Tofu Shawarma Recipe
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Jump to RecipeThis tofu shawarma recipe is a perfectly spiced high-protein lunch or dinner that is easy to make. Wrap it in a pita with vegan garlic sauce and your favorite veggies for a quick & flavorful plant-based meal.
This is a simple dinner that is ready in about 30 minutes, a easy and hearty weeknight dinner idea. A fantastic vegan shawarma recipe that everyone at the table will love – and customizable with your favorite toppings!
Serve with rice cooker yellow rice, oven steak fries, and a tasty lemon quinoa salad!
One of our favorite things to eat when we go up to Canada is shawarma! There are many, many fantastic shawarma places up north that have the best shawarmas, falafels, and wraps. I made this tofu shawarma recipe to recreate the magic in our own kitchen – we love this recipe so much we make it about once a month!
All you have to do is crumble a block of tofu, and toss it with pantry-staple spices. Bake (or air fry!) the tofu for 30 minutes, and fill up a pita with your favorite toppings. Served with a side of tabbouleh salad, load on the vegan tzatziki sauce and enjoy this hearty and flavorful dinner.
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s hearty and filling from the tofu!
- The spices load this dish with flavor – it’s a little smoky and spicy!
- It’s a great recipe to make with a block of tofu
- This is a simple dish that cooks of any skill level can make.
- It’s a great vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based dinner idea!
Sheet Pan Meals
This tofu spiced shawarma is the perfect sheet pan dinner. Cooking tofu on a sheet pan is one of my favorite ways to get a plant-based meal on the table fast! All the food gets cooked on a single pan, which makes cleaning up a breeze.
And the oven does all the work for you, so you can focus on other prep while the tofu shawarma cooks. Sheet pan meals are great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner – check out all our simple sheet pan meals that are ready in no time!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Tofu – extra firm is best for this recipe.
- Smoked Paprika: give an additional depth of flavor to this shawarma.
- Coriander: a fantastic spice with a deep flavor and a slightly herbal finish. It has a bright and bold flavor – absolutely perfect for this tofu shawarma.
- Chili Powder: for a really nice flavor in this dish – the chili powder isn’t spicy but will give you a rich and bright flavor.
- Garlic Powder: Also a major pantry staple ingredient that get used in our house daily!
- Cinnamon: which gives this shawarma a classic spice-y flavor! I love to add just a hint.
- Salt & Pepper – to give the tofu added flavor while baking.
- Pita Bread
- Toppings: I like topping my shawarma with vegan garlic sauce, cucumber, tomatoes, and onions.
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
Additions and Substitutions
- If you can’t find ground coriander, you can use oregano or za’atar instead.
- Add on any extra toppings you love! Add pickled turnips, roasted garlic hummus, a scoop of low sodium tabbouleh salad, or fresh herbs!
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a large bowl, crumble the block of tofu with your hands, tearing it into roughly 1/2-inch pieces.
Step 2: Add the tofu to a bowl. Sprinkle in the paprika, coriander, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 3: Toss the tofu and spice mixture together until well combined.
Step 4: Add the tofu to a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and toss. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway during cooking.
Step 5: Remove sheet pan from oven, and toss one more time before serving.
Step 6: Place your pitas on a plate. Add 1/2 cup chickpea filling to each pita, and add toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Use an extra firm, high protein tofu. The tofu gets torn into chunks before it’s baked, so a firmer denser tofu works best and will hold up well in the oven.
If you have leftover tofu filling, store it in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
The tofu shawarma recipe here tastes similar to chicken shawarma or a donair you may get at a restaurant or food truck. The spices are similar, but the texture of the tofu is softer than chicken.
Expert Tips
- When chopping veggies for the toppings, make them roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent.
- For a spicier shawarma, add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the tofu mixture before baking.
- If making this recipe ahead of time, toss the tofu and spices, and refrigerate. Bake the tofu right before serving to it’s nice and hot.
What To Serve with Tofu Shawarma
- Vegan Tzatziki Sauce Recipe
- Tomato Cucumber Mint Salad
- Beet Hummus Recipe
- Simple Lemon Quinoa Salad
- Instant Pot Baba Ganoush
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If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Vegan Tofu Shawarma
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce package extra firm tofu
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
- Pinch cinnamon
- 4 pitas use gluten free if desired
- Toppings, of choice lettuce, cucumber, tomato, tzatziki, garlic sauce, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl, crumble the block of tofu with your hands, tearing it into roughly 1-inch pieces. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, paprika, coriander, chili powder, black pepper, garlic powder, salt, and cinnamon. Toss well to combine.
- Place the tofu on the baking sheet, drizzle with the remaining teaspoon olive oil, and spread out onto an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway during cooking.
- Place your pitas on a plate. Add 1/2 cup of the tofu filling to each pita, and add toppings of choice. Enjoy!
Notes
Expert Tips
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- When chopping veggies for the toppings, make them roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent.
-
- For a spicier shawarma, add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the tofu mixture before baking.
-
- If making this recipe ahead of time, toss the tofu and spices, and refrigerate. Bake the tofu right before serving to it’s nice and hot.
Nutrition
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We had it tonight. We gave it a nine out of 10.
Couple of questions –
1. Is this Mori Nu type tofu ? What I used was the 16 oz regular extra firm tofu, cut off 4 ounces.
2. Oil isn’t listed in the recipe ingredients. How much oil should be used?
Thank you very much for all your hard work. It was a nice dinner. We had it with cauliflower rice
Love bringing new great dishes to the table
A great dish