Authentic Vegetable Paella

When we first moved to Arizona we experienced our first authentic paella at a Spanish restaurant in Scottsdale and we fell in love! It was hearty, aromatic and full of addictive flavors.

It's a family-style meal that's served in a paella pan right on your table. You don't even need plates, you just dig right in!The ambiance of the restaurant is spot on with its rustic appeal and live Spanish music. We always have a great time when we go.

It's an hour drive so we don't get there as often as we'd like. So, I decided to make my own vegan paella at home. I asked the owner for some tips and his biggest piece of advice was to

Easy Vegetarian Paella

The best rice to use is Bomba Rice because it has the ability to absorb twice the amount of liquid than regular rice without getting mushy. This short-grain Spanish rice will also absorb all the flavors of your broth, seasonings, and oil too. Another popular rice for paella is Calasparra Rice and would be my second choice for making authentic paella.

I buy paella rice online because it's not readily available in many mainstream stores. You might find it in specialty or ethnic shops though.

However, if you can't find them, the next best replacement is Arborio Ricewhich is commonly used for Risotto. It gets super creamy when liquid is stirred in slowly. Paella is not meant to be creamy, so you definitely don't want to stir the arborio or you'll end up with risotto. In fact, you shouldn't stir paella at all once the broth has entered the pan.

Vegetable Paella With Halloumi

Saffron Threads give paella its distinct golden color and flavor which is somewhat earthy and floral. It's very subtle but really finishes the dish. It can be a little costly, so if it's not in your budget you can replace it with turmeric. It will have a different flavor, but will still be subtle and make the rice golden.

I use a Paella Pan which is ideal but it's not 100% necessary. If you don't have a paella pan, I would recommend a large 12-14 stainless steel pan. Don't use one with a non-stick coating though.

A paella pan is a wide, shallow and thin metal pan with sloped sides. Its flat and wide bottom is designed to maximize the amount of rice touching it which helps create a delicious, toasty crust at the bottom. The sloped and shallow sides help the rice cook evenly too.

Vegetable Paella (cooked On Bbq) Recipe

Paella is traditionally cooked over a fire and the pans were designed for that, so they work best on gas tops, grills or fire pits. However, I've made it on an electric stove with nice results. I had to rotate the pan more, but the rice still cooked nicely.

This is the crispy golden crust that forms on the bottom of the pan. It infuses the paella with a deep smoky and slightly nutty flavor. It's glorious!

Once the broth starts cooking off, that's when thesocarrat magic starts to happen. You'll hear a subtle snap, crackle and popping sound. Plus, you'll smell a toasty aroma that's just heavenly.

Easy Vegan Paella (1 Pan!)

You don't want to stir the paella because it will disrupt this process, so you'll need to watch, listen and smell careful because the bottom can burn easily. Sometimes you might not get thesocarratto form and that's ok. It all depends on the pan, fat content, heat source and experience. The more you cook paella, the better you'll get at reading the signs.

I've had times where I left it too long and it burned, so it's better to have no socarrat than burnt socarrat. Your paella will still be delicious without it.

If you'd like to read more about making paella, you may like this article at The Spruce Eats. Lots of great tips!

Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe

Before you start, add the vegetable broth and saffron threads to a medium pot. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat for 1 minute, then lower the heat just to keep it warm.

If you make this Vegan Paella, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagramand share your creation with me. Just tag me@and hashtag#so I don’t miss it.

* Sometimes you might not get thesocarratto form and that's ok. It all depends on the pan, fat content, heat source and experience. The more you cook paella, the better you'll get at reading the signs. I've had times where I left it too long and it burned. That is never fun, so it's better to have nosocarrat than burntsocarrat. Your paella will still be delicious without it.

Vegetable Paella With Chickpeas

*Saffron gives the paella its distinct flavor which is somewhat earthy and floral. It's very subtlebutreally finishes the dish. It also turns the rice to a beautiful golden color.It's a little costly, so if it's not in your budget you can replace it with turmeric. It will have a different flavor, but will still be subtle and make the rice golden.

Calories: 366 kcal | Carbohydrates: 59 g | Protein: 9 g | Fat: 10 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 528 mg | Potassium: 450 mg | Fiber: 4 g | Sugar: 4 g | Vitamin A: 1530 IU | Vitamin C: 47.3 mg | Calcium: 27 mg | Iron: 3.8 mg

I’m Melissa Huggins – the creator of Vegan Huggs. I started this blog to share delicious vegan recipes that everyone will love. Yep, that includes carnivores, too! Read more...150g paella rice 1 large ripe tomato (about 200g), halved 1/2 red pepper (about 60g), deseeded and cut into thin strips 1/2 yellow pepper(about 60g), deseeded and cut into thin strips 3 frozen artichoke heads, roughly chopped 100g white beans 100g frozen peas 100g mushrooms 60g green beans 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp smoked paprika 2 tsp bouillon powder (vegetable stock) 1/2 tsp salt Pinch of saffron Pinch of black pepper 450ml hot water Handful of fresh rosemary (optional) Pinch of parsley, chopped (optional) 1 unwaxed lemon, cut into wedges (optional) Add a pinch of good quality saffron, salt and bouillon powder to 450ml hot water, stir well. Allow to infuse for at least 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, over a large bowl, use the largest holes on a grater to grate the tomatoes and discard the skin, season with salt and set aside. Heat the oil in a large flat pan, add the minced garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes until the garlic turns slightly golden in colour. Add all the vegetables, peas and white beans and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes until soft. Season the vegetables with smoked paprika, black pepper and pour in the grated tomato, stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes until they are in a slightly brown colour. Pour over the saffron broth and bring it to a boil. Add in the rice, stir very gently and spread evenly around the pan. You may also want to move the vegetables around to get a more even distribution. After this DO NOT STIR please! Leave to simmer for 10-12 minutes over a medium heat. When you see some small gaps start to appear on the surface of rice this means most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add 3-4 small stems of rosemary on top of the rice. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with aluminium foil and leave to cook for a further 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leaving the foil on the pan, allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm straight from the pan, with the fresh lemon wedges.

Vegan Paella Recipe

Warning, this is not an easy, quick or cheap recipe. This is a real authentic recipe that requires at least intermediate cooking skills, good sense of heat control and a decent amount of effort to achieve. If you are looking for a simple and quick paella recipe, please be patient, I will publish one soon.

This is the most painful recipe I have even developed. If you visited my website regularly, you might already know my King is from Spain, and he is a meat eater. He is also a stubborn eater and very proud of his national dishes, so if I cook Spanish food I’ve got to do it right!

One day, I told him I wanted to cook a vegan paella and hoped he could give me some tips or get some advice from his mama. AND…. he gave me THAT look and replied, “paella without meat is not a real paella.”

Spanish Vegetable Paella With Roasted Peppers & Asparagus Recipe

I was determined to make a vegan paella that would still appeal to Spanish tastebuds! In the following 3-4 months, I read travel blogs, did lots of research and watched Spanish cooking videos religiously. The idea of paella seem simple, but if you want to get it right, it can be tricky!

Finally, I created a vegan paella with al-dente rice and a slightly burned crispy bottom packed with authentic Spanish flavours – tomato, white beans, artichoke, smoked paprika and saffron (good saffron is not cheap at all). King gave it