Behind the Seasoning: Shawarma Seasoning

Related to Greek Gyros and Turkish Doner Kebab, juicy, roasted shawarma meat wrapped in a pita with sauces and veggies is a street food worth seeking out. Shawarma Seasoning opens up a world of options: marinated or dry rubbed? Roasted or grilled? Chicken, beef, lamb, pork, or cauliflower? And don’t worry about the how-to. We’ve got recipes for all your shawarma needs, including sides and desserts.

What is Shawarma Seasoning?

Interestingly, the word “shawarma” refers not to the flavor of the beloved dish but to the cooking method. Traditionally, shawarma is cooked on a vertical rotisserie and roasted slowly over a long period of time, with the outer edges of the meat cut off from the rotisserie as it finishes cooking. Shawarma is traditionally seasoned with spices like cardamom, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and paprika to create a sweet-spiced, warm, and earthy flavor profile in the roasted meat. Savory Spice’s salt-free Shawarma Seasoning includes coriander, black pepper, and Aleppo chiles for extra floral warmth and depth.

What does Shawarma Seasoning taste like?

The flavor of Shawarma Seasoning is truly unique and complex. With a blend of sweet spices like cinnamon and cardamom; warm and earthy spices like coriander, cumin, and turmeric; and a touch of heat from black pepper, chiles, and paprika; the ensemble comes out earthy, floral, and warm with just the right amount of kick. Bonus: We’ve kept our Shawarma Seasoning salt-free, so you can add salt (or not!) to your taste.

What other flavors pair well with Shawarma Seasoning?

We’re excited for Shawarma Seasoning to join other Middle Eastern-inspired flavors in our lineup, like Za’atar Seasoning, Ground Sumac Berries, Baharat, and Pakistani Rose Petals. We also love Mt. Olympus Greek Style Seasoning and Ras el Hanout as partners for a Shawarma-centered meal. With its unique but friendly blend of flavors, Shawarma Seasoning pairs well with just about anything.

How to use Shawarma Seasoning

While traditional shawarma is cooked on a rotating vertical spit that’s hard to recreate at home, we have several suggestions for using Shawarma Seasoning to make juicy, flavorful shawarma at home. 

Use Shawarma Seasoning as a dry rub: Simply mix the seasoning with salt (if you prefer) and rub over meat or veggies before grilling or roasting. This will create something like a seasoned crust on the outside of the food, especially if you grill it, and is a great way to season and flavor your dish quickly without having to wait hours for a marinade.

Use Shawarma Seasoning as a baste with oil: Featured in our BBQ Shawarma Cauliflower Wrap recipe, we found that blending Shawarma Seasoning with a little olive oil and brushing that all over cauliflower before roasting created a juicy coating that sunk into the cauliflower as it cooked. If you’re using this method on meat roasting in the oven, try keeping an extra bowl of the oil and Shawarma Seasoning mixture on the side to brush the meat every 15 to 30 minutes as it roasts to keep the meat extra juicy.

Use Shawarma Seasoning as a marinade: Our original Chicken Shawarma Spice ‘n Easy called for a yogurt, lemon juice, and seasoning marinade that coated the chicken for 20 minutes before the whole mixture was broiled to crispy perfection. We still love this yogurt and lemon juice marinade–try 1 cup of yogurt, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice, and 2 to 3 Tbsp. of Shawarma Seasoning as a marinade (we recommend 1 Tbsp. of kosher salt for this amount, but feel free to adjust to your taste!). If you’ve got the time, we recommend marinating this mixture overnight. This gives the lemon juice time to tenderize the meat and the Shawarma Seasoning time to fully flavor the meat.

Use Shawarma Seasoning as an all-purpose seasoning: The versatile flavor of Shawarma Seasoning goes beyond making classic shawarma wraps. We love this sprinkled over potatoes or veggies before roasting, mixed into a BBQ sauce for all-purpose dipping, and mixed into ground beef or lamb for a take on Middle-Eastern Kofta. 

Use Shawarma Seasoning however you can imagine, and let us know about your favorite flavor creations!

Where & How to Buy Shawarma Seasoning

Shawarma Seasoning is available in three sizes for all your spice-cabinet needs: our classic medium jar, a half-cup bag, and a 1-cup bag. Check out the product page here to buy online, or head to your local Savory Spice store to chat with Spice Merchants and hear how they love to use Shawarma Seasoning.

Recipes using Shawarma Seasoning

We’ve got several Test Kitchen Approved, Shawarma Seasoning-focused recipes ready for you to try, ranging from classic Chicken Shawarma Pitas (featuring a DIY home oven vertical spit) to a vegetarian-friendly BBQ Shawarma Cauliflower Wrap to an unexpected Shawarma BBQ Sauce. We also used Shawarma Seasoning to flavor other classics like our Curry Chicken Salad and Grilled Shawarma Kofta. 

The shawarma feast doesn’t stop there. Serve it up with Mt. Olympus Spiced Tzatziki Sauce or Simple Savory Hummus. For extra veggies and crunch in your shawarma wrap, add some Jerusalem Tomato Salad and Quick Pickled Onions. For dessert, we recommend Baklava Bars–a sweet and sticky take on a classic Middle Eastern dessert that skips the finicky phyllo dough.

We’re excited to try Shawarma Seasoning in a whole host of dishes, and can’t wait to hear how you use it!

Share your shawarma creations and tag us on Instagram (@savoryspiceshop). For even more must-haves, shop our collection of World Flavors.