Vegan Shawarma Tacos

Taco Tuesday plans: Vegan Mushroom Shawarma Tacos with a creamy cilantro tahini sauce! The mushrooms are packed with flavor from a homemade shawarma spice blend and have the perfect meaty texture. Simple, delicious and easy to make in about 30 minutes!

Why we love this recipe

• Just a few simple components: I love that these shawarma tacos are super simple, with just the mushroom shawarma filling and a quick cilantro tahini sauce. They don't require tons of prep (or dish washing!).
• Super flavorful spice blend: the homemade shawarma spice blend is the key here. It's easy to throw together in less than 5 minutes and uses spices that you probably already have in your pantry. Bonus: make extra for quick use in the future!
• Delicious weeknight dinner: perfect for any day of the week. You can even make the mushrooms in advance and reheat just before serving if you're extra short on time.
• Vegan and gluten free (without sacrificing on flavor!): thanks to the mushrooms' meaty texture, this recipe is perfect for vegans and non-vegans alike. Corn tortillas make this 100% gluten free as well.

Ingredient Notes

Here are a few of the key ingredients you'll need for these vegan shawarma tacos:

• Mushrooms (both portobello and shiitake): we chose these two varieties for their meaty texture and earthy flavor, which better mimics meat. If you can't find any, you can sub with another variety (like cremini), but the texture may be a bit different.
• Shawarma spice blend: we use a homemade spice blend here (instructions below!).
• Tamari or soy sauce: tamari makes this recipe 100% gluten free, but use soy sauce if that's not an issue for you. Note that we used low sodium here, so if using regular, you may want to adjust the salt level in the seasoning blend.
• Tahini: the smoother the tahini, the easier this sauce is to blend. If you want to make it homemade, check out this recipe!
• Date syrup or agave: a touch of sweetness perfectly balances the spices. We love this date syrup, but if you can't find any, agave is a great sub.
• Tortillas: we used corn, but you can also use flour or a grain free version (my favorite is these cassava ones from Siete Foods). I like to warm mine over an open flame on the stovetop for a bit of charred, smoky flavor.

Homemade shawarma spice blend

We make our own easy homemade shawarma spice blend for these tacos. It's super flavorful, perfectly balanced, and easy to make with spices you probably already have in your pantry.

If you want to, you can triple or quadruple the batch so you have leftovers for the future.

We love using it in this shawarma sheet pan dinner or adding a pinch to a Mediterranean-inspired salad dressing! It would also be great in a marinade for grilled tofu!

Here are the spices you'll need for the blend:

Step-by-step instructions

Make shawarma spice blend

Stir (or whisk) together all spices for shawarma spice blend. Alternatively, add everything to a glass jar, seal and shake well to combine.

Prep and cook mushrooms

Prep the portobellos: Remove the stems from the portobellos, then use two forks to "shred" the mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. The idea is to have different sizes and textures to mimic shredded meat.

Prep the shiitake: Simply remove the stems and slice into thin strips. 

In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, tamari, date syrup, and the shawarma spice blend.

Add mushrooms to a large mixing bowl. Pour spice/oil blend over mushrooms and toss well to coat (it's easiest to use your hands to make sure the spices evenly coat the mushrooms). Let sit for 15 minutes so the mushrooms can soak up some of the flavor.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat with 1-2 tablespoon of olive oil. Once heated, add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for about 8-10 minutes, until softened and slightly crispy. 

Make cilantro tahini sauce

While the mushrooms are cooking, add all ingredients for cilantro tahini sauce to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to scrape down the sides a few times to make sure everything is blended.

Assemble the tacos with warmed corn tortillas, chopped lettuce, mushrooms, cilantro tahini sauce and (optional) vegan feta. 

Expert Tips

Make ahead: you could actually make both the mushrooms and the cilantro tahini sauce ahead of time!

Store the mushrooms in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a skillet until warmed through.

Make the cilantro tahini sauce up to 5 days ahead of time and store in an airtight container or sealed jar. Shake or whisk before serving.

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