Best Vegan Paella Recipe

Happy weekend, guys! Mine is going to be a busy one. On Saturday, I am attending my third day-long pottery workshop, which I am super stoked about. I am looking forward to honing my skills and also picking up the bowls I made last time. I cannot wait to see what they will look like once fired and glazed. After the workshop, I am hopping out of my clay-stained clothes and into something more presentable as we are going to a restaurant with Duncan’s family, to celebrate Duncan’s niece turning 21. Sunday will be spent doing chores of various descriptions and running so I won’t bore you with details, but you get the gist – a mixture of fun stuff and less so is on the agenda.

We are not planning on any entertaining this weekend, but if you are I recommend that you try this vegan paella on your guests! Despite its pretty elaborate and somewhat luxurious appearance, it is actually deceptively simple to make. It’s all about learning to cook the rice to perfection using visual cues alone. If you have a paella pan, dust it off and you are set, but if you don’t, just use a regular pan. I actually tried to get myself a paella dish, but I could not find anything suitable. I found one that was way too big for my needs and another that was coated in teflon, which I did not like, so I resorted to using my regular, stainless steel pan and it worked just fine. A pan with a tight fitting lid would be even better here as resting the rice at the end of the cooking time is key.

Vegan

Once you’ve got your pan covered, make sure you have the correct type of rice to hand. If paella rice (there are quite a few varieties: senia, bomba or bahfa) isn’t available, most short-grain rice varieties will do. I used the widely available risotto rice (arborio) as I had a big bag of it that needed using up and it worked beautifully. The key thing with paella is judging the correct liquid to rice ratio and just the right cooking time, so please make sure you measure all three. I found that 200 g of rice needs approximately 2½ cups (600 ml) liquid in total to be cooked just right.

Spring Vegetable Paella Recipe

I went a bit batsh*t crazy (love the term) with my paella and topped it with all the veggies under the sun as I wanted it to look colourful, summery and festive, but you can totally be more restrained, especially if you are not in the habit of buying surplus vegetables just because they look good. I am totally guilty of that – I always get home hauling way more produce than what I set out to buy or what the two of us can physically eat and then I get really stressed that stuff will go to waste. It sucks to be me sometimes.

If you make this recipe please tag me on Instagram using the # hashtag and @. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

Join our mailing list and we we will let you know when we publish a new recipe. You'll receive our DELIGHTFUL DESSERTS E-BOOK as a thank you for supporting us.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.

Vegan Mushroom Paella

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

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.

An Amazing Vegetarian 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.

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.

Best

Vegetable Paella Recipe

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.

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.

Vegan Vegetable Paella

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.

Vegetarian

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.

Steel Cut Oat Vegan Paella Recipe| Quaker Oats

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!

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.

Recipe For A Authentic Spanish Vegan Paella

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.

*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.

Vegetable Paella Recipe (spanish Style Vegetable Rice) By Archana's Kitchen

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...Full of color and simple flavors, this Spanish inspired Vegan Paella is loaded with veggies and an eye-catching centerpiece for the table! No need to have a paella pan, you can use a large pot or dutch oven too.

Vegetable paella has been a part of

Vegetarian

Veggie Paella Recipe