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Hello! I’m Anjali. I’m a board certified health coach, author, wife, mom and food lover from the SF Bay area (now living in Seattle, WA!); with a passion for delicious food and a desire to make healthy eating easy, tasty and fun! Learn more about me here and stay for a while!

Anjali Shah

Vegan Shawarma

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This easy vegan shawarma wrap is stuffed with crispy savory tofu, fresh veggies, and a super creamy vegan yogurt sauce. Everything is tightly tucked into a soft and pliable whole wheat pita bread warmed to perfection. The perfect recipe to make for an easy lunch, or for a busy weeknight dinner!

Healthy vegan shawarma wraps with tofu served on blue plates topped with vegan tzatziki sauce.

Shawarma is a popular Middle Eastern dish that is typically made from meat (usually chicken, lamb or beef). It’s often seasoned with a blend of warm spices, slow-roasted until it’s tender, and then served in a pita wrap with fresh toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers and a yogurt or tahini sauce.

I love all of the spices used in a traditional shawarma, but I wanted to create a healthier, vegan version that had all of the texture and flavor of the original recipe, but is totally meatless and plant based!

This delicious and satisfying vegan shawarma with tofu tastes just like a traditional shawarma wrap, but has has a plant based swap instead of the meat!

The secret? It’s marinated crispy tofu! Even if you are not a huge fan of tofu or don’t know how to cook it, you are going to love it here. It’s meaty, filling and totally satisfying.

The best thing about this veggie shawarma recipe? It’s ready in less than an hour and is super customizable, which means it has something for everyone. This Middle Eastern dish is a great recipe for the whole family and is pretty kid friendly too. Even meat eaters will love it!

👩🏽‍🍳 Why This Recipe Works

  • Delicious flavor profile
  • Easy to customize
  • Family friendly
  • Packed with rich shawarma spices
  • Vegan and can easily be made gluten free
  • Loaded with fresh vegetables
  • Healthy and satisfying
  • Best vegan shawarma ever!

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🥘 Ingredients

This veg shawarma recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients, plus some flavorful warm spices, easily found at any grocery store! Here’s what you need:

Ingredients for vegan shawarma recipe on a white background.
  • Extra Firm Tofu: We used extra firm tofu because of it’s meaty texture, which gets even more dense and meat-like when you press it! Don’t use soft tofu or silken tofu for this Middle Eastern tofu shawarma, it will fall apart and won’t crisp up properly in the oven.
  • Tofu Marinade Ingredients: This vegan shawarma spice blend is the most important part of this vegan shawarma kebab recipe! While you can buy a pre-made shawarma spice mix at the store, I like making it from scratch at home to get the exact right mixture of spices. For this marinade, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, and these aromatic spices: ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, cardamom powder, kosher salt, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon juice and garlic cloves. For more spice, add black pepper and/or hot sauce.
  • Vegan Shawarma Sauce Ingredients: Essentially, what we’re making here is a vegan tzatziki sauce without the cucumber (that’s because we’re using cucumber as one of the toppings!). You’ll need any plant based, unsweetened yogurt (I used coconut yogurt), lemon juice, garlic, ground cumin and salt.
  • Whole Wheat Pita Pockets: Warm pita is the base of this veggie shawarma roll, but any flat bread or tortilla will work. Try naan bread, vegan flatbread, almond flour tortillas, or a whole wheat or sprouted wheat tortilla. Need to make gluten free shawarma wraps? Just use a gluten free tortilla or flatbread!
  • Wrap Toppings: You’ll need a combination of crunchy veggies. I used Lebanese or English cucumber, tomato, hummus, and fresh mint (and you can add some red onion, red bell pepper, mixed greens, baby spinach or fresh lettuce too if you like! Fresh dill can also be used instead of mint if preferred.)

🔪 Instructions

This tofu shawarma recipe is actually super easy to make! Here’s how to make vegetable shawarma with tofu:

Prep Tofu And Spice Mixture: Press the tofu for 30 minutes between kitchen paper towel to remove excess water. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Next, add the tofu marinade ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix well.

Shawarma spice marinade for tofu in a mixing bowl.

Dice the tofu into 1-inch cubes.

Diced tofu on a cutting board.

Marinate Tofu: Add tofu to the shawarma seasoning in the large bowl. Toss to coat and let the tofu sit in the shawarma marinade for at least 15 minutes.

Tofu tossed with shawarma spice marinade in a mixing bowl.

Bake Tofu: Spread the marinated tofu in an even layer, without touching, on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown and crispy on the edges.

Marinated tofu layered onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

When the tofu is done it will look like this:

Oven roasted tofu on a baking sheet.

Make Meatless Shawarma Sauce: While tofu is cooking prepare the vegan tzatziki yogurt dressing by adding all the dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl, and mixing until smooth. Set aside.

Vegan tzatziki sauce mixed in a mixing bowl.

Serve Plant Based Shawarma: Warm the fluffy pita wraps and evenly divide the hummus, diced tomatoes, sliced cucumber and cooked tofu between the 6 wraps. Drizzle each veggie shawarma wrap with yogurt dressing and fresh mint leaves and enjoy!

Vegan shawarma with tofu served on blue plates topped with vegan tzatziki sauce.

How To Make A Homemade Shawarma Spice Blend

The warm, rich flavors in a traditional shawarma come from the seasoning! While you can buy a pre-made shawarma seasoning at the grocery store, I recommend making it at home because it’s super easy and will be much more flavorful. Here’s what’s in my homemade shawarma seasoning blend:

  • Ground coriander
  • Ground cumin
  • Sweet paprika
  • Cardamom powder
  • Kosher salt
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Garlic cloves (you can also use garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic!)

💭 Expert Tips

  • Marinate the tofu for a minimum of 15 minutes. The longer you’re able to marinate the tofu, the more flavorful it will be!
  • Use extra firm tofu, and press the tofu prior to marinating. Do not skip this step! This helps eliminate the access water in the tofu and produces a firmer texture. It also results in crispier cooked tofu pieces. Press the tofu to remove excess water using a tofu press or by placing the tofu in between kitchen paper towel and placing something heavy on top. 
  • Do not overcook the tofu as this will make it too dry.
  • Make sure to use whole wheat or sprouted wheat wraps! You can use whole wheat pita, whole wheat naan, or even a sprouted wheat tortilla for the healthiest option. You can even serve this in a bowl without the wrap! Warm the bread in the oven prior to serving to help make the bread more pliable.
  • You can use store bought or homemade hummus. I used my hummus without garlic recipe for this vegan shawarma kebab wrap!

📖 Variations

  • Use Other Vegan Meat Alternatives: Try soy curls (which will feel more like a vegan chicken shawarma), vegan chicken, vegan steak, tempeh, or seitan for different plant based “meaty kebabs”. You can even use marinated jackfruit as a filling for these vegetarian shawarma pitas! For more added protein and texture, toss in some crispy chickpeas or canned garbanzo beans into the wrap along with the vegan meat you choose!
  • Vegan Shawarma Bowl: It’s so easy to turn this wrap into a bowl! Just omit the pita (or whatever you were using for a wrap), and add the crispy tofu + wrap toppings into a bowl. Drizzle with the vegan yogurt sauce and hummus or tahini!
  • Change The Sauce Or Toppings: Try a creamy hummus or this butter bean hummus, hot sauce, cashew cream, tahini, a plain Greek yogurt sauce or a garlic sauce instead of the tzatziki inspired sauce. You can also add some vegan feta if you like!
  • Add More Veggies: Roasted cauliflower florets, roasted red peppers, pickled onions, jalapenos, red cabbage, roasted butternut squash, or even sweet potatoes would all taste great.
  • Vegan Mushroom Shawarma: Instead of the tofu, try using a mixture of king oyster mushrooms, portobello mushrooms and cremini mushrooms in your marinade. Bake in the same way you would the tofu, or add to a skillet with olive oil and turn them into sauteed mushrooms. Then just use the mushrooms as your filling and top this sheet pan veggie shawarma with your favorite toppings!

❓Recipe FAQs

Is shawarma healthy?

The answer is – it depends on how you make it! The type of meat or protein used, the cooking method, the toppings, and the wrap you use can either make your shawarma healthy or unhealthy.

Traditionally, shawarma is made with meat that is seasoned and slow-roasted on a spit, which is a healthier cooking method as it doesn’t require added fats or oils. But beef and lamb – both used in shawarma – are high in saturated fat, making them a less healthy option compared to chicken shawarma, which has less calories and fat than beef and lamb.

The toppings and wrap matter too – if you choose fresh veggies and herbs like greens, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers; a whole grain wrap, and a hummus, yogurt or tahini dressing – that’s much healthier than using no fresh veggies and a wrap made with white grains / refined grains.

Vegan and vegetarian versions of shawarma are even healthier as they use plant based proteins like tofu, seitan, chickpeas and more! This vegan shawarma recipe is super healthy because it’s high in fiber (6 grams per serving), high in protein (14 grams per serving), low in calories (less than 350 calories per wrap), and packed with vitamins and minerals!

How many calories are in a vegetarian shawarma?

Typically, a vegetarian shawarma recipe is going to be lower in calories than a meat based version, and depending on what type of wrap you use, can be anywhere from 350-450 calories per serving.

How do you serve veggie shawarma?

This vegetable shawarma recipe tastes fantastic with other dishes in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve this dish:
** With A Side Salad: Try it with this beetroot and feta salad, this tomato cucumber avocado salad, or with pickled vegetables.
** With Other Mediterranean Sides: Make it a bigger spread with this vegan moussaka, tabbouleh, muhammara, baba ghanoush or a traditional rice pilaf.
** With A Side Of French Fries: Fries taste so good with this veggie shawarma roll! Try it with air fried sweet potato fries, air fryer yuca fries, parmesan truffle fries, air fryer jicama fries, corn fries, or even air fryer frozen french fries!

How to store meaty vegan shawarma wraps?

If you’re planning to make this vegan tofu shawarma kebab recipe ahead of time for meal prep, or you need to store leftovers, I recommend storing everything separately, and assembling the wraps right before you’re ready to serve them. If you store these wraps already assembled, they will get soggy in the fridge.

To store: Place the crispy tofu into an airtight container, store the pitas separately in a ziptop bag or airtight container, and place all of your toppings and the sauce into separate containers. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Assemble right before serving. This healthy vegan shawarma recipe doesn’t freeze well as the sauce and tofu will change consistency when frozen and defrosted.

Easy vegan shawarma wraps with tofu served on blue plates topped with vegan tzatziki sauce.

🍲 More Tasty Vegan Recipes!

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📋 Recipe Card

🎥 Watch How to Make It

https://youtu.be/KJWe_u5XmcM
Healthy vegan shawarma wraps with tofu served on blue plates topped with vegan tzatziki sauce.
Print Recipe
5 from 16 votes

Vegan Shawarma

This vegan shawarma is stuffed with crispy savory tofu, fresh veggies, and a super creamy vegan yogurt sauce. Everything is tightly tucked into a soft and pliable whole wheat pita bread warmed to perfection. The perfect recipe to make for an easy lunch, or for a busy weeknight dinner!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean, Vegan
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6
Calories: 331kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

For The Tofu + Marinade

For The Vegan Yogurt Dressing

For The Wraps

  • 6 whole wheat pita wraps
  • 1 Lebanese cucumber sliced
  • 1 tomato diced
  • ½ cup hummus store bought or homemade
  • fresh mint leaves optional
  • mixed greens or baby spinach leaves optional

Instructions

  • Press the tofu for 30 minutes between kitchen paper towel to remove excess water.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F / 200 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Next, add the tofu marinade ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix well.
  • Dice the tofu into 1-inch cubes and add to the marinade.
  • Toss to coat and marinate for 15 minutes.
  • Spread the marinated tofu in an even layer, without touching, on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden and crispy on the edges.
  • While tofu is cooking prepare the yogurt dressing by adding all yogurt dressing ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix until smooth. Set aside.
  • To serve: Warm the pita wraps and evenly divide the hummus, diced tomatoes, sliced cucumber and cooked tofu between the 6 wraps.
  • Drizzle with yogurt dressing and fresh mint leaves and enjoy!

Notes

  • Marinate the tofu for a minimum of 15 minutes. The longer you’re able to marinate the tofu, the more flavorful it will be!
  • Use extra firm tofu, and press the tofu prior to marinating. This helps eliminate the access water in the tofu and produces a firmer texture. It also results in crispier cooked tofu pieces. Press the tofu to remove excess water using a tofu press or by placing the tofu in between kitchen paper towel and placing something heavy on top. 
  • Do not overcook the tofu as this will make it too dry.
  • Adjust the heat in the marinade by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
  • Make sure to use whole wheat or sprouted wheat wraps! You can use whole wheat pita, whole wheat naan, or even a sprouted wheat tortilla for the healthiest option. You can even serve this in a bowl without the wrap!
  • Warm the bread in the oven prior to serving to help make the bread more pliable.
  • To make this gluten free, just use a gluten-free tortilla.
  • You can use store bought or homemade hummus. I used my hummus without garlic recipe for this wrap!
  • Fresh dill can be used instead of mint if preferred.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1wrap | Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 850mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g

    28 responses to “Vegan Shawarma”

    1. This was such a unique and unexpected dish that does not disappoint! Quick, easy and delicious; definitely, a new favorite recipe!5 stars

    2. Can’t wait to try this vegan version of shawarma using tofu. Shawarma is one of my favorite pita sandwiches, and I’ve been wondering about ways to make it vegan!5 stars

    3. I just had vegan shawarma for the first time a few weeks ago at an office lunch – so happy I found this recipe so I can make it at home. Thank you!5 stars

    4. We really love a Veggie Sharwarma and this was simply bang on flavours. Love it for dinner. We used Naan bread instead of pita – so good.5 stars

    5. I love your comment about weeknight dinners not having to be bland recipes-they can be full of flavor and fun like this recipe!5 stars

    6. We like shawarma, but have never made it with tofu. Looking forward to trying it, looks so delicious.5 stars

    7. I have never tried and made shawarma, but it seems a great option for outdoor gatherings. I love it and cannot wait to give it a try!5 stars

    8. Thank you for a great vegetarian sandwich recipe. I love the addition of pickled onions for flavor.5 stars

    9. Love the spices you added to make the tofu so deliciously tasty! This is a yummy vegetarian meal I can enjoy!5 stars

    10. I have been experimenting in the kitchen quite a bit recently. I’ve had fun picking out some “new to me” recipes to make! I made this today and shared it with my family! I think this might be our new family favorite tofu recipe!5 stars

    11. What a healthy and delicious looking meal. I love how colorful it is with the pickled onions too!5 stars

    12. The recipe is innovative and unique. Shawarma with tofu must have tasted delicious. Thanks for sharing.5 stars

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