Vegan shawarma with baharat roasted oyster mushrooms

Close your eyes and picture a warm, fluffy pita, crisp and charred in a few choice spots, slathered with creamy, dreamy hummus. Imagine sinking your teeth into meaty, juicy Middle Eastern spiced oyster mushrooms. The aromas alone are enough to make your mouth water. This vegan shawarma recipe is then loaded with fresh, crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, tangy pickled veggies, and you know it would be downright stupid if we didn’t drizzle it with harissa and homemade tahini, and shatta sauce right?

You'll need both hands to hold this big, bold, juicy vegan mushroom shawarma sandwich bursting with flavor. And let's not forget the sauce - oh, the sauce! Drizzled with two unbelievably luscious sauces that will make your taste buds do the happy dance for real. You want to top it all off with shawarma's best friend? Then chase this bad boy down with a slice or two of my Persian baklava with pistachios and rosewater syrup or some icecream stuffed Turkish semolina and pine nut halva.

If you're a vegan or vegetarian, you might think you have to miss out on the beloved Turkish/Lebanese/Greek sandwich, but not anymore. This plant-based shawarma is made with delicious, spiced oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced roasted tofu, Israeli salad, or my easy and fast taboule, hummus, Turkish ezme, pickled vegetables, olives, and tahini. Serve this bad boy next to a steaming bowl of harira or bulgar pilavi. Trust me, one bite and you'll be hooked!

🥰Why you are going to adore the ever-loving heck outta this recipe

👉By not trying to mimic the traditional vertical spit preparation method, this vegetarian shawarma can be prepared in manageable small batches, which are less costly and less wasteful to prepare.

👉This is one of the recipes on my blog (along with my blue corn pancakes with pine nut butter) that I used to offer on my food truck. Maybe you tried it there and fel in love?

👉The mixture of roasted oyster mushrooms and tofu creates an unbelievable meaty mouthfeel.

👉Making this shawarma without seitan, means that it is completely gluten-free, as long as it is served over rice or on a gluten-free wrap instead of the traditional pita!

👉This is an easy option for quick weeknight meals and for easy meal prep! You can effortlessly have dinner on the table without making a mess of your kitchen in under 40 minutes. You only need one pan to roast the filling and one pan to finish on the stovetop. While the filling is in the oven, you can assemble everything else and be ready to rock.

🥴This right here is some premium-quality vegan hangover food! 

🍄Ingredients

• Baharat: Baharat (a.k.a. Lebanese 7 spice blend) is a Middle Eastern blend of spices that typically includes cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, paprika, and black pepper. In some regions, it also includes ginger, fenugreek, or nutmeg. It has a warm, slightly sweet, and slightly smoky flavor and will be your new best friend in lentil soup. I highly recommend making your own baharat, follwoing my بهارات recipe!

• Oyster mushrooms: These mushrooms have a meaty texture and are great at soaking up flavor. This makes them a great substitute for meat in this popular Middle Eastern dish. Oyster mushrooms are a good source of vitamins B and D and minerals such as copper, potassium, and zinc.

• Extra firm tofu: In this dish, the tofu is cut super thin (with a mandolin if you have one) and roasted with the oyster mushrooms and spices to create a nice diversity of meaty textures in the final dish. The tofu doesn’t look as meaty as the mushrooms do, but the chewy roasted tofu texture helps to replicate the texture of the well-done bits in traditional shawarma. 

• Tahini: What I am calling for in this recipe is tahini SAUCE (not just the sesame paste). Check out this easy guide on making fast homemade Lebanese tahini sauce. It's optional (read: strongly advised) as a sauce to be added. But if you don’t want to whip some up, another popular alternative is this killer vegan tzatziki sauce.

• Harissa: This optional spicy topping is the freaking bizzzzz (especially when you ALSO have tahini sauce drizzled on the shawarma and you want to brighten up the flavor. Harissa is a spicy paste that is commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisine, particularly in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria. It is made from chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, and various spices, such as cumin, coriander, and caraway seeds. Some harissa also has preserved lemon in it which takes it seriously to the next-level. The ingredients are traditionally ground together using a mortar and pestle or a food processor to create a thick, fiery paste with a vibrant red color.

• Pita bread: Pita bread is a traditional choice for serving shawarma due to its soft texture and ability to hold a variety of ingredients. I like to heat mine directly over an open flame on the stove top for a few seconds on each side. This method heats them up fast, and also creates a couple of char marks. You can make my wholewheat pita from scratch, or you can even use my super flaky golden parotta or Amritsari Kulcha to serve this all over.

• Olives and pickled veggies: I am all about bringing some sour to the shawarma party! Pick any of your favorite pitted olives (I like either kalamata or cured Greek style olives). You can either use a pickled vegetable mix like giardiniera, or even use a few slices of your fave pickled cucumbers.

• Shawarma spice blend: I use paprika, oregano, onion powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric. But remember, that's getting layered onto the baharat that the filling will already have been roasted in.  Trust me, this is an unbelievably fragrant and delightful mélange of spices! 

You see that picture above? Well, then you KNOW there are a bunch of other ingredients used in this delightful sandwich! Just check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for the complete ingredient list with all quantities.

If you want to make your own tahini sauce, it's so freaking easy!

I have a detailed write up on making Lebanese style tahini dressing. It take's less time than opening up a bottle from the store (almost).

🚂Substitoot-toot

• Instead of pita - While pita bread is a traditional choice for serving shawarma, there are several alternative options for those looking to switch things up or avoid gluten. Here are some alternatives to pita bread for shawarma:

1. Vegan shawarma wrap: You can use a wrap such as a tortilla, lavash bread, or a lettuce leaf to wrap your shawarma ingredients.
2. Naan/roti bread: Naan bread is a type of Indian flatbread similar to pita bread but thicker and softer. It can be used to make a delicious shawarma wrap. If you are vegan, just double-check the ingredients because many naan recipes contain dairy.
3. Rice: For a gluten-free option, you can serve your veggie shawarma over a bed of biriyani, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice.

• Soy Free - Don’t want to use tofu? You can replace the tofu by doubling the number of mushrooms you use.

• Hate mushrooms? Please don’t eat them then! The last thing I want this recipe to do is send you into a rage.  Instead, you can substitute 1 ½ cups of my killer vegan chicken, torn up into shawarma like bits by hand.

📖Step-by-step instructions

Step 1

Cut the tofu into very thin strips by hand or using a mandolin.

Step 2

Cut the oyster mushrooms into bite-size pieces, and mix in a bowl with the tofu strips, olive oil, baharat and minced onion or shallots.

Step 3

Spread the contents of the bowl onto a parchment paper lined baking pan, and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Step 4

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over a high flame. Stir in the shawarma spices with a whisk.

Step 5

After 60 seconds, when the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and then the lemon juice, tomato paste, and water.

Step 6

Stir in the roasted mushrooms and tofu, and sauté just until the shawarma filling is heated throughout.

🥙 To make vegan shawarma sandwiches

Step 1

Grill pitas one at a time over an open flame for about 30-40 seconds on each side.

Step 2

Spread hummus down the center of each pita.

Step 3

Add diced cucumbers, onions, and tomato.

Step 4

Add a generous portion of shawarma filling.

Step 5

Add pickled veggies such as pickled green chilies, pickled carrots, or pickled burdock. Maybe some olives, ezme, or spicy cucumbers if you like!

Step 6

Top according to your taste with shatta sauce and tahini sauce or vegan tzatziki.

🍽️Serving Ideas

Serve this with some my juicy easy-as-heck taboule, homemade French fries, cig cofte, or mercimek kofte and a tall glass of mint lemonade why don’t ya?

Not into having this as a sandwich? Serve it without the pita on top of a delightful pile of Turkish bulgar pilaf

A couple of appetizers that would go great with this vegan shawarma are shakshuka ( a Turkish fried eggplant dish), and Turkish olive oil braised celery root. Maybe a hot cup of Ezogelin (Turkish lentil soup)? Word. The. Heck. Up!

You know what you are gonna want to do after you finish this heavenly vegan shawarma right?  Smash a crispy piece or two of persian baklava with pistachios and rosewater or some melt-in-your-mouth Irmik helvasi. Heck, you could even get away with serving a couple slices of my famous lemon elderflower pound cake.

🤷‍♀️FAQ

✌️You might really wanna make these too.

These are some of my favey dishes to serve with Shawarma:

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Next level vegan shawarma with baharat roasted oyster mushrooms

Vegan Shawarma: A delicious, fast-to-make, and healthy plant-based version of the beloved Middle Eastern classic. Packed with savory, aromatic spices, juicy roasted mushrooms, and protein-rich tofu, this vegan shawarma is sure to satisfy your cravings.

5 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: vegan shawarma

Prep Time: 12 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 465kcal

Cost: $11

Equipment

• large frying pan
• tongs
• baking pan
• parchment paper

Ingredients

To roast:

• 7 oz. ½ of a block extra firm tofu, cut thin by hand or with a mandolin
• 200 grams sliced oyster mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon baharat
• ¼ cup minced red onion or shallots

To finish the shawarma filling:

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
• ½ teaspoon salt

To serve:

• 4 pitas or flatbreads of your choice
• ½ cup hummus
• ⅓ cup tahini sauce
• Thinly sliced red onions
• chopped pickled cucumbers pickled vegetables, and olives to taste

Instructions

• Cut the tofu into very thin strips either by hand or using a mandolin. Cut the oyster mushrooms into bite-sized pieces and mix them in a bowl with the tofu strips, olive oil, baharat, and minced onion or shallots.
• Spread the contents of the bowl onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper and roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until lightly golden brown.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over high heat.
• In a small bowl, mix the shawarma spice blend: paprika, oregano, onion powder, coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and turmeric.
• After 60 seconds when the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and then the spice mixture. Allow it to cook for 60 seconds until fragrant and bubbling.
• Add the water, lemon juice and tomato paste
• Stir in the roasted mushrooms and tofu. Lower the flame so that they are sauteing in the skillet over medium heat. After a minute or two when the shawarma sauce is fully distributed amongst the mushrooms and tofu, turn off the flame under the pan.
• To make the sandwiches: Heat a pita for 30-45 seconds on each side directly over an open flame on the stovetop using tongs. You want to heat it and get a few char marks on both sides.
• Spread 2-3 tablespoons of hummus in the center of the pita, add ¼ cup of mixed diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and thinly sliced onion, and add chopped pickled vegetables, pickles, and/or olives to taste.
• Using tongs or a slotted spoon, add a generous handful of shawarma to the pita.
• Top according to your taste with harissa and tahini sauce or vegan tzatziki. You can make the shawarma inside the pita by slicing it open or place the filling ingredients on top of the grilled pita to make it more like a taco than a pocket.

Notes

Don't overcook the shawarma filling!  You want it as juicy and succulent as can be.

Nutrition

Calories: 465kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 745mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 329IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 3mg