Butternut Squash Shawarma

Butternut Squash Shawarma

This one genuinely blew us away the first time we made it. Butternut squash might not sound like the most obvious shawarma filling but trust us, once it's coated in those warm spices and roasted until sticky and caramelised, it's absolutely incredible. You've got all those classic shawarma vibes, the tangy pickled onions, the soft flatbread, the creamy sauce, but it's completely plant-based and ready in 35 minutes. It's the kind of meal that makes people forget they're not eating meat, and honestly that's one of our favourite things to hear.

Cook: 35 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Large baking sheet
  • Rolling pin
  • Small frying pan
  • Vegetable peeler
  • Red onion pickled in advance (15 minutes minimum)

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small butternut squash
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 300g self raising flour
  • 250g coconut yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • olive oil - (approx 1 tbsp per piece)
  • 1 medium red onion
  • 50ml red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 lemon
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • ½ medium cucumber
  • 1 baby gem lettuce
  • 200g hummus
  • chilli sauce - (we used sriracha)

Method

1

Prepare the pickled red onion and dough

  • Peel, trim and finely slice the red onion and break the pieces into a bowl
  • Cover with red wine vinegar and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper
  • Rub the red wine vinegar into the red onion and set to one side
  • Add the flour, water, yoghurt and salt into a bowl and knead for 2-3 minutes until you have a smooth ball of dough (add a little water or flour depending on the texture)
  • Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and set to one side
2

Prepare the squash

  • Trim, peel, halve and deseed the squash
  • Use the peeler to ribbon the squash
  • Add the olive oil, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and a little salt and pepper to a bowl and stir to combine
  • Add the squash ribbons to the bowl and fold to cover and coat
  • Transfer the ribbons to the baking sheet, put the sheet in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure an even cook
3

Prepare the serving ingredients

  • Cut the lemon into wedges
  • Finely dice the tomatoes
  • Halve the cucumber lengthwise, scoop out the sides and finely slice the cucumber
  • Trim the stem-end off the lettuce and discard. Finely slice the lettuce
4

Prepare the bread

  • Cut the dough into 4 pieces and roll out into four rough circles that are around 1 cm thick on a floured surface
  • Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan over high heat, lay the dough in the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes, using the back of a spatula to press the dough into the pan
  • Flip the bread and repeat until the bread is turning golden with a few dark spots appearing
  • Transfer the bread to a plate, cover with a clean kitchen towel and repeat with the remaining balls of dough
5

Time to serve

  • Take one piece of bread and smother with hummus
  • Top with the lettuce and a generous pile of the butternut shawarma ribbons
  • Sprinkle over the tomatoes, cucumber and pickled red onion to taste
  • Drizzle over some chilli sauce and squeeze over the lemon
  • Wrap up the bread into a nice, neat kebab and serve immediately

Tips & Variations

  • Make the pickled onions ahead: We always do this first thing because the longer they sit in the vinegar, the better they get. Even 10 extra minutes makes a real difference.
  • Get the flatbread right: Don't skip the yoghurt in the dough, it keeps things soft and pillowy. If the dough feels too stiff, just add water a tiny splash at a time.
  • Spice it up: Henry always adds a pinch of cayenne to the squash marinade for a little extra kick. Totally optional but really good if you like a bit of heat.

Why This Works

The trick is getting real colour on the squash. Don't rush that roasting time because the caramelisation is where all the deep, smoky flavour comes from. The quick-pickled red onion is also doing a lot of heavy lifting here, that sharp vinegary bite cuts right through the richness of the squash and ties the whole thing together.