’t want to use yogurt? maybe it defeats the flavor of the marinade so I may just use the yogurt anyway but I was wondering if you had a suggestion for a substitute? thanks! I loved your all purpose grilling marinade!
Hey Christina! Is your goal in eliminating the yogurt to keep your meal dairy-free/vegan? If so, I would guess that your go-to non-dairy yogurt would be a fine substitute OR you can try using this easy Greek dressing instead, which is oil-based and naturally dairy-free/vegan. If not, buttermilk would be a good substitute for the yogurt – scale back a bit on the lemon juice since the buttermilk has a looser consistency than yogurt already. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make buttermilk easily by whisking 1 tablespoon vinegar into 1 cup milk.
Made this marinade as is today for grilled chicken kebabs. I marinated the chicken for about 8- 9 hours. So tender and juicy! Used cilantro for garnish.. delicious!
Hi Jasmine! So glad you enjoyed – this marinade makes perfect grilled chicken kebabs! 🙂
I’m trying this tonight and will let you know how it goes:) Looks yummy!
Yay! Hope you loved it, Betsy! xx
Hello, My Sister In Law made this with Homemade Tzatziki in a pita……..she had purple onion, avocado, and it was delish……..love the combination.
Ooh, I can taste it already! Will definitely try this one out soon x
let me know how you like it, bry!
Does this freeze well?
hey maryjo! because the marinade has yogurt, freezing it isn’t the best option. yogurt isn’t super freezer-friendly since it will break & curdle as it thaws. as far as i know, it’s not unsafe, but texturally it isn’t the best.
couple of options:
1. freeze anyway, knowing that the yogurt’s texture will change as it thaws out, or
2. prep the marinade, omitting the yogurt, & freeze. when you thaw out your greek meat, you can add in the yogurt, letting it sit for at least 2 hours before cooking.
hope this helps! let me know if you try either of the above! – j
Love your recipe!! We tried it about 4 months ago and this has become a staple in our house! We like to cube chicken thighs before marinating and since we don’t have a grill we just cook on the stove!! add it to a pita with hummus, feta, cucumber, tomato, onions, cilantro! This is honestly the yummiest marinade! Thank you so much for sharing!
Molly! This combo sounds delicious & we are so glad it has become a household staple for you! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks for sharing! Any side recommendations with this marinade?
This looks so good! What a great way to spice up an average meal!
thanks, suzanne! it sure is! =) xo