My shawarma sauce is creamy, garlicky, and ready in 5 minutes with Greek yogurt, tahini, mayonnaise, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh dill. I use it for shawarma wraps, Falafel, Urfa Kebab - Turkish Ground Lamb Kebab, and doner kebabs, or simply as a dip with warm sourdough flatbread.
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You can keep it thick for spreading inside pita bread, or thin it with a little cold water for drizzling over shawarma bowls and salads. It is simple, quick, and much better than anything from a bottle.
Why This Recipe Works
- It takes 5 minutes to make and needs no cooking, blender, or special equipment.
- You can use it as a dip, dressing, spread, or quick sauce for grilled meat, kebabs, falafel, fries, and vegetables.
- Easy to adjust after mixing. Add more lemon for sharpness, more garlic for a stronger kick, or more yogurt if you want it milder.
- This tahini yogurt sauce is much fresher than bottled sauces, and you know exactly what goes into it.
- It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, which makes it handy for meal prep, packed lunches, wraps, and quick dinners.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Yogurt - Use plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt for a thick and creamy base. Full fat gives the best texture, but low fat works too. Regular yogurt is fine, but the sauce will be thinner.
- Tahini - It adds a mild sesame flavor. Stir the jar well before measuring, as the oil often separates. If your tahini tastes bitter, balance it with a little extra yogurt or lemon juice.
- Mayo - A little mayonnaise makes the sauce smoother and richer. You can reduce it or replace it with extra yogurt for a lighter sauce.
- Dill - Fresh dill adds a light herby flavor. You can swap it for parsley, mint, or cilantro, or leave it out for a plainer sauce.
- Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice gives the sauce a brighter taste. Bottled lemon juice can taste harsh, so fresh is best here.
How to Make Shawarma White Sauce
Start by preparing the garlic and dill. Grate, crush, or finely mince the garlic, then chop the dill finely.
Add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, and tahini to a bowl. Whisk until the mixture looks smooth and creamy.
Add the lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Whisk again, then check the texture.
If the sauce is too thick, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time. Whisk after each addition. Stop once the sauce is thick enough to cling to food but loose enough to spoon or drizzle.
Stir in the chopped dill, then taste and adjust. Add more lemon for sharpness, more garlic for a stronger flavor, more yogurt to soften it, or a little more salt if it tastes flat.
For the best flavor, cover the bowl and chill the sauce for at least 30 minutes before serving. You can use it straight away, but resting gives the garlic time to mellow and the flavors time to settle.
How Thick Should Shawarma Sauce Be?
The best thickness depends on how you plan to use it.
For shawarma wraps, pita sandwiches, burgers, and doner kebabs, keep the sauce fairly thick. A thick sauce spreads well and stays inside the bread.
For chicken shawarma bowls, rice bowls, salads, and roasted vegetables, loosen it with a little cold water until it drizzles easily.
For dipping falafel, fries, kebabs, or vegetables, keep it somewhere in the middle. It should be creamy and scoopable, but not stiff.
How to Fix the Flavor
A sharp sauce needs a spoonful of yogurt or a little extra mayo to soften it.
A heavy sauce needs more lemon juice and a small splash of cold water to lighten it.
Bitter tahini can be balanced with extra yogurt and a small pinch of salt.
Strong raw garlic will mellow after 30 minutes in the fridge.
A flat sauce usually needs a little more salt or lemon juice.
A thin sauce can be thickened with more Greek yogurt or tahini.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Use plain, unsweetened yogurt. Flavored or sweetened yogurt will ruin the sauce.
- Stir the tahini very well before measuring so the sauce turns smooth.
- Grate or crush the garlic instead of roughly chopping it. Large pieces of raw garlic can taste too sharp.
- Add water slowly. Once the sauce is too thin, it is harder to fix.
- Let the sauce rest for 30 minutes if you have time. The garlic softens and the flavor becomes smoother.
- Taste before serving. Yogurt, tahini, lemons, and garlic can all vary, so small adjustments make a big difference.
- Keep the sauce thicker for wraps and thinner for bowls, salads, and roasted vegetables.
How to Use Shawarma Sauce
Shawarma Wraps
Spread the sauce inside pita bread, flatbread, or lavash before adding chicken shawarma, beef shawarma, lamb, chicken doner kebab, salad, pickles, and onions. A thicker sauce works best here because it helps hold the wrap together.
Dipping Sauce
Serve it alongside Authentic Homemade Lebanese Falafel, Air Fryer Frozen Sweet Potato Fries, or Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips as a creamy dip.
Salad Dressing
Thin the sauce with a bit of water or olive oil to use as a tangy salad dressing.
Fries and Sandwiches
Use it as a dip for fries, sweet potato fries, potato wedges, or as a spread for sandwiches, burgers, and Arayes - Stuffed Pita.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store shawarma sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Stir it before serving, as it may thicken slightly in the fridge. Add a small splash of cold water if you need to loosen it.
Do not freeze this sauce. Yogurt and mayonnaise can split after freezing, and the texture will turn watery or grainy once thawed.
Recipe FAQs
No. Tarator is usually more tahini based and has a different texture and flavor. This recipe is a yogurt-based shawarma white sauce made with Greek yogurt, tahini, mayo, lemon, garlic, and dill.
If you don’t have tahini, you can leave it out, though it adds a nice nutty flavor to the sauce. You could also try substituting it with a small amount of smooth peanut butter or sesame oil for a similar effect.
Yes, you can substitute Greek yogurt with plant-based yogurt and use vegan mayonnaise to make the sauce completely dairy-free.
Related Recipes
For more delicious dishes to pair with Shawarma White Sauce - Tarator Sauce, why not try:
Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below, tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram, and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.
I hope you enjoy the process of making this homemade Shawarma White Sauce as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Shawarma White Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt (150 grams)
- 3 ½ tablespoon mayonnaise (50 grams)
- 3 ½ tablespoon tahini (50 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dill
Instructions
- Start with gathering and preparing your ingredients. Measure all the ingredients and mince the garlic finely. Chop fresh dill leaves and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, tahini, and mayonnaise until well combined.
- Stir in the lemon juice, minced garlic, and salt, and mix thoroughly until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. It should be thick enough to cling to food but smooth enough to drizzle.
- Add chopped fresh dill leaves, transfer to a serving plate, and let the sauce sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt for the best texture. Regular yogurt works too, but the sauce will be thinner.
- Stir the tahini well before measuring because the oil often separates in the jar.
- Fresh lemon juice and fresh garlic give the best flavor.
- Grate or crush the garlic so it mixes smoothly into the sauce.
- Add water slowly. Keep the sauce thick for wraps and sandwiches, or thin it slightly for bowls, salads, and roasted vegetables.
- Let the sauce rest for 30 minutes if possible. This helps the garlic mellow and gives the sauce a smoother flavor.
- If the sauce tastes too sharp, add more yogurt. If it tastes flat, add a little more salt or lemon juice.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir before serving.
- Do not freeze, as yogurt and mayonnaise can separate after thawing.
Halime says
This sauce turned out creamy and full of flavor. It worked perfectly with shawarma and wraps.