This Low Carb Beef Shawarma with vegetables is an easy, delicious, low carb one-pot meal for your Instant Pot. It's both flavorful and super family-friendly.
What Makes This Low Carb Beef Shawarma So Great
I have this extremely popular Ground Beef Shawarma with rice recipe that's very family-friendly as well. Babies and young children seem to be particularly fond of it, which makes me very happy.
But it’s not low carb. At all.
While it’s true you could make that dish with cauliflower rice as I do my low carb chicken biryani, I wanted to do something a little different.
So I made this recipe on a Facebook live video. Yes, I cook live on Facebook most Fridays. And yes, I was foolish enough to make this dish while never having made it before, on a live cooking show.
I’m just lucky it worked out, and boy did it ever. It's quick, delicious, and very easy to make.
This Beef Shawarma is one of those recipes that you can just throw everything into the Instant Pot and let it do all the work, yet it tastes like something you've been slaving over all day. And as long as it's delicious, who cares how much effort it takes to make it, right?
Now let's get to cooking...
How To Make Instant Pot Low Carb Beef Shawarma
- Turn your Instant Pot on to Sauté. When it is hot, add in the ground beef and break down the chunks into smaller bits. Your only goal here is to break it down so that it doesn't cook as one big chunk. You're not really wasting time browning it (watch this video to understand why not).
- Once you have it broken down, add all other ingredients including the shawarma spice mix.
- You won't be adding any water to this recipe as the meat and vegetables release enough water on their own.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes and allow it to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. After this, release all remaining pressure.
- Serve with a side of tzatziki sauce to further increase the fat content (and deliciousness) of the meal.
Why Do You Call This Shawarma?
I get a lot of questions about why I call these dishes shawarma when it’s clearly not just a spit-roasted cylinder of beef and lamb as a shawarma should be. Actually, if you want to know more about this, I wrote a little blurb on what is shawarma in this post.
I called this a Beef Shawarma because I use the same seasonings in this dish as you would in a typical shawarma.
But if you want a typical gyro like shawarma, I have a wonderful set of recipes for that as well. You can make your gyro meat either in the oven with this recipe, or here’s an Instant Pot gyro meat recipe for you.
What Is Shawarma Spice Made Of?
The shawarma spice mixture I'm using for this Beef Shawarma recipe includes dried oregano, ground cinnamon, ground allspice, cayenne, ground cumin, ground coriander and salt. A shawarma spice mix can vary a little bit from one to another, but it includes most of the same core ingredients.
Tips And Tricks For Making This Low Carb Beef Shawarma
- Don't own an Instant Pot? Here's how to make it on the stove:
- Cook the ground beef and onions well together.
- Once they are cooked, add in the other vegetables, add 1/2 cup of water, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
- Though you can get away with using store-bought shawarma seasoning, I highly recommend making it yourself. It makes a huge difference in how the dish turns out.
- You can substitute any ground meat of your choice.
- Almost all of my recipes freeze well, but I'd be a little cautious about freezing this one as I fear the veggies will get mushy upon reheating.
Looking For More Ways To Use My Shawarma Spice Mix? Check These Recipes Out!
- Make an authentic Chicken Shwarma in your Instant Pot with just a few spices. It's low carb, high protein, and keto-friendly!
- These Shawarma Green Beans are a light and flavorful side dish that can be made right in your Air Fryer. They’re ready for the table in just 15 minutes from start to finish!
- This Instant Pot Ground Beef Shwarma and Rice combines ground beef and rice with spices to create a new twist on comfort food and it's easily made in your pressure cooker!
So whether you're looking for a low carb meal option or your just looking for something quick and easy for dinner that the whole family will enjoy, you're sure to love this Low Carb Beef Shawarma recipe. Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook so they can enjoy it as well.
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453.59 g) Lean Ground Beef
- 1 cup (160 g) Onion, sliced
- 1 cup (149 g) Red Peppers, thickly sliced
- 2 cups (140 g) cabbage , chopped into thick chunks
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) Shawarma Spice, (see recipe here: https://twosleevers.com/shawarma-spice-mix/)
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot on to Sauté. When it is hot, add in the ground beef and break down the chunks into smaller bits. Your only goal here is to break it down so that it doesn't cook as one big chunk. You're not really wasting time browning it (watch this video to understand why not).
- Once you have it broken down, add all other ingredients including the shawarma spice mix.
- You won't be adding any water to this recipe as the meat and vegetables release enough water on their own.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes and allow it to release pressure naturally for 5 minutes. After this, release all remaining pressure.
- Serve with a side of tzatziki sauce to further increase the fat content (and deliciousness) of the meal.
Stovetop Directions
- Cook the ground beef and onions well together, and once they are cooked, add in the other vegetables, add 1/2 cup of water, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
Tips And Tricks For Making This Low Carb Beef Shawarma
- Don't own an Instant Pot? Here's how to make it on the stove:
- Cook the ground beef and onions well together.
- Once they are cooked, add in the other vegetables, add 1/2 cup of water, cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
- Though you can get away with using store-bought shawarma seasoning, I highly recommend making it yourself. It makes a huge difference in how the dish turns out.
- You can substitute any ground meat of your choice.
- Almost all of my recipes freeze well, but I'd be a little cautious about freezing this one as I fear the veggies will get mushy upon reheating.
Sam
Thanks for this recipe, it looked very simple and i wasn't sure, how it would turn out. I made it with boneless chicken and cooked in on stove top and it was delicious. I made a shawarma roll and added pickled cucumber and beets. The best Shawarma recipe I have made!
URVASHI PITRE
Yay!! So good to hear.
Judy Rea
I loved this and will make it often. I used the entire 3TB if the shawarma spice mix (instead of the 2 called for in the recipe) and it was great!
Carolyn
The first recipe I made in my new InstantPot was your Ground Beef Shwarma. I used the silicone mitts that came with the appliance to remove the liner from the pot when it was finished. The mitts retained the smell of spices in a rather unpleasant way. I put them through my dishwasher cycle, but it did not remove the smell. I finally threw them away. :^( Has anyone else had that problem with lingering smells? (I have two rings, and didn't have a problem with odors with the brown rice pudding I made.)
Steve
Love this recipe. Very easy and so tasty. Will definitely make this again. Even have plans to use the base of the recipe with all kinds of spice changes. Taco,Fajita,Greek,Italian, endless options.
SophiaH528
I used the entire head of cabbage, instead of just two cups. It was very delicious.
Cathy
Why is there no longer the button to go directly to the recipe. That was a feature I really appreciated about this. With slow internet, it's tedious to have to scroll down through all the commentary after I've read it the first time. Please consider putting it back.