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Home » Recipes » Gluten Free Grains

Vegan Paella

Published: Feb 20, 2020 · Modified: Oct 9, 2020 by Lexi

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Vegan paella from above with olives and peas on top.
Vegan paella in a pan seen from above.

This vegan paella is always a show-stopper. It’s deeply flavorful, a gorgeous golden hue (thanks to saffron) and loaded with salty, briny, fresh, comforting ingredients. It’s also naturally gluten free and makes for a wonderful family dinner or holiday dish. 

This post is sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. All opinions are our own.

overhead view of vegan paella with peas, vegan chorizo, artichokes and olives

We’re so excited to finally share this vegan paella with you! It’s a recipe we’ve wanted to create for quite a while now, after enjoying it at many tapas restaurants over the years, and of course, in Spain a few years ago. 

In order to make this recipe vegan (without sacrificing any flavor), it took us a few tries to nail the ratios. We’re so happy with how it turned out! One of the insights we realized along the way is that ingredient quality really matters – especially when it comes to spices. More on that later!

The final result is a satisfying, savory, rich Spanish rice studded with tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, olives, artichokes, peas and vegan sausage. Sounds like a lot, I know, but it all comes together so perfectly. 

It’s also surprisingly easy to make and comes together in under an hour. All you need is a paella pan, a few uncommon ingredients, and a bit of patience!

side view of vegan paella with vegetables in pan

What is paella?

Paella is a Spanish rice dish originally from Valencia. There are many iterations of classic paella served in different regions of Spain, so there’s really no classic version. 

Traditional paella typically contains either chicken, seafood (sometimes both), or even sausage. Despite the various add-ins, there are a few ingredients that appear in every recipe. Those include a short grain rice, saffron, sofrito (a base of chopped vegetables cooked in oil) and stock. 

The word “paella” translates to “frying pan” in the Valencian language. 

What is a paella pan and do I really need one to make paella? 

Traditional paella pans are wide and shallow to allow for maximum surface area. Carbon steel paella pans are most traditional in Valencia and they’re relatively affordable and easy to find. 

Other surface materials include stainless steel and enameled steel. A paella pan can certainly be used for more than paella, so it’s a great investment and certainly comes in handy when you actually make paella. 

overhead view of paella in pan

That being said, it’s not completely essential. Any wide, shallow skillet will do the job, but make sure that the layer of rice doesn’t exceed two inches. This is essential for evenly cooking the rice and forming the crispy golden bottom layer (referred to as soccarat).  

A 16-18 inch pan should be perfect for most 5-7 person families. You can purchase paella pans at most kitchenware stores or, of course, online. 

Spices and herbs essential to paella

We’re so thrilled to be partnering with Mountain Rose Herbs to bring you this vegan paella recipe. 

overhead view of vegan paella in paella pan

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of high-quality organic herbs, spices, teas and other ingredients. We’re sharing a bit more on why we love their products below, but here’s what we used in this vegan paella: 

  • Saffron. Saffron is arguably the most important ingredient in paella and accounts for its vibrant yellow hue. Saffron is one of the most expensive and precious spices, but it’s well worth using for its intense flavor. It takes nearly 150 Crocus Sativus flowers to produce a single gram of dried saffron threads! Real saffron can be difficult to find, but Mountain Rose Herbs is a fantastic (and relatively affordable!) source. You just need a pinch for this recipe – a little goes a long way!
Close up view of saffron threads in a small black bowl
  • Smoked paprika. I absolutely love smoked paprika – it’s one of my favorite spices! It has a fantastic earthy, smoky flavor that perfectly complements the ingredients in paella. 
  • Sweet paprika. Sweet paprika has a less intense red hue than its smoked counterpart, and a milder, sweeter flavor. 
  • Red pepper flakes. For a little extra spice, of course! If you don’t like heat at all, feel free to skip these. Or, if you like things extra spicy, feel free to double the quantity. 
  • Salt. Any kosher or sea salt will do, but we particularly loved using an extra pinch of Mountain Rose Herbs Red Alaea Salt in this recipe.
Mountain Rose Herbs red alaea salt in bottle

Mountain Rose Herbs sells a number of bottled products (herbs, spices, aromatherapy ingredients, etc.), but we specifically love that they sell bulk spices and herbs at super affordable prices! 

Most of their bulk spices and herbs are packaged (at minimum) in a 4 oz. bag, which is really a significant amount when you compare to the tiny bottles you buy at a store. We stocked up on all of our most-used spices and herbs (which we tend to go through pretty quickly!) and we’re so excited to share more about that soon! 

overhead view of spices in small bowls to use in vegan paella recipe

How to make paella vegan

As we mentioned before, paella is not traditionally vegan and often contains meat or seafood. 

To make this paella vegan, we omitted chicken stock in favor of vegetable stock. To replace the meatiness of a traditional paella, we used a spicy vegan sausage that actually tasted fantastic. 

I’m not a huge fan of fake vegan meats, but I actually loved it in this recipe and thought it was a much-needed addition. Mushrooms also add a bit of extra meatiness and texture, so it really doesn’t feel like you’re missing out on any classic flavors. 

We hope you get a chance to serve this at a dinner party or holiday event. It’s the perfect family-style dish, and it’s the perfect recipe to prove that vegan food can actually taste just as good as the real thing 😉

More vegan dinner party favorites

  • Grilled Cauliflower Steaks with White Bean Salad 
  • Vegan Pot Pie
  • Sweet Potato Risotto
  • Grilled Tofu Kebabs with Peanut Sauce
  • Harissa Roasted Carrots with Hummus
overhead view of vegan paella in paella pan

If you make this vegan paella recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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Vegan Paella


★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
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Description

This vegan paella is always a show-stopper. It’s deeply flavorful, a gorgeous golden hue (thanks to saffron) and loaded with salty, briny, fresh, comforting ingredients. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • ¼ cup of olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion (1 ½ cups) finely diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced 
  • 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
  • 1 ½ cups chopped spicy vegan sausage
  • ½ cup piquillo peppers, cut into thin strips
  • 1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt 
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika 
  • ½ tsp red pepper flakes 
  • ½ tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 cup bomba rice*
  • ¼ tsp saffron threads, crumbled and soaked in broth
  • 3 ½ cups vegetable broth, divided
  • ½ cup freshly chopped parsley, divided
  • 1 10 oz jar of baby artichokes, drained and halved
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
  • ⅓ cup green olives with pimentos

Instructions

  1. Add oil to a paella pan over medium heat.   
  2. Once oil is heated, add onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes.  
  3. While onions are cooking, add vegetable broth to a small pot over medium heat. Crush saffron threads and add to broth. Simmer gently.   
  4. Once onions are cooked, add garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  
  5. Add mushrooms, red pepper, and sausage to the pan and cook, stirring several times for 8-10 minutes.  
  6. Add fire roasted tomatoes, white wine, lemon juice, ⅓ cup of parsley, piquillo pepper slices, salt, red pepper flakes, paprika, and smoked paprika and stir well.  
  7. Add paella rice and top with 3 cups of broth. Give a gentle stir, and then let it cook for 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Do not stir the rice while it’s cooking.
  8. Pour reserved ½ cup of broth over the top of the paella. Top paella with peas, artichokes, green olives and top with 2 tablespoon of fresh parsley. Cook for additional 5 minutes, just until warmed.

Notes

*Bomba rice is a short-grain rice traditionally used in paella. You can also substitute with another variety of paella rice, or another short-grain rice like arborio.

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Spanish

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 232
  • Sugar: 6.9 g
  • Sodium: 891.4 mg
  • Fat: 11.3 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.7 g
  • Trans Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 32.1 g
  • Fiber: 8.7 g
  • Protein: 5.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: vegan paella

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #crowdedkitchen

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Stephanie

    January 01, 2023 at 6:59 pm

    Don’t let the long ingredient list fool you, recipe requires minimal hands on time. Prep everything and have fun bringing these delicious flavors together. Whole Foods had a flavorful plant based chorizo as well as artichokes with piquillo peppers in there olive bar. Excellent dish. Thanks for all your efforts in creating.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Brooke

    April 25, 2021 at 8:40 pm

    I hadn’t had paella for years, thank you so much for creating this version!

    This has become a staple recipe in our rotation. I depending on what I have in hand, this comes out a little different every time, but the recipe is so stable that it always turns out amazing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lexi

      April 26, 2021 at 8:57 am

      Thank you so much, Brooke, I'm so glad you love this recipe!

      Reply
  3. Julia

    February 26, 2020 at 7:42 am

    Your blog is so inspiring! These photos are so mouth-watering, colors are so vibrant! I just ccan`t...
    Yeah, as you mentioned there were some uncommom ingredients that I had to spend some time searching. Could not find shiitake mushrooms and, suprisingly, saffron threads in stores. Had to go to some street marktes for the products.
    But the deep flavor of the dish was really worth it!
    Highly recommend!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lexi

      February 27, 2020 at 1:59 pm

      Thank you so much, Julia!! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply

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Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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