Authentic Shawarma seasoning blend, just the way it’s made in the Middle East. It’s so fragrant, delicious, and easy to make. Great to season chicken, meat, vegetables, and even chickpeas.
As I grew up in the Middle East, I had lots of Shawarma in my life. It’s a popular snack/dinner food that everyone loves, and in every Jordanian town, you’ll find a Shawarma shop in almost every street. In the “Souk” you might even find 2 or 3 or even 4 Shawarma shops next to each other, and they all have their customers!
It’s just how the Middle East rolls. Shawarma = life. In the UK, these shops are called “Kebab shops” but mainly made the Turkish way. And as in Little Sunny Kitchen, we are all about healthifying recipes as much as we can so we created a Shawarma seasoning recipe for you. Of course, a Shawarma recipe will follow!
If you like Middle Eastern flavors, make sure to check out my Baharat seasoning mix which is added to all Middle Eastern dishes.
If you google Shawarma spices, you’ll find lots of recipes. But let me assure you, THIS IS the authentic recipe here!
Shawarma Seasoning Ingredients
You will need the following spices, either ground or whole:
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Cloves
- Cardamom
- Turmeric
- Ginger
- Black pepper
- Cinnamon
How to Make Shawarma Seasoning?
- First, you need to collect the spices. I don’t recommend adding any extras such as chili flakes as that will change the flavor and you’ll end up with a different spice blend.
- You can either collect ground spices and just mix them, or collect whole spices and then grind them. It depends on what you have available.
Grind the spices using a pestle and mortar or an electric grinder.
If you’re looking to buy a really good electric spice grinder, then I can recommend this Cuisinart spice grinder (currently on sale for just $36, it went down from $70).
This is the grinder that we used at the cookery school when I did my chef training, it’s so efficient and the reason why I love it because it comes with a removable stainless steel bowl (most cheaper spice grinders come with built-in bowls which makes them so difficult to clean). And you can just pop the bowl in the dishwasher! It’s also great for grinding nuts.
The KitchenAid spice grinder is also great, it comes with 2 bowls and that’s perfect if you also would like to grind coffee.
Storing Spices
Whole spices stay fresh for longer, once you grind them, they need to be stored in a cool dry place. However, homemade spices last much longer than any ground spice that you buy from a store. So store in an airtight jar in a cool dry place for up to a year.
How to Marinate Chicken or Meat With Shawarma Seasoning?
In a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of seasoning to every 1 pound of meat. Add 1 tablespoon of yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix everything together, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1-24 hours.
Make sure that you check out my chicken shawarma recipe that I made in the Instant Pot.
More Homemade Seasonings
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Shawarma Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder or garlic granules
- 1 tablespoon dried ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon dried ground turmeric
Instructions
- First, you need to collect the spices. I don’t recommend adding any extras such as chili flakes as that will change the flavor and you’ll end up with a different spice blend.
- You can either collect ground spices and just mix them, or collect whole spices and then grind them. It depends on what you have available.
Notes:
- Use 2 tablespoons of seasoning per 1 kilogram of chicken/meat, or 1 tablespoon per 1 pound of chicken/meat.
- The amounts in this recipe card will make around 6 tablespoons of seasoning which is enough for 6 pounds of chicken or meat.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe.
- To marinate chicken or meat: in a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of seasoning to every 1 pound of meat. Add 1 tablespoon of yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix everything together, cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1-24 hours.
- Store in an airtight jar in a cool dry place for up to a year.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Jami Jamison says
Hello, I was going to make this Shawarma Seasoning, and carefully gathered all the spices, but I couldn’t find any information on how much of each spice to use. Is it just equal portions of each spice?
Diana says
Hi Jami, if you look at the recipe card right before the comments section, you will find all of the amounts listed.
June De Angelis says
I love the shawarma chicken I had in Michigan. And I wanted to eat it every week! But I didn’t have a ride to the restaurant. So I had to come up with plan B. Get the recipe! Now I have it.
Nor says
How about paella recipe kindly post it I would love to try it out seafood is my fave
ehsaan says
Thanks for your information, it’s really the greatest thing, your recipe is really one of the best. Do you have the spicy biryani recipe as well, please? If so, share it if you mind.
Mahin says
I just saw this recipe and I’m sure it will taste very good definitely going to make it as soon as possible thank you