Let’s get serious about our shawarmas today! This is undoubtedly the most popular sandwich in the Middle East. Many countries have their own version of shawarma seasoning. Delicious and tender beef seasoned in shawarma spices, loaded in a warm Lebanese bread topped with garlic sauce, tahini sauce, tons of pickled veggies, parsley, and onions. Serve this up with some extra crispy roasted potatoes (sometime I even stuff the potatoes right into the wrap) or with French fries and you’ve got a meal that’s just as delicious as your favorite restaurant, if not better! When I first shared this recipe with you, it was just directions on how to make beef shawarma in the instant pot. But after making this recipe only about a million more times, I’ve started using tender cuts of beef that allow you to season and pop it in a skillet to sear up quickly! There are advantages to making it in a pressure cooker: it’s hands off, you can use cheaper cuts of beef and achieve similar results, etc. But there are also advantages to the skillet approach: it’s quicker, tastes just as delicious, you don’t need special equipment, etc. Needless to say, I’m showing you how to serve up beef shawarma two ways because the recipe is just that delicious!
Ingredients for beef shawarma recipe:
Beef: Depending on whether you’re making this in the instant pot or in a skillet, you’ll want to use different cuts of beef. I suggest using beef chuck or a round eye roast if you’re preparing beef shawarma in the instant pot. To make this in the skillet, use a cut of beef that doesn’t take as long to cook, such as, flank steak, thinly sliced ribeye, or skirt steak. Usually shawarma is cooked on a vertical spit or a vertical rotisserie, but seeing as how most of us don’t have one of those at home, I’ve come up with a method to make this recipe to enjoy at home.Garlic Cloves: Minced or pressed garlic cloves are used for the stove top version. Since we marinate the beef over night for the pressure cooker version, the garlic cloves stay whole and are inserted right into the roast.Homemade Shawarma seasoning: I use my own homemade shawarma spice mix. I’ve modeled it off of my favorite middle eastern grocery stores version. Seriously, you have to try it! You can also use your favorite shawarma seasoning if you prefer that. The seasoning contains ingredients like ground allspice, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and much more. My recipe makes a ton and it’s good for quite a few batches of shawarma! The seasoning works for lamb or chicken shawarma recipe as well.Kosher salt: If you’re using a different seasoning mix than mine, I suggest checking the directions to see if salt is called for. My recipe doesn’t contain too much sodium, so you’ll definitely need to add some.White Vinegar: Is the acid used to tenderize the meat and to add a tangy flavor.Olive Oil: You can also use avocado oil or any other oil that you like. The oil will be used for the marinade as well as to cook the beef shawarma.Beef broth: You’ll only need this ingredient if you’re making the beef in the pressure cooker. The liquid is necessary to help bring the instant pot to pressure.Beef Shawarma Sandwich Toppings: You’ll need Lebanese flatbread, pita bread, toum, sliced tomatoes, pickled turnips, prepared fries, or roasted potatoes, tahini sauce, pickles, sliced onions and other salad ingredients, like lettuce.
How to make this recipe on the stove top:
How to make this recipe in the pressure cooker:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pitas (Arayes)Fattoush SaladShirazi SaladLebanese Rice PilafFrozen Mint Lemonade
Original recipe shared April 2017, updated with new pictures, stove top directions, and new post June 2022.SaveSave
TAHINI SAUCE: combine 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves pressed garlic, ¼ cup tahini paste, a pinch of salt + pepper and 1-3 tablespoons warm water. Start with 1 tablespoon, add more water as needed to thin sauce.
