Have you ever seen such a pretty bowl of roasty-toasty, oh-so-good-for-you, vibrantly colorful goodness?! Safe to say, this sheet pan veggie shawarma is pretty much all I want out of life at the moment.
Hearty & comforting cauliflower, sweet potato & chickpeas get tossed with shawarma seasoning (aka a total flavor bomb of warm Middle Eastern spices) & roast on a single sheet pan ’til perfectly golden brown & crisp.
Best of all, this easy vegetarian shawarma recipe is flavorful, healthy, & satisfying…& when it comes to weeknight cooking, I’m not sure it gets better than that. Weeknight trifecta.
this Recipe for Later!
Here’s the deal:
First of all, this veggie shawarma is MEGA FLAVORFUL, thanks in major part to an easy homemade shawarma seasoning blend. It’s closely based on my classic shawarma marinade recipe, which has quickly grown to be one of pwwb’s most popular recipes ever. This seasoning blend is filled with warm spices (like cumin, ginger & cinnamon) & has subtle sweetness (hello, maple syrup or honey!). The combination of warmth & subtle sweetness is completely addictive. So long as your spice rack is well stocked, it’s a totally easy way to create tons of flavor without much effort at all.
Secondly, veggie shawarma is TOTALLY HEALTHY. I mean…it’s a bowl full of satisfying roasted veggies! How could you go wrong? As written, the recipe is totally vegetarian & very easily made vegan or dairy-free as needed. (Have some thoughts on this included in the Recipe Notes, below!)
& lastly, & most importantly…these bowls are ABSOLUTELY SATISFYING. Totally healthy, but also totally comforting…the perfect September food!
…don’t you want to dive right on in??
What is veggie shawarma?
Traditionally, shawarma is a Middle Eastern dish of thinly-sliced meat that’s seasoned with warming spices (like cumin, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, etc.) & roasted on a rotisserie. & while I love shawarma chicken, beef & lamb just as much as the next person, I reeeally wanted to create a plant-based shawarma recipe.
So that’s exactly how we got here: a delicious & satisfying veggie shawarma recipe with chickpeas, cauliflower, sweet potato, and allllllll of the classic shawarma spices. The warm Middle Eastern-inspired spices come alive in the oven, & the honey helps creates those addictively caramelized crispy bits that you crave when you think of shawarma.
& it’s seriously straight-up GOOD!
How to make veggie shawarma:
You want to know the best part about this veggie shawarma recipe?
It’s seriously EASY.
This meatless shawarma is a 40-minute sheet-pan dinner with just 15 minutes of active prep time. You can even meal prep parts of it in advance for even easier weeknight cooking (I share some thoughts on that below!).
Here’s an overview of how it comes together (note: full Recipe Directions are listed in the Recipe Card, below):
- Shawarma-ify the veggies and chickpeas. (yes, shawarma-ify is a real word in my book!) Toss the sweet potato, cauliflower, and chickpeas in my classic shawarma marinade (SO MUCH FLAVOR!!!) until all the vegetables are coated well.
- Roast. Pop the veggies & chickpeas on a sheet pan. Bake until veggies are tender with crispy, browned edges.
- Make tahini sauce. What is shawarma without tahini sauce?…I don’t even want to know. My tahini sauce is a simple sauce made with 4 ingredients: tahini, lemon juice, water & salt. The tahini and lemon juice sauce adds a bright flavor to this chickpea shawarma that you don’t want to miss!
- Serve your veg shawarma bowls. Top a bowl of quinoa with shawarma veggies, desired toppings, & a healthy drizzle of tahini sauce, & dig the heck in.
Veg shawarma bowl topping ideas:
I love to serve this roasted veggie & chickpea shawarma over a bed of quinoa with a TON of toppings. Life’s all about the toppings, right?
So really, anything goes when it comes to these veg bowls, but here are my faves:
- shredded cabbage or lettuce – adds delish crunch & a little extra green never hurt anyone!
- thinly sliced cucumber – cool cucumbers pair perfectly with the warm shawarma spices.
- thinly sliced red onion – if you’re like me & raw onions are a bit too much, just soak them in ice water for 10-15 minutes…it totally takes some of that bite away. Or! Give them a quick pickle. This is my fave easy pickled red onion recipe.
- crumbled feta cheese – optional, but adds great salty flavor, but can definitely omit for a vegan option.
- chopped cilantro – i can’t imagine this veggie shawarma recipe without a little cilantro, but it’s totally optional.
- tahini sauce – adds a great creaminess to the veg shawarma bowls (and is dairy-free!)
& if bowls aren’t your style, you can totally enjoy this chickpea & veggie shawarma piled on top of a fluffy pita or in a warm naan bread sandwich. Pile on the toppings & dive into veggie heaven…
I hope you give this Veggie Shawarma Recipe a try very soon – I’m pretty sure it’ll be quick to make it to your weekly Meatless Monday rotation!
If you do give it a try, be sure to leave a comment and a star rating below. Oh! & snap a photo & tag me, @playswellwithbutter, onInstagram. One of my favorite things is seeing your pwwb creations!
More Recipes Like This:
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- Sheet Pan Crispy Chicken Carnitas with Winter Citrus Pico de Gallo
- Chicken al Pastor
- Sheet Pan Chicken Sausage and Harvest Veggies
Roasted Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Veggie Shawarma Bowls
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 37 reviews
- Author: Jess Larson
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: mains, salad
- Method: roasted
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Lebanese
Description
Sheet pan veggie shawarma bowls with roasted cauliflower & sweet potato – this EASY and HEALTHY veggie shawarma recipe is the ultimate sheet-pan veg shawarma dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
for the bowls:
- 1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
- 1 small head cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized florets
- 1 sweet potato, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoonground black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- for serving:quinoa, shredded cabbageorlettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, thinly slicedred onions, tahini sauce (below), etc.
for the shawarma seasoning:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1lemon, juiced
- 3clovesgarlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syruporhoney
- 1 ½ tspground cumin
- 1 ½ tspsmokedpaprika
- ¾ teaspoonground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoonground ginger
- ¾ teaspoondried oregano
- ¾ teaspoonground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspooncayenne pepper
- water, as needed
for the tahini sauce:
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- water, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up. Set aside. Spread the drained & rinsed chickpeas over a couple of paper towels and pat dry. Seems annoying, I know, but water is the enemy when it comes to crispy roasted chickpeas…patting them dry is key. Set aside.
- Prep the shawarma seasoning:Add all listed ingredients to a large bowl. Stir to combine. Depending on how juicy your lemon is, you may want to add in a splash of water to loosen the seasoning up enough to coat all the veggies & chickpeas. Set aside, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Shawarma-ify the veggies & chickpeas:To the large bowl with the shawarma seasoning, add the chickpeas, cauliflower florets & diced sweet potato. Season with the salt and ground black pepper. Toss to coat the veggies & chickpeas with the shawarma sauce, ensuring everything is coated evenly. Transfer the shawarma veggies & chickpeas to the prepared baking sheets, arranging everything with enough room around it to roast up nicely.
- Roast the shawarma chickpeas & veggies for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through, until the cauliflower & sweet potato are tender with crispy, browned edges. Remove from the oven & squeeze the lemon juice over top. Set aside.
- Make the tahini sauce:Meanwhile, as the veggies & chickpeas roast, make the tahini sauce. Combine all listed ingredients in a medium bowl, whisking to combine. Add a splash of water to loosen the tahini sauce to your desired consistency. Set aside, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- Serve! Pile the crispy shawarma veggies & chickpeas over top quinoa, shredded cabbage or lettuce, & top with thinly sliced cucumber & red onion, crumbled feta cheese, chopped cilantro, & tahini sauce as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Shawarma: The shawarma seasoning used here is based on my popular shawarma marinade recipe. If you love the spice blend, definitely check out the marinade…& maybe make yourself a chicken shawarma hummus bowl…you can thank me later!
- Adaptations:
- Make it vegan: Simply swap the honey in the shawarma seasoning with pure maple syrup & omit any cheese in your final dish.
- Make it dairy-free:Omit any cheese in your final dish.
- Meal prep:Shawarma bowls aresuper meal prep friendly. Depending on how much time you have, here are 2 plans of attack:
- 10-minute meal prep:Chop the cauliflower & sweet potato. Prep the shawarma seasoning according to Step 2 of Recipe Directions. Store everything separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. At dinner time, all you have to do is preheat the oven, toss & roast the shawarma veggies & prep the tahini sauce.
- 15-minute meal prep:Do 10-minute meal prep & add the tahini sauce to your list. Store everything separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Dinner will be mostly inactive since all you have to do is toss & roast the shawarma veggies & chickpeas! EASY!
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