If you’re a fan of traditional Lebanese flavors but need a quicker way to prepare meals, this Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma dish is your new go-to recipe. It captures all the bold, aromatic spices of classic shawarma, reimagined for a modern kitchen with the ease of an air fryer. This dish is the perfect blend of simplicity and flavor, making it an ideal weeknight dinner or hearty lunch. The secret to elevating this meal lies in the tahini sauce—the more garlicky and lemony, the better!
A Layer of Crispy Potatoes for the Perfect Base
The foundation of this dish starts with a crispy potato layer. Sliced or cubed, these potatoes are cooked to golden perfection in the air fryer, providing a satisfying crunch at the base of the dish. This layer complements the rich, seasoned beef, creating a delicious texture contrast that’s impossible to resist.
Shawarma Spices: Aromatic and Authentic
The heart of this recipe lies in the seasoned beef strips, marinated in a shawarma spice blend bursting with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, turmeric, smoked paprika, cumin, and sweet pepper (allspice). These spices infuse the beef with warmth and depth, making each bite a burst of Middle Eastern flavor. Cooking the beef in the air fryer ensures that each piece is tender on the inside, with a lightly crisped edge—just like authentic street-style shawarma.
Tahini Sauce: The Star of the Dish
What really ties everything together in this Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma is the creamy tahini sauce. With a perfect balance of garlic, lemon juice, and tahini, this sauce adds a smooth, nutty richness that enhances the flavors of the spiced beef and potatoes. When poured generously over the assembled dish and baked briefly, the tahini sauce melds with the other ingredients to create a mouthwatering harmony of flavors.
Everything Made from Start to Finish in the Air Fryer
What makes this Lebanese Beef Shawarma recipe even more convenient is that the entire dish is cooked from start to finish in the air fryer. First, the potatoes are air-fried until golden and crispy, creating the perfect base. Then, the beef strips are cooked with sliced onions, soaking up all the aromatic spices and developing a delicious caramelization. Once the beef and potatoes are ready, the whole dish is assembled with the creamy tahini sauce on top and baked briefly in the air fryer to allow the flavors to blend beautifully. This method makes the process quicker and reduces mess, eliminating the need to turn on the oven.
Cooking with the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fryer
For this Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma, I used the Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone Large Air Fryer with ClearCook Stainless Steel 8.5L. It’s a game-changer for recipes like this one because it has plenty of space to fit a large baking dish (up to 30×20 cm). This versatility allows me to cook multiple components of the dish in one go, making the entire process smoother and more efficient. Whether it’s frying potatoes, roasting meat, or baking everything together, this air fryer delivers consistent results with minimal effort.
How to Serve It this Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma
To make this dish a complete meal, pair it with warm Arabic bread for scooping or serve it with vermicelli rice for a more filling option. Either way, the combination of crispy potatoes, flavorful beef shawarma, and creamy tahini sauce will leave you craving more.
Why You’ll Love This Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma recipe
This Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma offers the flavors of a traditional Lebanese shawarma with a fraction of the effort. It’s quick, fuss-free, and perfect for impressing guests or treating yourself to a special dinner without spending hours in the kitchen. Plus, using the air fryer means less oil and faster cooking, making it a healthier take on this Middle Eastern favorite.
More Air Fryer Lebanese Recipes to Explore
If you enjoyed this Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma, be sure to check out some of my other air fryer Lebanese recipes on the website:
- Lebanese-style Potato and Soujouk Salad
- Kibbeh Stroganoff
- Soujouk, Pumpkin, and Caramelized Onion Mini-Pies
Try this recipe today, and you’ll see why the air fryer is the perfect tool for bringing modern convenience to timeless flavors!
Air Fryer Lebanese Beef Shawarma
Equipment
- airfryer Instant Vortex Plus VersaZone
Ingredients
- 5 large potatoes
- 1 kg veal لحم عجل or any tender meat, cut into strips
- 1 large onion cut into strips
- Shawarma spices see spice mix in notes
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1/3 cup yogurt laban
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 Juice of lemons
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the Potatoes:
- Slice potatoes into 1 cm thick slices.
- Toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 205°C. Cook the potatoes for 15 minutes until golden and crispy.
- Arrange the cooked potatoes in a baking dish (30×20 cm size fits most large air fryers).
Cook the Shawarma:
- In a bowl, mix veal strips with shawarma spices, onions, and the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil until well-coated.
- Cook the meat mixture in the air fryer at 205°C for 15 minutes.
Make the Tahini Sauce:
- Whisk together tahini, laban (yoghurt), lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
- If the sauce is too thick, thin it out with more water or lemon juice to reach your desired consistency.
Assemble and Bake:
- Spread the cooked shawarma over the potato layer.
- Drizzle the tahini sauce evenly over the top.
- Bake the dish in the air fryer at 205°C for 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
Serve:
- Let the dish rest for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with warm Arabic bread or vermicelli rice.
Video
Notes
- Shawarma Spice Mix: 1 tsp 7-spice blend; 1 tsp sweet pepper (allspice); 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground cardamom; 1/4 tsp ground cloves; 1 tsp ground coriander; 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric; 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tbsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground mastic gum (optional)
- Oven Option: Bake potatoes at 200°C for 30 minutes until crispy. Grill the shawarma in a pan over high heat with olive oil until cooked through. Layer the ingredients as described and bake in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes.
- Make-Ahead Tip:This dish is great for meal prep! Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.