This homemade Shawarma Seasoning is going to bring the warm and fragrant flavors of the Middle East right into your kitchen.
In as little as 5 minutes, you can whip up this exotic spice blend. And we bet that once you try it, you’ll be sprinkling it on just about anything.
Skip the pre-mixed jars in the supermarket, homemade is always the way to go!
We love making our own spice blends. From our Creole Seasoning to Taco Seasoning to Montreal Steak Seasoning, our spice cabinet is always well stocked.
We made this Shawarma Seasoning especially for our upcoming Chicken Shawarma recipe, but have found a whole bunch of other uses for it, which we’ll share with you later in the post.
What is Shawarma?
Shawarma is a popular street food consisting of thin slices of meat stacked into a cone and roasted on a vertical rotisserie. The preparation is similar to gyros, doner kebab and al pastor.
Traditionally made of lamb, it can also be made from a variety of other meats, like beef or chicken.
After roasting, the meat is carved off of the cone into thin slices. It is most commonly served as sandwiches in pita along with veggies, or as part of a rice plate.
Shawarma Seasoning Ingredients
- Cumin Powder
- Paprika
- Coriander Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Turmeric Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Cardamom Powder
- Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Ground Fennel Seeds
- Salt
- Pepper
Shawarma Seasoning Recipe
Making shawarma seasoning is a simple matter of measuring the ingredients and mixing them together.
If you don’t have ground versions of some of the individual spices (for example, we did not have cardamom powder or ground cloves), simply use whole spices and grind them in a mortar and pestle, or spice grinder.
How to Use Shawarma Seasoning
- As a marinade: Combine 1/4 cup shawarma seasoning with 1/4 cup each of olive oil and lemon juice. This mixture will marinate 2 pounds of your preferred meat.
- As a dry rub: No time to marinate? No problem! This tasty spice mixture makes a great dry rub for grilled or roasted meats.
- To season veggies: Sprinkle on veggies like zucchini, carrots, broccoli, bell peppers or chickpeas, then roast them.
- In soup: Shawarma seasoning adds a whole new layer of flavor to basic soups like vegetable or chicken noodle. Add early in the cooking process, so the flavors can blend in nicely.
- In pasta: Chicken shawarma alfredo? You bet!
Storage
You can store shawarma seasoning in an airtight container, preferably in a pantry out of direct sunlight.
Although it doesn’t really expire, it does lose it’s freshness and vibrancy after some time. We recommend using it within 6 months for best quality.
Give the exotic flavors of shawarma seasoning a try. Life is more interesting when you experience different cuisines, sampling local delicacies, even from afar.
Shawarma Seasoning, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great flavor enhancers!
Montreal Steak Seasoning
Trini Green Seasoning
Homemade Sofrito
Jerk Marinade
Mojo Marinade
Taco Seasoning
Chili Oil
Shawarma Seasoning
This bold and aromatic Shawarma Seasoning recipe will bring the exotic flavors of the Middle East to your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp paprika
- 2 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp fennel
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
- If making more than you are using immediately, store remaining in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you don’t have ground versions of some of the individual spices (for example, we did not have cardamom powder or ground cloves), simply use whole spices and grind them in a mortar and pestle, or spice grinder.
- To marinate 2 pounds of meat, combine 1/4 cup of seasoning with 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup lemon juice.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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