Beef Shawarma
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This homemade Beef Shawarma recipe is packed with bold, Middle Eastern flavor and couldn’t be easier to make! Tender skirt steak is marinated in a warm, spiced shawarma marinade, then grilled to perfection and wrapped up in pita bread with your favorite toppings. It’s perfect for a flavorful weeknight dinner or meal prepping beef shawarma bowls to eat throughout the week.
Why you’ll love this beef shawarma
When it comes to grilling a delicious steak, the key is a great seasoning or a great marinade, for this recipe, we have both! After perfecting my shawarma seasoning recipe, I immediately combined it with red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil to make an incredibly flavorful shawarma marinade.
I picked out a beautiful skirt steak, that’s both tender in texture and rich and beefy in flavor, to add to the shawarma marinade. The result was perfection! Here’s why I love this recipe and know that you will too.
- The flavor is incredible! And let’s be honest, that is the most important part of a recipe. After one taste, you’ll fall in love with the warm, earthy spices, combined with the bright citrus marinade. After testing and perfecting this recipe, I’ve been making it on repeat because the flavor is just so good!
- It’s really easy to make. No vertical spit needed, you can cook this beef shawarma right on the grill. All you need is about 5 minutes to mix up the marinade in the morning, then you can let the steak marinade all day. Come home and toss it on the grill for 10 minutes and you’ve got the best beef shawarma ever!
- It’s versatile. You can toss the beef in pita bread with veggies and garlic sauce to make a delicious wrap, similar to a Greek gyro. You can also serve it on top of a salad, or in a bowl with rice. I like to slice it up and eat it with a tomato cucumber salad on the side. What I’m saying is, it’s easy to turn this steak shawarma into a variety of different meals. You can even meal-prep it to eat throughout the week!
Ingredients
Here I explain the best ingredients for this beef shawarma recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For the exact ingredient measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Shawarma seasoning – click the link to the left to grab my homemade shawarma seasoning mix and make a big batch ahead of time. You can store it in the pantry for up to 6 months. I’ll also give you the exact ingredients in the recipe card below, so you can make just enough for this recipe if you want.
- Olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh lemon juice
- Skirt steak – this is the best cut of beef for making beef shawarma. It has a rich, beefy flavor and is incredibly tender when marinated, grilled, and sliced against the grain. I’ve also made this recipe with flank steak, but because of it’s denser texture it does not absorb the marinade as well, which means the end result is not as tender or flavorful.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Marinate the beef. In a large zipper bag, combine all of the spices with lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add the steak to the bag and toss until the beef is fully coated in the marinade. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
- Grill the beef. Heat a grill over medium-high heat. Once the grill is hot, use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade and place it on the hot grill. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 130°F for medium-rare. As the steak rests, the internal temp will rise between 5-10 degrees.
- Slice the beef. After removing the steak from the grill, allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. When slicing a skirt steak, you’ll see that the grains run crosswise (the short way) on the steak. Because this is a thin, coarse cut of steak, it’s super important to cut against the grain. I recommend slicing the steak into three sections, with the grain, then slicing against the grain to get 3-4 inch slices of steak. This is perfect for serving on a plate, bowl, or salad. You can also dice up the beef, if you’re adding it to pita bread for a wrap.
Ways to serve it
- As a wrap – warm up a piece of pita bread, then add the beef shawarma to the middle with your favorite toppings. I like to add cucumber tomato salad, pickled onions, feta cheese, and a drizzle of garlic sauce or tahini sauce.
- On a salad – toss spring mix, halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onions, and diced cucumbers with lemon vinaigrette dressing. Top with the beef shawarma and feta cheese crumbles.
- In a bowl – prepare lemon rice or quinoa then divide it between bowls. Top with the beef shawarma and any other toppings of your choice like cucumber tomato salad, tahini sauce, or feta cheese.
- With fries – make Middle Eastern steak frites by adding the sliced steak to a plate with air fryer french fries tossed with feta cheese and za’atar. Top with fresh chopped parsley and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Serve garlic sauce on the side.
How to make it on the stove
No grill? No problem. Prepare the marinade as instructed, but instead of marinating the entire steak, slice it against the grain into thin strips that are about 3 inches long. Add the slices of beef to the marinade and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
When you’re ready to cook the beef, heat a large skillet (preferably a cast iron skillet) on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, use tongs to remove the beef strips from the bag of marinade and add them to the hot skillet. Spread them out in an even layer so each piece of beef is touching the hot pan. This is important for getting a nice caramelized crust on the outside of the beef. It also means you’ll probably have to cook the beef in two batches.
Cook the beef in the skillet for 8-10 minutes. Flip the beef occasionally so it gets browned on all sides. Repeat until all of the beef is cooked.
More beef recipes
After you try this beef shawarma, be sure to check out the other most popular beef recipes on the blog!
Beef Shawarma
Ingredients
Shawarma Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Steak Shawarma Marinade
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 pounds skirt steak, or flank steak
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients for the seasoning in a large zipper bag. Add the olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice to the seasoning and toss to combine.
- Add the steak and coat it in the marinade. Place in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat.
- Once the grill is hot, use tongs to remove the steak from the marinade and place it on the hot grill. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the steak reaches 130°F for medium-rare. As the steak rests, the internal temp will rise between 5-10 degrees.
- After removing the steak from the grill, allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. When slicing a skirt steak, you’ll see that the grains run crosswise (the short way) on the steak. Because this is a thin, coarse cut of steak, it’s super important to cut against the grain. I recommend slicing the steak into three sections, with the grain, then slicing against the grain to get 3-4 inch slices of steak.
Notes
- If you don’t have a grill, refer to the blog post above for instructions on how to make this recipe on the stovetop.
- Store any beef shawarma leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Facts
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