Vegan Shawarma
Juicy, smoky, and plant-based, this jackfruit vegan shawarma is the ultimate low-cost dinner. Canned young jackfruit delivers an affordable meat substitute, pairing with protein-rich chickpeas to soak up a fragrant Middle Eastern spice marinade. Oven-roasted to perfection, it’s a quick, family-friendly meal that’s gentle on your wallet and big on flavour. Main ingredients: jackfruit, chickpeas, cumin, paprika, cinnamon.
Servings: 6
Calories: 243kcal
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
- ⅓ 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
- ⅓ 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
The nutritional breakdown is for the jackfruit and chickpea shawarma mix only as flatbreads vary so much in size and calories. You can also choose your fillings as you like or simply serve with rice.
Assuming 6 servings.
How to prepare canned jackfruit?
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 243kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 587mg | Potassium: 261mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 248IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg
