This easy homemade Beef Shawarma Recipe involves marinating strips of steak in a delicious marinade and cooking it to flavorful crispy perfection on the stove top. Serve it with rice or pita bread and tzatziki sauce and vegetables for an unforgettable meal!
You’re looking at my latest favorite dinner recipe!
Leading up to making this beef shawarma recipe, I went through a phase of ordering shawarma takeout from a local restaurant. Well, I finally turned over a new leaf and determined I needed to at least try to make it myself at home.
Let me just tell you. The end result was a mind blow of epic proportions…it is just that good!
Both my husband and I feel this recipe turns out even better than the restaurant version because the beef is even more tender flavorful. Plus, it is inexpensive to make! Wins all around!
I presumed making homemade shawarma would be a major hassle, and it really isn’t! The prep is straightforward and goes fairly quickly, and the longest part about it is the marination time. I see this as the perfect opportunity to prep ahead, allow ample marination time, and cook when ready.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients. While the list looks long at first glance, most of the ingredients are spices that you may already have on hand.
Ingredients For Beef Shawarma:
Sirloin Steak (or Flank Steak or Skirt Steak): the star of the show here, we need some form of steak to make beef shawarma. Traditionally, tougher cuts of meat are used because the meat is marinated and therefore tenderizes to transform an inexpensive cut of beef into a dream.
That said, I like using sirloin steak because it isn’t overly fatty, and it turns out nice and tender.
Avocado Oil: Every great marinade begins with a fat, and I employ avocado oil for the job. Olive oil works great too.
White Vinegar and Lemon Juice: the combination of white vinegar and lemon juice bring a magnificent tangy flavor to give the steak some pop.
Fresh Garlic Cloves and Yellow Onion: Two savory favorites, onion and garlic provide a big flavorful backdrop for this easy beef recipe to thrive.
Shawarma Spices: Ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, sweet paprika, ground cinnamon, cardamom, and ground cloves are our classic shawarma spices with which to infuse the beef.
All of these spices are mild (not spicy), so no worries if you prefer mild food. This spice blend is what give shawarma its classic flavor, so be sure to include them all!
Recipe Customizations:
- You can add cayenne pepper to spice it up for a kick of heat if you’d like.
- Feel free to use 2 pounds of ground beef instead of steak. If you go this route, there is no need to marinate the meat.
- If you have whole spices instead of ground spices, feel free to make the swap.
Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s make this easy beef shawarma!
How to Make Beef Shawarma:
Cut the steak into thin strips and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Mix the homemade shawarma seasoning in a small bowl until combined.
Add it to a measuring cup with the remaining ingredients for the marinade (excluding the onion) and stir well.
Pour into the bowl with the thin slices of steak.
Add in the onion slices and use a wooden spoon or tongs to toss everything together. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 20 minutes, ideally several hours.
When you’re ready to cook, heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. I recommend using a 12-inch cast iron skillet and cooking the meat in one batch. If you’re using a 10-inch, you’ll need to cook in two batches.
Transfer all of the beef, including the marinade to the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook until much of the liquid has evaporated, the onions have softened, and the beef is golden brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Note: I cook all of the meat together rather than cooking it in a single layer for maximum flavor. I find this preserves the flavor because it allows all of the juices to stay with the meat.
Nevertheless, for crispy beef with irresistible charred edges, feel free to cook small amounts in a single layer a little bit at a time.
Stir in the sea salt and taste the meat for flavor. Add more salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve beef shawarma with rice or warm bread with tzatziki sauce and your choice of fresh veggies (such as red onion, juicy tomatoes, and cucumber), and enjoy!
I love making a beef shawarma bowl with Ginger Turmeric Aromatic Rice and Homemade Tzatziki, Creamy Roasted Garlic Hummus, tahini sauce, or garlic sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions:
A classic Middle Eastern dish, “shawarma” refers to a method of preparation, where meat is seasoned and cooked slowly over an open fire on a vertical spit. It is often a combination of meats, typically lamb and beef.
For ease of preparation, some people season and marinate the meat normally, then cook it on the stove top or on a grill (as is often the case with chicken shawarma) if a vertical rotisserie isn’t available.
Classic shawarma ingredients typically include vinegar, lemon juice, ground cumin, cardamom, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, onion, and garlic.
The Turkish döner kebab and Greek gyro is a similar concept as well.
Classic shawarma is not spicy. Shawarma is comprised of warm spices, like cumin and coriander, which don’t have a kick of spice, but rather an earthy, herby, warm flavor.
My recipe as written does not contain cayenne pepper, making it completely mild. You can adjust the heat to your preferred level by adding cayenne pepper to taste.
Yes! Simply swap out the steak for 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs. Cut the thighs into strips and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Heaven! Shawarma is a savory dish that is big on tangy, onion and garlic flavor with a big hit of warm spices. It is very flavorful and unique!
My biased opinion is that sirloin steak is the best cut for classic beef shawarma because it has just the right amount of fat and turns out tender. Flank steak and skirt steak have a harder texture in the end, but they work too.
Some people use ribeye steak or New York strip steak (both are a good option), but I find both to be too fatty and expensive for this application.
The next time you’re craving a unique adventure for your taste buds, whip up this dreamy beef recipe! It is ideal for meal prep and also quick enough to whip up on a busy weeknight as well.
If you love big bold flavors, also try out some of my other popular dinner recipes!
More Flavorful Dinner Recipes:
- Gyro Meatballs
- Easy Chicken Shawarma
- Crock Pot Sesame Honey Garlic Chicken
- Crock Pot Mongolian Beef
- Crispy Bang Bang Salmon Bites Bowls
- Copycat Chipotle Chicken
Drop a comment below letting me know your favorite way to enjoy this classic Middle Eastern food!
Beef Shawarma Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs sirloin steak cut into strips*
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion cut into slices
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cardamom optional
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut the steak into thin strips and transfer to a large mixing bowl with the onion. Mix all of the ingredients for the marinade (the rest of the ingredients) in a bowl or measuring cup. Pour into the bowl with the thin slices of steak and use a wooden spoon or tongs to toss everything together. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 20 minutes, ideally several hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat. I recommend using a 12-inch cast iron skillet and cooking the meat in one batch. If you’re using a 10-inch, you’ll need to cook in two batches.
- Transfer all of the beef, including the marinade to the skillet. Stir occasionally and cook until much of the liquid has evaporated, the onions have softened, and the beef is golden brown and crispy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the sea salt and taste the meat for flavor. Add more salt and black pepper to your personal taste.
