This easy homemade shawarma spice blend is the perfect seasoning for grilled chicken, kebabs, and more. A fantastic spice mix that adds flavor to any meal.
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This delicious homemade shawarma seasoning recipe is easy to make, and tastes great. Keep a jar of this in your pantry to quickly improve any chicken dinner, or to season any grilled meat to perfection.
Although traditionally used to season shawarma style grilled meat, you can use your shawarma mix with any Middle Eastern dish.
Why you'll love it
- Easy homemade seasoning mix
- Customize the spice blend to suit your preferences
- The spice blend stores for a really long time
- Pre-mixing the spices saves you time when cooking
- Use it on any meat or vegetables
- Gluten free, vegan and nut free spice recipe
Ingredients
To make this easy homemade shawarma spice blend, you will need a variety of dried spices. I use cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, paprika, chili powder, cinnamon, ginger, and ground black pepper. You can omit, substitute, or add any spices as you like.
You can also add brown sugar, flour, or salt depending on how you want to use your spice blend. I prefer to make this with only spices and add these additional ingredients when I want.
Instructions
You can find full instructions + ingredient measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this page
This homemade spice mix is really easy to make.
Add the spices to a plate, bowl, jar, or container of your choice. Stir to combine them evenly. Then, transfer them to a sealable, air-tight container like a mason jar for storage.
This recipe makes a few tablespoons worth of seasoning and should be enough to use in a few dishes. You can also easily multiply the ingredients if you want to make a big batch for long-term storage.
Top tips
- Stir or shake the spices to blend them evenly.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste. You can add more chili powder if you want to make it extra spicy, or replace or omit any spices that you don't like or have access to.
- Store the shawarma blend in a sealed container to make them last longer.
What to make with shawarma spice
Your homemade shawarma spice can be used to season any meat like grilled or roasted chicken, chicken kebabs, beef, or lamb chops. It's particularly great for seasoning chicken shawarma.
The spice mix is also perfect to season other dishes. Try adding it to curries, roasted vegetables, stews, or rice. It's also great as a flavorful addition to lentil soup or tomato-based vegetable soups.
This is a great base seasoning for Middle Eastern, Turkish, or East Asian dishes. Feel free to experiment with using it in various dishes inspired by these cuisines.
Variations
Other spices: You can add, omit or substitute any spices as you please. Try adding cayenne pepper for extra heat, or add curry powder, dried lemon zest, coriander, salt, smoked paprika, white pepper, oregano, thyme, or dried parsley.
Added flour: This is a great alternative if you tend to use the shawarma seasoning in marinades or to make fried chicken, as these dishes would require you to combine the spices with flour anyway.
Storage
You can store homemade shawarma spices in a sealed container for up to 6 months in a dark, cool place. I recommend storing them in an airproof plastic or glass container, like a mason jar. This will keep the spices tasting fresh for as long as possible.
I love making big batches of homemade spice blends to save time while cooking, especially with seasoning combinations that require quite a lot of different spices.
Frequently asked questions
Doner and shawarma are very similar, but they have different origins. Doner kebab is Turkish, and Shawarma has Arab or Middle Eastern origins.
Shawarma is a style of grilled meat. Thin slices of beef, lamb, or chicken are stacked on a vertical skewer and slowly roasted rotisserie style. The meat is usually seasoned well and served as a main course or in wraps.
Shawarma spice is usually not hot or spicy, but you can easily adjust the seasoning to your preference.
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If you make this recipe, make sure to post a photo to Instagram with #hintofhealthy!
Recipe
Shawarma Spice Blend
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
Instructions
- Add the spices to a plate, bowl, jar, or container of your choice. Stir to combine them evenly.
- Transfer the spice mix to a sealable, air-tight container like a mason jar for storage.
Video
Notes
- Store in a sealed container for up to 6 months at room temperature.
- Use the spices to make chicken shawarma, or to season any grilled or roasted meat that you like.
- Feel free to omit, add or substitute any spices as you like.
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