Kebabs are England’s fourth favourite takeaway (after pizza, Chinese and Indian food). From the Turkish word for cut-up pieces of meat, those of us who don’t eat meat often feel sick seeing spits roasting pieces of meat. But whether you are vegan, vegetarian or a meat-eater, try some of these plant-based offerings for some if not all of the time. The lambs will thank you! Salt is toxic to pets and birds, so don’t give leftovers.
Oumph is a Swedish food brand that uses sustainabe European-grown soy to create vegan kebabs and other goodies. These spicy offerings are nice with veggies and sauce, served in a flatbread or pita.
Vivera offers good Greek-style vegan kebabs, which you can find in most shops. Easy to fry in a few minutes, serve with potatoes and red peppers.
how to make your own vegan kebabs
These vegan kebabs (Loving it Vegan) are made with fresh veggies and tofu, marinated in a tasty sauce and grilled to perfection.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people & pets (many human foods are unsafe around animal friends).
These vegan beef kebabs use Beyond Meat beef, but you can sub with any vegan beef you can find in shops, if not sold locally. Serve with pita bread and vegan tzatziki.
This kebab sandwich (Ele Vegan) is made with marinated jackfruit and served with salad veggies and a tangy vegan garlic yoghurt sauce. Also try her vegan gyros with homemade tzatziki.
where to buy takeaway vegan döner kebabs!
where to buy vegan döner kebabs
England is renowned as the country where youngsters go out for a good night on the town, get drunk and then go to the kebab house, before going home. It all sounds good fun, but of course animals are suffering terribly, as a consequence. But no need to be a party-pooper, as it’s possible now to find plant-based kebabs that are just as good, of course really they are better!
Most vegan fast food joints sell in compostable packaging, but still bin to stop fast food litter. Do not feed leftovers to birds, gulls or pets (due to vegan meats, salt etc). Read more on food safety for people & pets.
Most kebab shops undoubtedly use factory-farmed meat. And Red Tractor assurances are not ranked well by animal welfare organisations).
What the Pitta! is England’s first chain of vegan döner kebab restaurants! The idea came about when the founder lamented the lack of choice at takeaways. When a friend mentioned a relative had a popular vegan kebab shop in Germany, they visited and were so wowed by the taste, they brought back the recipe and opened a small outlet 2 weeks later. Today there are branches in London (Brick Lane & Camden), Brighton and Manchester
With fans including Irish chefs and superstar footballers, the range (sold in bagasse and wood packaging) has staff trained to conserve energy/water (oil is repurposed into biofuel). The menu includes:
- Döner kebabs with salad, hummous, vegan tzatsiki & peppers
- Paprika spice chips, with sauce of your choice
- Spicy ‘no chicken’ pieces with salad & fries
- Homemade falafel wraps with chilli sauce
- Falafel bowls with salad & creamy hummus
You can also buy plant-based kebabs from Vegan Munch (Birmingham) and Seitan’s Kebab (Manchester).
Some kebab houses sell halal meat (not stunned). Religious tolerance is one thing, but welfare experts at Compassion in World Farming say animals do suffer, and want it banned. The solution is obvious as it’s fine within both Islam and Judaism to be vegan. Muslim Prince Khaled bin alwaleed is so passionate about creating a plant-based world, he has invested in many businesses (and many vegan cookbook authors are Jewish).
Vegan Munch (Birmingham) offers soy-based kebabs that are marinated with authentic Turkish doner spices, and served in a wrap filled with salad, chillies, onion and tzatziki sauce.
Seitan’s Kebab (Manchester) offers vegan street food to the masses at affordable prices. Seitan is a ‘wheat-meat’ that has been eaten for thousands of years. It looks and tastes just like meat. The flatbread are made by a local Lebanese bakery, and all items are served with fresh salad, and a homemade garlic sauce.
the debate about halal (and Kosher) meat
If you visit a kebab house, there is a possibiity that the meat may be Halal. This (and Jewish) meat is from animals that are not stunned, in compliance with religious law. Religious tolerance is one thing. But welfare experts at Compassion in World Farming say animals do suffer, and want it banned. Of course the solution is obvious. You can go plant-based whether you’re Muslim or Jewish. One Arab Vegan is one of the most popular recipe blogs, and its founder is a committed vegan – and Muslim. And Prince Khaled bin alwaleed (above) is so passionate about the lifestyle, he invests in plant-based businesses (and many vegan cookbook authors are Jewish).
The law is also a mess. CIWF say that in fact, many meats sold as Halal are stunned (so not compliant anyway) and they want such meat only sold in certain stores, yet many supermarkets now sell it (and don’t label it). So people often unwittingly buy Halal meat, when they don’t want it.
