Before I was vegan I loved chicken shawarma. Alan and I used to go to this little hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern restaurant every week where, for about a total of $15 we were served two huge plates of shawarma served with rice, hummus, tahini, and a salad. There aren’t a lot of things that I miss but I’m afraid, shawarma was one of them. Finally, I decided there must be a way to make vegan shawarma.
It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. Shawarma is generally made with lamb, but it is frequently made with beef or chicken. It’s cooked on a big spit, and the meat is carved off right before it is served. Obviously that would be a difficult thing to do, no matter what protein I used to make vegan shawarma.
I usually use seitan for my protein, but there are many options for plant-based chicken or beef these days so it’s easy to pick your favorite. I love using seitan because it’s easy to make it myself, with only a few ingredients. Of course, you can always buy prepared seitan as well. Sweet Earth is my favorite because it has minimal ingredients (basically the same that I would use).
Here’s my homemade seitan recipe.
To get the best flavor, it is important to marinate the seitan. Overnight is best, but when I’m in a hurry even a half-hour will work.
You will love this delicious vegan shawarma made with seitan and served with hummus, cucumber salad, rice, and warm pita bread. Yum! #MeatlessMondayClick To TweetMost recipes for shawarma call for plain yogurt, and that’s the way I usually make it. However, I was unable to find vegan plain yogurt this time around. Instead, I used Trader Joes vegan Garlic Dip. It tasted amazing and that’s what I’ll continue to use in the future. If you’d rather use yogurt, though, just replace the garlic dip and add an extra clove of minced garlic.
Vegan shawarma is best when it’s served with all the condiments. I love hummus, tahini, more garlic dip, and cucumber salad. The recipes are below, along with a recipe for Shawarma sauce, which I don’t use as often but is very good. Serve with rice and a warm pita or vegan naan and enjoy!
Vegan Shawarma
- One package (or one cup if homemade) seitan or chicken substitute, cut into strips
- ½ cup onion chopped in large pieces
- One Tablespoon lemon juice
- One teaspoon Garam Masala
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Pepper to taste
- ½ cup Trader Joes vegan Garlic Dip (or vegan plain yogurt)
- One Tablespoon Apple Cidar Vinegar
- Two Cloves Garlic, minced
- In a small bowl, sprinkle the seitan and onion with the garam masala, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and toss to mix. In a separate bowl, combine the vegan Garlic Dip, vinegar, and garlic. Add the "meat" mixture and stir together. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 450. Spray broiler pan lightly with cooking spray. Spread seitan and onions in a single layer on the pan. Roast until lightly browned, then turn over and repeat on the other side.
- Serve with warmed pita bread ir vegan naan, hummus (recipe below) or shawarma sauce (recipe below) and rice. (Can also be served with vegan tzatziki or tahini sauce.) Top with cucumber salad (recipe below).
Vegan Shawarma is Best with:
Hummus
One can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
Two Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Olive Oil (plus another tablespoon to drizzle over the top)
One teaspoon Tahini
Two cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process on high until creamy and smooth.
Shawarma Sauce
Three Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
Two Tablespoons Rice vinegar
Two cloves garlic, minced
One Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Blend all the ingredients until smooth.
Cucumber Salad
One small tomato, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
One tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Combine the vegetables. Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over vegetables. Toss lightly.
Have you ever tried shawarma?
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
All About Running with Janell
The Running Coaches’ Corner with Marc and Me!
The Weekly Run Down with Deborah and Kim
One of our stores here has a veggie shwarma on the Mezze Bar it’s so good. I’ve never tried to make it though. I love all the Mediterranean toppings they are so good. Thanks for linking up today
I’ve never found any veggie shawarma nearby (aside from once at a vegan restaurant in Scottsdale but that’s a little too far 🙂 ). Which is why I needed to figure out how to make it!
Loving everything about this, only wish my tummy could handle seitan. Will have to give it a try with Beyond Chicken. We had a whole week of Greek food recently, so good.
I always thought it was too bad there wasn’t a way to somehow make a gluten-free version of seitan. It’s such a great, simple meat substitute.
I’ve never had shwarma but it sounds so good! I kind of love that TJs garlic dip worked as a sub for yogurt!
That TJ’s garlic dip is so good! I just discovered it (thanks to my Vegan Trader Joes FB group) and I use it all the time!
I have never had schwarma…apparently I’ve been bundled up (quite tightly LOL) in a bubble because I don’t think I’ve even heard of it. This looks like something I need to add to my “to do” list.
You need to try it! Next time you’re in Des Moines go to Gazell’s! They apparently have some amazing chicken shawarma! (and they even have a vegan burger so I can go with you 🙂 ) https://www.gazalismediterraneangrill.com/
This looks delicious! My husband makes a huge batch of seitan once a week, but I never know what to do with it (he eats it plain). I’m going to try out this recipe!
You’ll love it! I wish my hubby would whip up a batch of seitan! Or anything really 🙂