Keto Beef Shawarma Recipe

Here's a fantastic, easy Keto Beef Shawarma Recipe that is ready in under 30 minutes. With cabbage, homemade shawarma spice, and a little ground beef, you can put a fantastic keto dinner on the table in under half an hour.

What Makes Keto Beef Shawarma So Great?

• Low Carb. Only 6 net carbs per serving.
• Fast. Authentic tasting food ready in less than 30 minutes.
• Easy. Add the spice mix to the ground beef, steam the cabbage, and serve.
• Delicious. Absolutely packed with flavor when you add your own homemade spice mix.

True, there’s no such thing as ground Beef Shawarma. But there is this deliciousness that tastes like shawarma—minus all the work and time. The key to this recipe is the shawarma mix.

I can tell you that it's ALL about that freshly ground spice mix. In a recipe with so few ingredients, you want to amp up the taste by using the best quality spices that you can.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Olive oil
• Lean Ground Beef
• Onion
• Shawarma Spice
• Kosher Salt
• Cabbage slaw mix
• Lemon Juice
• Chopped Parsley

What Is In Shawarma Spice Mix?

If you're unfamiliar with a shawarma spice mix, the spices aren't anything you haven't heard of before. This spice mixture contains:

• Oregano
• Cinnamon
• All Spice
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Cayenne

As mentioned, to make this spice mix the best it can be, it's important to use quality spices. If you're unsure of how to go about this, check out my spices video.

This recipe can be reheated once, but it will not freeze well. Then again, with those macros, you could eat it for dinner and take it to lunch the next day.

What Is Beef Shawarma?

Have you seen those big, tall, slabs of meat on a pole (doner kebab) that people will shave the meat off? It's roasted meat that's commonly cooked on a spit and then shaved off a bit at a time to serve with meals. It has a deliciously, slow-cooked flavor and is a classic.

What Is The Difference Between Shawarma And Gyro?

Both shawarma and gyros are very similar. They're both served with toppings and similar meat. The biggest difference between the two is the meat and toppings.

Both of these terms refer to the doner kebab the meat is cooked on which is the spit or pole that has the large slab of meat on it that slowly turns and roasts the meat all day. 

Gyro Meat

Gyro is a Greek word for "turn."

A gyro is often lamb or beef and sometimes a mixture of the two. The meat is roasted and wrapped in a thin pita and topped with tomatoes, onions, and a Greek yogurt sauce called tzatziki.

Shawarma Meat

Shawarma is an Arabic word for "turning."

The shawarma meat cone is made from packed-down slices of meat—often chicken, sometimes lamb, and occasionally even goat. Shawarma meat is often marinated for longer periods, with a wider variety of seasonings. You have a little more room to play with toppings for shawarma--but traditionally, tzatziki is not used.

I mean *I* use it and have never been arrested by the Shawarma police, so you do whatever works for you.

Bottom Line? They're two delicious things. You should make them both.

How To Make Lamb Shawarma

Traditionally, beef shawarma is roasted meat pieces but, in this Beef Shawarma recipe, I'm using ground beef to make it much quicker and easier. You also may have noticed that I'm using a pre-cut cabbage slaw mixture.

This is also to make the recipe easier and quicker. However, you're more than welcome to cut up your own cabbage if that's what you prefer.

If you're wanting to make lamb shawarma, you will simply swap the ground beef out for ground lamb.

Another great option that we use every once in a while is ground chicken. You can use just about any ground meat in this recipe since it's the seasoning that gives the dish its overall flavor. 

How To Make Beef Shawarma

So here's a breakdown of the process of making Beef Shawarma. You start by adding all of the shawarma spice mix ingredients into a bowl and mixing them together until well incorporated.

You really MUST use a freshly ground spice mix when making this recipe. My Shawarma Spice Mix recipe gives you all the necessary steps to make your own!

Once the shawarma spice mix is ready, heat a 12 inch sauté pan on the stove on medium heat. Once it is hot, add the oil and let it heat up. Then add the ground beef to the hot pan, making sure to break up the meat clumps as it cooks.

Once the beef is browned, raise the temperature to high heat and add the onions. Once the onions have become translucent, add the shawarma spice mix and mix until well incorporated.

Add the cabbage slaw mix and the water to the pan, place the lid on the pan and allow it to steam for about a minute.

Once the cabbage is steamed, simply add the salt, lemon juice (if desired) and garnish with parsley.

And that's it!

Tips to Make the Best Beef Shawarma

• Use any sort of ground meat that you prefer
• Use a pre-shredded bag of coleslaw mix to make this go even faster
• Don't forget to make the shawarma spice mix. You can double or triple the recipe, as long as you use it all up within a few weeks. 
• Once the beef is cooked, the cabbage takes very little time, so don't overcook it. Otherwise, you will have mush.
• Many people prefer to double the spice in this recipe. Try it as written. If you want a stronger flavor, add the spice, and heat once again while mixing well. 

Watch the Video to make Keto Shawarma

Another fantastic dish that uses shawarma spice is my Air Fried Green Beans with Shawarma Spice. It's a light and flavorful side dish that can be made right in your Air Fryer in only 15 minutes!

So if you're wanting to try a delicious international dish, that's also low carb and keto-friendly, then I can't wait for you to make this Beef Shawarma recipe!

Don't forget to check out my other Keto cookbooks.

Keto Instant Pot, Keto Fat Bombs, Sweets, & Treats, and Easy keto in 30 minutes.