Vegan Shawarma 3 Ways

Can’t try shawarma because you’re vegan? We’ll provide you with three different and delicious vegan shawarma recipes using cauliflower, chickpeas, and eggplant.

Shawarma is a dish popular in the Levantine and Mediterranean regions with many familiar renditions finding their way across other regions of the world. There are different variations of shawarma and different words for similar dishes such as the doner kebab, which is found in Turkey and many areas of Europe. Each of these use the technique of roasting a giant piece of rotating meat on a skewer. The meat used can be beef, chicken, lamb, and other types of meat, too.

Shawarma is often sliced from the skewer and then served with other vegetables, sauces, and bread or pita. You can often find people getting shawarma in the form of a sandwich, wrap, or platter accompanied with other vegetables and sauces.

Depending on where you live, you may not have access to Middle Eastern and Arabic restaurants and foods. Furthermore, it can sometimes be difficult to find vegetarian and vegan options within these cuisines. This article offers three different recipes for vegan shawarma and a recipe for a homemade shawarma seasoning blend so you can experience this famous street food for yourself.

Shawarma Seasoning Blend

Ingredients 

• 3 tbsp cup ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp ground allspice
• 3 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili flakes

Instructions

1. Measure and place all spices into a bowl. Stir to combine, then add the spice blend to an airtight spice jar or container.

Pro Tip: If possible, source spices from store that sells bulk herbs and spices and has a high turnover so you can be sure that you’re obtaining fresher spices. Don’t forget to use old jars and other containers that you already have to minimize waste.

Vegan Chickpea Shawarma

Ingredients 

• 1½ cup cooked chickpeas or 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp avocado oil, plus more to oil the baking sheet or use a substitute for parchment paper
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 tbsp shawarma spice blend Yogurt Sauce
• ⅓ cup vegan greek yogurt
• Juice from half a lemon
• ½ cup fresh dill, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Vegan pita or flatbread

Optional

• Red onion, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Lettuce or cabbage, chopped
• Cucumbers, sliced
• Olives

Recipe 

• Preheat oven to 400F and spread oil across a large baking sheet to ensure the vegan shawarma doesn’t stick.
• In a small mixing bowl toss chickpeas, red bell pepper, oil, and the spice blend. Then spread on the baking sheet. Bake for about 25 minutes or until slightly crispy and golden brown.
• While the chickpeas are roasting, prepare the yogurt sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the vegan yogurt, lemon juice, dill and garlic.
• Prepare the plate by assembling the red onion, tomato, lettuce, and cucumbers next to the pita bread.
• After the chickpea mix has finished cooking and had a few minutes to cool down, scoop a hearty spoonful onto the plate. Finish the plate off with a drizzle of the yogurt sauce over the chickpeas and other additions you please. You can eat this plate with silverware or assemble yourself a wrap with the pita.

Vegan Cauliflower Shawarma

Ingredients 

• 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• ¼ cup avocado oil, plus more to oil the baking sheet
• 3 tbsp shawarma spice blend
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 cup hummus
• 1 bunch of cilantro, stemmed and minced
• 2 cups spinach
• ¼ cup tahini
• Vegan pita or flatbread

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a large bowl, combine the cut cauliflower, avocado oil, shawarma spice blend and lemon juice. Stir until well combined.
2. On a well oiled baking sheet, spread cauliflower mixture across evenly. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of cauliflower. Transfer to oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cauliflower florets are golden and slightly crispy.
3. To serve, scoop a heaping spoonful of the cauliflower onto plates. Give each plate a spoonful of hummus on the side, a bunch of spinach, and sprinkle cilantro on top of everything. Then drizzle the tahini across the plate, too.
4. Eat with vegan pita or flatbread.

Vegan Eggplant Shawarma

Ingredients 

• 1-2 eggplants, sliced vertically
• 3 tbsp avocado oil
• 2 tbsp shawarma spice blend
• ⅓ cup vegan greek yogurt
• Juice from half a lemon
• ½ cup fresh mint, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Vegan pita or flatbread

Optional

• Red onion, sliced
• Tomato, sliced
• Lettuce or cabbage, chopped
• Cucumbers, sliced
• Olives

Recipe

• Preheat oven to 400F and spread oil across a large baking sheet to ensure the vegan shawarma doesn’t stick.
• Spread eggplant evenly along sheets, then drizzle with oil, and sprinkle evenly with shawarma spice blend until all is evenly coated. Bake for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the eggplant until the skin get wrinkly and begins to collapse.
• While the eggplant is roasting, prepare the yogurt sauce. In a medium bowl, mix the vegan yogurt, lemon juice, mint and garlic.
• Prepare the plate by assembling the red onion, tomato, lettuce, and cucumbers next to the pita bread.
• After the eggplant has finished cooking and had a few minutes to cool down, place several slices of eggplant on the plate. Finish the plate off with a drizzle of the yogurt sauce over the eggplant and other additions. You can eat this plate with silverware or assemble yourself a wrap with the pita.

Read more:

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• Customizable Vegan Summer Rolls Recipe
• How to Clean Cookie Sheets: 4 Natural Household Solutions

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Tags: Cooking Guide recipe Vegan