Have you ever tried lamb or beef shawarma wrapped in a freshly baked pita pocket? If not, now’s the time! This easy 4-step beef shawarma recipe is high in protein, low in Carbs and contains the right blend of shawarma spices.
Shawarma is prepared using lamb, beef or chicken. The meat is marinated in a blend of shawarma spices, which makes the recipe amazing.
Be specific about the spices you need and their amounts. Don’t worry. You can find these spices in your spice cabinet or at your local market. Shawarma meat is tender, juicy and full of flavor.
Traditionally, shawarma meat is stacked on a vertical rotisserie or skewer and cooked for hours. Like the Greek gyro, it is cut off a skewer, wrapped like a burrito, and served between pita or lavash bread.
Like most people, I don’t have spitballs on hand, and it doesn’t take me hours to make dinner. After some trial and error in the kitchen and trying out different shawarma seasoning combinations, I think I got it working.
So if you can’t run out and order shawarma where you live, do what I do and make your own shawarma!
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🧐 Why this recipe works
This beef shawarma recipe is keto and low carb friendly. It’s also gluten free. Homemade shawarma is easy and convenient to prepare! Especially if you live in a city like Montana where you can’t order locally. The same marinade can also be used to make beef or chicken shawarma.
🛒 What you need for this recipe
🔖 Materials and Substitutes
Meat: This shawarma recipe calls for beef or lamb. To make your shawarma meat more tender, use beef that is well marbled. I use flank steak. This is the same cut of meat used in the carne asada recipe. Oil: Choose marinade oil from olive oil, avocado oil, or vegetable oil. You also need to add a few tablespoons of oil to the frying pan before frying the shawarma. Vinegar: You can use either white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar. If you don’t have vinegar, you can also use lemon juice instead. Shawarma Spice Mix: Choose the freshest spices possible. Preferably whole spices are toasted and ground. This beef shawarma recipe calls for the following spices: za’atar, allspice, sea salt, dry mint, crushed red pepper, black pepper, cinnamon, grated nutmeg, and cardamom. Garlic: Add a few crushed garlic cloves or replace with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
🥙 How to make lamb shawarma
Step 1: Add black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, za’atar, crushed red pepper, freshly grated nutmeg, dried mint, and salt to a small bowl. Combine the oil and vinegar in a bowl and whisk to combine the marinade.
Pro tip: If you like it spicy, add at least 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Step 2: Cut the meat into strips along the grain and place in a large ziplock bag.
Step 3: Pour the marinade over the beef strips and massage the bag to work the marinade into the meat. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
Step 4: Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Remove the meat from the marinade and cook in batches. Do not overcrowd the pot. Repeat with remaining meat.
🍽 What to eat with shawarma
Shawarma meat is served stuffed in pita sandwiches with chopped parsley, lettuce, tomatoes and onions. You can also drizzle it with garlic tahini or yogurt chicken sauce. You can also stuff fries into pita bread for a heavenly sandwich.
Shawarma can also be served with vermicelli rice, falafel, hummus, or tabouli salad.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQ
Shawarma is usually prepared with beef, lamb, or chicken.
Shawarma meat is marinated with shawarma spices such as allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Stack the marinated meat on vertical skewers and roast it to perfection.
Shawarma meat is very flavorful thanks to the shawarma spices used to marinate the meat. It may be a little spicy because it uses spices such as black pepper and cayenne pepper. Beef shawarma may not suit those who don’t like the taste.
👩🏼🍳Pro Tips
Shawarma is topped with tahini sauce and wrapped in flatbread with pickled turnips or mixed pickles (torsi). If you’re watching your carbs, you can also wrap your meat in low-carb tortillas instead of pita bread. I like adding feta cheese to my shawarma sandwiches. Not traditional, but delicious. Other spices you can try include paprika, coriander, turmeric, and cumin. Do you have any leftovers? Try this shawarma pizza recipe! If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my chicken shawarma recipe too!
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📖Recipes
homemade beef shawarma
You can make easy and flavorful beef or lamb shawarma at home.
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Quantity: 4
calorie: 512kcal
Instructions
Cut the meat into strips along the grain and place in a large ziplock bag.
Pour the marinade over the beef strips and massage the bag to work the marinade into the meat. Marinate for at least 2 hours.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes. Remove the meat from the marinade and cook in batches. Do not overcrowd the pot. Repeat with remaining meat.
Precautions
Shawarma is topped with tahini sauce and wrapped in flatbread with pickled turnips or mixed pickles (torsi). If you’re watching your carbs, you can also wrap your meat in low-carb tortillas instead of pita bread. I like adding feta cheese to my shawarma sandwiches. Not traditional, but delicious. Other spices you can try include paprika, coriander, turmeric, and cumin. Do you have any leftovers? Try this shawarma pizza recipe! If you liked this recipe, be sure to check out my chicken shawarma recipe!
nutrition
Provided by: 1waiter | calorie: 512kcal | carbohydrates: 2g | protein: 36g | fat: 38g | Saturated fat: 15g | cholesterol: 0mg | sodium: 1023mg | fiber: 1g | sugar: 0g
