Easy Vegetarian Shawarma with Lentils
I’ll admit, I make meals from leftovers at least 1-2 times a week. I often have food in the fridge or freezer that needs to be eaten, but I don’t want to eat the same thing over and over. That’s how this vegan shawarma recipe was born—leftover rice and lentils, jazzed up with flavorful shawarma seasoning. I love serving this rice and lentil shawarma in a bowl with cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions for a fresh pop of flavor.
If you’re like many of my former nutrition clients, you’re busy and don’t always have time for new meals. This recipe is perfect for you, it takes just 10 minutes to make, and I’ve included easy swaps in case you don’t have leftovers on hand.
If you enjoy this quick vegan leftover meal, you’ll love my Tuscan White Bean Skillet Meal or these Green Goddess Bowls.
This vegan shawarma recipe is a quick 10-minute meal that’s perfect for busy weeknights. Using budget-friendly ingredients like rice and lentils, it’s easy to customize based on what you have on hand, serve it in pitas, tortillas, or on salad greens. Great for meal prep, it’s a versatile dish that works for both plant-based eaters and meat-lovers, making it a hit for any occasion!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Red onion and garlic – added for a deep, savory base for the dish. Be sure to sauté them before adding the rest of the ingredients to get the full depth of flavor. Substitute with white, yellow, or green onions. If you don’t have fresh garlic, use garlic powder (about ½ teaspoon).
- Cooked lentils – Green or brown lentils work best. You can either cook them ahead of time or use precooked lentils (steamed or canned), just be sure to drain and rinse canned lentils. Chickpeas, white beans, or black beans work well in place of lentils. Avoid red lentils as they become too soft.
- Cooked rice – Leftover jasmine or basmati rice is perfect for this recipe. If you don’t have leftovers, frozen rice or quick-cook rice can be used as alternatives. Sub with cooked quinoa or cauliflower rice for a lower-carb option.
- Vegetable broth – Keeps the dish moist and helps lift the caramelized bits from the pan, adding extra flavor.
- Spices (Salt, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric) – These spices are key to creating a quick, flavorful shawarma seasoning. If you don’t have paprika or cumin, try smoked paprika or chili powder. If you don’t have cinnamon, swap with garam masala. No turmeric, omit it.
Optional:
- Salad veggies: Lettuce, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, kalamata olives – these veggies provide a base for the vegan shawarma bowls
- Pita or tortilla shells for stuffing the vegetarian shawarma ingredients in.
How to make vegan shawarma
Start by preheating a large skillet over medium heat.
Finely chop the onions and garlic.
Add the olive oil to the hot pan then add the chopped red onions and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Once the onions start to cook down, add the lentils and half the spice mixture. Stir well and cook 1-2 minutes.
Add the rice, the rest of the spices and the vegetable broth. Stir well, turn off the heat and cover the pan.
Chop the fresh veggies for the salad or pita and make the dressing in the blender (optional).
Assemble the vegan shawarma in bowls or stuff in pitas and enjoy.
Sam’s Tips for Success
- Scrape the brown bits – After adding vegetable broth, be sure to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. These bits are packed with flavor and will enhance the overall taste of the dish.
- Turn off the heat when adding rice – Once you add the rice and vegetable broth, turn off the skillet. The heat from the skillet and lentils will be enough to warm the rice without it sticking.
- Prep ahead – Make lentils ahead of time, or buy precooked lentils from the refrigerated produce section or canned in the beans aisle. You can also swap lentils with cooked chickpeas or white beans.
- Rice prep – Cook your rice in advance during weekly meal prep, or use quick-cooking rice or frozen jasmine rice from the store. Be sure to defrost frozen rice before adding it to the dish.
- Make extra shawarma seasoning – Make a big batch of the shawarma seasoning to keep on hand. It’s great for veggies, or as a shortcut for future meals.
How to serve shawarma
- Make shawarma pitas. Stuffed in a pita, gluten free tortilla or lentil flatbread with fresh veggies and homemade hummus.
- Make vegan shawarma bowls. Over salad greens with cilantro tahini dressing.
- Make vegetarian shawarma nachos. Over tortilla chips or pita chips with pickled onions and tahini lime dressing.
Vegan Shawarma Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1.5 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 3 cups cooked lentils
- 2.5 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 1 cup vegetable broth
Salad Ingredients (optional)
- 3 heads romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3 tbsp. kalamata olives
- 1/4 medium red onion, sliced
- 1 cup cucumber, sliced
Cilantro Tahini Dressing (optional)
- 3.5 tablespoon tahini
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Start by finely chopping 1 medium onion and 2 garlic cloves. While that you are working on this, preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
- When the skillet is preheated, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and onions, cook 3-4 minutes.
- After 3-4 minutes, add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- After 1 minute, add 2 teaspoons paprika, 1.5 teaspoons of garlic powder, ground cumin and salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and turmeric and 3 cups cooked lentils to the onions. Stir well and cook 2-3 minutes until lentils are warmed through.
- After 1 minute, add 1 cup vegetable broth and 2.5 cups cooked rice. Stir well. Turn off the heat and cover the skillet, let the residual heat warm the rice.
- Optional: While the lid is on the skillet, chop 3 heads romaine lettuce, half 1 cup cherry tomatoes, slice1/4 of a medium red onion and 1 cup of cucumber and half 3 tablespoons olives.
- If you are making the dressing, put 3.5 tablespoons tahini, 3 tablespoons water, the juice of 1 lime, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon of both garlic powder and salt in the blender and blend on high 1 minute until smooth.
- Assemble the salad bowls with veggies, shawarma rice and lentils and top with dressing.
Notes
- Scrape down the brown bits at the bottom of the skillet.
- Turn off the skillet after you add the rice and vegetable broth.
- Buy precooked lentils in the grocery store. You can also use cooked chickpeas or white beans.
- You can buy quick cooking rice from grocery store or use frozen rice (defrost before using).
Nutrition Information
Common questions
What is shawarma?
Shawarma is a middle eastern/Mediterranean dish that is typically made of meat or chicken that is slow roasted and shaved off the skewer right onto a pita and served with a creamy yogurt dressing.
This vegan shawarma recipe swaps the meat for lentils and rice, making it both budget friendly and plant-based while maintaining the flavorful, aromatic spices of traditional shawarma.
What are shawarma spices?
Shawarma spices vary by region and recipe but often include spices like paprika, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg, cloves, all spice, cayenne. There is typically a balance of savory and sweeter spices in the blend.
How to make rice in advance?
For the best results when meal prepping, I recommend jasmine or basmati rice, as they don’t dry out when stored. Both white and brown varieties work well. The Instant Pot makes it super easy to cook a large batch—just set it, forget it, and store the rice in the fridge or freezer. I like using Pyrex bowls for storage in the fridge and freeze leftover rice in 1-cup portions using Soupercubes for easy defrosting. This way, you always have rice ready to go when you need it.
What if you don’t have rice prepped?
You can make rice in the instant pot or on the stove, that will add about 20 minutes to the cooking time of this recipe.
Another option would be to use quick-cooking rice or even frozen jasmine rice. These are great alternatives and can be ready in just a few minutes—perfect for when you’re in a pinch!
