With this classic Spanish vegetable paella recipe and step-by-step instructions & tips, you will learn how to cook paella the traditional way we do it in Spain. Picture golden rice soaked in veggie flavor including green beans, capsicums, and tender artichokes. Spanish restaurant quality assured!
Most English speakers struggle to pronounce the word paella and say "pay-yell-ya". The right pronunciation is "pa-e-ya".
Growing up in Spain, paella was always a typical dish we would enjoy on weekends. This traditional Spanish flavor-packed dish is super hearty and flavourful, and it's perfect for a large feed and special occasions. It's a meal to enjoy outdoors when possible, with a glass of red or white wine.
For more authentic Spanish recipes, you might also want to try this healthy version of Spanish tortilla, this cozy Spanish chicken soup, this Spanish gazpacho or this Spanish tomato bread.
Jump to:
- Ingredients
- What is the best type of rice to cook traditional Spanish paella?
- Substitutions and variations for this vegetable paella recipe
- How to cook authentic paella
- Equipment
- Storage
- Top tips to cook the perfect paella
- Conclusion
- More Spanish recipes you will love!
- Authentic Spanish Vegetable Paella Recipe
- See what other people think about this recipe!
Ingredients
This veggie paella is made with simple ingredients that you can find in common grocery stores.
- Garlic diced
- Brown onion diced
- Fresh tomatoes grated - excess of water removed
- Green beans - cut lengthwise through the middle line
- Red bell pepper - cut into medium chunks
- Green bell pepper - cut into medium chunks
- Artichoke hearts halved or baby artichokes
- Bomba rice - see rice alternatives below
- Sweet paprika or smoked paprika
- Turmeric powder - to give the rice a yellow color. Some people like to use colorant, but why use colorant when you can use turmeric?
- Saffron threads
- Vegetable broth
- Fresh thyme (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Olive oil for cooking
- Lemon wedges to serve
See the recipe card for quantities.
What is the best type of rice to cook traditional Spanish paella?
Using the right kind of rice it's very important to get a good paella! The best rice to cook paella is bomba rice. This type of Spanish rice it's a short/medium-grain rice characterized by its starchy center, which can absorb three times its volume in cooking liquid. This makes it ideal as it absorbs so much flavor!
If you can't find this paella rice, you can totally make this dish with another type of rice though! I highly recommend using white rice as opposed to brown rice. And medium grain rice instead of long-grain rice. Arborio rice is a great substitute for bomba rice and is more easily available in grocery stores.
Substitutions and variations for this vegetable paella recipe
You can get creative with the veggies that you use to make this vegan paella: zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli, or mushrooms could work well.
A lot of people add green peas or kalamata olives to paella, however, as a Spanish person, I must say these ingredients don't belong to paella! Sorry, but as a Spaniard, I want to show you the real way to cook this recipe!
Saffron is a very characteristic ingredient of traditional paella. However, I know it's very expensive! You can cook paella omitting saffron and still get a great result.
How to cook authentic paella
Step 1: Start by cooking the veggies
Add a generous drizzle of olive oil to the pan on medium heat. You want to cover most of the bottom of the pan with the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and salt. Stir to combine and let it cook for approximately 10 minutes until the onion becomes transparent and starts to golden. Add the bell peppers and pinch of salt, stir to combine, and let them cook for another 10 minutes or so until they are soft.
Increase to medium-high heat, and add the grated tomato, salt and paprika. Combine with the veggies and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. The tomato has to reduce considerably, evaporating most of the water.
Add the green beans, and a pinch of salt and combine. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, add the artichoke hearts and combine again.
Step 2: Time to cook the rice!
Increase to high-heat, pour the vegetable broth, turmeric, and saffron, and stir to combine. Adjust the salt if required.
Once boiling, pour the rice doing a cross shape, and spread it evenly along the pan using the spatula. Add the thyme stems on top of the rice and push slightly down.
Set the stove to medium heat (it should gently boil uniformly across the pan) and set the timer with the cooking time stated on the rice package. Shake the paella by grabbing the pan handles and doing circular movements, don't mix it with a spatula!!
Step 3: Socarrat time baby!
2-3 minutes prior to the time being up, increase to high-heat. The aim of this is to end up with "socarrat" which is the crusty crispy bottom of the paella, which is SO TASTY! This crusty bottom becomes caramelized and toasted, and packs so much flavour. Once the time is up, turn off the heat, and cover with a newspaper or a tea towel for a couple of minutes. See the tip below.
Serve with a wedge of lemon, and make sure to put a bit of the delicious socarrat! Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the rice before eating.
Tip! The rice should feel a bit hard when you turn off the heat. It will keep cooking during resting time.
Equipment
- Paella pan - see notes below
- Paella stove
- Spatula
- Knife & chopping board
Do I need a paella pan to cook paella?
The ideal way to cook a classic paella is in a paella pan, which is a special pan that is shallow and large in diameter. The paella pan also has two handles, which are to shake the paella while it's cooking.
However, I totally understand you might not have one at the moment, so please know you can cook paella in a large frying pan too. You want the layer of rice to be shallow, so the larger the pan the better.
If you get into cooking paella often, I would encourage you to buy one paella pan though. It's inexpensive and it's worth having 😊
Storage
Leftover paella? Happy days 🤩 Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
I don't recommend freezing this veggie paella.
Top tips to cook the perfect paella
Authentic paella is cooked al dente! My top tip is to follow the cooking time of the rice packet instructions to achieve the perfect texture. The rice should still feel slightly hard when you turn off the heat. It will keep cooking during the 2-3 minutes of resting time.
The ratio of vegetable broth and rice has to be right! If you use bomba rice, the ratio is 2.5-3 cups of broth per cup of rice. Different types of rice will have a different ratio of broth/rice. Always check the recommendations of the packet. If while you are cooking the rice you feel like the amount of liquid remaining won't be enough, add a little bit more (a little goes a long way, so don't overdo it!).
While the rice cooks the heat setting is very important, you want to have it in medium-heat, so it's a gentle boil. In the last 2-3 minutes increase to medium-high heat so it boils and creates the socarrat.
While the rice cooks, don't mix it with a spatula. The paella pan should be shaken only: grab both handles and shake in circular movements.
Conclusion
This authentic Spanish vegetable paella honors the traditional Spanish gastronomy, ingredients, and its flavors.
Whether you are following a plant-based diet or not, you are going to love this vegetable paella. The combination of bell peppers, green beans, and tender artichokes work so well together, providing you and your family or guests with a delightful eating experience!
More Spanish recipes you will love!
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Authentic Spanish Vegetable Paella Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-5 serving 1x
- Category: Main course
- Cuisine: Spanish
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
With this classic Spanish vegetable paella recipe and step-by-step instructions & tips, you will learn how to cook paella the traditional way we do it in Spain. Picture golden rice soaked in veggie flavor including green beans, capsicums, and tender artichokes. Spanish restaurant quality assured!
Ingredients
- 4-6 garlic cloves diced
- 1 brown onion diced
- 1 green bell pepper cut in medium chunks
- 1 red bell pepper cut in medium chunks
- 1 large handful or green been cut lengthwise through the middle line
- 3 fresh tomatoes grated
- 12 artichokes hearts halved
- 2 cups of bomba rice (see other options for rice in notes)
- 1 tsp of sweet or smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp of turmeric powder
- 1 tsp of saffron threads
- 5 cups of vegetable broth
- Fresh thyme (optional)
- Salt to taste
- Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Step 1: cook the veggies. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil to the pan on medium heat. You want to cover most of the bottom of the pan with the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and salt. Stir to combine and let it cook for approximately 10 minutes until the onion becomes transparent and starts to golden. Add the bell peppers and pinch of salt, stir to combine, and let them cook for another 10 minutes or so until they are soft.
-
Increase to medium-high heat, and add the grated tomato, salt and paprika. Combine with the veggies and let it cook for 10-15 minutes. The tomato has to reduce considerably, evaporating most of the water.
- Add the green beans, and a pinch of salt and combine. Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, add the artichoke hearts and combine again.
-
Step 2: Time to cook the rice! Increase to high-heat, pour the vegetable broth, turmeric, and saffron, and stir to combine. Adjust the salt if required.
-
Once boiling, pour the rice doing a cross shape, and spread it evenly along the pan using the spatula. Add the thyme stems on top of the rice and push slightly down.
- Set the stove to medium heat (it should gently boil uniformly across the pan) and set the timer with the cooking time stated on the rice package. Shake the paella by grabbing the pan handles and doing circular movements, don't mix it with a spatula!!
- Step 3: Socarrat time baby! 2-3 minutes before the time is up, increase to high-heat. The aim of this is to end up with "socarrat" which is the crusty crispy bottom of the paella, which is SO TASTY! This crusty bottom becomes caramelized and toasted, and packs so much flavour. Once the time is up, turn off the heat, and cover with a newspaper or a tea towel for a couple of minutes. See the tip below.
-
Serve with a wedge of lemon, and make sure to put a bit of the delicious socarrat! Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the rice before eating.
Notes
Authentic paella is cooked al dente! My top tip is to follow the cooking time of the rice packet instructions to achieve the perfect texture. The rice should still feel slightly hard when you turn off the heat. It will keep cooking during the 2-3 minutes of resting time.
While the rice cooks, don't mix it with a spatula. The paella pan should be shaken only: grab both handles and shake in circular movements.
I don't recommend freezing this veggie paella.
If you can't find bomba rice, you can totally make this dish with another type of rice! I highly recommend using white rice as opposed to brown rice. And medium grain rice instead of long-grain rice. Arborio rice is a great substitute for bomba rice and is more easily available in grocery stores.
The ideal way to cook a classic paella is in a paella pan, however, I totally understand you might not have one at the moment, so please know you can cook paella in a large frying pan too. You want the layer of rice to be shallow, so the larger the pan the better.
Katelynn says
A fabulous recipe, and easy to follow instructions!! Thank you so much!
This was absolutely delicious and everyone went back for seconds! Will absolutely be making this again and again!
alicia gonzalez tome says
Thanks so much Katelynn! It makes my day to hear that you and your guests love the recipe 🤍
Will says
Yummmoooo my all time fav Spanish dish! Pa-e-ya with some flavoursome socarrat 🤤 A fantastic dish to share with amigos y familia 🥘 Love it!
Laurese says
I love this vegan paella recipe! It reminds me of my recent trip to Spain. Thanks for the very clear instructions, it's very easy to follow and I even ended up with a bit of socarrat! It's a special weekend staple at home 🙂