Vegan Shawarma

This Vegan Shawarma is JAMMED PACKED with flavor thanks to all the spices, not to mention the thick and fluffy TOUM as well!

Before going vegan I ate the heck out of some Shawarma. Whether it was at Zankou Chicken or one of the many Shawarma spots around Los Angeles, I never met a Shawarma I didn’t like.

And the good news is, Vegan Shawarma is easy to make thanks to the fact that most of the components are already vegan!

So naturally, we just need to veganize the meat! Now Shawarma means “To Turn” since this is cooked on a vertical spit that spins around. However, I don’t own a vertical spit, and I’m guessing you don’t either, so we’ll be making some adjustments to that.

Also, there are many different variations throughout the Middle East, and even in Los Angeles. Let’s go over some of the may options you have when putting yours together!

Vegan Shawarma Meat

For this version of Shawarma, I’m using SOY CURLS! Yes, if you’ve been here a while you know I’m a Soy Curl Fan Boy. They are relatively cheap, and have a great chew and will take on any flavor you throw at them!

You could also just use some sliced portabella mushrooms, seitan, or any vegan meat of your choice. You could even use something like Tofu or Impossible Meat like I did in my Vegan Gyros recipe as well.

In fact I recently made a Shawarma Burger and I used the leftover patties. All I did was cook them and then crumble them and added them to a pita, it was super dang good!

Shawarma seasoning & Marinade

If you have a Middle Eastern market near you, then you can probably find a pre-made Shawarma Seasoning. But I really think it’s worth it to make at home.

Admittedly, the seasoning blend does require a lot of spices, however, they are mostly pantry staples. So hopefully you have them on hand. If you are missing 1 or 2 it won’t be a deal breaker either!

For the marinade, we are simply adding the spice blend to a mixture of lemon juice, garlic, Vegan Mayo and olive oil. The mayo and oil will not only add some much need fat and flavor to the soy curls, but it’ll help them get nice and browned too!

If you want something a little lighter, you can sub the mayo for some unsweetened vegan yogurt as well.

The bread

I’ve always enjoyed Shawarma with Pita. However you can also use some Saj Bread. Which is a much bigger, and thinner type of bread.

I got some at a nearby bakery and it’s delicious. However use whatever bread you can! Pita works great of course. Heck, worst case scenario, you can just use a large flour tortilla too!

Fresh Veggies & Sauces

For the veggies and sauces, you can really go with whatever you like! Shawarma in Los Angeles is typically served with some pickled onions, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, tahini, hummus and Toum which is an amazing garlic sauce.

Some places use pickles and french fries too! I tried that out and it’s amazing as well. So really, throw in whatever you like! I used Lebanese style pickles, but you can totally just baby dill pickles if you like too.

Toum (Garlic Sauce)

I highly recommend making some Toum to go along with this! It’s fairly easy to make with an immersion blender. It’s super GARLICKY so fair warning if you are afraid of that!

But it’s super good, and after the actual meat of the sandwich is necessary in my book!

storage

You can store leftover shawarma meat in the fridge for 3-5 days. It reheats well, in fact you can just microwave it for a minute or so and whip up a quick pita with the leftovers for lunch!

And of course, you can eat this as a plate too! No need to make it a wrap if you wanna enjoy it with a fork and customize each bite!

tips for cooking soy curls

Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.
Using broth will infuse a light amount of flavor into the soy curls. This is good for something milder in flavor like chicken. However for something like a Soy Curl Beef, I find that reducing them down in broth will render them even more flavorful.
No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.
You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.

Vegan Shawarma

Vegan Chick’n

227 g Bag of Soy Curls *
950 ml Vegan Chicken Broth (or Veggie Broth)

Shawarma Marinade

75 ml Olive Oil
75 g Vegan Mayo (or unsweetened Vegan Yogurt)
60 ml Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
3 cloves Garlic (minced)
3 Tbsp Shawarma Seasoning

For Serving

Pita or Saj
Pickled Onions
Toum
French Fries
Dill Pickles
Anything You Want!

Instructions

Shawarma Marinade

Simply mix and combine everything together. It’s that easy!

Soy Curls

Add the soy curls to a large bowl and then cover them in the 4 cups of vegan chicken or veggie broth. Let them rehydrate for 10 – 15 minutes. Then drain and squeeze out the excess liquid.
In a dry pan over medium heat, cook the soy curls for about 6-10 minutes, or until they start to brown slightly. This is just to dry them out even more so they have a chewier texture. Remove them from the heat and let them cool.
Cover the soy curls in the marinade. You can either let them marinade for a few hours / overnight, or you can cook with them right now! I’ve tried both ways, and they really don’t need to marinate all that long.
To cook them, simply add them to a skillet or griddle over medium high heat. You may need to do this in batches, make sure you don’t crowd the pan or they’ll steam and not get browned. Let them cook undisturbed for about 4-5 minutes. Then toss them around. Repeat this until they are nice and browned to your liking!
Heat up a pita or saj bread, and fill it up with the shawarma, some TOUM, Pickled Onions and whatever veggies and sauces you like! Enjoy!

Notes

*Or use 1 lb. of your favorite Vegan Chick’n product.

Tips for Cooking Soy Curls

- Rehydrate the soy curls for at least 10 – 15 minutes. I have found that using cold, warm or hot water doesn’t make a noticeable difference.

- Using broth will infuse a light amount of flavor into the soy curls. This is good for something milder in flavor like chicken. However for something like a Soy Curl Beef, I find that reducing them down in broth will render them even more flavorful.

- No matter what you hydrate them in, you’ll want to SQUEEZE out as much of that liquid as possible.

- You can also further dry them out by toasting them in a dry pan to cook out even more of the moisture. This should help remove the aftertaste as well as any mushiness. It should yield a chewy soy curl that’s still juicy.