Tofu Shawarma
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A high protein vegan wrap, tofu Shawarma is usually served in a sandwich or wrap with flatbread like pita, lavash or laffa and in my case whatever tortillas need to be used up that week. Don’t forget tons of tzatziki, the best of summer’s tomatoes and crips cucumber slices. Dinner is served!
Tofu Shawarma Vegan Wraps
I like to season my tofu meat for the Shawarma with a base of baharat spice to which I add even more flavor with extra onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin and coriander and serve it with a dash of floral sumac and a generous helping of homemade Tzatziki sauce.
Prepping + Seasoning the Tofu
- Do Not Press – Use an extra firm or super firm block of tofu and pat it dry well. Do not press it as any extra moisture trapped inside will evaporate in the oven while preventing the slices from drying out.
- Boil for Ultimate Flavor – An optional step for getting optimal texture and flavor Is to boil the tofu block for 5 minutes and let it cool before slicing. This process changes the texture making it meatier and washes off any soy bean flavor by removing any brine the tofu was packed in. I like doing this prep in advance to have ready in the fridge for different recipe throughout the week. You just get a really clean palette so your seasonings really get to shine in the end.
- Slicing – Use a mandolin slicer and shred your tofu into thin slices on the skinny side. Do your best to get them as thin as possible but don’t stress about it, you can use a sharp knife and do this by hand as well. The slices will break some during seasoning and tossing which is actually perfect so you get some bits that get crispier edges and some meatier ones throughout. It’s not supposed to be uniform so go with the flow.
- Seasonings – there are different shawarma seasoning mixes you can buy and they are all a little bit different. I love seasoning mine with a baharat spice mix that I boost with extra smoked paprika, onion and garlic powders, some cumin, coriander and oregano.
The Tzatziki Sauce
This fresh creamy sauce made from vegan sour cream or yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon and dill is the perfect canvas for the umami spiced tofu slices. Make sure to squeeze as much water from the grated cucumber as you can so it doesn’t make your sauce watery. It is meant to be a garlicky sauce but you can certainly tone it down if you find 5 cloves of garlic to be a bit much.
Toppings
Tomato, cucumber and red onion with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sumac are my favorites here. However depending on the seasons you can go with different slaws, pickles and fries, pickled red onion or pickled cauliflower. Optional to finish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses.
Storage + Reheating
Store the sauce and the tofu in separate containers in the refrigerator up to 5 days. The tofu can be reheated in a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil until warmed through then piled up over a tzatziki slathered wrap.
Favorite Tofu Recipes
- Tofu Feta Cheese
- Tofu Egg Roll in A Bowl
- Tofu Lettuce Wraps
- Vegan BBQ Carnitas
- Tofu Naan Bread
- Roasted Tofu Skewers
- Tofu Taco Meat
- Best Orange Tofu
- Crispy Baked Tofu.
how to make tofu shawarma
Tofu Shawarma
Ingredients
- 16 oz block super firm or extra firm tofu
- 2 Tbsp shoyu
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1.5 Tbsp baharat spice
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 1 pinch black pepper to taste freshly cracked
- Olive oil
The Tzatziki
- 2 cups vegan sour cream
- 4-5 garlic loves grated
- 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 English cucumber with skin on rinsed well, grated and squeezed as well as you can
- 1/4 cup fresh dill roughly chopped
- 1 pinch sea salt to taste
For Serving
- pita bread, tortillas or your favorite wraps
- mixed colors of cherry or heirloom tomatoes sliced
- 1/2 English cucumber slices
- red onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Make Ahead - Mix all of the Tzatziki ingredients and refrigerate until needed.2 cups vegan sour cream, 4-5 garlic loves, 1.5 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup fresh dill, 1 pinch sea salt to taste, 1/2 English cucumber with skin on
The Tofu Shawarma Meat
- Preheat oven to 400”F. Prepare a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Remove the tofu from its package and drain well but Do Not Press it.16 oz block super firm or extra firm tofu
- Use a mandolin slicer and through the thinnest setting shred your tofu block on the shorter skinnier side. (Don’t worry if some pieces break, they don’t have to be even. If you don’t have a mandolin you can use a vegetable peeler instead).
- Add all the tofu slices to a mixing bowl and drizzle with the shoyu. Use a spatula and give it a good toss to distribute it as best as you can.2 Tbsp shoyu
- Sprinkle in the baharat seasonings and all the other spices. Gently give everything a toss around to coat the tofu well. Some pieces will break, some will get more seasonings than others and that is perfectly ok, irregularity is the name of this game).2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1.5 Tbsp baharat spice, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 pinch black pepper to taste
- Transfer all your seasoned tofu meat to the prepared baking sheet, spread it evenly as best as you can and drizzle it generously with olive oil. Roast it in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, give it a toss and roast another 5 to 10 minutes until done to your liking. You’ll want some pieces that crips up around the edges and some larger juicier meaty pieces for a nice texture contrast. (Just take good care not to overdo it, for this recipe your goal isn’t to get the tofu as crispy as you can).16 oz block super firm or extra firm tofu
- Meanwhile warm up the pita bread slather it with the Tzatziki sauce then pile up high your tofu shawarma meat. Finish with tomato, cucumber and red onion slices and a drizzle of olive oil. Wrap it up in a cone and enjoy with extra Tzatziki sauce on the side.pita bread, tortillas or your favorite wraps, mixed colors of cherry or heirloom tomatoes, 1/2 English cucumber slices, red onion, Olive oil
