Best Vegetarian Paella Recipe

There are a couple of things required to make a great paella: the right rice, a long-cooked sofrito base, and the nerve to cook it slowly without stirring to allow the rice to steam and develop a socarrat—the caramelized layer of rice at the bottom of a pan of well-made paella.

The rice must be a medium-grained rice. I was taught to make it with bomba rice, although I know a lot of Spaniards who use calasparra. This is one of the few times where it's necessary to seek out a specialty ingredient, either by finding a fancy food store or ordering online. Bomba rice is different than something like arborio, which is used for risotto, because the starch content allows it to cook up as individual grains and benefits from not stirring. Arborio rice needs to be stirred and have the cooking liquid added in intervals to develop the signature creaminess.

Best

Sofrito is a catch-all term for a long-cooked base of aromatic vegetables. Like mirepoix in France or the holy trinity in Cajun and Creole cooking, sofrito lends depth of flavor to any dish. In this case, it's nothing more than onion, garlic, olive oil, and tomatoes cooked until thick and has become more than the sum of its parts. You can add other aromatics like bell peppers, carrots, celery, etc., but this combination is how I was taught and what I have come to like best.

Delicious Vegan Paƫlla With Saffron, Make At Your Own Home

True paella isn’t stirred after the liquid is added. This allows the rice to gently absorb the cooking liquid and keep the grains of rice intact. I always cook slowly on a burner or grill. I’ve seen accomplished chefs place a started paella into a hot (425°F) oven or nestled into the coals of a campfire. No matter how you cook it, don’t stir. Trust the method and let it cook. Stirring is often used to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pan, but in this case, you want the paella to stick a little bit. The socarrat is the coveted crispy browned layer of rice at the bottom of the paella. Similar to the browned crust of a tahdig or the layer of not-quite-burnt cheese at the bottom of the fondue pot, socarrat is the prize hidden underneath. To ensure a crust, turn up the heat at the very end of cooking (after the liquid is fully absorbed) and listen. You’ll start to hear the rice crackle, give it 30 seconds or a minute, then remove from the heat. Like the rest of us, paella benefits from a bit of a rest after going through the ups and downs of cooking, so give it a 10-minute rest between cooking and serving.

Paella only needs these three things. Everything else is extra. You can add seafood or chicken or chorizo. At the height of July summer vegetable bounty, I like to layer the top with a variety of different vegetables to steam along with the rice. This is my favorite combination, but don’t feel confined by it. Just know that if something takes a while to cook (like the artichokes used here), cook it in advance and use the steam to re-warm and make it part of the paella. —abraberens

Abra Berens is a chef, author, and former vegetable farmer. She started cooking at Zingerman's Deli, trained at Ballymaloe in Cork, Ireland. Find her at Granor Farm in Three Oaks, MI. Her first two cookbooks Ruffage and Grist are out now. The third Pulp: a practical guide to cooking with fruit publishes on April 4th, 2023.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.

Spanish Mushroom Paella

Vegetable paella has been a part of our Christmas dinner for the last few years, and I thought it was time to share the recipe!

This amazing vegetable filled vegan paella is loaded with tender vegetables, Spanish rice and spices and is perfect for large and small gatherings!

My hope is to ensure that no matter what the situation you can make this vegan paella with ease. It’s very flexible and a great meal to have on the rotation!

Easy Vegetarian Paella

In this recipe, a mix of vegetables are sauteed then simmered with Spanish rice and spices in broth until the rice is just tender, creating an easy vegan paella that everyone will love.

The Vegetables. This recipe calls for bell peppers, artichokes, green beans, peas and tomatoes for a colorful and easily accessible mix of veggies. You can also easily change-up some of the vegetables using asparagus, olives, capers, ets. You could even add chickpeas or sliced vegan sausage for variation.

The Rice. Paella rice should cook up al dente, not mushy. For traditional paella use a short to medium grain, round rice such as Valencia or arborio.

Vegetarian

Vegetarian Paella Recipe With Mushrooms And Saffron Rice

Saffron is what will give the rice its golden hue and unique aroma. I purchase my saffron from Trader Joe’s for a very reasonable price at $5.99 for a 0.02 ounce jar. It works well, but if you can’t find saffron for a reasonable price I suggest using turmeric in its place. Turmeric is traditionally known as ‘Indian Saffron’ and will lend a subtle peppery, warm flavor and yellow hue. It’s a great substitute for saffron when making paella.

Traditionally paella consists of a thin layer of rice with ingredients of choice over top. A paella pan has a large, round surface area and shallow slanted sides which allows the rice to spread out. After searching a few options I decided on this carbon steel paella pan from Lodge on Amazon. Carbon steel heats up quickly and cools down fast. It’s a pretty large pan with a 15 inch diameter and worked great on the burner with a little rotation.

No, if you don’t have a paella pan you can still make a delicious paella using a large skillet, dutch oven, or pot with a diameter of at least 12 inches would be ideal. That is how my mom makes it and its excellent none the less!

Vegetarian And Vegan Spanish Paella Recipe

Here’s a look at the steps with photos to use as reference. (Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

If you end up with leftover paella, there’s no reason to waste it by throwing it away. Instead, store it in the refrigerator or freezer for later, it reheats well too.

Vegan

You can eat your vegetable paella straight from the pan, as is typical, or serve alongside some leafy greens with a big squeeze of lemon over top. Here are a few more of my favorite options:

Easy Seafood Paella Recipe (full Tutorial)

If you try this vegetable paella recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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

Steep saffron: In a small bowl, add the saffron threads to 3 tablespoons warm water, let set 10 minutes to steep. If using turmeric, skip this step and add turmeric with the other spices.

Barcelona Inspired Vegetable Paella — Whole Living Lauren

Saute: Heat olive oil/broth over medium heat in a large wide flat-bottomed pan or paella pan (a dutch oven or large pot would also suffice). Add onions and bell peppers, cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, green beans, tomatoes, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and bay leaves, cook another 3 minutes stirring frequently. For softer veggies, cook another 7 minutes or so, totaling 10 minutes after adding the latter ingredients.

Easy

Add rice + broth: Add in the rice, broth, saffron mixture/turmeric and salt. Gently move the vegetables around so the rice falls to the bottom of the pan as much as possible.

Boil + simmer: Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium or medium-low and cook at a continuous gentle boil, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Do not stir the rice. If using a large paella pan (15 inches or so) you’ll want to rotate the pan over the burner every so often to help cook the rice evenly. Stay in the kitchen and clean up so you’re right there to adjust the pan when needed. If liquids seem to boil off too quickly, add a little extra warm water/broth.

Jamie Oliver Vegetarian Paella

Add peas and artichokes: After 15 minutes of cooking, scatter the peas and artichoke hearts on top, cook for 5 minutes more.

Cover to steam: Turn off heat and cover for 10 minutes with a kitchen towel or other cover of choice. This will allow the rice to absorb any remaining liquid as well as steam the peas and warm the artichoke hearts and any other optional ingredients added as noted below. Once done, lightly fluff the rice and serve. Discard bay leaves before eating. Season with salt, pepper or more paprika to taste.

Serve: Garnish with chopped parsley. Pairs perfectly with a side of

Veggie

Flavorful Vegetarian Paella