Straight from my Egyptian kitchen, this hawawshi recipe is made with crispy pita pockets that are stuffed with a tantalizing meat mixture with onions, hot peppers and fresh herbs. Think of it as Egypt’s answer to a hamburger but on steroids!
Watch my video below to see how to make hawawshi step-by-step.
As an Egyptian (born and bred), nothing excites me more than sharing childhood favorites. And today is all about a famous street food we call hawawshi. Think of it as Egypt’s answer to a burger, or a next-level ground beef pita sandwich.
What is hawawshi?!
Hawawshi! Say it with me: ha-WOW-shi.
Hawawshi is a popular Egyptian street food, particularly in Cairo and Alexandria (where they call it baladi). It is basically dough (or pita) stuffed with a mixture of ground beef that is seasoned with tantalizing warm spices, onions, garlic, hot peppers and fresh herbs.
Legend has it that one butcher by the name of Ahmed Al-Hawash in Cairo’s Tawfeek Souq came up with this sandwich back in the early 1970s and gave it his name. The idea has traveled throughout parts of Africa and the Middle East (in Lebanon, another version of this sandwich is called Arayes).
Homemade hawawshi shortcut
In Egypt, hawawshi pitas are typically made to order so they’re fresh out of the oven when you get them. When local Egyptian restaurants, particularly in Cairo or Alexandria, make it, they start by making a special dough (similar to the dough used for pita bread) and then they wrap the dough around the meat mixture and cook it in their large ovens (some use clay ovens or pizza ovens).
In this shortcut version, I skip making the dough and use ready pita pockets, which become nice and crispy when heated. No special equipment is needed but a large sheet pan or two and your oven.
High heat (around 400 degrees F) is best for baking hawawshi sandwiches, which take about 15 minutes to bake.
What’s in it? And how do you make it?
There are three components to making this hawawshi beef patty sandwich recipe:
- Hawawshi seasoning
It’s not a hawawshi sandwich without the unique seasoning or spice mixture of coriander, allspice, paprika, black pepper, cumin, cardamom, and a pinch of cinnamon (find these spices and more at our online shop).
- The meat mixture
Lean ground beef combined with finely chopped vegetables including garlic, onion, bell pepper, hot pepper like jalapeno (optional), and finely chopped parsley. The hawawshi seasoning is added to this mixture and combined before cooking (kinda like how you would prepare meat for meatballs, except in this case you do not form the meat into balls). - Pita pockets
Like I mentioned earlier, this is the shortcut version which uses already available pita pockets (I do bake my own pita often, here’s my recipe for homemade pita bread). The seasoned meat mixture is spread in the pita pockets and then baked until the meat is fully cooked through. It will take about 25 minutes or so in a 400 degrees F heated oven.
The key is to cook the pita on both sides so it’s nice and crispy.
How to serve it?
This satisfying sandwich is typically served hot without much else to accompany it, but I like adding some sliced veggies or quick pickles and a side of tahini sauce (which is awesome drizzled in the sandwich). And it’s never a bad idea to add a big salad like this lazy Mediterranean salad, fresh bean salad, or even Greek salad.
Leftovers & storage
This recipe makes 12 pita pockets, so you can easily feed a crowd of at least 6 people. But I often make it for our little family of four and save the leftovers in the fridge for lunches.
Fully cooked hawawshi sandwiches can be stored in the fridge in a tight-lid container for 3 days or so. Warm them up in a medium-heated oven.
You can also freeze fully cooked hawawshi. To freeze for later, I typically wrap up the individual pita sandwiches in foil that’s been lined well with wax paper or parchment (or you can use freezer bags or containers). You can warm them up from frozen.
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Egyptian Hawawshi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large yellow onion quartered
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 green bell pepper cored and cut into large chunks
- 1 jalapeno halved and seeded (leave some of the seed if you like heat)
- ½ ounce fresh parsley stems trimmed (cut most of the stem but leave some for extra flavor)
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 6 loaves of pita bread you need the kind with pockets
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, add the spices and mix to combine.
- Put the onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno, and parsley in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, pulse a few times until finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a sieve to drain excess liquid (it helps to push with the back of a spoon).
- Transfer the onion mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the ground beef and tomato paste. Mix to combine. Add the spice mixture and a dash of kosher salt. Mix again until the mixture is well combined and the spices are well distributed within the meat mixture.
- Cut the pita loafs in halves to create 12 pita pockets.
- Prepare a large sheet pan brushed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
- Stuff each pita pocket with 1/3 cup of the meat mixture. Using the back of a spoon, spread the meat mixture inside the pita pockets.
- Arrange the pitas in the prepared sheet pan. Brush the pita pocket tops with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.
- Bake in the heated oven for 15, then carefully turn the pitas over and cook on the other side another 5 to 10 minutes until the meat is fully cooked and the pita is crispy on both sides.
Video
Notes
- Visit our Shop to browse quality all-natural and organic spices used in this recipe, olive oils and more.
- To bake your pita from scratch, follow my homemade pita bread recipe
- To store leftovers cooked hawawshi in the fridge: cool completely and transfer to tight-lid containers. Refrigerate for 3 days or so. Warm up in a medium-heated oven,
- To freeze leftover cooked hawawshi: You can also freeze fully cooked hawawshi. To freeze for later, I typically wrap up the individual pita sandwiches in foil that’s been lined well with wax paper or parchment (or you can use freezer bags or containers). You can warm them up from frozen.
I made these for the first time tonight. I did have an issue after flipping, my pita got soggy. But I quickly used a spatula to pick them up and put the soggy side up on a rack over my sheet pan and stuck them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Perfect! The seasoned meat was so flavorful! I’ll make again with leaner meat so as to avoid the grease situation. I plan on making extra next time and freezing them.
Making this tomorrow night…
Your recipes are one of two sites that I consistently save..
I am a relic in my retirement community because I actually COOK EVERY NIGHT for my husband and I so I enjoy reading your creations then trying to recreate them..
I come from a long line of Sicilian cooks who spend a majority of my time in the kitchen and you remind me of my granmom and mom because of your love of good food and putting love in your food.
Thank you.
Aww! You are so sweet, Angela! Thank you!
Absolutely my new favorite!
Super easy and delicious. I had to make a couple of swaps but still so good!
Crispy, browned and the meat was juicy and flavorful!
Thank you!!!!
Yay! Thanks, April!
These came out very soggy and lacked seasoning. There definitely needs to be more than just a pinch of salt in the meat mixture, more like a teaspoon at least. Also because they were so soggy, we had to eat them with a fork and knife because we couldn’t pick them up with our hands. Not sure why that happened, maybe I brushed too much oil on them?
They were soggy either because you didn’t drain enough of your vegetable liquid and/or you ground meat was not lean enough. Do not use 80/20 or you will have a soggy, greasy mess. Stick with the lean 94/6 or 96/4 if your store has it and you should be good.
Hi Suzy can you make these like a calzone using your pitta dough ? Or should I cook your pittas then use them ? I find pittas in the supermarket dry and stale ?
Kind regards
Heidi
Hi, Heidi. I would cook the pita bread first, and then use it here. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Can you use ground lamb or a mixture of beef ( hamburger) and ground lamb?
Sure! Either would work!
My 7 yr old is OBSESSED with all things Egypt…its one of our dream places in the world to visit if we ever win the lottery. LOL. I can’t wait to try this and bring something real to her!
That is so adorable! I sure hope you both get to visit together someday!
Delicious!! First time making this and it was terrific and soooo very authentic tasting. I went the full mile and also made the homemade pita and it was also very good; however, the dough was too thin to open for the meat! I will make this again!
Can these be frozen before or after baking?
Hi, Debbie. You can freeze the hawawshi after backing. Check out the section in the post titled “Leftovers and Storage” for some tips.
I just made this tonight. So SO delicious! I had more liquid come out of my meat when baking, so after flipping, I broiled it for a few minutes. The meat is so flavourful and spiced just right. My kids absolutely devoured it!! Thank you!
We love the flavor and juiciness of these gems. I use your pita bread recipe for these (another amazing recipe). We use Beyond meat instead of beef. Oh my goodness, so delicious!
Thanks, for sharing!
What sliced veggies do you recommend serving with these? Trying them tonight for my large family… they are already excited seeing them go into the oven 🙂 THanks!
Hi, Michele. I’m so sorry I’m just seeing this. I hope you all enjoyed the recipe! For the future, you can really serve it with whatever kind of sliced veggies you all enjoy. I love tomatoes, cucumber, red peppers, etc. And don’t forget some tahini sauce :).
They were soo good! I had to get people out the door for an event and didn’t have time for the tahini sauce (which I love!), but served them with a quick tzatziki as I had a bunch to use up. Honestly, these are so good, you could serve them with anything. Thanks for the reply tho— we’ll be sure to mix it up some and see what we like best. 🙂 And, just to say: LOVE your recipes. After 32 yrs of marriage and 24 of parenting (6 kids), my menu was feeling quite “stale”. I just found you a month or 2 ago, but am cooking from your site at least 4 times a week now and it is just the breath of fresh air we all needed. I am enjoying the kitchen again, and everyone is asking “what is for dinner?!”… and bringing company! I tell them about your site, too. Love the spices and flavors; thanks SO much! Keep up the great work!
Oh, wonderful, Michelle! I’m so glad you’re loving what you find here!
Hi – can I use ground turkey instead? Probably the 93/7 fat content?
Sounds delicious and I have made so many of your recipes! Thank you!!
Sure! Another reader gave that a try and enjoyed it!
You definitely need to change the word, “LOAF”, to “SLICE”. It stunned me when I read it, then I realized what you were trying say. I can picture ppl going out & buying 6 bags of pita slices. Looks good. I’m going to try this tonight.
Thanks for the feedback, Benni! Hope you enjoyed it!
The Hawawshi looks great, but can I use pork and chicken?
Hello! I haven’t tested this recipe on with pork and chicken, but I think it could work. Would love to hear your thoughts if you give it a try!
Love your recipes, BUT what is going on with your website. For starters, I sent a comment* September 19 and never received an answer. Lately, your website has made so many changes, I find it difficult to navigate. Is it me, or is anyone else experiencing problems?
*September 19, 2021, I wrote: “When I try to email a recipe, the website appears as the subject, from which I cannot access. So, I have to “cut” the subject and “paste” it in the body. Then I have to “cut” the description from the body and “paste” it in the subject. Is it me–what am I doing wrong?
Hi, Beverly. I apologize for missing your earlier question. Regarding the issue you’re having with the email button, you aren’t doing anything wrong. Unfortunately, this is the way it is set up, and, at the moment, there isn’t a quick fix. I agree it’s backwards, and we’ve asked our website support partner to try to come up with a solution. Despite updates we have to regularly make to our website to keep up with ever-changing requirements, we haven’t had anyone else report issues in general with sight navigation. Our team also has not had difficulty finding what they need to on the blog. As you experience a specific problem or glitch (as with the email), please continue to report so we can attempt to find a fix on our end when possible. We always appreciate the feedback. Thanks so much!
I love the spice mixture! These were so easy, delicious and fun to eat!