Recipes
Climate-Friendly Cooking 🥕

Mushroom Shawarma with Tahina Sauce, Tzatziki and Pita

Tastes like meat, but is actually vegan: shawarma with mushrooms!

22.08.2023 • Carbon Footprint: 1948 g CO₂e
Mushroom Shawarma with Tahina Sauce, Tzatziki and Pita

Recipe Categories:

Mediterranean Vegetarian

Ingredients:

mushrooms portobello mushrooms oyster mushrooms yoghurt tahina pita bread
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Smoky, savoury, and packed with layered spice, this mushroom shawarma offers a plant-forward spin on a street food classic. Traditionally, shawarma means meat roasted on a vertical spit — but here, meaty mushrooms pick up all the shawarma spice and deliver rich umami without the carbon footprint of lamb or beef. If you’re looking for a Mediterranean main that leans into flavour and climate-aware choices, you’ve found it.

Using a mix of king oyster, portobello, and oyster mushrooms means every bite has a different texture — some tender, some robust. I recommend marinating the mushrooms ahead (overnight if possible); this gives the seasonings time to work their magic, resulting in a heartier, more aromatic shawarma filling. The smoked paprika and homemade Hawaij spice blend put bold East Mediterranean flavours front and centre. Shawarma is really about the marinade — don’t hold back with the spices.

For serving, keep things classic with pita, zesty tahina sauce, and cooling tzatziki. If you’re building pita sandwiches, add extra veggies like cucumber, tomato, lettuce, or even pickled chillies for freshness and crunch. Tzatziki typically uses Greek yoghurt, but you can easily swap in plain oat or soy yoghurt for a fully vegan plate.

You need a lot of spices in the marinade to make it tasty and intense. If you feel there’s too much, add a pinch more - you’ll thank yourself.

The recipe is adapted from Haya Molcho’s “Wien by NENI” (publisher’s website), simplifying the process so you can skip the skewers and fry everything directly.

Go big on the spice blend, taste as you go, and most importantly — enjoy every saucy, satisfying bite.

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Recipe

Mushroom shawarma with tahina, tzatziki and pita - plus some rocket here

Mushroom shawarma with tahina, tzatziki and pita - plus some rocket here

Ingredients

Preparation Time: 10 min

Total Time: 40 min

Servings: 2

  • • 4 king oyster mushrooms
  • • 4 large portobello mushrooms
  • • 4 large oyster mushrooms
  • • 85g neutral oil (such as sunflower or rapeseed)
  • • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • • 3-5g salt
  • • 1-2g ground black pepper
  • • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika powder
  • • Hawaij spice mix: 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • • 2 pita breads
  • • 1 garlic clove
  • • 50g cucumber
  • • 150g Greek yoghurt (can substitute with unsweetened plant-based yoghurt)
  • • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • • 5 tablespoons tahini (tahina)
  • • 2 tablespoons mango pickles

Instructions

  1. 1
    Wipe any dirt from the mushrooms and trim the stems if needed. Cut the king oyster, portobello, and oyster mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Peel and finely chop 3-4 garlic cloves. In a large bowl or container, combine the mushrooms, neutral oil, salt, black pepper, thyme, smoked paprika, and chopped garlic. Mix well to coat; covering and shaking the container works well. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or for best results, marinate overnight.
  2. 2
    For the tzatziki, peel and finely dice 1 garlic clove. Wash the cucumber and cut into fine cubes or grate into thin strips. In a small bowl, combine the Greek yoghurt, diced cucumber, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Stir thoroughly and refrigerate to let the flavours meld.
  3. 3
    Mix the Hawaij spice blend by combining cumin, cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, and nutmeg in a small dish. Set aside.
  4. 4
    Preheat a large frying pan over high heat. Add the marinated mushroom mixture and spread in an even layer. Sear for 2-3 minutes without stirring to develop colour, then stir and reduce the heat to medium-high. Continue to fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their water and take on a deep golden-brown colour and toasty aroma. The mixture should be glossy, not soggy.
  5. 5
    While the mushrooms cook, combine tahini and mango pickles in a jar or small bowl. Add enough cold water (start with 2-3 tablespoons) to thin the mixture, then shake or whisk vigorously until a creamy sauce forms. Adjust consistency with more water if needed.
  6. 6
    Warm the pita breads and prepare to serve. Arrange the hot mushroom shawarma on plates or spoon directly into pita. Drizzle generously with tahina sauce and a sprinkle of Hawaij spice blend. Add a side of tzatziki and enjoy immediately.

Carbon Footprint

Carbon Footprint (2 portions): 1948 g CO₂e

This ranks it number 40 out of 59 recipes published on the blog so far in terms of estimated carbon footprint.

It therefore belongs to the tertile of recipes with the highest emissions (bottom 33%). 😮

Our Methodology Explained

Looking at the individual ingredients, oil and Greek yoghurt stand out, both of which contribute disproportionately to the carbon footprint: in the case of oil, this is due to the amount of raw materials required to produce one litre of oil. As a result, oil accounts for about 7% of the weight of the ingredients in this recipe, but about 15% of the emissions. In the case of Greek yoghurt, the main cause is methane emitted by cows. As a result, yoghurt accounts for about 13% of the weight of the ingredients, but about a fifth of the greenhouse gas footprint of this recipe. Although the mushrooms themselves make a below-average contribution, they still have a relatively high carbon footprint compared to vegetables: about 1.3 kg of CO2 equivalents are released for 1 kg of mushrooms - but only about 200 g of CO2 equivalents for 1 kg of courgettes.

Comparison of Ingredients