Cauliflower Chickpea Shawarma with Herb Yogurt Tahini Sauce are a fun, flavourful, and healthy vegetarian meal. They can easily be made vegan, too!
Well, today calls for something fun, satisfying, and springy, don’t you think? I believe that these chickpea cauliflower shawarma rank among my favourite recipes of 2021. Shawarma spice-roasted chickpeas and cauliflower are loaded onto homemade naan or pitas along with hummus, spinach, quick pickled radishes, feta, and a creamy + tangy Greek yogurt herb lemon tahini sauce.
But before I get into the recipe details, how is your week going thus far? I hope it’s going great! I guess I’ll give you a little update on what I’ve been up to. I’m going to be moving out to Alberta for my education degree at the end of August, so I have been doing some planning for that- doing an inventory of what I’m going to take with me and what I’m going to leave here at my parents’ place, and all the other details that go along with moving across the country. I find it a bit draining, albeit in a good way because I’m very excited about what’s to come. However, one thing that I struggle with is becoming overwhelmed by all that needs to be done. But the good thing is that I have about three months to get everything in order. And at the end of the day, I’m really excited about moving out for good (like many young people these days, I’ve “boomeranged” a bit between living on my own and living with my parents throughout my early 20s). I can’t wait to call Edmonton home for at least a couple of years while I attend teacher’s college there; I’ve heard great things about it and I really look forward to exploring all that it has to offer and sharing some of my experiences on the blog!
And in other news, I’m going to be doing some recipe development and marketing for a local farm CSA here in Ottawa for the summer, so I’ve been brainstorming for that in preparation for that little gig to start in a couple of weeks. The days have just been flying by in the best possible way.
Chickpea Cauliflower Shawarma Details
But let’s get back to these chickpea cauliflower shawarma! I have been told that Ottawa, where I have spent most of my years, is known as the shawarma capital of Canada, and perhaps even the world. Given the number of shawarma joints in operation here, I would have to believe this! I thought that it was only appropriate to pay homage to my hometown by creating my own vegetarian shawarma recipe.
what is shawarma?
Shawarma is usually made with lamb, chicken, beef, or even goat meat, layered on a warm pita or other flatbread with all manner of condiments and toppings. I like to think of it as a Middle Eastern burrito. Typically, there will be hummus, garlic sauce, feta, pickled vegetables, and potatoes along with the meat. In this recipe, I’ve replaced the shawarma meat with cauliflower and chickpeas that are roasted to perfection with shawarma spices.
oh, homemade naan
I opted to make my own naan using my favourite recipe from Gimme Some Oven. You could use store-bought naan or pitas, but I highly recommend making your own here. Homemade naan is unparalleled in flavour and texture, and it’s surprisingly easy.
the components of these vegetarian shawarma
Beyond the shawarma spice-roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, you’ll be whipping up some quick pickled radishes, lemon herb yogurt tahini sauce, and hummus to complete your shawarma. You will also need some crunchy raw veggies, such as sliced cucumber, spinach, or lettuce.
a breakdown of the ingredients you will need
For the shawarma spice blend, you will need allspice, garlic powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, chili powder, oregano, and sea salt.
For the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, you will need a head of cauliflower, cooked chickpeas, extra virgin olive oil, the shawarma spice blend, and freshly ground black pepper.
For the quick-pickled radishes, you will need radishes, apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup or honey, and sea salt.
For the green tahini yogurt sauce, you will need Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, sea salt, maple syrup or honey, pepper, fresh herbs (I used a mix of parsley, cilantro, and mint), and cumin.
For the quick-pickled radishes, you will need radishes, apple cider vinegar, water, maple syrup or honey, and sea salt.
For assembling the shawarma, you will need naan or pitas, hummus (homemade is recommended, but store-bought can be used in a pinch), spinach or lettuce, cucumber, feta, and all of the above fillings.
While there are many components, trust me when I tell you that the work is worth it. If you don’t have time to make them tonight, maybe save them as a fun weekend dinner that you can spend a couple of fun hours in the kitchen preparing. 🙂
the method
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper if desired.
Make the shawarma spice blend: Stir together the allspice, garlic powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, chili powder, oregano, and sea salt in a small bowl.
Roast the cauliflower and chickpeas: Place the cauliflower florets and chickpeas in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the shawarma spice over top. (I used all of it, but feel free to use only half or three quarters of it if you don’t love a ton of spice.) Add freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Toss to coat and transfer onto the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and slightly charred around the edges.
Meanwhile, prepare the quick pickled radishes: Place the sliced radishes in a heatproof 16-oz jar. In a small saucepan, combine the water, apple cider vinegar, salt, and maple syrup or honey. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and pour over the radishes. Set aside to pickle for at least 20 minutes.
Make the green tahini yogurt sauce: Place the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, maple syrup or honey, pepper, herbs, and cumin in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until smooth and transfer into a jar or container. Rinse out the bowl of the food processor to make the hummus.
Make the hummus: Place the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until smooth and creamy, adding a splash of water to thin it out, if desired.
Assemble the shawarma: Spread a generous amount of hummus down the centre of a naan or pita bread. Top with some spinach and cucumber, followed by roasted chickpeas and cauliflower, quick pickled radishes, sauce, and feta. Eat!
frequently asked questions
How can I turn this into a vegan dish? Swap out the Greek yogurt for your favourite thick non-dairy yogurt, and use vegan feta in place of the goat feta. You can also check out this vegan naan recipe for the bread portion, or simply use store-bought pitas.
Can I make this ahead of time? Yes! The hummus, yogurt tahini sauce, quick pickled radishes, and roasted cauliflower and chickpeas can all be made ahead of time. Reheat the cauliflower and chickpeas on a baking sheet in a 350F oven for 10 minutes before serving.
Any other serving ideas if I want to skip the naan? You could make shawarma bowls by omitting the naan or pitas and serving everything in bowls with some cooked quinoa or rice.
more cauliflower recipes
- Vegan Cauliflower Parmesan Bites
- Cauliflower Walnut Taco Meat
- Roasted Cauliflower, Fennel, and Apple Soup
Finally, I hope that you love these vegetarian cauliflower chickpea shawarma! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, be sure to tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made!
Enjoy!
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Cauliflower Chickpea Shawarma with Herb Yogurt Tahini Sauce
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Cauliflower Chickpea Shawarma with Herb Yogurt Tahini Sauce are a fun, flavourful, and healthy vegetarian meal. They can easily be made vegan, too!
Ingredients
Shawarma Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon mild chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpeas
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped into medium florets
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 14-oz can, drained and rinsed)
- 2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Shawarma spice blend (above)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Quick Pickled Radishes
- 1 bunch of radishes, stems and root tips removed and thinly sliced
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
Yogurt Herb Tahini Sauce
- ½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 3–4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup fresh herbs of choice (I used ⅓ cup each parsley, cilantro, and mint leaves)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Water to thin, if desired
Hummus
- 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 14-oz can, drained and rinsed)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 4–6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
- 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
- ½–1 teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Water to thin, if desired
Everything Else
- 6 pitas or naan breads (I love this naan recipe)
- Sliced cucumber
- Chopped romaine lettuce or spinach
- Crumbled goat or sheep feta
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper if desired.
- Make the shawarma spice blend: Stir together the allspice, garlic powder, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, chili powder, oregano, and sea salt in a small bowl.
- Roast the cauliflower and chickpeas: Place the cauliflower florets and chickpeas in a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle the shawarma spice over top. (I used all of it, but feel free to use only half or three quarters of it if you don’t love a ton of spice.) Add freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Toss to coat and transfer onto the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender and slightly charred around the edges.
- Meanwhile, prepare the quick pickled radishes: Place the sliced radishes in a heatproof 16-oz jar. In a small saucepan, combine the water, apple cider vinegar, salt, and maple syrup or honey. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, and pour over the radishes. Set aside to pickle for at least 20 minutes.
- Make the green tahini yogurt sauce: Place the Greek yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, maple syrup or honey, pepper, herbs, and cumin in a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade. Process until smooth and transfer into a jar or container. Rinse out the bowl of the food processor to make the hummus.
- Make the hummus: Place the chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper in the food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade and process until smooth and creamy, adding a splash of water to thin it out, if desired. Transfer into a container.
- Assemble the shawarma: Spread a generous amount of hummus down the centre of a naan or pita bread. Top with some spinach and cucumber, followed by roasted chickpeas and cauliflower, quick pickled radishes, sauce, and feta. Add a spritz of lemon juice, if desired. Eat!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Keywords: chickpea cauliflower shawarma
Sue
Sounds like you are entering an exciting phase in your life, I wish you lots of growth, joy and happy experiences.
Allison
Thank you, Sue! That means a lot. 🙂