The most flavorful shawarma you’ll ever have! Yogurt, lemon, and warm spices tenderize the beef to create a delicious and succulent Middle Eastern dish.
In my Middle Eastern family, we are no strangers to adding spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg to savory meat dishes.
In fact, these warm spices are one of the many reasons I love Lebanese food so much!
One of my all-time favorite examples of this unique flavor combination is green beans and beef simmered in cinnamon, tomato broth served over rice.
Today I’m sharing my version of the street-side classic: beef shawarma. Lean sirloin gets a major flavor boost from a marinade full of various warm spices, plenty of lemon and garlic and of course plain yogurt to ensure a tender, delicious result.
Busy week ahead? Throw this together a few days in advance and let the meat soak up the marinade. The longer, the better.
Want to turn it into a tasty lunch? Try a Beef Shawarma Pita with Creamy Tahini Dipping Sauce. My boys love this sandwich and request it at least once a week!
If you’re looking for the perfect cucumber yogurt dip to accompany this try my Lebanese laban cucumber sauce.
Frequently asked questions:
About 1/2 cup
Yes meat can be cooked in a broiler. Should be cooked just a few minutes per side.
Yes. Take a look at this post
Your fork is waiting.
Beef Shawarma with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place sirloin strips in a glass bowl or resealable plastic bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients (yogurt through pepper) and pour over the beef strips.
- Marinade 2 hours or overnight if possible.
- Grill over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side.
- Serve with cucumber mint yogurt sauce.
Nutrition
Want more Lebanese Recipes? Check out my Pinterest board!
Joshua Walcott
This was a great recipe and everyone loved it. They said it was as good as the shawarma they had in Qatar. Thanks
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so happy to hear that!!
Liz
Do you think this recipe could be made with boneless skinless chicken breast?
Liz DellaCroce
YES! Great idea!
Asma Sheikh
Hi DellaCroce,
This looks delicious and healthy. My 6 years old son love Shawarma a lot. Hope he will love your recipe.
And thanks for the awesome one.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad Asthma! My son loves it too and he’s 7!
Debra Daniel
Hey,
Thank you for shawarma recipe, I really really like the way you explained it, Me and my family like shawarma when we ate it in asian restaurant so i’m going to try this one in upcoming weekend where we set together once in a week so this will be amazing can you please tell me if i use persian saffron in it ? Because i have purchased saffron in good saffron price that is why thinking to make a twist in it, this will be perfect or not give me some suggestion
Thanks
Debra
Liz DellaCroce
I Don’t but that’s a GREAT idea!! Please report back!
Angela
Hello, I tried making this beef shawarma recipe and it turned out very bitter and dry, almost like bitter beef jerky. Could you tell me what you think I did wrong? I feel like it might have been the lemon juice and yogurt in the marinade that made it so bitter and I may have definitely overcooked it on the grill adding to the beef jerky consistency. I am wondering what will happen if I omit the lemon juice and/or the yogurt in the marinade. What would that do to the flavor of the beef? Thanks.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for writing in! I just made this last week and my boys and husband devoured it so I’d love to help you troubleshoot where you may have gone wrong. To be clear, the lemon and yogurt acts as tenderizers breaking down the muscle tissue which is why it always turns out super tender. Did you make any substitutions to the recipe? Perhaps the type of meat or amount or type of ingredients? Let me know and we can go from there! xo Liz
Shawarma Lover
How many ml is the “2 Juice of lemons”?
Liz DellaCroce
It’s about 1/2 a cup if that helps!
Kayla Johnson
Do you have a recipe for the cucumber yogurt dip?, or did you buy it?
Liz DellaCroce
It’s linked in the recipe but here it is!! https://thelemonbowl.com/cucumber-laban-lebanese-yogurt-sauce/
My kids LOVE it!
AJ
Too much cinnamon, I would cut it back by at least half a tablespoon if not more, you don’t want your shawarma meat to smell like a cinnamon bun. Didn’t work out for my family and I, search continues.
Liz DellaCroce
Hi AJ,
I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for your family! We make this all the time and my kids love it. Did you make any other changes to the recipe? For example, did you use two cups of yogurt? Would love to make this a win for you!