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!
These were so so good. I made them exactly as is minus the fresh mint because it’s in my garden but not ready yet. I couldn’t stop eating the roasted chickpeas so we only had enough for 2 wraps. Next time I’ll double the chickpeas knowing that will happen. I’m making these again VERY soon.
Could you recommend something to use in place of the chickpeas? All your recipes look so good! But many of them use chickpeas or soy based products which unfortunately I can’t eat 🙁 It can make eating vegan/vegetarian difficult at times, so any suggestions you can provide would be very appreciated!
Hi Linzy, I’d use roasted cauliflower with the shawarma spice – and instead of hummus use one of the tahini sauces in the link below. I hope you enjoy!
https://www.loveandlemons.com/tahini-sauce/
https://www.loveandlemons.com/roasted-cauliflower/
These were amazing. My daughter and I had enjoyed shawarma in Dubai and were hoping to share it with our family. My husband was skeptical when I told him what the meal was, but everyone loved it! This definitely goes into our “make again” recipe book.
I’m so glad you both loved it!
This was the best dinner I’ve made in a long time! Amazing! I used coconut yogurt to make this vegan but followed the recipe exactly besides that. I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
Hi Emily, I’m so glad you loved the wraps!
I already have cooked chickpeas (from dry). How many cups should I use here?
Hi Hayley – 1 1/2 cups
Awesome! Making a big batch of this for a party instead of typical veggie tacos. Looking forward to it!
So great! I just bought tzatziki sauce instead of making the yogurt sauce but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. As others mentioned, although it has a lot of ingredients, it comes together quickly. So delicious.
Hi Chelsea, I’m so glad you loved them!
My mouth is watering that looks so good.
I’ve had this bookmarked since it was posted, and I’m so glad I finally made it today! There are so many delicious flavors, and even my 2 year old enjoyed eating most of the components (separately). Can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
I made this for dinner tonight. Great flavor. For my fellow Weight Watcher Peeps, only 5 Freestyle points for one wrap. I will definitely make this again.
I was a little intimidated by all of the ingredients, but this recipe came together beautifully – even for a weeknight! Fantastic flavors and filling. Delicious – I would definitely make this recipe again.
These were DELICIOUS. Outstanding weeknight dinner. I prepped all of the parts ahead of time and made quick wraps when we got home from sports, piano, etc. I assembled as directed but I used store-bought zhoug from Trader Joe’s and I used Kite Hill almond greek yogurt (versus dairy yogurt). So yummy! My kids, of course, approached their dinner from a deconstructed standpoint — pita, hummus, cucumbers and a few nibbles of chickpeas. Good enough for me! Thank you for a great meal (for my whole family – not an easy task).
I made this for dinner last night and the crowd went wild. The crowd may have only consisted of my husband and me, but we were both raving. Thank you for another great meal!
ha ha ha, I’m so glad you both loved them!!!
These are delicious! Will definitely be adding it to our rotation!
Made this for dinner and it exceeded expectations! My sister gifted me your cookbook for my birthday and I’m so happy to have discovered you!
My husband can’t do spice and we had leftover pesto from making your amazing zucchini pizza last night so that’s the only change (beyond using different brands for things). It was seriously delicious! Can’t wait to add it to regular rotation.
Yay, I hope you’ve been enjoying the book and welcome! I’m so happy to hear that you loved these wraps – so resourceful with the pesto!
I only made these because I had some garbanzo beans that I needed to use. I wasn’t expecting much. Boy was I wrong! These were amazing. I will be making them again soon.
Ha ha, well I’m glad they were beyond expectation! 🙂
Oh wow, these wraps are almost too pretty to eat!
YUM! The chickpeas and the jalapeño in the sauce… omg!
It’s all SO SO good together 🙂
I have to say, I haven’t dabbled much with chickpea recipes. But you may have just convinced me!! Thank you for sharing, the colors are beautiful and I think my family will (actually) eat this one.
I hope your family loves the wraps! I just love chickpeas, so versatile! 🙂
I seriously love Aldi too!!! Excited to try these roasted chickpeas; it’s been awhile since I’ve made them!
Me too – so convenient! I hope you love the wraps 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Used Kite Hill almond yogurt and plan to use the leftover sauces for lunch tomorrow!
I’m so glad you loved them (and got extra use out of the sauces! ) 🙂