Have you ever tried lamb or beef shawarma wrapped in a freshly baked Middle Eastern pita bread? If not, it's time you did! This easy 4-step beef shawarma recipe is high in protein, low in carbs, and has just the right blend of shawarma spices.
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Shawarma is prepared with lamb, beef, or chicken. The meat is marinated in a blend of shawarma spices which makes the recipe as amazing as it is!
I'll show you exactly what spices you need and in what amounts. And don't worry, you'll be able to find these spices in your spice drawer or your local market. The shawarma meat comes out tender, juicy, and full of flavor!
Traditionally, shawarma meat is stacked on a vertical rotisserie or spit and cooked for many hours. Like Greek gyros (see my gyros pita recipe), it's sliced off the spit and served in a pita or lavash bread, wrapped like this California burrito recipe.
Like most folks, I don't have a spit handy, or hours to cook dinner. After some trial and error in the kitchen, and experimenting with different shawarma seasoning combinations, I think I nailed it!
So, if you can't run out and order shawarma where you live, do what I do and make your own!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This beef shawarma recipe is keto and low-carb friendly. It's also gluten-free.
- Homemade shawarma is easy to prepare and convenient too! Especially when you live in a city that doesn't give you the option of ordering it locally, for example, Montana, ahem.
- The same marinade can be used to make this chicken shawarma plate recipe.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meat: This shawarma recipe calls for beef or lamb. You'll want to use a cut of beef that has plenty of marbling to ensure the shawarma meat is tender. I am using flank steak, which is the same cut of meat I use for my carne asada marinade recipe.
- Oil: For the marinade, choose from olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil. You'll also need a few tablespoons of oil to add to the skillet before frying the shawarma.
- Vinegar: Either white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar can be used. If you don't have vinegar, you can substitute lemon juice instead.
- Shawarma Spice Mix: Choose fresh spices whenever possible. Toasting and grinding whole spices is preferred. You'll need the following spices for this beef shawarma recipe: za'atar, allspice, sea salt, dried mint, crushed red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, and cardamom.
- Garlic: Add a couple of crushed garlic cloves or replace with 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
🥙 How to Make Lamb Shawarma
Step 1: Add black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, za'atar substitute, crushed red pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, dried mint, and salt to a small bowl. Pour oil and vinegar into the bowl and whisk to combine the marinade.
Pro Tip: If you like it spicy, add ½ teaspoon or more of cayenne pepper.
Step 2: Slice meat against the grain into strips then add to a large ziplock bag.
Step 3: Pour marinade over the beef strips then massage the bag to work the marinade into the meat. Marinate for a minimum of two hours.
Step 4: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Remove the meat from the marinade and cook in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan. Repeat with the remaining meat.
🍽 What to Serve with Shawarma
Shawarma meat can be served stuffed in a pita sandwich with chopped parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. It can be drizzled with garlic tahini sauce or yogurt chicken sauce. French fries can also be stuffed into the pita to make one heavenly sandwich!
Shawarma can also be served with vermicelli rice, a falafel wrap, Lebanese hummus, or Lebanese taboulah salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Shawarma is usually prepared with beef, lamb, or chicken.
Shawarma meat is marinated in shawarma spices including allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, salt, and pepper. The marinated meat is stacked on a vertical spit and roasted to perfection.
Shawarma meat is extremely flavorful thanks to the shawarma spices used to marinate the meat. It can also be slightly spicy due to the various spices used including black pepper and cayenne pepper. If you have a bland palate, beef shawarma might not be for you!
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Shawarma is served drizzled with tahini sauce and wrapped in flatbread with Middle Eastern pickled turnips or mixed pickles (torshi).
- If you're watching your carbs, you can wrap the meat in low-carb tortillas instead of pita bread.
- I like adding feta cheese to the shawarma sandwich, although it's not traditional, it is delicious!
- Other spices that you can try include paprika, coriander, turmeric, and cumin.
- Have leftovers? Be sure to try my shawarma pizza recipe!
- If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to check out my chicken shawarma recipe!
Looking for more beef recipes? Give this nostalgic beef Salisbury steak recipe a try!
🍖 More Middle Eastern Recipes
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📖 Recipe
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Slice meat against the grain into strips then add to a large ziplock bag.
- Add black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, za'atar, crushed red pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, dried mint, and salt to a small bowl. Pour oil and vinegar into the bowl and whisk to combine the marinade.
- Pour marinade over the beef strips then massage the bag to work the marinade into the meat. Marinate for a minimum of two hours.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat for a few minutes. Remove the meat from the marinade and cook in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan. Repeat with the remaining meat.
Nutrition
Notes
- Shawarma is served drizzled with tahini sauce and wrapped in flatbread with pickled turnips or mixed pickles (torshi).
- If you're watching your carbs, you can wrap the meat in low-carb tortillas instead of pita bread.
- I like adding feta cheese to the shawarma sandwich, although it's not traditional, it is delicious!
- Other spices that you can try include paprika, coriander, turmeric, and cumin.
- Have leftovers? Be sure to try my shawarma pizza recipe!
- If you enjoy this recipe, be sure to check out my chicken shawarma recipe!
Cari says
I absolutely hate starting to cook a recipe and then realising that half the ingredients are left out from making the recipe!!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Cari,
I don't understand what you mean, did you not have all the ingredients or did you forget to add them?
Alissa says
Thank you for the recipe! What type of beef works best?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Alissa,
If you don't mind spending a little extra, I'd definitely go with flank steak!