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Easy Shawarma Marinade

Prep Time: 5 minutes
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Easy Shawarma Marinade

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This simple and easy Shawarma Marinade recipe is packed with flavor and delicious on chicken, beef, lamb, seafood, and veggies. It’s perfectly spiced with warm flavors and citrus for a bright marinade that you can throw together in minutes.

If you’re in need of an easy marinade that can be used on just about any protein or veggie, you’re going to love this shawarma marinade recipe.

Easy Shawarma Marinade

I am absolutely obsessed with chicken shawarma, and more specifically, halal cart-style chicken shawarma bowls. I love all the warm spices and flavors, but it’s not readily available where I live so I wanted to create a copycat recipe.

If you love Halal Guys and other similar restaurants, this shawarma marinade will be your go-to. I use it on chicken, fish, beef, lamb, and veggies and it comes together so quickly.

I use this marinade for meal prep all the time! All you need are some chicken thighs or breasts and you can turn that marinated chicken into wraps, bowls, tacos, and more.

This middle eastern-inspired marinade recipe will be your summer go-to for all things flavor!

easy shawarma marinade

What is Shawarma?

Shawarma is a middle eastern food that consists of thinly-sliced marinated meat stacked together and slow roasted on a vertical spit. Think gyros and al pastor vibes!

Shawarma is warmly spiced with paprika, cumin, turmeric, and other spices. This cooking style originated in Turkey and eventually made its way to Greece where the gyro was created.

This recipe is inspired by all my favorite shawarma recipes, but I don’t claim for it to be authentic. Regardless, it’s still incredibly delicious!

How to Make this Shawarma Marinade

This shawarma marinade couldn’t be easier to make! All you need is a whisk and a bowl or even a mason jar to shake it all up.

Tools Needed

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Olive oil. Any oil really will work here, but I love the flavor that olive oil adds.
  • Garlic. To really get a punchy and bold flavor, we’re using fresh cloves and grating them into the marinade.
  • Spices. You’ll need paprika, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, oregano, and ground ginger.
  • Lemon. To brighten up the marinade, we’re using both lemon juice and lemon zest.

The Process

  1. Mix the marinade. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the salt and pepper.
  2. Marinate your protein or veggies of choice. Coat the meat or veggies in the marinade, cover, and transfer to the fridge for a few hours.

SUGGESTED MARINATING TIMES

  • Meats like chicken, beef, and lamb: You’ll want to marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 48 hours.
  • Vegetables: Vegetables will only need 2-4 hours to marinate, depending on the vegetable. Hearty veggies like cauliflower can be marinated longer.
  • Fish and seafood. Since there’s lemon juice in the marinade, you’ll only want to marinate delicate seafood like fish and shrimp for about an hour.

Grilling is the Way to Go

Grilling is my favorite method anytime I’m using this shawarma marinade. Whether I’m using chicken, beef, lamb, veggies, or seafood, the combination of the warm spices and smokiness from the grill is absolute perfection.

Tips for Grilling

  1. Before using your grill, make sure to clean the grates of any food and debris.
  2. Lightly grease the grates with nonstick spray to keep your food from sticking.
  3. Preheat an outdoor grill to medium-high until the temperature reaches 400-500 F.
  4. Use a meat thermometer to determine doneness.

easy shawarma marinade

Storage Instructions

You can easily prep my shawarma marinade and hang onto it until you’re ready to use it.

Store the marinade in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Depending on the olive oil you use, it may solidify when cold so you may need to let the marinade come to room temperature before using.


You’re going to love this simple and easy Shawarma Marinade Recipe! Use it on chicken, fish, beef, lamb, or veggies for a flavorful and delicious dinner. If you do give this recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Grilling Recipes to Try

Grilled Steak Kabobs
Carne Asada
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken
Grilled Chicken Wings

This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.

Main Dishes

Easy Shawarma Marinade

This simple and easy Shawarma Marinade recipe is packed with flavor and delicious on chicken, beef, lamb, seafood, and veggies. It's perfectly spiced with warm flavors and citrus for a bright marinade that you can throw together in minutes.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Makes: 0

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs meat or vegetables of choice
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 6 garlic cloves, (or 1 tablespoon garlic paste) grated
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon dried mediterranean oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

  • Mix the marinade. Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the salt and pepper.
  • Marinate your protein or veggies of choice. Coat the meat or veggies in the marinade, cover, and transfer to the fridge for a few hours.

Suggested Marinating Times

  • Meats like chicken, beef, and lamb: You'll want to marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 48 hours.
  • Vegetables: Vegetables will only need 2-4 hours to marinate, depending on the vegetable. Hearty veggies like cauliflower can be marinated longer.
  • Fish and seafood. Since there's lemon juice in the marinade, you'll only want to marinate delicate seafood like fish and shrimp for about an hour.

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