A Middle Eastern classic street food, shawarma can be made with beef, chicken, lamb or a combination, but it is all about the spice mix to give the authentic flavor. Learn how to make shawarma spice mix and use them to make the best homemade beef shawarma recipe.
Why This Recipe Works
Perfectly spiced beef strips rolled up with tahini sauce, onions, lettuce and pickles for the ultimate homemade weeknight dinner that everyone will enjoy.
In my Middle Eastern opinion, shawarma should taste a bit tangy so do not freak out on the amount of vinegar used. Adding tahini to the marinade added a desirable nutty flavor to the shawarma, sometimes I take it off because I have a kid who is allergic to tahini but do not skip it if you can.
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Shawarma Spice mix: you can buy a shawarma spic mix if you have a middle eastern store next to you or else make your own, it is so easy. Recipe below.
- I usually use sirloin or flank, other cuts work as well, more on the beef cuts in the FAQ section.
- Sugar helps with browning and tenderizing the meat.
Recipe Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a deep bowl add all the ingredients including the shawarma spice mix. Just take 1 tablespoon of the spice mix and leave the rest in a jar for further use. The shawarma spice mix I listed below makes about 7 tablespoons.
- Add the beef strips and mix with your hands making sure to coat all the strips well. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours for up to 24 hours.
- In a non stick skillet, cook beef strips in batches and do not cram the skillet.
- Keep cooking until all the liquids evaporates from the pan and the strips start to brown a little.
- If you are making the lightly sauteed veggies, then add the onions and saute for a minute then add the peppers and continue for another minute. Turn heat off and add the parsley, do not let the veggies cook all the way through as we want them crisp.
Expert Tips
- Allergy note: this marinade includes tahini paste which although not a tree nut but might cause allergy in some people. You can still make it without the paste but it is highly recommended.
- How long to marinate the shawarma: If you have a tender beef cut, then a 30 minutes to 2 hours is enough to add flavors. But if tenderizing is required then I recommend overnight and up to 24 hours.
- Make a head tip: prepare the marinade ahead of time and refrigerate for up to2 days or freeze up to two months.
Shawarma Spices
I have a magical shawarma spice blend for you, just mix it and keep it in a jar to use for your shawarma. It has all the great flavors of paprika, cumin, ginger, coriander, cloves, black pepper, sumac, allspice, cinnamon, cardamom and turmeric. This blend of warm spices works so well in any shawarma.
Recipe FAQs
Shawarma is thinly sliced meat that is marinated then cooked on a large rotating spit then shaved off into pita sandwiches with so many good things. In homemade shawarma lean beef works very well. Tougher steak cuts like flank, skirt, sirloin and round are best for marinating long hours.
They are both delicious. While every chef has his own slightly different opinion but everyone agrees that they are both delicious. Gyro is made with lamb and/or beef topped with tomato, onion and tzatziki. Shawarma on the other hand can be made with chicken, beef, lamb or even goat. It is usually topped with hummus, onion, tomato and garlic dip. Shawarma also is made with meat that should be marinated for long hours to ensure deep flavors, in Egypt restaurants usually marinate the meat overnight for this purpose.
How to Serve Beef Shawarma
Beef shawarma has been in our weekly menu for so long, you can serve it as a sandwich in pita bread, wrap or plate style with rice.
Add a nice big dollop of garlic white sauce, tahini sauce or hummus then top that with fresh or sauteed veggies. Take a bite and pretend you are relaxing on the beaches of the Mediterranean... sooo goood. I bet this will show up on your dinner table frequently as it does on ours.
Enjoy other Shawarma Recipes
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Beef Shawarma
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds beef steak thinly sliced. Note1
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil for cooking.
For the marinade:
- 1 Tablespoon homemade Shawarma spice blend recipe follows.
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste.
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
- 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard.
- 2 Tablespoons tahini paste.
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder.
- 1 1/2 tablespoon onion powder.
- 1/2 cup oil.
- 3/4 cup vinegar.
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
Shawarma spice blend:
- 1 Tablespoon paprika.
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin.
- 1 Tablespoon ground ginger.
- 1 Tablespoon ground coriander.
- 1 Tablespoon ground cloves.
- 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper.
- 1 teaspoon sumac.
- 1 teaspoon allspice.
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom.
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric.
For serving (Choose from and combine)
- Lightly sautéed vegetables: 1 large onion 1 cup bell peppers, sliced and 1/4 cup chopped parsley. Note2
- Lebanese bread / flatbreads / pita bread
- Garlic dip.
- Hummus
- Tahini spread.
- Tabbouleh.
- Fresh tomato slices.
- Red onion slices.
- Finely sliced iceberg lettuce
- French fries.
Instructions
- Start by grinding all the shawarma spic ingredients together then place in a jar and set aside.
- In a deep bowl mix all the shawarma marinade well then add the beef.
- Toss well to coat the beef slices with the marinade, cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- In a large skillet, add olive oil and start cooking the beef in batches. Do not cram the skillet.
- If you are making the lightly sautéed onion and pepper place them in the pan after the beef has cooked and stir for a couple of minutes we want them still crunchy and crisp.
- Spread a generous dollop of garlic dip or hummus on pita bread or any flatbread you are using. Top that with you favorite toppings from the list above and beef. Wrap tightly and enjoy.
Notes
- Allergy note: this marinade includes tahini paste which although not a tree nut but might cause allergy in some people. You can still make it without the paste but it is highly recommended.
- How long to marinate the shawarma: If you have a tender beef cut, then a 30 minutes to 2 hours is enough to add flavors. But if tenderizing is required then I recommend overnight and up to 24 hours.
- Make a head tip: prepare the marinade ahead of time and refrigerate for up to2 days or freeze up to two months.
- Lightly sautéed vegetables are the Egyptian version on shawarma, it is not authentic to the Lebanese one. If you are not making them then try to add some fresh parsley to your wrap it is really a nice addition.
Nutrition
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First published Oct 18, 2019. Last updated November 2, 2020 with new tips, step by step instructions and readability.
Hi Amira.
Can’t wait to try the beef schwarma! I order this when I’m out, but have never made. I have a friend who makes it a lot as well as other Egyptian dishes.
Thanks Debbie for your comment, try it and I think you are going to love it as much as we do.
I like shawarma but almost never make it for some reason -- always one of those things I get at restaurants. This looks SO good. And so easy, too. Thanks!
This Beef Shawarma recipe sounds absolutely amazing, Amira! I love the flavours in the spice mix and imagine this would be a stunning lunch or a light dinner. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much Katerina, I hope you'll like it.
Amira, this recipe looks amazing. I love Middle Eastern food and have a hard time finding such authentic recipes. I work a lot of hours and was wondering if you think I could make this recipe in a slow cooker I know it's not going to come out the same as yours but just love the flavors of Middle Eastern food. Do you have any tips or tricks for doing this in the slow cooker? Thanks and hats off to all the Middle Eastern ladies because your form of cooking is so intricate and difficult, but I love it!
Thanks Natalie for your sweet comment, while I haven't tried this in the slow cooker before, I do not see why not.
Deliciously authentic Shawarma! Amira, your recipes are always crowd-pleasers! We've made Shawarma at fund-raising events and have received great reviews. Thanks again for inspiring us to become better and more adventurous cooks!
Thank you Colleen for your sweet comment, I am so happy that you liked it.
Tried this with london broil as it was on sale this week. This recipe is on point, the meat turned out rich in flavor and had an amazing texture.
Bianca, this is actually one of our favorite recipes that I make bi-weekly. Thank you for your comment, glad you liked it.