Vegetarian Shawarma is a delicious Pita wrap with roasted spiced chickpeas, a simple cucumber salad and a tahini sauce. Perfect for weekend brunch.
Shawarma, one of the most popular Middle Eastern street food that is usually stuffed with grilled meat, a cooling sauce and some tomatoes and onions. So for Day 3, for my alphabet C, I made the vegetarian version of this very popular street food. Vegetarian Shawarma, is made with roasted chickpeas and topped with a tahini yogurt sauce and a simple chopped vegetable salad.
This was our weekend lunch and the boys could not stop eating the roasted chickpeas. I had only roasted 2 cans of chickpeas and they had already finished half of it snacking.
To finish the wrap, I had to make another batch of the roasted chickpeas. I had plans to make my own pita, but the time got the best out of me and I had to use the store bought pitas.
I used some whole wheat pitas as well as the regular white pitas. Instead of just using sliced onions and tomatoes, I made some chopped salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and parsley.
The sauce just takes the wrap to the next level. Do not skip on the sauce. Just plain yogurt or sour cream would not make up for the flavor of the sauce. It cools down the wrap as well as gives it the much needed light bite. I used tahini, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice and parsley for the sauce. We could use sour cream or even regular yogurt instead of Greek Yogurt.
The sandwich was so delicious that I had to make a second batch of almost everything. Just as an head's up, make sure you make enought of everything. The leftovers stores very well for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator, if they manage to remain that long.
Ingredients to make Chickpea Shawarma Wrap
To Make the Spiced Chickpeas -
- Chick peas - 2 cans (15 oz cans, drained and rinsed)
- Red chili powder - 1 tsp
- Coriander powder - ½ tsp
- Cumin powder - 1 tsp
- Garlic powder - ½ tsp
- Olive oil - 2 tbsp
- Salt - to taste (watch if the chickpeas has salt in it)
To make the Tahini Yogurt Sauce -
- Tahini - ¼ cup
- Greek yogurt - ½ cup
- Lemon juice - 3 tbsp
- Garlic - 1 large clove
- Parsley - 2 tbsp
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper - to taste
To make the Salad -
- Cucumber - 1 cup (finely chopped)
- Tomato - ½ cup (finely chopped)
- Red onion - ¼ cup (finely chopped)
- Parsley - 2 tbsp (finely chopped)
- Salt - to taste
- Pepper - to taste
To Assemble the Chickpeas Shawarma Wrap -
- Pita bread - 4 (cut in half)
- Roasted chickpeas - refer to recipe below
- Tahini Yogurt Sauce - refer to recipe below
- Chopped Salad - refer to recipe below
Procedure to make Vegetarian Shawarma
To make the Spiced Chickpeas -
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas well in running water. Place the rinsed chickpeas in between layers of kitchen towel and dry them.
- If using fresh chickpeas, soak them overnight and then cook before roasting.
- Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and spread it on a foiled lined baking sheet.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and roast the chickpeas for about 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and crunchy. Make sure to shake and mix the chickpeas once in 5 minutes for even cooking.
- Keep this aside until ready to assemble.
To make the Tahini Yogurt Sauce -
- Blend all the ingredients together.
- Adjust the consistency by adding a little bit of water if needed.
- Check the seasonings and adjust based on your taste.
To make the Salad -
- Chop all the ingredients and combine them in the bowl. Add the salt and pepper needed and mix well.
- The salad is now ready to assemble.
To Assemble the Chickpea Shawarma Wrap | Vegetarian Shawarma Sandwich -
- I used store bought pita bread to make the sandwich/wrap. Warm the pita for about 15 seconds in the microwave and then cut them in half.
- Open the pita to form a pocket and then stuff it with roasted spice chickpeas and the salad.
- Drizzle the Tahini Yogurt Sauce and serve immediately.
Notes and Observation -
- This works great as a weeknight meal. All the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and kept until ready to assemble.
- Pita can be opened up as a pocket and stuffed inside or can just be used as a wrap.
- The ingredients can also be served as a salad in a bowl. In that case, we could use slice pita pieces along with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. We could also add some Tabbouleh to the blend.
More Middle Eastern Recipes
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Chickpea Shawarma Wrap - Vegetarian Shawarma Sandwich
Equipment
- Oven
Ingredients
To Make the Spiced Chickpeas -
- 3 cups Cooked Chickpeas fresh cooked or canned
- 1 tsp Red chili powder
- ½ tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- ½ tsp Garlic powder
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- to taste Salt watch if the chickpeas has salt in it
To make the Tahini Yogurt Sauce -
- ¼ cup Tahini
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 tbsp Parsley
- to taste Salt
- to taste Pepper
To make the Salad -
- 1 cup Cucumber finely chopped
- ½ cup Tomato finely chopped
- ¼ cup Red onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Parsley finely chopped
- to taste Salt
- to taste Pepper
To Assemble the Chickpeas Shawarma Wrap -
- 4 Pita bread cut in half
- Roasted chickpeas - refer to recipe below
- Tahini Yogurt Sauce - refer to recipe below
- Chopped Salad - refer to recipe below
Instructions
To make the Spiced Chickpeas -
- Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas well in running water. Place the rinsed chickpeas in between layers of kitchen towel and dry them.
- If using fresh chickpeas, soak the dry chickpeas in water overnight and then cook them until soft. I add a little salt when cooking for the chickpeas to absorb the salt.
- Place the dried chickpeas in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and spread it on a foiled lined baking sheet.
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 F and roast the chickpeas for about 15 to 20 minutes until crisp and crunchy. Make sure to shake and mix the chickpeas once in 5 minutes for even cooking.
- Keep this aside until ready to assemble.
To make the Tahini Yogurt Sauce -
- Blend all the ingredients together.
- Adjust the consistency by adding a little bit of water if needed.
- Check the seasonings and adjust based on your taste.
To make the Salad -
- Chop all the ingredients and combine them in the bowl. Add the salt and pepper needed and mix well.
- The salad is now ready to assemble.
To Assemble the Chickpea Shawarma Wrap | Vegetarian Shawarma Sandwich -
- I used store bought pita bread to make the sandwich/wrap. Warm the pita for about 15 seconds in the microwave and then cut them in half.
- Open the pita to form a pocket and then stuff it with roasted spice chickpeas and the salad.
- Drizzle the Tahini Yogurt Sauce and serve immediately.
Notes
- This works great as a weeknight meal. All the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and kept until ready to assemble.
- Pita can be opened up as a pocket and stuffed inside or can just be used as a wrap.
- The ingredients can also be served as a salad in a bowl. In that case, we could use slice pita pieces along with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.
- We could also add some Tabbouleh to the blend.
Suma Gandlur says
Loved the way you adapted to a veg version for shawarma. this protein packed version sounds fabulous and I will keep in mind this recipe for my daughter who loves pita sandwiches.
Vaishali Sabnani says
wow !..this wrap is making me hungry...I love it. The chickpeas look and sound so flavorful..the whole wrap with tahini, salad and chickpeas is a treat and the clicks look so beautiful.
Heather says
Absolutely gorgeous!! I agree with you, the tahini sauce is the only way to go. This recipe is easy and looks so delicious!
Carmy says
I love a good shawarma wrap! I also LOVE chickpeas so this is the perfect combination of the two! Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Sara says
This looks like the perfect lunch! Easy, tasty and packed with good things! I look forward to making this!
Veena Azmanov says
What an AMAZING idea!!! YUM, these really sound delicious! I love love love how easy this is!!! One of my favs! I can’t wait to try it out! Thank you for the recipe!
Gloria says
I always have chickpeas in the house. This is a great way to enjoy them. Perfect for lunch or dinner....and I love stuffing pitas!!
Nicole says
I've made roasted chickpeas numerous of times, as a snack, but I have never thought of using them as a filling for shawarma. Wow, I just love this idea!
Lauren says
I just recently roasted chickpeas for the first time and they were so good! Cannot wait to try more recipes with them, and this looks delicious!
Karyn Ryan says
Those Chickpeas look amazing... I have never thought of roasting chickpeas! What a clever idea for a delicious family dinner or for a snack while watching the football
Priya Srinivasan says
Wow sandhya, what an wholesome meal, carbs and protein! Love how you have made it interesting with roasted chickpeas, i bet they all together with that yogurt dressing must be tasting awesome!!!
Mayuri Patel says
A very healthy and filling shawarma sandwich. I wish restaurants would give us this veggie version. I had once made roasted chickpeas and hubby didn't like them so I guess I'd probably make spicy boiled ones.
Srivalli says
Awesome Sandhya, I love what you have made today..though I always get upset that only nonveg get to enjoy those delicious shawarma, you have made a sinful veg option!..great one..
preeti garg says
Wow.. love this recipe... kids will def love it... Pictures also come out so well.
Sharmila Kingsly says
Chickpeas looks awesome. Perfect replacement for chicken ..I love chicken shawarma but this chickpeas version looks equally good!!
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
This is so yum and I can see why your boys couldn't stop eating. They are so addictive and love your presentation Sandhya. Very well done.
Padmajha PJ says
Roasted chickpeas are indeed addictive!!The tahini sauce sounds delicious!And the sauce stand is beautiful Sandhya.
Sharmila Kingsly says
Such a delicious shawarma.. i have always enjoyed Chicken Shawarma but this sounds totally yumm and addictive.. Will try this out next time!!
Priya Suresh says
Such a nutritious and super filling wrap, cant take my eyes from those fabulous chickpeas, highly irresistible they are. Am sure my meat loving kids will definitely fell in love with this shawarma.
Manjula Bharath says
Omg !! such an amazing alternative for people who follow a vegetarian diet like me .. No doubt your boys finished the roasted chickpeas they looking so addictive sandhya, and you have so much patience to make a second batch kudos to you 🙂 .. Wonderful presentation and I love the way you used those stands.. So many elements put together so well .. The salad, the tahini in the pita must have made it a delectable !!
Pavani says
What a filling and nutritious meal this is Sandhya. Roasted chickpeas are quite addictive and I’m sure they made for a delicious shawarma filling. AND that garlic-tahini-yogurt sauce is my favorite too.
Sandhiya ThirumalaiKumar says
Wow, delicious wrap Sandhya. Those roasted chickpeas looks so irresistible, now i know why the boys finished half of it 🙂 . Guess the chickpeas gives nice crunchiness to the wrap and on top tahini and fresh salad ,omg, it sounds so delicious. Great share, bookmarked to try !!!
Gayathri Kumar says
That is a great twist to the regular shawarma recipe. With all the filling in the bread, you have nailed all the textures and flavours. Looks so good Sandhya.
harini says
Wonderful adaptation, Sandhya. I love the three sauce stand in the background. I am sure my kids would love this. Bookmarking.