If you’ve enjoyed a lamb shawarma at a Mediterranean restaurant, you might assume it’s too fiddly to make at home. It isn’t. Each element of these pita sandwiches is straightforward and delicious on its own, and when combined they create an impressive, flavorful meal you can assemble in your kitchen.
Picture warm homemade pita (try an easy pita bread recipe), layered with crisp lettuce, creamy tzatziki, tangy quick-pickled red onions, tender spiced lamb (or homemade gyro meat) and crumbled feta. Each component is simple to prepare and can be mixed and matched to suit tastes—resulting in a mouthwatering sandwich or a shareable platter.
Table of Contents
- How to Make Lamb Shawarma
- More Delicious Mediterranan recipes
- Lamb Shawarma Recipe
I love how flexible lamb shawarma components are. Arrange everything on a platter and let people build their own—some will load pita with tzatziki and pickled onions, others will pile on lamb and feta, and some may wrap the fillings in lettuce leaves. Add white bean hummus, baba ganoush or a Greek salad to turn this into a generous Mediterranean spread.
How to Make Lamb Shawarma
Organizing your prep makes this meal easy to execute. Here’s a simple timeline to follow.
One day before:
- Make pita dough (about 10–15 minutes) and refrigerate overnight to rise.
- Strain yogurt and cucumbers overnight for tzatziki to remove excess moisture.
- Prepare quick pickled red onions (about 5 minutes).
The day of:
- Bring the dough to room temperature, then roll and bake pita breads (15–20 minutes).
- Finish the tzatziki sauce (about 5 minutes).
- Cook the cumin-spiced lamb (about 25 minutes).
- Optional: whip up a quick white bean hummus (5–10 minutes) to serve alongside.
More Delicious Mediterranan recipes
Gyro Bowls
Chicken Quinoa Bowl
Greek Farro Salad
Lamb Shawarma
Video
Ingredients
- 4 pita breads
- 4 large green leaf lettuce leaves
- 1 recipe Tzatziki Sauce
- 1 recipe Quick Pickled Red Onions
- 1 recipe Easy Cumin Lamb
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
One Day Ahead:
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If making pita from scratch, prepare the dough and refrigerate overnight.
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Drain yogurt and cucumber as directed in the tzatziki steps to remove excess moisture.
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Make the quick pickled red onions and refrigerate.
The Day Of:
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Bring dough to room temperature, roll out and bake pita breads according to your recipe.
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Finish the tzatziki by combining strained yogurt, cucumber, garlic and herbs.
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Cook the cumin-spiced lamb until browned and cooked through.
To Assemble Lamb Shawarmas:
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Place a lettuce leaf on each pita. Spread a generous amount of tzatziki, add pickled red onion rings, top with 1/4 of the cumin lamb and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Repeat for the remaining pitas and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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