Lamb Shawarma
Lamb shawarma is marinated overnight in a homemade marinade paste, then slow-roasted to fall-off-the-bone tender perfection. Middle Eastern street food at its finest, it’s flavorful and hearty. Shredded and served on a warm pita with tahini yogurt sauce, red shatta, and fresh chopped vegetables, it’s incredibly delicious!
The first time I tried lamb shawarma I was instantly impressed — this unassuming open-faced sandwich made from marinated meat and topped with veggies and sauces is completely bursting with flavor and texture. Like most Middle Eastern street foods, actually!
It’s all about the marinade. It comes together with a handful of bright and robust seasonings, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. I let the meat marinate in the fridge overnight for this one — giving my lamb shawarma recipe plenty of time to soak up all of those flavors.
Table of Contents
Serve with the recommended sauces and vegetables, plus some pickled turnips and a side of tabouli and you’ve got a filling and unique dinner option.
Shawarma vs Gyro
Shawarma and gyro are both popular street foods in the Middle East and Mediterranean that feature seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie.
However, shawarma is made with lamb, chicken, or beef and is seasoned with Middle Eastern spices like cumin, coriander, and paprika. It’s served with tahini or garlic sauce.
Gyro, on the other hand, originated in Greece and is seasoned with different spices. It’s served with tzatziki, tomatoes, onion, and lettuce.
The differences are subtle, but they’re there!
(Be sure to check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and quantities)
- Lamb Shoulder – Use a bone-in cut for the best flavor. Trust me!
- Red Onions – For slow-roasting the lamb, the flavorful marinade paste, and serving.
- Chicken Stock – Also needed to cook the lamb. Use stock instead of water for maximum flavor.
- Garlic – If you’ve been following along, you know I use garlic in pretty much every savory recipe. It’s the ultimate flavor starter, and I never skip it.
- Ginger Paste – Make it yourself by peeling and roughly chopping about an index finger-sized piece of ginger.
- Cilantro & Flat-Leaf Parsley – Also roughly chopped, and make sure to use fresh.
- Seasonings – For the marinade:
- Ground Cumin
- Smoked Paprika
- Ground Turmeric
- Ground Cinnamon
- Cayenne Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Apple Cider Vinegar & Olive Oil – Also for the mariade! Remember that this is a marinade paste, not a dry rub.
- For Serving
- Tahini Yogurt Sauce – Be sure to try my homemade version.
- Red Shatta Sauce – Same goes for my shatta sauce from scratch!
- Persian Cucumbers
- Roma Tomatoes
- Lemons
- Pita – I’ve got a recipe for homemade pita too.
- Make the Marinade. Place the onion, garlic, and ginger into a food processor and blend until finely minced. Add the cilantro, parsley, dried seasonings, salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil and pulse to form a coarse paste. Place the marinade in a non-metallic container that’s large enough to hold the lamb.
- Marinate the Lamb. Pat the lamb dry and use a large knife to piece small holes all over. Smear with the marinade paste to coat evenly, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
- Roasting Prep. Remove the lamb from the fridge at least 1 hour before roasting. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
- Roast. Place 2 red onion slices on the bottom of a large roasting pan, then place the lamb on top. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 4 hours.
- Increase the Temp. Remove the foil and bake for another hour, then increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Roast for 30 more minutes.
- Shred. Remove from the oven when the lamb is tender and easily pulls away from the bone. Allow it to cool for 15 minutes, then shred with forks directly in the pan.
- Assemble the Lamb Shawarma Recipe. Serve shredded lamb in a warm pita topped with yogurt sauce, red shatta, sliced cucumber, tomato, onion, and parsley. Finish it off with a squeeze of lemon and enjoy!
Recommended Tools
- Food Processor – The easiest way to create your marinade paste is with a food processor. You could also use a high-powered blender.
- Large Non-Metallic Container – You must use a non-metallic container to marinate the lamb. The vinegar in the marinade will react with metal containers, which will affect the taste and safety of the meat.
- Large Roasting Pan – Feel free to use a Dutch oven if you have one — and if it’s big enough for the lamb.
Storing and Reheating
Store leftover lamb shawarma in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3-4 days. Make sure to store it separately from the other ingredients for the best results — especially the pita and vegetables. The bread will go soggy if stored together!
Use your microwave to reheat single servings in 30-second bursts until warmed through. You can use your oven for larger portions. Preheat to 300 degrees F and place the lamb on a baking dish. Heat for 10-15 minutes, or until hot.
Authentic shawarma is made by roasting thinly sliced marinated lamb, chicken, or beef on a vertical rotisserie. The meat is typically seasoned with spices like cumin, paprika, and garlic. Just like my lamb shawarma, it’s often served in a warm pita with chopped veggies and various sauces.
The best cuts of lamb for my lamb shawarma recipe have a good balance of lean meat and fat, like shoulder or leg. Both become tender and flavorful when slow-roasted — I’m using shoulder as it’s easiest for me to find at the store!
If you want your lamb shawarma recipe to crisp up just like the street vendors do, all you need to do is throw it under your broiler for a few minutes after shredding. Keep an eye on it to prevent it from burning. It should only take about 5 minutes tops.
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Lamb Shawarma (Shredded)
Ingredients
- 5 lb lamb shoulder bone in
- 2 red onions sliced
- 3 cups chicken stock
Paste/Marinade
- 1 red onion quartered
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp ginger paste (index finger piece of ginger, peeled, roughly chopped)
- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp cayenne powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Serve
- tahini yogurt sauce
- red shatta sauce
- 3 Persian cucumbers sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 2 lemons quartered
- parsley leaves
- 8 pita bread or lavash
Instructions
Paste/Marinade
- Place the onion, garlic and ginger into a food processor and process until finely minced. Add the cilantro, parsley, spices, salt, pepper, vinegar, oil then pulse to form a coarse paste, then transfer to a non-metallic container large enough to hold the lamb.
- Pat lamb dry and pierce all over with a small, sharp knife. Smear spice paste and coat generously all over. Cover and marinate, refrigerated, overnight.
Cook
- Take lamb out of fridge 1 hour before roasting. Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Spread the 2 red onion slices on bottom of large roasting pan. Place the lamb and paste/marinade on top and pour chicken stock into pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 4 hours.
- Remove and discard the foil and bake for a further 1 hour, then turn heat to 350°F and bake 30 minutes more.
- The lamb is ready when it is tender and easily pulls away from the bone. Set aside to cool slightly, about 15 minutes and roughly shred the meat directly in the pan with forks.
Serve
- Serve the shredded lamb in warm pita with tahini yogurt sauce, red shatta, sliced cucumber, tomato, onion and parsley. Squeeze lemon on top of Lamb Shawarma sandwiches.
Video
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
It’s in the oven and my house smells AMAZING. We can’t wait!!!
Yay! So glad you’re trying this one. Have a wonderful weekend and thanks for letting me know Steve!
Looks delicious very popular dish in Israel.
Thanks so much Stephanie!
THANKS 👍
Thank YOU for following along Nereida! 🙂
A definite must try 😋😋
Enjoy Barry, it’s a tasty one!
I have a tiny kitchen, no room for electric tools, so use shop bought garlic paste and ginger paste. Is this OK for your recipes. Also I live alone so could I use just a half shoulder of lamb – would blade or knuckle be best.
Can’t wait to try the recipe
Definitely on both questions Nancy. Just halve the recipe and enjoy!
Loving your recipes 👍
Much appreciated Pam!
Hi, smells delicious – already marinating in the fridge! Are you sure about the measurements of cumin? Its in tablespoons, everything else in teaspoons.
Yes, it’s correct. Enjoy this one Michael!
Thank you! I’m making 16lb for my brother’s wedding.
looks amazing, I love shawarma a lot, even though shawarma does not mean turning in Arabic. I think name is of a Turkish origin. Some also add pomegranate molasses to the marinade!
I really like the pomegranate molasses idea Farida, thanks!
I have home raised lamb legs in the freezer and will be trying this recipe. Going to get one out to defrost right now! 😀
Fantastic! Please let me know how you liked it Barbara.
Kevin, it is fantastic! I wish I could post a photo. We love it. 😀
o happy to read this, thanks Barbara!
could I cook this in the slow cooker?
Definitely. Not sure of time conversion though. Maybe 5 hours on High and check to see if meat easily shreds. Let me know!
Looks Amazing 😋 I do similar with chicken
Great for large crowds and so tasty, thanks Eileen!