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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 tons of tahini sauce, right?
Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
The mushroom and tofu filling itself has no wheat, just serve it over rice or on a gluten-free wrap instead of the traditional pita.
Replacing the tofu in this recipe with more mushrooms means you dont have to waste as much time slicing tofu carefully super thin. Just sayin'.
Skip the store-bought hummus and pita on the ingredient list and make both from scratch instead, it's a lot cheaper per serving.
You can use less than the 6 tablespoons of olive oil this recipe calls for between roasting and the sauce if you want to cut back.
Can't find oyster mushrooms? Maitake works great here too, a reader tried it by accident and it turned out killer.
You can place the filling ingredients on top of the grilled pita and serve it more 'gyro' style.
You want that shawarma filling to be juicy and meaty right? Not dried out and grainy. Just cook it long enough for the spices to absorb into the mushrooms.
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.
Oodles more tips, step-by-step recipe photos, info on weird ingredients, and FAQs are all still here. I just tucked 'em out of the way so you can start cooking sooner.
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 vegan baklava with pistachios and rosewater syrup or some ice cream stuffed Turkish irimik helvasi.
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 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!
Delicious. Plated it as a bowl instead of with pita, topped with the harissa (with preserved lemon), tzatziki, lettuce, and olives, over brown basmati rice. It was a hot day, so I threw the baking sheet with the baharat mushrooms and tofu in a gas grill...same temp and time. Absolutely would make it again, perhaps with a variety of mushrooms.
Jump to:
- Recipe tips tailored to what matters most to you:
- 🥰Why you'll adore this vegan shawarma
- 🍄Ingredients
- If you want to make your own tahini sauce, it's so freaking easy!
- 🚂 Substitoot-toot
- 📖 How to make oyster mushroom shawarma
- Step 6
- 🥙 How to make vegan shawarma sandwiches
- 🍽️Serving Ideas
- ❗️Top tips
- 🤷♀️Recipe FAQs
- Serve these with vegan shawarma:
- Vegan Shawarma with Baharat Roasted Oyster Mushrooms
🥰Why you'll adore this vegan shawarma
👉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?
👉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!
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🍄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. An alternative that works great is lion's main, which is my mushroom of choice for making vegan fajitas with.
- 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 sauce 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, 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. If you wanna get wayyyy wild you can use pickled green chilies, pickled carrots, or pickled burdock root.
- 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 takes less time than opening up a bottle from the store (almost).
Grab my easy-yo-use app that builds your whole week with real, chef-tested vegan dinners in 30 seconds, customized to your budget, time, and taste, with a shopping list sorted by aisle.
🚂 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:
- Vegan shawarma wrap: You can use a wrap such as a tortilla, lavash bread, or a lettuce leaf to wrap your shawarma ingredients.
- Parotta / roti bread: Parotta bread is a type of Indian flatbread similar to pita bread but flakier and easy to make at home in a pan. It can be used to make a delicious shawarma wrap.
- Rice: For a gluten-free option, you can serve your veggie shawarma over a bed of Egyptian rice, Persian rice, Turkish rice, or Moroccan 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.
📖 How to make oyster mushroom shawarma
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.
🥙 How to make vegan shawarma sandwiches
Step 7
Grill pitas one at a time over an open flame for about 30-40 seconds on each side. (As shown in Photo Number Seven)
Step 8
Spread Israeli hummus, harissa hummus, or mutabal down the center of each pita. (As shown in Photo Number Eight)
Step 9
Add diced cucumbers, onions, and tomato. -Or use Shirazi salad.(As shown in Photo Number Nine)
Step 10
Add a generous portion of shawarma filling. (As shown in Photo Number Ten)
Step 11
Add pickled veggies such as pickled green chilies, pickled carrots, or pickled burdock. Maybe some olives, ezme, or spicy cucumbers if you like!
Step 12
Top according to your taste with shatta sauce, amba 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 or kisir.
A couple of appetizers that would go great with this vegan shawarma are vegan shakshuka (not to be confused with saksuka, a Turkish fried eggplant dish), stuffed grape leaves, 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.
❗️Top tips
👉I like it better this way: Rather than cutting the grilled pita open and filling it like a fluffy pocket, you can place the filling ingredients on top of the grilled pita (or naan) and serve it more "gyro" style. Grab extra napkins.
👉Once the mushrooms and tofu have been added to the pan with the cooking spice blend, don't overcook it! You want that shawarma filling to be juicy and meaty right? Not dried out and grainy. Just cook it long enough for the spices to absorb into the mushrooms. They should already have a perfect texture from having been roasted.
🤷♀️Recipe FAQs
Shawarma is pronounced "shuh-wahr-muh." But often people pronounce it "Shwar-muh". Both are acceptable.
Shawarma and gyro are popular street foods that are made from roasted meat, typically served in a pita or flatbread with vegetables, sauces, and other toppings. However, there are some key differences between the two:
Meat: Shawarma is typically made with marinated beef, lamb, or chicken, while gyro is made with ground meat (usually beef and lamb, sometimes pork) that is formed into a loaf.
Seasonings: Shawarma meat is often marinated in a blend of spices and herbs, including cumin, coriander, and paprika, while gyro meat is seasoned with oregano, garlic, and other Greek herbs.
Cooking Method: Shawarma is traditionally cooked on a rotating spit, where the meat is stacked and slowly roasted over a flame, while gyro is cooked on a vertical rotisserie and sliced off as it cooks.
Toppings: Shawarma is often served with pickles, onions, tomatoes, and tahini sauce, while gyro is typically topped with sliced onions, tomatoes, and a yogurt-based tzatziki sauce.
Overall, while both shawarma and gyro have similarities, they have distinct differences in terms of meat, seasoning, cooking method, and toppings.
Once the shawarma filling is made, you can store it in a container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can easily multiply the recipe and use it for meal prep. Don't make the actual sandwiches (if you are serving it that way) until you are ready to smash them into your face with great glee and vigor.
🥶 Oh, and don't freeze the shawarma filling. Everyone you know will cry out in the night "why, oh why did you freeze that?!?"
Vegan shawarma is a plant-based version of the traditional Middle Eastern shawarma dish, which typically consists of marinated meat that is cooked on a spit and shaved off in thin slices. Instead of meat, this vegan shawarma uses oyster mushrooms and tofu roasted in Lebanese 7-spice and then sautéed with olive oil, lemon juice, and an aromatic blend of shawarma spices. It is often served in a pita, homemade whole wheat kuboos, or as a salad with pickled and fresh vegetables, creamy tahini, hummus, mutabal, and sometimes with harissa. Vegan shawarma is a delicious and healthy option for those who want to decrease their cholesterol intake and abstain from committing violence against animals.
Serve these with vegan shawarma:
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Vegan Shawarma with Baharat Roasted Oyster Mushrooms
Ingredients
To roast:
To finish the shawarma filling:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds toasted
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon 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
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James says
Delicious. Plated it as a bowl instead of with pita, topped with the harissa (with preserved lemon), tzatziki, lettuce, and olives, over brown basmati rice. It was a hot day, so I threw the baking sheet with the baharat mushrooms and tofu in a gas grill...same temp and time. Absolutely would make it again, perhaps with a variety of mushrooms.
Paolo Jose Gonzales Peralta says
Love the bombastic flavors packed on this one. Regional, vegan, it makes me more alive as a human. Definitely will try this one 💯
Sarah says
This was so yummy! Def a winner!
Paige Davis says
Prepared this tonight, and can’t rave enough. I made my own hummus, pickled some red onion, cucumber, and then made your recipe for tzatziki. Finally, I made your recipe for the flat brea/pita, which made it perfect. Such a complex, fun, delicious culinary experience. We enjoyed every succulent bite! Definitely will be devouring the leftovers tomorrow and will make this for guests as it’s a crowd pleaser I’m sure. Thank you Chef Adam for your excellence and for sharing your wealth of knowledge with the world.
Dosa Princess says
Absolutely great recipe, super tasty and so very easy to prepare. I regularly make this for brunch and everyone always asks for seconds:-) Thank you Adam great recipe
jaimie says
ohhhhh, myyyyyy, gawd! made this yesterday & it was AWE-maze-balls!!! thank you so much! & so glad i made a double batch so i can enjoy it a bit longer! 🙏🙏🙏
Adam Sobel says
So glad you loved this one. 😘
HG says
Finally got around to making this recipe, and glad I did!. I can see this being added as a regular to my dinner rotation. I made it with Maitake instead of oyster ( cause they delivered the wrong mushrooms) but still came out great. Had it in a wrap, but would be even better in a home made pita ( which I will do next time).
Adam Sobel says
So glad you loved this Harold. I bet it was killer with maitake too.
Terence Lewis says
Adam, this recipe does not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprise with the complex flavor profile. This savory dish was delicious and I will be making it again real soon. The Tahini recipe was awesome as well. I modified the recipe by excluding the flatbread to lower my carb intake. You keep knocking the ball out the park with these awesome plant based recipes. You take plant-based cuisine to the next level by making it delicious and healthy at the same time.
Thank you for your creativity in creating these plant-based recipes!
Adam Sobel says
So glad you found it! Miss seeing you in the classes. I've got a donation based one coming up next weekend if you are free. love ya dear T-dogger, and I am wishing you a peaceful week ahead ❤️
Gina says
Amazing! We doubled the recipe and it turned out perfect! If you like this, you HAVE to take the falafel class. So many amazing flavors and great tips.
Heather says
Giving this recipe 5 stars for the excellent tasty sandwich. I made the baharat from the spices and everything turned out great. Please don't skip the tahini sauce it really makes a huge difference to the whole sandwich. Thank you Adam
KRB says
This turned out fantastic, the texture of the tofu and mushrooms was amazing. Worth the effort to roast and then sautee. I followed the serving suggestions and made a chopped salad of cucumber and tomato, added olives, spread hummus on the pita, and topped with plenty of tahini sauce (i could put that sauce on anything!). I happen to live near a very big indian grocer that sells tons of spices, so I bought the baharat spice blend - but if you cook a lot, you probably already have the spices on hand to make it yourself.
Cheryl says
Incredible flavor! Served with a side of Taboule and it was a delicious evening meal.
Lyndsey says
This was super yummy and reminded me of the flavorful sandwiches you could get at the food truck, now from the comfort of home! I haven’t ever thought to grill pitas on the stove like this — game changer. We found a recipe to make our own baharat seasoning, which was a nice use of a bunch of spices we had around from other recipes. I would make this again and again!
Adam Sobel says
So glad you loved it Lyndsey! Yeah, juicy, messy sandwiches like this are what life is all about. I am so happy that you made the recipe.