The most common types of shawarma include chicken, beef, lamb, and mixed-meat shawarma. They share the same basic cooking method: seasoned meat is stacked on a vertical spit, slowly roasted, and shaved from the browned exterior.
What changes is the meat, marinade, seasoning, sauces, and serving style. Chicken tends to be milder, while lamb offers a richer flavor. Beef brings a deep, savory taste, and mixed-meat shawarma combines characteristics of more than one meat.
There are also regional shawarma styles, so there isn’t a universal list of only two types. Here’s how the main varieties compare and how to choose one you’ll enjoy.
Types of Shawarma: A Quick Comparison
The easiest way to distinguish the main types of shawarma is by the meat used.
| Type of shawarma | General Flavor | Texture | May suit you if you prefer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Mild, savory, and well-spiced | Tender with browned edges | Lighter-tasting meat |
| Beef | Deep and savory | Firm and juicy, depending on cut | A stronger red-meat flavor |
| Lamb | Rich and distinctive | Tender and succulent when prepared well | A pronounced red-meat flavor |
| Beef-lamb | Rich and savory | Depends on the meat blend | A combination of red-meat flavors |
| Turkey | Mild | Lean and tender | An alternative to chicken |
These descriptions are general. Shawarma recipes differ between countries, restaurants, families, and individual cooks. The marinade matters too. Two chicken shawarmas can taste quite different depending on their spices, acidity, cooking time, sauces, and accompaniments.
What Are the Most Popular Types of Shawarma?
Chicken and red-meat shawarmas are among the most familiar varieties, but there is no authoritative rule saying shawarma comes in exactly two types.
Shawarma can be classified by:
- meat, such as chicken, beef, lamb, turkey, or a mixture;
- regional preparation;
- seasoning and marinade;
- accompaniments and sauces;
- and serving style.
This is why asking about “the two types of shawarma” can be misleading. Chicken and lamb are two well-known examples, not the only forms of the dish.
1. Chicken Shawarma
Chicken shawarma is one of the most widely recognized varieties. Chicken is marinated with seasonings that can include garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper, lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, or oil. There is no single mandatory recipe.
The seasoned pieces are layered onto a vertical spit. As the stack rotates beside the heat, the exterior browns. The cook shaves away the cooked outer layer in thin pieces, exposing another surface to the heat. The result combines juicy pieces with darker, browned edges.
What Does Chicken Shawarma Taste Like?
Chicken shawarma usually has a milder meat flavor, allowing its marinade and spices to stand out.
Depending on the recipe, you might notice garlic, citrus, warm spices, pepper, or smoky notes from the browned meat.
In Levantine preparations, chicken shawarma may be paired with garlic sauce and pickles. Actual accompaniments vary considerably between regions and restaurants.
Chicken is a good starting point if you are new to shawarma or prefer poultry to red meat.
2. Beef Shawarma
Beef shawarma offers a deeper red-meat flavor. Like chicken, thin pieces of beef are seasoned or marinated before being layered onto a vertical spit.
Marinades vary, but recipes may use vinegar or citrus alongside garlic and aromatic spices. The goal is to season the meat throughout while complementing beef’s naturally savory character.
What Does Beef Shawarma Taste Like?
Beef gives shawarma a more pronounced savory flavor than chicken. Warm spices can add earthy, peppery, or slightly sweet notes, depending on the recipe.
Tahini-based sauces are commonly associated with some beef shawarma traditions, although serving styles differ throughout the Middle East.
Choose beef if you prefer red meat but do not necessarily want the distinctive flavor of lamb.
3. Lamb Shawarma
Among the different types of shawarma, lamb is known for its distinctive red-meat flavor.
Lamb can be seasoned with spices such as cumin, coriander, allspice, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and garlic, although recipes vary widely.
Its richer flavor works well with the aromatic spices associated with many shawarma preparations.
What Does Lamb Shawarma Taste Like?
Lamb usually tastes richer and more distinctive than chicken. Its flavor depends heavily on the cut, fat content, marinade, and cooking method. This makes it difficult to describe every lamb shawarma with one flavor profile.
It may be served with tahini, vegetables, pickles, flatbread, or other accompaniments according to the regional or restaurant style.
If you enjoy strongly flavored red meat, lamb may be more appealing than chicken.
4. Beef-Lamb Shawarma
Shawarma does not always contain a single meat. Beef and lamb can be combined to create a red-meat shawarma with characteristics of both.
The exact flavor and texture depend on the ratio, cuts, seasoning, and preparation. Unless those details are provided by the restaurant, it is better not to assume a particular beef-to-lamb ratio.
This distinction is especially relevant at Shawarma Kebab in West Chester. The restaurant’s current menu lists Beef-Lamb Shawarma, rather than a lamb-only shawarma.
So, when discussing the restaurant’s menu specifically, “beef-lamb” is the accurate name to use.
5. Turkey Shawarma
Turkey is another meat that can be prepared using the shawarma method. Its relatively mild flavor makes it suitable for aromatic marinades and spice mixtures, somewhat like chicken.
Turkey shawarma is not necessarily available at every Middle Eastern restaurant, but it demonstrates why shawarma should not be divided into only chicken and lamb.
The technique can be adapted to different meats while retaining the defining vertical-spit preparation.
Different Types of Shawarma by Regional Style
Meat is only one way to categorize shawarma. The dish developed across the Middle East, particularly the Levant, and individual countries, cities, restaurants, and families have their own approaches.
That can change everything from the marinade to what accompanies the finished meat.
Lebanese-Style Shawarma
Lebanese shawarma can vary according to the meat. Chicken may be paired with garlic sauce and pickles, while red-meat shawarma may be paired with tahini and vegetables.
The seasonings themselves also vary between recipes. It is better to think of Lebanese shawarma as a family of preparations rather than one fixed recipe every restaurant must follow.
Syrian-Style Shawarma
Syria also has a long-established shawarma tradition.
Chicken shawarma can be served with garlic sauce and pickles inside thin flatbread. Preparation and accompaniments differ between restaurants and regions.
As with Lebanese shawarma, there is no single ingredient list that defines every Syrian version.
Other Regional Shawarma Variations
Shawarma is eaten across a much wider area than Lebanon and Syria. Different preparations can be found in Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, and elsewhere in the Middle East.
Local spice preferences, bread, pickles, sauces, and meat choices can all change the finished dish. That regional variety is one reason there are so many different shawarma experiences despite the shared cooking technique.
What Bread Is Used for Shawarma?
Shawarma does not require one specific bread. Depending on the region and restaurant, it may be wrapped in pita or another type of thin flatbread.
The bread changes the eating experience. A thin flatbread can create a tightly rolled shawarma, while pita offers a softer and thicker pocket or wrap. Shawarma can also be served without being wrapped at all.
Platters, salads, and meat served over hummus are examples of how restaurants can use shawarma beyond the traditional handheld format.
What Sauces Go With Different Shawarma Types?
There isn’t one universal “shawarma sauce.” Garlic sauce, including toum in Levantine cooking, is strongly associated with chicken shawarma. Tahini, made from sesame seeds, is often paired with red-meat shawarma.
Other restaurants and regional traditions may use different sauces or combinations.
Rather than treating the sauce as part of shawarma’s definition, think of it as one way regional traditions and individual restaurants shape the final dish.
Which Type of Shawarma Should You Choose?
Your best choice depends mainly on the flavors you enjoy.
- Choose chicken shawarma if you prefer poultry and a milder meat flavor that allows the marinade and spices to stand out.
- Choose beef shawarma if you enjoy a deep, savory red-meat flavor.
- Choose lamb shawarma if you like richer meat with a more distinctive taste.
- Choose beef-lamb shawarma if you want a red-meat combination rather than a single meat.
If a restaurant offers a combination plate, that can also be a practical way to compare two varieties in one meal.
Types of Shawarma at Shawarma Kebab in West Chester
If you’re deciding between types of shawarma at Shawarma Kebab, the current menu makes the choice straightforward.
The restaurant currently offers two primary shawarma meats: chicken shawarma and Beef-Lamb Shawarma. Both are available in several formats.
For example, the menu lists Chicken and Beef-Lamb Shawarma Platters served over rice with Greek salad and homemade pita bread, with tzatziki and shawarma sauce on the side. Both meats are also available as salads, wraps or pitas, loaded shawarma fries, and over hummus.
Can’t decide which meat to order? The current combo plate includes both beef-lamb and chicken shawarma.
Explore the current Shawarma Kebab menu
Shawarma Types vs Serving Styles
One useful distinction is that the type of shawarma and the way it is served are not necessarily the same thing. Chicken shawarma is a type based on meat. A chicken shawarma wrap is a serving format.
The same chicken could potentially be served in a pita, over salad, with rice, over hummus, or in another format depending on the restaurant.
This means terms such as “shawarma roll,” “shawarma platter,” and “shawarma salad” usually describe how shawarma is served rather than entirely separate types of meat.
