Vegetarian Shawarma is a sheet-pan dinner featuring roasted veggies seasoned with a bright and flavorful mix of olive oil, lemon, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika.
Skip the meat and instead roast a rainbow of vegetables seasoned with shawarma-inspired flavor. A generous squeeze of lemon, plus olive oil, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika give these roasted veggies bright and sunny flavor.
You can make this Mediterranean vegetarian dinner with any vegetables you have on hand, although I recommend keeping potatoes in the mix. The creamy, crispy texture of roasted potatoes can't be beat, and potatoes make this vegetarian dinner more filling.
If you're looking for more sheet-pan dinners, try sheet-pan soy sauce chicken and broccoli, or sheet-pan honey mustard chicken and cauliflower.
Sheet-pans are also perfect for cooking a tray of vegetables, like Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes with maple dijon dressing or crispy roasted frozen cauliflower with garlicky breadcrumbs.
How to Serve Roasted Vegetables
Sandwich/Wrap: My favorite way to serve vegetarian shawarma is wrapped in pita bread or homemade yogurt flatbread. Stuff the bread with veggies, drizzle with a simple sauce (see ideas below) and top generously with fresh herbs and finely shaved raw cabbage or quick-pickled red onions.
Grain Bowl: Pile the roasted veggies in a bowl of barley, farro, or quinoa. Top with a simple sauce, fresh herbs and feta.
Rice: Serve shawarma veggies with rice for a filling vegetarian dinner. Try orzo rice, basmati rice with chickpeas or Instant pot turmeric coconut rice.
Salad: Greens + Shawarma roasted vegetables = a very satisfying salad. Dress salad with a simple squeeze of lemon and generous amount of olive oil.
Hummus and Pita: A scoop of hummus and pita bread or pita chips helps make this vegetarian dinner more kid-friendly.
Sauces for Roasted Vegetables
You don't have to serve veggie shawarma with a sauce drizzled on top, but who doesn't love sauce? A creamy sauce really makes this dinner special.
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce: A cool and creamy cucumber sauce with fresh herbs, so easy to make and so good on roasted veggies.
Hummus: Can't go wrong with hummus.
Cashew Cream: Cashew cream is a versatile vegan sauce or dressing
Feta: Instead of (or in addition to) a sauce or dressing, crumble lots of creamy feta on top of the roasted vegetables.
Add Protein
Chickpeas: Roast chickpeas on the same sheet pan as the veggies
Chicken: Double the recipe for the shawarma spice mixture and use it as a marinade for chicken. If you can, marinate the chicken overnight or at least 4 hours ahead of time. You can roast chicken pieces on a sheet pan with the veggies.
More Veggie-Forward Dinners
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Shawarma Sheet-Pan Dinner
Vegetarian Shawarma is a sheet-pan dinner featuring roasted veggies seasoned with a bright and flavorful mix of olive oil, lemon, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and paprika.
I serve the veggies wrapped in pita bread or flatbread, or piled onto a grain bowl or salad. A creamy sauce really makes this meal special - see the blog post above for ideas. Or, crumble creamy feta cheese over the cooked vegetables before serving.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
- Category: Sheet-Pan Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Vegetables
Chop enough vegetables into bite-sized pieces to fill 3 large sheet-pans. I like the combination of vegetables below, but you can use any vegetables you have on hand. I do, however, recommend keeping potatoes in the mix because it makes this dinner more filling. Other good vegetable options are cauliflower, sweet potatoes and squash.
- 1 onion, chopped into thin chunks (red or yellow)
- 2 bell peppers, sliced or cut into chunks
- 6 potatoes, cut into ½-inch chunks
- 6 carrots, cut into ½-inch chunks or sliced lengthwise into two pieces
- 4 zucchini, cut into ½-inch slices
Shawarma Spice Mix
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 lemons, juiced (about ⅓ cup)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Herbs
Fresh herbs like parsley, mint or dill are really good sprinkled over the cooked vegetables
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 F
- Spread the vegetables out on the sheet pans. I separate the vegetables into their own sections, since some vegetables cook faster than others (like carrots and bell peppers, which are done sooner).
- Whisk the shawarma spice mixture in a small bowl: olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon
- Drizzle the spice mixture over the vegetables, whisking as you pour to make sure all the spices pour out of the bowl. Toss the vegetables really well (I use my hands) to evenly coat. Season the veggies generously with salt and pepper.
- Roast vegetables for about 45 minutes, mixing several times while roasting. If the vegetables seem dry at any point or are sticking to the pans, drizzle a little more olive oil over them and mix well. Roast until the vegetables are very nicely browned and crisp around the edges. Some veggies, like bell peppers and carrots, will be done in less than 45 minutes.
- Add salt to taste when the vegetables are done. Serve the roasted vegetables with fresh herbs and other toppings (see blog post above for ideas).
Joy says
425° for 45 minutes is insane with the recommended mixture of vegetables. I roasted at 400 and checked after 20 minutes - the onions, peppers, and zucchini were *definitely* done and the marinade had all run off and burnt into a blackened crust onto the sheetpan. A good base recipe for editing, I suppose, but I seriously question how much this was tested. The juice of one lemon will suffice.
Jenny says
I've made this recipe several times for my family and it's turned out well, but it's possible that we simply like our veggies more well-cooked. I like a really nicely browned edge, which takes longer. Plus, all ovens cook differently. That being said, I'm sorry that the recipe didn't turn out exactly right for you and I appreciate the feedback, which is always helpful to other cooks.
Denise Smith says
We had grilled vegetables at a Mediterranean restaurant. Very good. I have been trying to replicate this recipe. This is the closest I have found. I added soy sauce and I grilled mine. No meat needed😊
Jenny says
That's sounds delicious, glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Claudia Lamascolo says
Wow that is one beautiful sheet pan of yum!
Erica says
So so good! The colors and roasting of these veggies makes it absolutely irresistible. 😋
AISilva says
Wow that shawarma sheet looks like an amazing mixture of ingredients and the photos are great! I can't wait to try this meal. My family loves shawarma!
Maria says
This is probably the best non-meat shawarma recipe I've come across with. It's super easy to follow! Thank you for this. Perfect to make this Father's day!
Jenny says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beth says
This is so delicious and very tasty. My family and I absolutely love this sheet pan recipes! I can't wait to make this again!