It looks like lamb shawarma, feels like lamb shawarma, and tastes quite similar to one too. But it's 100% vegan and uses only natural non-refined ingredients. Magic? No, friend. It's king oyster mushrooms shawarma! You won't believe how good this is until you try it.
We wanted to turn the classic lamb doner recipe vegan without using any ready-made meat alternatives. To do that, we needed something that would look like, and feel like lamb, possibly even taste similar to it once seasoned. King oyster mushrooms were a perfect choice.
Shawarma meat is seasoned with a mix of Mediterranean spices; then it's roasted on a spit and sliced thinly. By slicing the stems of king oyster mushrooms with a potato peeler, we get a similar look to a strip of lamb meat. We then dip these strips in a spicy marinade and roast them in the oven.
It's really that simple, but the result is remarkable. Add a few other of your favourite doner ingredients, like tomatoes, fresh lettuce, and onions, and you've got magic in your hands. For the final touch, you can make our fresh and spicy "kebab-shop" chilli sauce, or use your favourite.
And the best thing is, this veggie shawarma is incredibly wholesome. With its 100% plant-based ingredients, one wrap has only 6g (9% of the RDI) of fats! That is half the fats than traditional lamb shawarma. And it's filled with all the good nutrients and vitamins you get from mushrooms, tomatoes, and the other veggies. Plus, we used wholemeal pittas for the extra fibres.
You can prepare and cook everything in less than 30 minutes — it's faster than takeaway. We loved this recipe (as you can probably tell by our excitement) and we hope you will too. Follow the steps below and enjoy!
Is shawarma vegan?
Classic shawarma contains meat, either chicken or lamb. Many kebab shops sell vegan doners. From our experience in London, most use commercial meat-alternatives, like Quorn or seitan, or go straight into falafel territory.
With our recipe above, we wanted to give you the option to make vegan shawarma at home that feels authentic using a simple and unrefined ingredient: mushrooms.
You could use any mushroom you liked, but there's one of them that really excels at reproducing the consistency of meat. It's the king oyster mushroom, also known as royal trumpet mushroom, or technically as Pleurotus eryngii.
Honestly, the more we use this mushroom in recipes, the more we love it. It's super meaty, it keeps its shape very well (minimum shrinking), and has an incredible flavour that stands on its own or pairs wonderfully with sauces. It was the perfect choice for this recipe!
Is this vegan shawarma healthy?
Is this vegan mushroom shawarma healthier than one made with lamb?
The only way to find out is to compare the nutritional profile of the only two different ingredients between our recipe and the classic recipe: king oyster mushrooms and lamb.
Although lamb has about three times more proteins, it's high in fat and saturates. Classic cuts for making kebabs include lamb shank, leg, or neck. Weight by weight, this type of meat has six times more saturated fats and ten times more fats than king oyster mushrooms.
Thus, swapping lamb with mushrooms means your kebab is much lower in fats and hence calories.
Moreover, even if mushrooms are lower in proteins than lamb, one of our wraps covers one fourth (about 24%) of your recommended daily intake (RDI) for this nutrient.
Therefore, opting for a veggie shawarma made with mushrooms will help you eat fewer fats and calories, yet consuming enough proteins to meet your daily needs.
How spicy is this kebab?
You can make this mushroom doner as spicy as you like it. You can use sriracha sauce, or a garlic sauce, or any other sauce you fancy. If you like wholesome and unrefined sauces, check out our homemade spicy sauce for kebab. It's quick and easy to make and goes perfectly with this wrap.
Ingredients
| Mushroom Shawarma | |
| King Oyster Mushrooms | 480 g |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | 2 tbsp |
| Garlic Cloves | 2 |
| Paprika | 2 tsp |
| Oregano | 2 tsp |
| Cumin Seeds | 2 tsp |
| To Serve | |
| Tomatoes | 4 |
| Red Onion | 1 |
| Wholemeal Flatbreads | 4 |
| Lettuce | 160 g |
| Chilli Saucerecipe | 4 tbsp |
Step 1
Trim off the caps of the king oyster mushrooms and then use a potato peeler to slice their stems into thin strips.
Next, combine the extra virgin olive oil with crushed garlic, paprika, oregano, and cumin seeds. Stir well and then pour a few tablespoons of water to loosen up the marinade.
Now, add the mushrooms strips to the seasoning and toss until completely coated.
Step 2
Arrange the mushrooms strips flat onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Roast them in the preheated oven for 12 minutes at 190°C (375°F) for conventional ovens or at 170°C (340°F) for fan ovens.
Step 3
Meanwhile, thinly slice the tomatoes and the onions (1).
Then, heat the wholemeal pittas in the oven for a few minutes or until they're soft and warm.
Now, divide shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and onions among the flatbreads (2).
Step 4
Top the salad with the grilled mushroom shawarma and spoon the chilli sauce over.
You can use any store-bought spicy sauce or make it from scratch with our quick recipe here.
Finally, wrap the flatbread around the filling and serve.
Tips
If you find raw red onions too strong for your tastes, you can roast them along with the mushrooms or swap them with shredded red cabbage.
For an extra boost of proteins, add about 85g (3 oz) of cooked chickpeas or green lentils per serving.