Shawarma Pizza? Is there even such a thing? The answer is a resounding YES! Make Individual-sized Shawarma pizzas with beef or chicken shawarma and add all the Mediterranean flavors you love like garlic tahini sauce, goat cheese, and Kalamata olives.
I was all excited about coming up with this original Shawarma Pizza recipe. I thought, surely no one has come up with this innovative combination. However, after doing a quick search online, I discovered that not only had someone else thought of this already, but you can even order Shawarma Pizza at local restaurants!
First, let's cover what Shawarma is. Shawarma is the Middle Eastern cousin to the Greek Gyros. Seasoned beef, chicken, or lamb is stacked on a vertical spit that rotates until the meat is cooked to mouth-watering perfection.
When ready, the delectable meat is shaved off into thin slices and served wrapped in flatbread, homemade pita. Sometimes it is served with an Arabic Salad or dill rice.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
Using beef Shawarma leftovers to make Shawarma Pizza is a brilliant idea. Or use chicken breast that is marinated in my shawarma spice blend. Incorporating Mediterranean flavors like Lebanese hummus, pita bread, and tahini sauce together just makes sense. The flavors complement each other and work really well in this recipe!
You can actually make a fun night out of it and get everyone into the kitchen. Unless you prefer not to share your kitchen space with others. I get that too!
Making individual-sized pizzas is a great way to allow your guests or family members to build their own pizzas, adding only the ingredients or toppings they like.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Pizza Crust: Premade pizza crust, naan bread, flatbread, or homemade pizza dough. The dough in my lahm bi ajeen recipe is a great option!
- Sauce: You can make your own tahini paste with sesame seeds and oil, then use that to make tahini sauce. Tahini paste is also avialable in most grocery stores and online!
- Cheese: Use goat cheese and mozzarilla, or make a unique blend of your favorite cheeses including feta, kasseri, or Asiago.
- Toppings: The toppings are totally customizable! The recipe calls for Kalamata olives, serrano pepper, onion, and artichoke hearts, along with shawarma meat. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil would be another great option!
🍕 How to Make A Shawarma Pizza
Step 1: Spread tahini sauce over pizza crust, Naan, or flatbread.
Step 2: Distribute goat cheese over the crust. Next, slice your favorite toppings and spread evenly over the goat cheese-covered crust. I added kalamata olives, red onion, artichoke hearts, and serrano peppers.
Step 3: Sprinkle the shawarma pizza with shredded mozzarella cheese, then top with partially cooked Shawarma beef. It will finish cooking in the oven. You can also use Shawarma Chicken.
Step 4: Place pizza on a pizza pan and bake in a 425-degree F oven (or toaster oven) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy.
Step 5: Sprinkle with Za'atar and/or drizzle with Pomegranate Molasses and serve.
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🍅 Shawarma Pizza Options
The Pizza Crust
To save time, I recommend using Naan Bread, Flat Bread, or even Mini Pizza Crusts. Of course, if you have the time or the desire, you can make the pizza dough from scratch.
Pizza Sauce Ideas
Instead of using a tomato-based sauce, I decided to keep the flavors in the Middle Eastern/Mediterranean spectrum.
The most obvious choice was using Tahini Sauce. I recommend making your own sauce ahead of time. It's super simple to make and can be drizzled over grilled meats and even used as a salad dressing.
Another possible sauce idea is to use Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce. It's loaded with herbs (parsley, mint, and oregano) which all work well with the Mediterranean flavor profile. Not to mention other ingredients like garlic, olive oil, and vinegar.
What Cheese Goes on Shawarma Pizza?
I think most of you will agree that the best part of pizza is the cheese. In my opinion, the cheesier the better!
Cheese is very popular in the Middle East. Feta cheese, Goat Cheese, Buried Cheese, Halloumi cheese, and Chicago Cheese (which is similar to Feta in appearance and flavor) are all great options to consider when making Shawarma Pizza.
Shawarma Pizza Toppings
Which toppings to use on your shawarma pizza is all about your personal preference. This is where I encourage you to experiment with the toppings you like!
Here are some great options:
- Kalamata olives
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Artichoke hearts
- Onions
- Spicy chilis
- Garlic
- Shawarma
- Fresh herbs like mint, cilantro, or parsley
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Unlike Gyros, Shawarma is highly seasoned with bold flavors like allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. If you've never had Shawarma before, you're in for a wonderful experience!
Gyros is made with pork or lamb and seasoned with oregano, thyme, and rosemary. The meat is ground and pressed into a loaf and cooked on a rotating spit.
Gyros is served drizzled with Tzatziki sauce.
Shawarma, on the other hand, is made with beef, chicken, goat, or lamb. The meat is highly seasoned with spices like cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, and turmeric.
Similar to Gyros, Shawarma meat is shaved off once ready and served over rice, with salad, or stuffed in pita bread. Shawarma is normally drizzled with Tahini Sauce.
Shawarma Pizza is very filling. Think of serving something light on the side. Perhaps a Tabouli Salad, or some Hummus?
For example, a little drizzle of Pomegranate Molasses (affiliate link)or Balsamic Glaze adds a deliciously tangy-sweet flavor that I’m currently obsessed with! Or add some Pineapple Chutney for a spicy kick! Finally, you can serve some Garlic Sauce (Toum) on the side for dipping.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you can't find Tahini paste, you can even make your own two-ingredient tahini paste, or buy it online.
- If you're not in a hurry, use my manakish dough recipe to make the pizza crust. It's thin, chewy, and absolutely delicious!
- Other topping suggestions include mushrooms, capers (or pickled nasturtium seeds), and green peppers.
If you enjoy the flavors of this pizza, try my new Greek gyros pizza!
🫓 Related Recipes
If you enjoy this beef or chicken shawarma recipe, be sure to try these related recipes!
📖 Recipe
Easy Shawarma Pizza (Chicken or Beef)
Ingredients
- 1 mini pizza crust (Flatbread, or Naan)
- 1½ tablespoon tahini sauce
- 2 tablespoon goat cheese or feta (crumbled)
- 1 tablespoon sliced red onion
- 4 Kalamata olives (sliced in half)
- 1 sliced spicy pepper (optional)
- 1 tablespoon artichoke hearts (chopped)
- ⅓ cup mozzarella (shredded)
- 2 ounces shawarma
- 1 teaspoon za'atar seasoning
Instructions
- Spread tahini sauce over pizza crust, Naan, or flatbread.
- Distribute goat cheese over the crust. Next, slice your favorite toppings and spread evenly over the goat cheese-covered crust. I added kalamata olives, red onion, artichoke hearts, and serrano peppers.
- Sprinkle the shawarma pizza with shredded mozzarella cheese, then top with partially cooked Shawarma beef. It will finish cooking in the oven. You can also use Shawarma Chicken.
- Place pizza on a pizza pan and bake in a 425°F oven (or toaster oven) for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown and crispy.
- Sprinkle with Za'atar and/or drizzle with Pomegranate Molasses and serve.
Notes
- If you can't find Tahini paste, you can even make your own two-ingredient Tahini Paste, or buy it online.
- If you're not in a hurry, use my Manakish dough recipe to make the pizza crust. It's thin, chewy, and absolutely delicious!
- Other topping suggestions include mushrooms, capers (or Pickled Nasturtium Seeds), and green peppers.
AKAAKUMA says
teach how to make pizza
Hilda Sterner says
Do you mean how to make the pizza dough from scratch?