Shawarma spiced chickpeas, creamy hummus, spicy zhoug, and fresh veggies fill warm pita bread in this delicious vegetarian wrap recipe.
I’m obsessed with these shawarma wraps! I loved them so much that after we took these photos, I thought about them all day, I dreamt about them that night, and when I woke up, I ate the last leftover wrap for breakfast. I would not consider these “breakfast” wraps – I just didn’t have the willpower to wait for lunch. I mean, the shawarma spiced chickpeas, the creamy hummus, the spicy zhoug chile paste, and the juicy/crispy veggies… this is what dreams are made of… at least if you’re me.
How pretty are they?! They’re so fresh and delicious!
Once again, we’re partnering with ALDI on this post which means that all of these ingredients are extremely affordable and are SO quick to shop for, since their stores are so efficiently laid out. This recipe is easy to make, but it does have a few components. To make these quick-ish, I use a few ready-made items like the new L’Oven Whole Wheat Pita Bread and yummy organic hummus from the expanded product line at ALDI. Everything else is made with a combination of veggies from their newly-expanded fresh produce section and my go-to pantry staples (their garbanzo beans are my favorite!).
What is Shawarma
Shawarma is typically made of spiced shaved meat, but since this is a vegetarian blog and chickpeas are my chicken, I made a delicious spice blend that I tossed with roasted chickpeas instead! Once they’re tucked into warm pita with creamy hummus and lots of toppings, this veg version is every bit as delicious.
Shawarma Spice
My homemade shawarma spice mixture is made up of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, ginger, and paprika. The chickpeas get drizzled in olive oil and are sprinkled with the flavorful spice mix below before and after they’re baked.
Don’t be afraid to go a little heavy handed on the spices, this shawarma mix has some bold flavors, but it’s not super spicy.
Speaking of super spicy, this zhoug chili paste is spicy(!) in the best way possible. The cilantro gives it a pesto-like texture but it has a bold flavor from the jalapeños, garlic, and cumin. A few dabs will go a long way in your wrap. Serve the rest on the side and spice to your level!
Serving Shawarma
I finished my shawarma wraps with a lemony yogurt drizzle. It’s optional, but I definitely recommend it if you like your wraps saucy like I do. Tzatziki would also be delicious in these wraps.
These are best eaten on warm pita as you assemble them, but, as I said above, I ate mine out of the fridge on day 2 and still really enjoyed it. Wrap each individual wrap in foil for storage or for easy travel if you’re meal prepping these for lunch or a trip.
ALDI has a ton of great new products that recently launched, you should go check them out! I used their new pita bread and organic hummus in this recipe, but I’m also loving their quinoa pasta and their award-winning gluten-free breads. And don’t get me started on how delicious their wines are…that’s for another post. Let me know if you have any favorite ALDI products!
Chickpea Shawarma Wraps
Ingredients
Shawarma Spice (makes extra)
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Wraps
- 1 1/2 cups Roasted Chickpeas, with Shawarma spice
- 4 pitas, warmed
- Hummus
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- Pickled onions or thinly sliced red onion
- Handful of fresh mint
Zhoug
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 jalapeño
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Yogurt sauce (optional, or make tahini sauce)
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Make the shawarma spice mix: In a small bowl, combine the coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and pinches of salt and pepper. Use generous pinches to season the chickpeas before and after roasting them.
- Make the zhoug: Place the cilantro, olive oil, jalapeño, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and a few grinds of pepper in a food processor and process until you reach a pesto-like consistency.
- Make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and several grinds of black pepper.
- Assemble the pitas with the hummus, chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, pickled onion, mint, dots of the zhoug, and drizzles of the yogurt sauce.
This post was created in partnership with ALDI. Click here to find a store near you!
Great recipe! I didn’t have ginger for the spice blend but still tasted amazing! I made the pita from scratch and added dill, tamari, and vegan boursin to the tahini sauce and it was great!
Today’s my lucky day as I struck a virtual gold mine in my search for a cold cucumber soup. .. your treasure trove of fresh delicious easy recipes. I live in Delhi which is sizzling at never before seen temperatures and your pics and recipes take me straight to a cool wonderful place. Thanks a ton I really appreciate your sharing these fun recipes
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes, Mothi! Thanks for your comment.
hi there ! quick question, for the coriander – is the amount for ground coriander or coriander seeds
Hi Jillian, ground coriander.
Instead of chickpeas I used Chicken Thighs and doused them in the shawarma spice. I left it marinating for an entire day. My house smelled of wonderful spices when frying the thighs. However, what rocked my world was the Zhoug sauce. I had never had it before but it was amazing!! I loved this recipe just for that and will be adding it to my monthly recipe rotation.
Hi Patty, I’m so glad you loved the seasoning and the sauce!
I’ll be making these tomorrow
Can you clarify something for me
Step 1 says preheat oven 400 degrees
Instructions give no other information on what’s going in oven
You do have separate link for roasting chickpeas. Is that what is going in oven
Hi Toni, I’m sorry, that’s an error.
May I ask – what is going into the oven ? Am I baking something? It looks delicious and I want to try it.
They are delicious! So worth the time and effort! Make double and enjoy!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Absolutely delicious! So many flavors and textures. So good! Definitely a lot of steps and ingredients, but so worth it when you have the time. And all the parts (different sauces, pickled onions, roasted chickpeas) can be used in other dishes too, so the work benefits lots of other meals, too.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the wraps and components!
Loved them. Such a fresh-tasting lunch on a work-from-home day. I’m a frequent user of this blog (thank you) … I’m never disappointed by the recipes here, but this one was exceptional!
Hi Stacey, I’m so glad you loved the wraps!
A few questions that I hope you can answer:
Should you stuff pitas with hummus, zhoug and yoghurt sauce, how do you do all that in one pita? Where do you put hummus?
How do you eat this, as it is full with filling? Because of this, can you even make wraps?
Can you use tortillas instead of pitas?
Hi Nina, I would spread on the hummus before adding the other fillings. You can just drizzle in the zhoug and yogurt sauce—a little goes a long way. We like to assemble the wraps as pictured. If you prefer to use a tortilla, that would work here too. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious meal, Jeanine! I was first hesitant as this was my first attempt at creating this absolutely delicious, albeit a little complex, dish because of the number of ingredients that go into it. However, everything came together brilliantly. I believe the meal’s genuine star was the roasted chickpeas with shawarma taste, which added much-needed crunch. I am pleased to inform you that it will become my go-to dinnertime meal!
Hi Lucy, I’m so glad you loved the wraps!
How long do you cook the chick peas for the shawarma
Hi Tammy, here’s our recipe with the chickpea instructions: https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-chickpeas/
These instructions are different than the limited notes in this recipe. What should the oven temp be?
Total winner! So simple yet so tasty.
I added fresh lemon juice to the Zhoug and made it extra spicy. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you loved them!
Absolutely delicious. Both kids and husband wolfed it down. All the elements worked together beautifully. My husband admitted to being sceptical when sitting down to eat, but was blown away by the flavours. I find it hard to find meat free meals my teenage boys enjoy, so this was a winner.
I’m thinking about making this for a work lunch party. Suggestions for a good side dish to serve with it?
My favorite loveandlemons recipe thus far. Each individual dressing to this sandwich was delightful by itself. The roasted chick peas full of shawarma flavor were truly the star and gave the dish its much needed crunch. Once those chick peas were nestled down in the pita, amidst the other flavors, the combination of flavors made this sandwich came alive in my mouth. I absolutely love the Zhoug sauce addictive! The yogurt sauce was the perfect combination as it gave nice chilling effect in every bite. The hummus was something I love to eat but have never made. It was so yum.
I haven’t cooked meat in a couple weeks now and this site has been my primary for new meal ideas. Thanks so much!
Hi Josh, I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes, and this one in particular!
these are labor intense took me 3 days to gather the ingredients and spices that I was missing. Thank goodness I have a herb garden. They are delishes all worth it. All the spices and vegies, crunch makes a large sandwitch which i don’t think I would want to take to the beech a lot of ingredients to cart. but my husband and I enjoyed them on the patio with good sangria and watermelon salad. Thank you for a fun recipe
Do you have the nutrition information for this recipe?
how long do you roast the chickpeas?
between 20 and 30 minutes, the full instructions are in this post: https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-chickpeas/