This is a reader favourite recipe - it even appeared in the Kindness Community Vegan Cookbook with my favourite charity Edgar's Mission. So, grab a napkin because this vegan shawarma is easy to make, deliciously succulent and 100% carnivore-approved. Made with easy-to-find ingredients, this budget-friendly Middle Eastern wrap will have you drooling in the best way.
Jump to:
- Recipe at a Glance (the 411)
- Why We Love This Vegan Shawarma
- What is Shawarma?
- How is Shawarma Traditionally Made?
- What Do You Serve With Shawarma?
- What's in a Vegan Shawarma?
- Why is Jackfruit a Great Meat Alternative for Shawarma?
- Plant-based Shawarma Ingredients & Substitutions
- How to Make Jackfruit Shawarma (Step-by-Step Guide)
- Recipe Shortcuts & Tips
- FAQs
- More Sandwich and Burger Inspiration
- Make This Recipe
- Leave a Comment
Recipe at a Glance (the 411)
Flavour Profile -Â Earthy, warm Middle Eastern spice blend (cumin, paprika, cinnamon, garlic) with tangy lemon and nutty tahini. AKA delicious.
Texture - Â Shredded canned young jackfruit mimics the stringy texture of slow-roasted meat while chickpeas add some crispiness and protein.
Dietary Specs - Â 100% Vegan, Plant-Based, Soy-Free, Naturally Gluten-Free (when paired with GF wraps).
Best Cooking Method - Oven-roasted at 190°C (375°F) for 35-40 minutes to achieve slightly charred, crispy edges
Best Eaten - Enthusiastically and with a napkin.
Like my Vegan Sabich Sandwich and my Vegan Mushroom Reuben Sandwich creating a meat-free shawarma is simple, all you need is a little imagination... and a few cans of young jackfruit. I am telling you, this recipe couldn't be simpler.
Why We Love This Vegan Shawarma
Don't you love it when something is so tasty it makes your toes curl. This vegan shawarma is a toe-curler.
"Wow! This is seriously delicious. Used to make a lamb shawarma and chickpea pilaf and this is the best since turning plant-based" (Melissa). ★★★★★
What is Shawarma?
Shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish made from meat that is marinated in aromatic spices, lemon and garlic.
How is Shawarma Traditionally Made?
Traditionally, raw meat is stacked on a rotating cone shape and cooked on a vertical skewer. The meat is then cut in to thin slices and served on a warm pita with fresh tomatoes, pickles and tahini or hummus.
What Do You Serve With Shawarma?
Shawarma is often served with fries or a salad like tabouleh or falafel, or just on its own. Wrap the mixture in pita with iceberg lettuce and sweet slice tomatoes, or serve it simply with rice.
What's in a Vegan Shawarma?
We are going to make this really simple. This vegan shawarma combines some juicy young jackfruit with chickpeas marinated in aromatic spices, lots of garlic, olive and lemon.
The smell when cooking this dish is incredible!
Budget-Friendly Meal Tip. Canned young jackfruit costs significantly less than store-bought plant-based meats or fresh lamb and beef. Paired with protein-packed chickpeas, this entire 6-serving batch costs a few dollars a serve to make at home. While whole food stores stock jackfruit, the cheapest place to purchase it is at Asian supermarkets.
Why is Jackfruit a Great Meat Alternative for Shawarma?
Sliced or shredded young jackfruit provides a juicy and textural swap for chicken - obviously it's not quite the same, but it does really well in absorbing the warm Middle Eastern flavours of shawarma. Add roast chickpeas to the mix, and you won't miss the meat.
Plant-based Shawarma Ingredients & Substitutions
Traditionally shawarma is served as a sandwich or wrap in a flatbread but you can also serve it with rice. For the "shawarma" part, you'll just need some pantry ingredients.
Aromatics. Cumin, paprika, cinnamon, pepper, garlic work together to create a warm, Middle Eastern inspired spice blend.
Young jackfruit. Make sure to buy canned young jackfruit in brine. You can find it in most supermarkets these days - Asian stores stock it for less cost too.
Cooked chickpeas. Cooked from scratch or simply canned chickpeas work here. Chickpeas provide some protein - you could also use white beans.
Pickled vegetables. I love plain pickled cucumber but you can add any pickled vegetable you like. Pickled vegetables add acidity to this rich and flavourful dish.
How to Make Jackfruit Shawarma (Step-by-Step Guide)
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Prepare the jackfruit
How Do You Prepare Canned Jackfruit for Shawarma?
Drain and thoroughly rinse canned young jackfruit in brine. Squeeze out excess liquid using a clean kitchen towel (to prevent sogginess), slice the core into thin strips, and pull apart the stringy fruit pods.
Slice or shred the jackfruit and add it to a large bowl with the chickpeas. Add a handful of spices, lemon, garlic, parsley and red onion.
Step 2. Marinate and Roast
After letting the mixture sit for a few hours to mingle and marinate, spread it all out on a tray and roast it in the oven.
Step 3. Make the Sauce
(Optional) To make the lemon tahini sauce, just throw all the ingredients (provided in the recipe card below) in a blender with some water. Simples!
That's it! Once it comes out of the oven, you can go ahead and serve it on a warm pita with fresh tomatoes, pickles and lettuce or with rice.
Recipe Shortcuts & Tips
FAQs
Yes, you can make vegan shawarma ahead of time. You can mix the shawarma the day before and leave it in the fridge to marinate before roasting the next day.
Kept in a sealed container, jackfruit shawarma will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
It does! After roasting, allow the sharwarma to cool completely before storing it in a freezer-proof container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge for 24 hours before reheating on the stove top to serve.
To prepare young jackfruit, drain and thoroughly rinse the fruit in brine. Squeeze out excess liquid using a clean kitchen towel (to prevent sogginess), slice the core into thin strips, and pull apart the stringy fruit pods.
More Sandwich and Burger Inspiration
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Make This Recipe
Vegan Shawarma
Equipment
- roasting pan
Ingredients
Shawarma "Meat"
- 550 grams young jackfruit "meat" from 2 (20 oz) cans of jackfruit
- 400 grams / 2.5 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil good quality
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric optional
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 large red onion peeled and finely sliced
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
Lemon Tahini Sauce
- 1 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- â…“ cup tahini
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 3-4 tablespoon water
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin or sumac
To serve
- 6 pita breads
- 1 and ½ cups thinly sliced lettuce
- 2 fresh tomatoes sliced
- â…“ cup hummus
- pickles
Instructions
- Strain the brine from two cans of young jackfruit. Thinly slice each triangle lengthways and pop them in a large bowl.
- Add the chickpeas and the remaining shawarma "meat" ingredients and stir to combine. Cover with a clean cloth or cling film and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (375 degrees F).
- While the oven is heating, remove the marinated jackfruit from the fridge and spread it out over a roasting pan or tray.
- Place the tray in the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes or until some of the jackfruit edges are slightly charred. Remove from the oven when roasted.
- While the jackfruit is roasting, add the lemon tahini sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more water if needed to thin out. Transfer to a jar.
- To serve the vegan shawarma, warm a pita gently on a dry pan over medium heat for a minute or two, turning halfway through. Remove from the heat and lay the pita on a plate or board and smear with a good dollop of hummus. Add the sliced lettuce and tomato followed by a good handful of the roast jackfruit and chickpea mixture. Add pickles - if you're adding them - and drizzle with a little lemon tahini sauce.
- Fold the bottom of the pita up and then roll from the side to make a wrap. Grab and napkin and dig in!
Notes
Nutritional Disclaimer
The nutritional information is an estimate only and is automatically calculated using online tools. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Lauren says
Delicious and relatively easy to make. Thank you for this!
Amanda says
I am so happy you enjoyed the vegan shawarma! I love this dish too and you've just reminded me to make it again. So, thank you Lauren. 🙂
Katie says
Delicious - this recipe is great and versatile
Amanda says
Love it! Thanks so much, Katie.
Cindi says
Do I seriously have to wait for this to marinate? It looks and smells wonderful, and yes, now I am waiting for the marination to do its thing. I love green jackfruit. I want to see if I can grow it! Just think: unlimited jackfruit schawarma!
Amanda says
Hahaha! You can do it, I believe in you, Cindi! The spices in Shawarma are incredible and are even better when given time to do their thing.x ps. growing your own would be a-mazing.
Michele says
Hi Amanda - I made the recipe for supper last night, and it was really excellent! Everything came together easily, and it was really delicious! I served the shawarma with tahini sauce, chopped tomato-cucumber salad and naan. Definitely a keeper! Thanks!
Amanda says
Oh, that's so great, Michele. I am so happy you liked it! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, I appreciate it.
Adam says
This is the most incredibly flavoursome meal. The kids even went in for seconds. I may have gone for thirds but let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about the yum. Yum.
Amanda says
Yay! I love this and I am so glad the kids liked it too. Thanks, Adam. Yes, we should talk way more about the yum. Always. 🙂
Jenny | Inka Restaurant says
Awesome Recipe! Jackfruit could have been used as a replacement to chicken in a shawarma, was beyond my imagination.
Amanda says
Awesome,Jenny. I love hearing this! I am so happy you like the recipe. Thanks so much for taking the time to write 🙂
Melissa Hedden says
Wow! This is seriously delicious. Used to make a lamb shawarma and chickpea pilaf and this is the best since turning plantbased.
Amanda says
I am so happy right now! Thanks for letting me know, Melissa. I am so pleased you enjoyed the recipe. It is one of my favourites. Thanks again. 🙂
Melissa Hedden says
Super Yummy!!!
Alex says
I've made this several times since first discovering this recipe, and I am blown-away by the deliciousness every time. Simple, and delicious. The perfect duo.
Before we decided to cut out/reduce meat from our diets, take-out shawarma from a local favourite spot was one of our go-to meals for an occasional treat. My wife's comment after I served this vegan version up? "Better than take-out."
Thank you!
Amanda says
Oh, Alex, that's so awesome. Thank you! You have absolutely made my day. I find traversing a plant-based life easier if I am not craving the things I used to eat. Shawarma was an old favourite so I HAD to find a plant-based alternative. Thanks goodness for jackfruit!
Thanks again for taking the time to let me know. A
Don Schuldes says
Looks good! Do you think we could make it with mushrooms? It think it could be tasty.
Amanda says
Try shredded oyster mushrooms. They are awesome! Thanks Don. Let me know how it goes.
Tamar says
This shawarma looks so good! I’m can’t believe it’s vegan!
Amanda says
How good is jackfruit, Tamar?! I love roasting it when I need a chicken substitute. I hope you get to try it. Thanks so much for stopping by.
Maddy says
I’ve never had shawarma with jackfruit. This was awesome. Will absolutely be making this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Amy Chung says
I love jackfruit and can seriously eat it all the time but I have never tried a jackfruit savoury recipe before! I can't wait to give this a go!
Amanda says
I hope you try it Amy!