Shawarma Spice Recipe

Name: Shawarma Spice Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 2½ teaspoons sea salt; 1½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1 teaspoon ground allspice; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cardamom; ½ teaspoon whole nutmeg ((freshly grated)); ½ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Published: Aug 22, 2020 Updated: Aug 22, 2020 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 6 Comments

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You can whip up this aromatic shawarma spice blend anytime you're craving some authentic Middle Eastern food! Use this delicious shawarma seasoning to make beef, lamb, and chicken shawarma. Drizzle with tahini sauce and tuck it inside freshly baked pita bread, along with a middle eastern salad on the side.

shawarma spice blend in a measuring spoon over more spice in a plate

Why This Recipe Works

This shawarma spice blend can be made ahead of time and stored in a spice jar until needed. However, it's easy enough to throw together at the last minute when you decide to make some air fryer frozen chicken wings or beef, or lamb shawarma.

You may be surprised that this shawarma seasoning does not contain any garlic powder. There is a good reason for that. I like to use a boatload of fresh garlic in with the marinade that I create using this seasoning, lemon juice, and olive oil.

If you plan on using this shawarma seasoning as a dry rub, I recommend adding a teaspoon of garlic powder with the other ingredients.

What Goes Into This Recipe

Ingredient Notes And Substitutions

Nutmeg — I highly recommend that you grate your own nutmeg powder instead of using store-bought nutmeg powder. Once you smell the difference, you'll understand why.
Crushed red pepper & cayenne pepper — shawarma seasoning should have some heat. I usually list cayenne and crushed pepper as optional ingredients but I recommend including them in this seasoning mix because honestly, they don't make the spice blend that much hotter, but definitely enhance the flavor.

How to Make This Recipe

Step 1: Measure out all the spices listed for this shawarma seasoning (except the whole nutmeg) and add to a bowl or plate.

swirling spices together with a spoon on a white plate

Step 2: Grate whole nutmeg on a piece of foil until you have approximately ½ a teaspoon of nutmeg powder. Fold the foil to make a "spout" and pour it with over the other spices.

pouring nutmeg over a plateful of spices

Step 3: Stir all the shawarma spices until completely combined, then using the same piece of foil, pour the spices into an empty jar.

pouring shawarma seasoning into a small glass jar using folded foil

Step 4: Tighten the lid and store the shawarma seasoning until needed. This mix can be used as a dry rub or mixed with other ingredients to make a wet rub.

shawarma sshawarma spice blend in a round glass jar without a lid

Recipe FAQs

What is shawarma spice made of?

Shawarma spice is made with a blend of strong aromatic spices like coriander, turmeric, allspice, cardamom, and cumin.

However, like many spice blends, the spices can vary based on the recipe. In fact, my beef and lamb shawarma recipe have a slightly different spice blend.

My shawarma seasoning consists of the following spices: crushed red pepper flakes, black pepper, allspice, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper, and salt.

Yet, other recipes call for garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. If you find that I've left out a particular spice that you like, or have added a spice that you don't particularly like, you can switch them out and no one will be the wiser.

What can you use shawarma seasoning on?

Shawarma seasoning is best when used to season meat. The meat can be grilled, roasted, or pan-fried. It's especially delicious on lamb, beef, and chicken.

Pro Tips

This recipe makes enough shawarma seasoning to season 3 pounds of beef, chicken, or lamb.
When using shawarma spices to flavor meat, it's best to mix the spices with lemon juice or vinegar, and some olive oil to make a wet marinade.
If you're missing one or two of the ingredients, you can still make this shawarma seasoning. With so many delicious spices and flavors, whatever you're preparing will still be extremely flavorful!
Experiment using this spice blend in other dishes. For example, add a tablespoon to your chicken biryani, or mix some in with your mashed potatoes. Or try sprinkling a little over hummus. Let me know how else you use this versatile spice blend!

If you enjoy making your own spice blends, you may be interested in learning how to make your own corned beef spice blend, biryani spice, pork rub, and zaatar substitute spice blend.

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