This post contains affiliate links.

My chickpea shawarma is crispy, warmly spiced, and built for piling into flatbreads with a garlicky yogurt sauce. Two cans of chickpeas, a sheet pan, and about 35 minutes stand between you and one of the best vegetarian wraps in the rotation!

Flatbread topped with sliced tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, arugula, purple cabbage, and a spread of white sauce.
I love putting all the fillings for this chickpea shawarma on the table, and everyone can build their own.
save this recipe!
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Shawarma is one of those dishes I’ve encountered in dozens of countries, and I’ve spent years thinking about how to make it truly vegetarian.

As the Chickpea Queen, I knew chickpeas were the right vessel: roasted at high heat until shatter-crisp and golden, then tossed with all the spices.

The Flatbread Dinner That Converts Meat Eaters

After developing hundreds of chickpea recipes and testing this one relentlessly, here’s why I think you’ll love it:

  • Crispy chickpeas that hold their texture through assembly without going soggy
  • A garlicky yogurt sauce with tahini that takes two minutes to stir together (I could drink this sauce with a straw)
  • Works in flatbreads, bowls, grain plates, or straight from the pan
Flatbread wrap filled with roasted chickpeas, red cabbage, arugula, sliced red pepper, tomato, and drizzled with white sauce, tied with string and served on parchment paper.

The Testing

Spices after baking, not before
Adding the spice blend before roasting causes the spices to burn at 400°F, producing a bitter, slightly acrid coating rather than the warm, aromatic crust you want.

Drying the chickpeas thoroughly
Any moisture left on the chickpeas creates steam in the oven and prevents crisping. Patting them firmly with paper towels until dry, not just damp, is the step that separates crispy shawarma chickpeas from soft, chewy ones. Take the extra minute!

Tahini yogurt sauce
Traditional shawarma is served with toum, a Lebanese garlic sauce that takes patience and a food processor to make properly. My version uses a simple stir-together yogurt sauce with raw garlic, lemon, and tahini instead. The whole thing comes together in two minutes flat.

Flatbread topped with sliced tomato, arugula, shredded purple cabbage, roasted chickpeas, and a creamy white sauce on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
The spices go on after baking, not before, to keep them from burning and to allow the chickpeas to really crisp up!

Key Ingredients

  • Chickpeas: The drier they are, the crispier they get. Any moisture will steam them instead of roasting them.
  • Shawarma spice blend: Seven spices go into this blend: smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and turmeric. Cinnamon surprises people most, but it’s the ingredient that makes this taste unmistakably like shawarma rather than just smoky roasted chickpeas.
  • Greek yogurt: The base of the garlic sauce. Full-fat produces the creamiest, most stable sauce.
  • Tahini: One tablespoon, stirred into the yogurt sauce, adds nutty depth. Use a good quality tahini that’s smooth and pourable, not thick and grainy.
  • Garlic: Three cloves, minced raw into the sauce. It adds a sharp bite that cuts through the yogurt’s richness and balances the warm spices on the chickpeas.
  • Flatbreads or pita: Warm them briefly in a dry pan or directly over a gas flame for the best texture.
Ingredients for Chickpea Shawarma, including chickpeas, pita bread, tomato, lemon, arugula, yogurt, olive oil, tahini, spices, paprika, garlic, and pickled peppers arranged on a green plaid tablecloth.

What to serve with chickpea shawarma

The toppings are where this recipe really opens up. Pickled red cabbage adds a bright, acidic crunch that cuts through the richness of the yogurt sauce. My tzatziki sauce works as an alternative to the garlic yogurt if you want a more classic Mediterranean finish.

For a full spread, serve alongside my hummus with warm pita for dipping. And if you love shawarma, my vegan shawarma with shaved tofu takes the same concept in a completely different direction.

A pita wrap filled with roasted chickpeas, lettuce, red cabbage, tomato slices, and a drizzle of white sauce, resting on parchment paper—this delicious Vegan Shawarma offers a fresh and flavorful twist on a classic favorite.
rate pin print remove ads

Chickpea Shawarma Wraps with Garlic Yogurt Sauce

By: Sarah Bond
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
This chickpea shawarma is crispy, warmly spiced and perfect for piling into flatbreads with garlicky yogurt sauce. One sheet pan and ready in 35 minutes!

Ingredients 

Spiced Chickpeas

  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained, 425 g cans
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil, 30 mL
  • 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp each cumin, coriander, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, turmeric

Garlic Sauce

  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt, can use vegan, 120 g
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 15 mL
  • 1 Tbsp tahini, 15 g
  • Pinch of salt

To Serve

Save this recipe!
Enter your email & we’ll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Instructions 

  • Prep: Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Drain and pat dry 2 15-oz cans chickpeas using paper towels.
    A pile of chickpeas spread on a paper towel-lined tray, placed on a green and white checkered tablecloth.
  • Bake: Transfer chickpeas to a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with 2 Tbsp olive oil, tossing to coat. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until crispy and golden brown.
    Roasted chickpeas spread on a parchment-lined baking tray, viewed from above, on a checkered tablecloth.
  • Spices: When chickpeas are finished and while they're still piping hot, sprinkle all of the spices over the chickpeas on the pan and toss to evenly coat.
    Roasted chickpeas coated in spices are spread on parchment paper on a baking tray, resting on a green and white checkered surface.
  • Sauce: Stir together all garlic sauce ingredients.
    A white bowl with yogurt, minced garlic, tahini, and honey sits on a green checkered tablecloth, surrounded by a whisk, citrus juicer, and small glass bowl.
  • Assemble: Spread sauce onto flatbreads, topping with chickpeas and desired veggies.
    Flatbread topped with sliced tomato, arugula, purple cabbage, roasted chickpeas, and a white sauce on a tray. Other ingredients and flatbread are arranged around it.

Notes

Pita Tip: I like to wrap the pita in a damp paper towel and microwave for 10 to 20 seconds to make them pliable.
Store the spiced chickpeas and the yogurt sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat the chickpeas in the oven at 400°F for five to eight minutes or in the air fryer for three to four minutes to restore the crispiness. The microwave works but makes them soft. Don’t store assembled flatbreads — they go soggy quickly.
Can I make this in the air fryer? Yes. Cook the dried chickpeas at 400°F for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until golden and crispy. Toss with the spice blend immediately out of the air fryer just as you would the oven version. The result is slightly crispier than the oven version and faster.
Can I use this as a bowl instead of a wrap? Yes, and it’s excellent that way. Serve the spiced chickpeas over a grain base like my bulgur salad with feta and pomegranate or plain cooked farro, then spoon the yogurt sauce over the top and add the same toppings you’d use in the wrap.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Eat vegetarian cookbook.

Let's eat more plants!

Packed with over 100 reader-favorite vegetarian recipes, my cookbook is your go-to guide for easy, healthy meals that make plant-based eating a breeze.

grab a copy

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

Question? Ask your question here! Sarah personally answers comments every weekday.

Rate this Recipe: