Easy, flavorful beef shawarma right at home! So much better than takeout!

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Beef shawarma is a very popular fast food in Middle Eastern restaurants, and if you’re lucky, you can find a delicious shawarma truck nearby. However, it’s so easy to make at home that you don’t need to venture out to find it. The best thing about shawarma at home is that you can customize the flavors to what your family likes best. Also, it just tastes so much more fresh and flavorful that way. I’ve included the recipe for two popular sauces served with shawarma, tahini, and shawarma sauce, as well as quick pickled onions. It may be a requirement to the pickled onions with shawarma, but don’t hold me to that!

The best beef for beef shawarma
I think the best cut of beef to use for beef shawarma is ribeye steak. It has the perfect amount of fat marbled throughout, giving you the most tender a juicy beef shawarma possible. I know that it tends to be on the pricey side, so you can use other cuts of meat. It will be seasoned well, so it’s going to have tons of flavor no matter what cut you use. Try a flank steak or flap for more cost-effective options.
Why you’ll want to make this weekly
- Creamy shawarma sauce
- Slight vinegar bite from the pickled onions
- Melt in your mouth warm spiced beef
- Fresh, spicy beef shawarma at home!

Equipment Used to Make this Recipe:
- Cast-Iron Skillet
- A sharp knife
- Apron
- Olive oil

What makes good shawarma
- Onion, thinly sliced
- Ribeye steak –flank or flap can be used as well
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar –plain vinegar if you have that on hand
- Juice of half a lemon
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic cloves –grated
- Plain yogurt
Shawarma Spices:
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Paprika –not smoked
- Dried crushed oregano
- Ground dried turmeric
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Optional: Cinnamon, Ground cardamom, sumac, allspice
The Pickled Onions:
- Red onion –thinly sliced
- Apple cider vinegar
- Red wine vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
Tahini Sauce:
- Tahini
- Garlic clove–grated
- Fresh lemon juice
- Yogurt
- Warm water
- Salt
- Garnish: parsley and sumac
Shawarma Sauce:
- Plain yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- Lemon juice
- Garlic clove–grated

How to make beef shawarma
Marinate the Beef:
- Cut the beef against the grain into thin slices, and then place it in a large mixing bowl.
- Next, add the onion, spices, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and yogurt.
- Mix it all together and set it aside at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Make the Pickled Onions:
- In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
- Remove from heat and immerse the onion slices in the water for a minute, then drain the water.
- In a bowl or container that the onions will be stored in, stir together the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
- Add the onions and toss in the vinegar.
- Once they come to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Tahini or Shawarma sauce
- Combine the ingredients for each sauce in separate bowls and whisk each sauce.
- Taste the sauces and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Cook the Shawarma:
- Place a cast-iron skillet over high heat.
- Cook the shawarma in two batches for approximately 4 minutes on each side as not to overcrowd the pan.
- Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Serving
The traditional way to serve beef shawarma is in a pita. I like to put a little tzatziki, shawarma, or tahini on the pita first, and then layer on fresh Greek tomato salad, pickled onions, and beef shawarma. But you can serve it your favorite way. Try it over Mediterranean rice pilaf or basmati rice. To keep it low carb, serve it on top of cauliflower rice. You can even serve it over a salad bowl loaded with your favorite toppings. Kali Orexi!
More Sandwich Recipes:
- Easy Chicken Shawarma Recipe
- Classic Falafel Recipe
- The Ultimate Greek-American Gyro Pita
- Greek-Style Chicken Gyro Bowl

Beef Shawarma
This easy beef shawarma recipe is full of flavor and tastes better than take out. Serve it in pita, over rice, or on top of a salad.
Ingredients
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 and 1/2 pounds (680g) rib-eye steak, flank, or flap
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar or plain vinegar
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
The Spices:
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika (not smoked)
- 1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- optional: 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon sumac, 1/4 teaspoon allspice
The Pickled Onions:
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
Tahini Sauce:
- 1/2 cup tahini
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1/4c-1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons yogurt
- warm water
- salt, to taste
- garnish: parsley and sumac
Shawarma Sauce:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove grated
Instructions
Marinate the Beef:
Cut the beef against the grain into thin slices. Place it in a large mixing bowl. Add the onion, spices, olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and yogurt. Mix it all together and set aside at room temperature for 30-40 minutes or cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Make the Pickled Onions:
In a small sauce pan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and immerse the onion slices in the water for a minute. Drain the water. In a bowl or container that the onions will be stored in, combine the vinegar, sugar, and salt and mix together. Add the onions and toss in the vinegar. Once they come to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Tahini or Shawarma sauce by combining the ingredients in 2 bowls and whisking them together. Taste the sauces and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Cook the Shawarma:
Place a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Cook the shawarma in two batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Cook the meat approximately 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.
Serve the beef shawarma with pita, rice, or a salad, and with pickes.
Kali Orexi!
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FINALLY AFTER FOUR TRIE GOT THE RECIPE FOR SHAWARMA.LOOKS DELISH
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