Harissa-Spiced Lentil Cake Shawarma with Almond Butter Sauce
Crispy pan-fried red lentil cakes infused with harissa paste, warm cumin, and fresh herbs, served with a silky almond butter sauce. This vegan shawarma delivers the aromatic heat and spiced depth of Tunisian street food in a plant-based form, perfect for wraps, grain bowls, or plated as a vegetable-forward main.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Wait
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings (8 lentil cakes plus sauce)
Steps
Before you start
- Read the full recipe so you know the cakes must chill before frying
- Have all aromatics minced and ready before you start cooking the lentils
- Line a small baking sheet (8×6 inch) with parchment paper for shaping the lentil mixture
Cook the lentils
- Combine red lentils and vegetable broth in a medium saucepan (2-quart).
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are completely soft and have absorbed most of the liquid.
- The mixture should be thick and porridge-like, not soupy.
- If excess liquid remains, increase the heat slightly and cook 1–2 minutes more to evaporate it.
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Ready when: Lentils are soft and mixture is thick, with most liquid absorbed
Tip: If the lentils are still firm at 15 minutes, add 2–3 tablespoons water and cook 2 minutes more; overcooked lentils are better than crunchy ones here.
Season the lentil base
- Remove from heat and stir in the harissa paste (3 tbsp), ground cumin (1.5 tsp), minced garlic (3 cloves), finely diced onion (0.5 medium), chopped parsley (0.5 cup), salt (0.75 tsp), and black pepper (0.25 tsp).
- Mix thoroughly until all seasonings are evenly distributed.
- The mixture should smell intensely aromatic with warm spices and harissa heat.
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Ready when: All ingredients are evenly distributed with no visible streaks of harissa
Tip: Add the harissa to the hot lentils so it dissolves smoothly; cold harissa can clump.
Bind and chill the mixture
- Stir in cornstarch (3 tbsp) until fully incorporated.
- Spread the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (approximately 8×6 inches), pressing it into an even ½-inch-thick layer.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until firm and cool.
- This allows the cornstarch to set and makes the cakes easy to cut and handle.
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Ready when: Mixture is firm to the touch and no longer sticky
Tip: Don't skip the chilling step; the cornstarch needs time to set, or the cakes will crumble in the pan.
Cut into cakes
- Remove the baking sheet from the refrigerator.
- Using a bench scraper or thin spatula, cut the lentil mixture into 8 equal rectangles (approximately 2×3 inches each).
- Carefully lift each cake onto a shallow plate or bowl.
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Ready when: 8 evenly sized cakes, cut cleanly and intact
Tip: Use a bench scraper dipped in water to prevent sticking; work gently to keep edges intact.
Pan-fry the cakes
- Heat olive oil (3 tbsp) in a large skillet (12-inch) over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is shimmering, carefully place the lentil cakes in the pan, working in two batches if needed to avoid crowding.
- Fry for 4–5 minutes per side over medium-high heat until the exterior is deep golden-brown and crispy, with visible char spots.
- The cakes should feel firm when gently pressed.
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Ready when: Golden-brown and crispy exterior with char spots; cakes feel firm and hold their shape
Tip: Don't move the cakes too early—let them sit in the pan for at least 3 minutes per side to develop a crust. If they stick, they're probably still cooking; give them another 30 seconds.
Make the almond butter sauce
- While the cakes fry, whisk together almond butter (0.5 cup), tahini (2 tbsp), harissa paste (1 tbsp), minced garlic (1 clove), ground cumin (0.5 tsp), lemon juice (3 tbsp), and warm water (0.75 cup) in a small saucepan (1-quart).
- Warm gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 3–4 minutes until smooth and pourable.
- Do not let it boil.
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Ready when: Sauce is smooth, silky, and pourable with no lumps; steam rises gently
Tip: Whisk constantly to prevent lumps from forming. If the sauce seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
Season the sauce to taste
- Taste the almond butter sauce and adjust seasoning with salt to taste.
- The sauce should be warming, slightly spicy from the harissa, with bright lemon notes balancing the richness of the almond butter.
- Add salt gradually—start with 0.25 tsp and adjust from there.
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Ready when: Sauce is well-balanced with visible harissa color and no harsh raw flavors
Tip: Taste as you season; the almond butter and tahini are rich, so you may need more salt than expected.
Plate and serve
- Arrange the crispy lentil cakes on a serving platter or individual plates.
- Drizzle or spoon the warm almond butter sauce over or around the cakes.
- Serve immediately while the cakes are warm and crispy and the sauce is still warm.
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Ready when: Plated dish is warm with sauce ready to serve
Tip: If serving as a wrap, warm your flatbread, pita, or tortilla and let diners assemble shawarma with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and the cakes.
Good to know
Tips
- Harissa varies in heat level by brand; taste a small amount before adding the full 3 tbsp to the lentils. You can always add more, but you can't remove it.
- For a spicier dish, dust the finished cakes with a pinch of cayenne or drizzle extra harissa into the sauce. For milder heat, reduce harissa to 2 tbsp in the cakes.
- This dish is naturally vegan and works beautifully as a grain bowl topping (serve over couscous, rice, or farro with fresh vegetables) or wrapped in warm flatbread with cucumber, tomato, and pickled onions.
- The almond butter sauce is thick and creamy when warm but will thicken more as it cools. If you're serving it at room temperature or chilled, thin it with a few extra tablespoons of warm water when reheating.
Make ahead
The lentil mixture can be prepared up to 3 days ahead, chilled on the baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. Cut and fry the cakes just before serving. The almond butter sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and reheated gently in a small saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of warm water if it thickens.
Storage & reheating
Store leftover lentil cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 8–10 minutes to restore crispiness, or briefly in a skillet over medium heat. Store the sauce separately in an airtight container for up to 4 days; reheat gently over low heat. Freezer: Lentil cakes freeze well for up to 3 months; thaw and reheat as above. The sauce does not freeze well due to the almond butter texture.
Substitutions
- red lentils, rinsed → Brown or green lentils, rinsed. Will need 5–7 additional minutes of cooking. The texture will be slightly less creamy but still delicious.
- natural almond butter, unsweetened → Sunflower seed butter or tahini. Sunflower butter is a mild, nut-free alternative. Use 0.5 cup sunflower seed butter and reduce tahini to 1 tbsp. Tahini alone will make a lighter, earthier sauce.
- harissa paste (Tunisian chili paste) → Sriracha or sambal oelek, plus 1 tsp paprika. Will shift the flavor profile slightly toward Asian rather than North African, but provides similar heat and depth. Sriracha is slightly sweeter.
- cornstarch → Potato starch or all-purpose flour. All-purpose flour works equally well as a binder; use the same amount. Both will give the cakes a slightly less delicate texture.
