This vegetarian paella recipe is packed with delicious and savory flavors! A vegan twist on the classic Spanish recipe, it’s a crowd favorite.
Here’s a recipe guaranteed to cause ooos and ahhs with every serving: this classic Vegetarian paella! Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that has many variations. It’s often made with seafood, but we’ve tried many delicious vegetable versions on our travels in Spain! The saffron flavored rice is loaded with a colorful array of veggies, and it’s real Enjoyment. We love to serve it to guests, but if you’re organized, this dish could easily work for a weeknight. (It’s also a vegan paella!)
Ingredients for this vegetarian paella recipe
The vegetarian paella is also called Green paella: A rice dish cooked in a flat pan and loaded with vegetables. This recipe is based on a lot of research from our recent trip to Spain. Alex and I wanted this recipe to reflect the veggies you might see in a Spanish paella, not just any old veggies! Here’s what you need for an epic veggie paella:
- Traditional paella pan: You can also use a large pan (see below)
- rice bomb: You can also use arborio rice
- Tomato, onion and garlic Make a quick sofrito
- saffron and allspice also smoked paprika (see below)
- artichokes
- Peas
- Chickpeas
- Roasted red peppers (Pot)
- lemon slices: Lemon Garnish is the perfect glossy finish
Use a large skillet or paella pan
There are people who say it’s not paella if it’s not made in a paella pan! (The purists.) But not everyone has access to this particular type of stove or wants to put it away. We recommend one if you plan on making paella on a regular basis. Here’s what you need to know to find one:
- to the paella bread is a large, round, shallow pan with handles used for cooking paella. The flat shape allows the rice to cook evenly. This recipe is for a 15-inch paella pan for 4 people. If you are looking for one, here is a link to buy a 4 person paella pan.
- You do not have ? Use your largest pan. The bigger the better! You may need to adjust the cooking time slightly if using a skillet. Pay attention!
Note that paella pans are made of carbon steel and can rust. If you buy one, be sure to dry the pan completely after cleaning. Rub it with some vegetable oil to prevent rust.
Best Rice: Bomba or Arborio
The best rice for this vegetarian and vegan paella recipe? rice bomb! Cold Bomb is a short-grain white rice used to make paella. It can be difficult to find in some grocery stores, but it is easy order online: Cold Bomb.
Another option is arborio rice! This is the type of short grain rice used for risotto. Arborio rice can give a more rubbery texture than bomba, but it still works. Bomba is the most consistent if you can find her!
Spices for paella: saffron and pepper
There are two classic spices in a Spanish paella that provide the authentic taste. You may have heard of saffron, but it’s the combination with smoked paprika that gives this vegetarian paella the best savory flavor. (Bonus: We use it in many vegan recipes to add a meaty flavor.)
- Saffron gives the dish an earthy flavor and a beautiful colour. It’s expensive but worth it. If you can’t find it or don’t want to splurge, a good substitute is ½ teaspoon of turmeric.
- Smoked paprika (aka paprika): This bright red spice adds color and a smoky undertone to the dish. Use leftovers for more of our best smoked paprika recipes.
How to cook a vegetarian paella: some tips!
Most of the time, once you’re ready to cook this vegetarian paella, it gets set and forgotten. Most! Here are some tips for the cooking process:
- Don’t stir! That’s right: no fuss allowed! The broth and spices cook through the rice, leaving everything perfectly cooked. Traditional paella gets a nice brown crust on the bottom of the rice. The Spaniards call it shocked. (Note that this is a bit more difficult to achieve if you’re using a pan.)
- pay attention. You’ll want to make sure the heat isn’t too high for the broth to boil too quickly or it will burn at the bottom and the rice won’t cook! Slowly and steadily. Check out the recipe below for more tips!
- If using a paella pan, turn the pan over the burners. Our paella pan can fit over multiple burners, so we rotate it while cooking to keep it even.
Side dishes for vegetarian paella
When you’re done cooking, take it to the table and sprinkle with lemon wedges. Unveil your brilliant veggie-stuffed vegan paella and everyone goes ooo and ahh (promise!). It’s great for chatting, but sometimes we do it on weekdays too. What can you serve with it? Here are a few ideas:
More types of paella
Fancy paella over an open fire? Or use traditional seafood? Here are our main variants of paella recipes:
This vegetarian and vegan paella recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
The description
This vegetarian paella recipe is packed with delicious and savory flavors! A vegan twist on the classic Spanish recipe, it’s a crowd favorite.
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 6 Garlic cloves
- 2 at 3 Italian or plum tomatoes (1 ½ cups finely chopped)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 15 ounces Can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 large pinch of saffron
- 1 ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, shared
- 3 cups vegetable soup
- 1 ½ cups Short Grain Bomba Rice or Arborio Rice
- ½ cup frozen peas, rinsed in warm water
- 12 ounces Artichoke hearts, quartered (marinated to taste)
- 1 at 2 roasted red peppers in a jar, cut into strips
- Lemon wedges from ½ lemon
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Prepare the vegetables: Chop the onion. Chop the garlic. Finely chop the tomatoes, remove the seeds but keep the seeds with their juice. Cut the roasted red peppers into strips and set aside.
- Measure ingredients: Measure all remaining ingredients before you begin. The cooking process is fast!
- Cook paella: In your largest skillet or 4-portion paella pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika and paprika flakes, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes are broken up and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, chickpeas, saffron, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt. Stir, then immediately sprinkle the rice evenly over the broth, patting the pan with a spoon to distribute the rice evenly. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until liquid is absorbed, about 18 to 22 minutes (adjust cooking time as needed if using a skillet). If your pan is large enough to cover multiple burners on your stovetop, adjust the heat on each burner to achieve an even, medium simmer. Rotate the pan every few minutes for even cooking.
- Add artichokes and peas (10 minutes cooking time): About 10 minutes into the cooking time, when the top of the rice begins to show through the liquid, lightly press the artichokes, peas, and strips of pepper into the rice.
- Check if the paella is cooked: Watch the paella closely for the last few minutes and turn the pan more often. At the end of the paella you will see the steam slowing down as the water boils. If desired, peek at the bottom of a saucepan with a knife to scrape up the rice—you shouldn’t see any standing water. The sound begins to change from a tremor to a crackle. This indicates that the crust is forming. Allow the crackling to continue for about 2 minutes before removing from the heat. If you feel a burning sensation, remove it immediately.
- Surcharge: When the paella is ready, squeeze the lemon slices over the pan. Sprinkle with a pinch or two of kosher salt and add parsley if using. Serve with additional lemon wedges.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Spanish
- Diet: vegan
Keywords: Vegetarian Paella, Vegetarian Paella Recipe, Vegan Paella
