Aromatic Shawarma Spice is easy to make at home! Use this Middle Eastern seasoning on roasted chickpeas, vegetables, chicken, fish, lamb, and meats.
This easy homemade shawarma seasoning is a Middle Eastern staple– warm, spicy, and earthy. Making your own shawarma spice blend keeps the flavors fresh and vibrant allowing you to customize the heat to your liking.
It also makes a lovely gift, and if you want more homemade kitchen gift ideas, be sure to check out our 30+ Handmade Gifts from the Kitchen!
Use this fragrant shawarma seasoning as a dry rub for chicken, beef, lamb, or tofu. Or try it in your favorite Middle Eastern recipes!
What is Shawarma Spice?
Shawarma spice is a savory and aromatic seasoning blend commonly used in Middle Eastern cuisine to flavor the popular shawarma dish. Traditionally, shawarma is a type of street food consisting of meat that has been marinated, stacked in a cone-like shape, and then slowly roasted on a rotating vertical spit. The spice blend used in this preparation provides its distinctive taste.
Why You’ll Love It!
- Rich, aromatic flavor. Warm, spicy, and earthy. And customizable!
- So many uses! Use as a dry rub for grilled meats or tofu, and add to curries, scrambles, soups, and veggies.
- Fresh. Making homemade spice blends ensures the best, freshest flavor.
- Easy. Simply combine fewer than 10 spices together!
Shawarma Ingredients
Customize to suit your own preferences!
- Ground cumin: For earthiness. Or use whole seeds and grind them.
- Ground coriander: Adds fresh, floral flavor. You can also use whole seeds and grind them.
- Ground turmeric: Pungent earthy taste with a hint of spicy flavor.
- Garlic powder: For a savory aroma.
- Sweet paprika: Adds a nice touch of sweetness and beautiful color.
- Ground ginger: Warm and tangy with a little spicy kick.
- Allspice: We like to use allspice here because it tastes like a combination of nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. You can also sub any of these spices if desired, or sub cardamom.
- Black pepper: Use black peppercorns, freshly ground. Adds peppery kick!
- Cayenne: Adjust to taste, adding more if you like more heat.
How to Make Shawarma Spice Mix
Step 1: Combine. Mix all of the spices together in a bowl.
Step 2: Store. Store in a sealed jar at room temperature.
It’s as simple as that—with tons of flavor!
Ways to Use Shawarma Spice
- Cauliflower Shawarma
- Slow-Roasted Lamb Shawarma
- Easy Grilled Chicken Shawarma
- Baked Chicken Shawarma
- Season roasted chickpeas or roasted veggies and tuck into pita bread
- Add a tablespoon of seasoning to use in marinades
- Use as a dry rub on your favorite proteins
- Shake with lemon juice, tahini, and oil to make a salad dressing
Why Make Homemade Spice Blends?
Homemade spice blends offer several benefits over store-bought options! Here are some compelling reasons to start making your own spice mixes:
- Customization: Adjust the flavors to suit your taste preferences. Want more heat, less salt, or a hint of sweetness? You can tweak the ingredients until you get the perfect balance, creating a personalized flavor profile.
- Freshness: Spices lose their potency over time, and store-bought blends may not be as fresh as you’d like. Mixing your own spices ensures that you’re getting the most vibrant, robust flavors possible, which can significantly enhance your dishes.
- Cost-effectiveness: Buying individual spices and combining them at home can be more economical than purchasing premixed seasonings. You can buy spices in bulk, mix the exact amounts you need, and save money in the long run.
- No additives or preservatives: Many commercial spice blends contain unnecessary additives, anti-caking agents, or preservatives. Making your spice mix means you control the ingredients, ensuring your seasonings are natural and healthy.
- Enjoyment and satisfaction: There’s a particular joy in creating something from scratch, and spice blends are no exception. Experimenting with different spices can be a fun and rewarding experience, enhancing your skills and deepening your understanding of flavors.
FAQs
This salt-free spice blend features turmeric and cumin, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Altogether, the spices in this blend promote digestion and enhance the immune system.
For freshest flavor, use within 1 month, stored in a small jar at room temperature. You can also freeze if you wish to have longer shelf life.
We hope you enjoy this Shawarma seasoning blend! Let us know in the comments how you end up using it!
Thanks for rating the recipes…it helps others find them and encourages people to try them out as well.
xoxo
More Spice Blends To Try
Shawarma Spice Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1/2 cup
- Category: spice blend
- Method: stirred
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Aromatic Shawarma Spice is easy to make at home! Use this Middle Eastern seasoning on roasted chickpeas, vegetables, chicken, fish, lamb, and meats.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all the spices in a bowl.
- Store in a sealed airtight container or jar at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 teaspoon
- Calories: 5
- Sugar: 0.1 g
- Sodium: 1.6 mg
- Fat: 0.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0.9 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Perfect balance of spices!
Great Sandy!
I love making spice blends and storing in the freezer for quick meals. What quantity of this would you recommend for your Chicken Shawarma. Should I use less garlic in the marinade since this includes garlic powder? That recipe has been on my list to make since discovering your site a few months ago. Thanks!
The marinade for the Chicken Shawarma recipe is pretty close to the same spice blend, so you wouldn’t need to use additional spice. Am I understanding your question Robin?
Since there is no garlic powder in the Chicken Shawarma marinade recipe (but 8 garlic cloves) and the Shawarma spice blend has 2 tsp garlic powder I’m wondering if I should cut down on number of cloves if using the blend.
That depends on your love of garlic. If you think it will be too garlicky you can cut back a bit.
Wondering how much “heat” the cayenne gives this recipe?
On the mild side.