I use this versatile tofu shawarma recipe all the time. When I don’t have time to make the extra add-ons, I’ll throw the tofu itself into my salads! It’s so delicious and easy to make in the air fryer.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- it’s vegan
- it’s tasty
- great way to get protein!
- it’s versatile!
- it’s a unique version compared to the regular chicken and beef!
What is shawarma?
Shawarma is seen in a restaurant with chicken, lamb or chicken a large rotating skewer. It is seasoned with a variety of spices and seasonings such as cumin, paprika and tumeric. I found this website showing you how to make your own spices if you have some extra time!
I’m not middle eastern. I’ve grown up with friends and family that are and I thought I’d present you with my version of a recipe that doesn’t include meat!
Two ways to enjoy this tofu shawarma!
You can make a bowl with hummus and quinoa OR you can make a wrap! Here’s my blog post on how to make the quinoa if you want to make it!
But wait! What if you have friends over for dinner?!
Then make a shawarma charcuterie board! Yes! And they’ll have fun making their own wraps!
Wouldn’t that be so fun!? You can add all the different add ons you wish and make it healthy and LOADED with vegetables! I really hope you do this!
Okay I’m READY! How do we make tofu shawarma!?
First thing’s first! You need to get a package of tofu and tear it open with a steak knife. I will then either press it with a tofu press or wrap it with paper towels (I’d wrap it around 2 or three 3 times) and place something heavy on top of it! This ensures a lot of the moisture and liquid is soaked up!
So while that’s pressing, we can gather our ingredients! I hope you kept at least 2 hours aside to let the marinate soak. If not, you COULD get away with 30 minutes but it may not be as flavorful!
What spices do you need for your marinade?
Here’s a brief overview of the spices you need (I didn’t list ALL of them so do look below to check for the quantity and others!)
- Cumin
- Ground clobes
- Nutmeg
- White and black pepper
- Cinnamon
- Ground cardamom
- All spice
If you don’t have something like ground cardamon or nutmeg, you just double the all spice.
Let’s get to mixing!
So once the tofu has been pressed, cleaned and the paper towels/liquid has been discarded you can proceed to shredding it with your fingers! Don’t over think it but have the pieces resembling the same size as chicken pieces!
Then you add in all your spices into the bowl.
So I think the key to having the flavors REALLY infuse and integrated into the tofu is to have it marinate for at least a few hours or overnight, preferably. If you’re tight for time then you could do 30 minutes!
The drizzle that goes with the tofu marinade
While that marinates, you can start making your drizzle that is included with your marinatie to add some liquid to it while it’s air frying/baking.
It takes a handful of ingredients such as:
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- sumac powder
- coriander powder
- pink salt
- cumin powder
- and a purple onion
Add into your small pan and let it simmer until the onion has softened and has also reduced in size. It just be fragrant. Don’t let it get burnt and there should still be (roughly) the same amount of liquid in the pan that it started with. I would add a bit more lemon and olive juice to the pan so the tofu doesn’t get dried while cooking.
And there you go! You’re all set to cook this beauty in just a little bit to get your delicious base to your bowl or wrap!
Garlic sauce
Here’s the ingredients you need for the garlic sauce:
- dairy free yogurt – I like using greek style oat yogurt
- garlic
- salt
- a bit of lemon juice
Putting it all together
So we’ve got our tofu air fried. I put it in for 10-12 minutes at 390F. I made the instructions below for the oven as not everyone has access to an air fryer.
Now we just gather all our extra garnishes like:
- pickled cucumbers and turnips
- fresh cucumber slices
- quinoa (for a bowl)
- tomato slices or chopped cherry tomatos
- Hummus
- lettuce
- spices like sumac and black pepper
- tabouleh salad
- lemon wedges
- cilantro leaves and crushed mint
- spiced chickpeas
- greek styled oat yogurt to serve on top of your wrap or bowl. I like this recipe
And you’re good to go to make a wrap or bowl or throw the tofu pieces into your salad!
1. Shawarma wraps
I’ve had my share of falafel shawarmas and I know what I love most about it the salty and creaminess of it. So load up on the dressings like garlic sauce and tahini (if you wish) and those cute pickled cucumbers and turnips and enjoy! I buy pitas from my local grocery store as they’re strong enough to wrap and roll!
If you want to present it to friends or a family dinner you can take parchment paper and roll it around the bottom half of your wrap and tie it with some twine!
2. Shawarma Bowls
I love dressing up bowls. I love mixing all the flavors around and getting a bite of all the different spices and textures! You can add quinoa to a bowl which is a healthy option. You can use hummus as a way to integrate more protein and get a rich taste with every bite. Finally, add spices and garnishes as you like!
Finally, a beautiful board to entertain your friends with!
I love charcuterie boards. I think it’s such a great way to display the vegetables, garnishes and dressings that are needed for a meal. It also gives people a visual way to enjoy their food and make it the way they like!
Storage, reheating and freezing instructions
I can just imagine how much life would be so much easier if you made this meal ahead of time! Make the tofu on sunday and you have a couple of days worth of meals ready to go!
Do make sure to seal your tofu in an airtight container when placing it in the freezer. I would use it up by 4 days.
After it’s cooled down, and if you wish to freeze it, you can put it in an air tight container or freezer bag. Allow it to come to room temperature.
Other delicious tofu recipes!
- Rich and Creamy Golden Ramen Noodle Curry (with tofu!)
- Irresistible Katsu Curry with Breaded Tofu
- Flavorful Shakshuka, quick and easy!
If you happen to make any of my recipes, please send me a photo or leave a review! Thank you! I appreciate you so much!
Tofu Shawarma
Ingredients
Tofu Marinade
- 1 block extra firm tofu pressed
- 1/4 tsp all spice
- 1/8 tsp white pepper
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced or pressed, 1 tsp of paste
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp salt I used sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
Tofu sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp sumac powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 tsp salt pink
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 small purple onion julienned
Garlic sauce
- 1 cup oat yogurt greek style
- 3 clove garlic minced, I'd rather use garlic paste 1 tsp
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp salt
Assembly (for bowl)
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3 baby pickled cucumbers
- turnips pickled
- cucumbers sliced
- hummus
- cherry tomatoes sliced
Assembly (for pitas)
- 6 cucumbers pickled, baby
- 6 pieces turnips pickled
- cucumbers cut vertically
- cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- romaine lettuce chopped
Instructions
Tofu
- Remove tofu from wrapper and remove the water as much as possible using a presser or between paper towels and a heavy object on top.
- While this is happening, combine all your spices and onions in a small bowl and mix.
- After the water is drained, using your hands break up the tofu into "chicken" like pieces.
- Tip the spices into the bowl with tofu and, using your hands again, coat the tofu with the spices really well.
- I covered it and let it refrigerate overnight. If you need it in a hurry, at least 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to low broil (400 F)
- Warm up olive oil in a frying pan
- Add in all your sauce ingredients and mix well
- Remove tofu from the fridge and lay each tofu piece (with the onions) side by side in the pan.
- Cook it on low – medium and let it brown slightly.
- Transfer everything on a baking pan, again making sure the tofu doesn't overlap
- Bake it on low broil (400F) for 6-7 minutes or until the tofu browns nicely. Remove from heat. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn but also doesn't dry out. At about 4 minutes check on it and brush it with more olive oil, if needed
Garlic Sauce
- place all ingredients into a bowl and, using a hand immersion blender, blend it all together
- taste for salt and lemon. Should be tangy!
Assembly
- For the bowls: Arrange the hummus on side of the bowl, sprinkle chickpeas on top. Layer quinoa and the rest of the ingredients around the bowl
- For the wraps: Open a wrap, spread some hummus on the bottom. Layer lettuce, tofu, and the rest of the ingredients inside and roll the wrap up.
Notes
Nutrition
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