How to make a flavor-packed vegan shawarma recipe using marinated and sauteed mushrooms. This mushroom shawarma is packed with healthy, wholesome, unprocessed ingredients and doubles up as a great vegan gyro, too! Once cooked, serve the veg shawarma as a classic shawarma wrap/sandwich or in one of several other flavor-packed, meat-free meals!
Whisk all the spices together in a small bowl. Then add them to a larger bowl along with the oil, vinegar, yogurt, and spices. Mix well until properly combined. Then set aside.
Prepare the mushrooms. Use a clean, damp paper towel to wipe away dirt, then slice the mushrooms into long strips or bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Marinate the mushrooms
Add the mushrooms to your marinade bowl and toss to thoroughly coat. Then set aside and allow to marinate for at least an hour (up to 4 hours).
Heat up a large skillet with a swirl of oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the mushrooms and sauté until lightly crisp – this can take 7-12 minutes in total. If you prefer it a little more tender, then feel free to cook for slightly less time.Alternatively, you can bake or even air fry the mushroom shawarma. To do so:Bake: spread across a parchment-lined tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 425ºF/220ºC for between 15-20 minutes.Air Fry: spread in a single layer in the air fryer at 400ºF/200ºC for 10-15 minutes.
You can also warm your bread of choice by wrapping the pitas in a stack in tin foil and warming them in the oven until they're ready to serve (the aim is for warm and pliable, not crispy, so don't omit the tinfoil!). Alternatively, you could warm them in the microwave for a short period.
Step 4: Assemble the vegan mushroom shawarma
To assemble the shawarma wrap, first spread some garlic sauce over the bread (or wait to drizzle it over the top of the ingredients). Then place some of the mushroom shawarma, lettuce, the tomatoes, the two types of pickles, and the fries. Then, wrap the shawarma wrap and enjoy!
How to Store
Make ahead: you can freeze the mushrooms and marinade in a Ziplock bag in the freezer for up to two months. There's no need to leave them to marinate first. Just combine all the ingredients and freeze. When thawing in the fridge, the mushrooms will naturally marinate.You can also prepare the garlic sauce and pita flatbreads several days in advance.Store: once prepared, the full shawarma sandwich/wrap should be eaten within a day before the bread becomes too soggy (store, wrapped in foil in the fridge). However, the mushroom shawarma can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.Reheat: to reheat the shawarma, simply zap in the microwave for 40 seconds (or so) until fully warm.
Notes
Marinate to perfection: while you can cook the mushrooms after just an hour of marinating, they'll taste even better when left longer, up until overnight (around 8 hours).
The bread is versatile: I've made shawarma wraps with classic pita pockets, Greek pita bread (thicker and fluffier), and naan bread (similar to Greek pita), all with excellent results. So feel free to use what you have.
Prepare a shawarma platter: if you're serving to multiple guests, you can prepare a platter of all the topping options alongside a plate of pita bread and allow guests to create their own wraps (prepare for things to get a little messy – but it's all part of the fun!). Then, serve up with a BIG side of fries, and you have yourself a truly crowd-pleasing meal!
Optional add-ins and recipe variations:
For spice: you can add some chili sauce or harissa sauce or chili powder to the marinade if you want spicy, savory mushroom shawarma. Alternatively, you could add a drizzle of chili sauce directly to the shawarma sandwich.
Liquid smoke: regular shawarma has a slightly charred, smoky flavor from how it's cooked. You can use a few drops of liquid smoke in the marinade to mimic that smokiness.
Veggies: this mushroom shawarma pairs wonderfully with other cooked veggies (whether served as part of a shawarma wrap or over rice, etc.), including grilled/roasted peppers or eggplant.
Tahini sauce: creamy tahini sauce is more common with beef shawarma than chicken shawarma (which is what this vegan shawarma is replicating). However, it will still pair well.
Hummus: once again, creamy hummus is popular with beef. However, feel free to try it with this vegan shawarma recipe if preferred.
Alternative yogurt sauce: instead of using toum (Lebanese garlic sauce, which is VERY robust), you could use a subtler yogurt sauce by combining plain yogurt with minced garlic, dried dill and mint, and salt (to taste). Optionally, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice. Then, allow it to "rest" for at least 30 minutes for an even better flavor.
Other toppings: other popular additions that you may enjoy including sliced olives, sliced radishes, raw red onions, sliced cucumber, and fresh herbs – like mint, cilantro, etc.
Jackfruit Shawarma: instead of mushrooms, you could use green jackfruit with this shawarma marinade and bake it, similar to what I did for this BBQ shredded jackfruit.
To make chicken shawarma: you can use chicken. Make sure to allow it to marinate for 6 hours or overnight (covered in the fridge) then pan-fry until fully cooked.
Check the blog post for more tips and serving suggestions!