Our Vegan Paella is definitely a weekend labor of love, but its deep, rich flavors will be worth your efforts!
Spain is one of our absolute favorite countries to travel to. We’ve been to Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid, Valencia, Seville, and Mallorca. Middle Eastern and North African influences have added richness and complexity to Spanish culture over the centuries.
In many ways, paella sits at the delicious crossroads of these cultures. We’ve only enjoyed meat-and-seafood heavy paella in Spain during our pre-vegan days. But our vegan version is just as flavorful and satisfying. Mushrooms and artichokes add bite and meaty texture to our Vegan Spanish Paella.
Other than the lack of animal products, we’ve tried to make our recipe as true to the original as possible. Most of the vegan paella recipes we’ve seen do not attempt a sofrito and/or socarrat. But we adapted our paella from Spanish Chef José Andrés, and believe us, our adapted recipe will have your tastebuds doing the Flamenco! 💃🏻
We adapted our recipe from famed Spanish Chef José Andrés, one of our culinary and personal heroes. Check out the amazing humanitarian work he does with World Central Kitchen.
Love rice as much as we do? Check out our other recipes: Vegan Persian Zereshk Polo, Vegan Jamaican Bowl, Vegan Persian Lubia Polo, Jamaican Rice and Peas.
📖 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Jump to:
🇪🇸 THE HISTORY OF PAELLA
If we asked you what dish comes to mind when you think about Spain, odds are paella would be at the top of your list. However, Spaniards think of paella as a dish from the Valencian region, where the original recipe is thought to have originated.
We can thank the Moors for the gift that is paella. The term “Moors” refers to the Muslim inhabitants of Northwest Africa, also known as the Maghreb. The Maghreb encompassed modern-day Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, and Libya–countries that are ethnically Berber. The Berbers converted to Islam after the Arab Muslim Conquest in the mid-600s.
Subsequently, the Moors invaded and conquered the Iberian Peninsula in the early 700s (modern Spain and Portugal). Over time, the term “Moors” also came to refer to the Arabized inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula. Moorish presence in Spain lasted until 1492, but their strongholds were largely in central and southern Spain. Understandably, the Moors left an indelible mark on the language, architecture, scholarship and food culture of Spain. They brought both rice and saffron to Spain.
Legend has it, paella began as a way for the Moors to use up their leftovers. The servants of the kings reportedly brought home with them food left over from royal banquets. They repurposed the leftovers by throwing them into a pan with some rice and saffron–and bada bing, bada boom–paella! Some food historians claim the word “paella” is derived from the word baqiyyah, which is Arabic for leftovers.
It makes sense that paella would spring up in a place like Valencia. Valencia was an important rice-producing center in Moorish Spain.
Fun fact: The term “paella” refers to both the wide-bottomed, shallow pan the dish is cooked in, as well as the dish itself.
🥘 SOFRITO AND SOCARRAT
Paella literally begins and ends with sofrito and socarrat. So what are they?
Sofrito
- What Is It? Sofrito is an aromatic vegetable flavor base common in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, and Portuguese cooking. Aromatic ingredients are diced up and sautéed in cooking oil. Spanish-style sofrito is composed of deeply caramelized tomatoes and onions combined with sugar, spices, and herbs.
- Its Role In Paella: Paella begins by making a sofrito. Classic paella is definitely a weekend project because the sofrito itself takes one hour to make. Trust us, though, it will be worth the effort! The sofrito is where paella’s big, bold flavors develop!
Socarrat
- What Is It? Socarrat is the highly coveted crispy rice crust that forms at the bottom of a paella pan. This toasted crust is arguably the most delicious thing about paella!
- Its Role In Paella: Paella ends by making a socarrat. Achieving a socarrat, however, is the trickiest part of making paella. First, you need to use a generous amount of olive oil (we use ¼ cup). Then, you spread the rice out thinly over the wide-bottomed paella pan. This ensures as much rice touches the pan as possible. Toward the end of the cooking process, you will need to check to make sure that all of the cooking liquid has been absorbed by the rice. You do this by carefully moving some of the rice aside. When the cooking liquid’s been absorbed, you crank the heat on high for 1-2 minutes to get that beautiful caramelization on the rice. If you’ve done everything right, you should have a socarrat!
📝 INGREDIENTS
For the Sofrito:
- Roma tomatoes: the base of the sofrito.
- Thinly sliced onion: a fragrant aromatic.
- Organic granulated sugar: to add a touch of sweetness.
- Salt: to enhance the flavor of the sofrito.
- Sweet paprika: adds smokey sweetness and a vibrant red hue.
- Extra virgin olive oil: to cook the vegetables and thicken the sofrito.
- Bay leaf: adds herbal notes.
For the Paella:
- Extra virgin olive oil: to cook the mushrooms and aromatics.
- Onion and garlic: fragrant aromatics.
- Mushrooms and artichoke hearts: meaty stand-ins for the seafood.
- Roasted red bell pepper: adds smoky, sweet flavor.
- Cannellini beans: for protein and texture.
- Green peas: adds sweetness and a pop of vibrant green color.
- Sweet paprika: adds sweetness and a vibrant red hue.
- Smoked paprika: adds smokiness and a vibrant red hue.
- Saffron: adds floral earthiness and a beautiful red-orange hue.
- Cayenne pepper: for heat.
- Vegetable broth and vegan chicken bouillon cube: adds savory umami.
- Dry white wine: for depth of flavor.
- Bomba or calasparra rice: the base of our paella. Traditional paella uses short-grain rices such as bomba or calasparra rice. These rices absorb more liquid than other rices, without becoming mushy. If you have trouble finding these rices, arborio rice is more widely available and is an acceptable substitute.
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper: to enhance the flavors of our paella.
To garnish:
- Lemon wedges, roasted red bell pepper, parsley, sliced black olives
🎥 RECIPE VIDEO
Check out our detailed recipe video below, and subscribe to our YouTube channel!
🔪 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Sofrito:
- 1. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden brown—about 45 minutes.
- 2. While the onions are cooking, prepare the tomatoes. Slice them in half, then grate the sides of the tomatoes on the cut side in a food processor or box grater. Discard the skins.
- 3. When the onions are caramelized, stir in the tomato pureé, paprika, and bay leaf and cook for another 20 minutes over medium heat. The sofrito is ready when the tomatoes are completely broken down and have turned an almost rust color, and the oil has separated. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
Make the Paella:
- 1. Now for the paella: In a wide-bottomed pan or paella pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook the onion, garlic and mushrooms until the mushrooms have released their juices and turn golden brown. Add ¼ cup roasted red bell pepper and artichokes, and cook 1 minute.
- 2. Add sofrito and cook 1 minute. Then add white wine and reduce the mixture by half.
- 3. Add saffron, paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, vegan chicken bouillon cube, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2-3 minutes.
- 4. Add bomba rice, cannelloni beans and cup green peas. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Do not stir the rice.
- 5. Then reduce heat to low and cook an additional 12 to 15 minutes. At 12 minutes, move some of the rice aside to see if the liquid has been absorbed. When it has, crank the heat to high and cook for 1-2 more minutes to get the crunchy socarrat at the bottom of the pan. Then remove the pan from the heat.
- 6. Let the paella set for 5 minutes before serving. During this time, decorate with the vegetable garnishes, top with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
(Photos from our travels to Spain over the years)
💡RECIPE TIPS
- Substitutions for homemade sofrito: If you’re short on time, you can substitute a pre-made jarred sofrito in this recipe instead of making it from scratch. Pre-made sofritos aren’t quite the flavor bomb that homemade sofrito is, but they work in a pinch. You can buy them in the international section of your grocery store or online. If you can’t find pre-made sofrito, you can use canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead. Substitute ⅓ cup of pre-made sofrito or fire-roasted diced tomatoes for the homemade sofrito.
- Use any vegetables you like: We love to use asparagus, carrots, bell peppers, and peas in our paella. But you can substitute any vegetables you like. For example, we’ve made an autumnal paella using veggies like leeks and Swiss chard.
- Use any wide-bottomed pan: You don’t need a paella pan to make paella! You can use any wide-bottomed pan in your arsenal.
DID YOU MAKE OUR VEGAN PAELLA?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE RICE-TASTIC RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
VEGAN PAELLA
Ingredients
For the sofrito:
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 onion sliced thinly
- ⅓ teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
For the paella:
- ⅓ cup homemade sofrito see recipe above, or substitutions in recipe notes below.
- 1 onion chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 ¼ cup mushrooms (4 ounces), sliced
- ¼ cup roasted red bell pepper (jarred), sliced into 1-inch strips
- ½ cup canned artichoke hearts drained and sliced
- 1 15-oz can cannellini beans drained
- ¼ cup green peas
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon saffron crushed
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 vegan chicken bouillon cube or substitute 1 teaspoon vegan chicken bouillon paste
- 1 cup dry white wine vegan friendly
- 1 cup bomba rice or substitute calasparra rice
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper
To garnish:
- lemon wedges
- ¼ cup roasted red bell pepper sliced into 1-inch strips
- parsley
- 1 Tablespoon black olives pitted and sliced
Instructions
Make the Sofrito:
- Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and golden brown—about 45 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, prepare the tomatoes. Slice them in half, then grate the sides of the tomatoes in a food processor or with a box grater. Discard the skins.
- When the onions are caramelized, stir in the tomato purée, paprika, and bay leaf and cook for another 20 minutes over medium heat. The sofrito is ready when the tomatoes are completely broken down and have turned an almost rust color, and the oil has separated. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf. (Note: This recipe makes 1 ⅓ cups of sofrito, which is enough for 4 batches of paella. You'll need only ⅓ cup for each batch, so freeze the remainder for future paella parties 🙂
Make the Paella:
- In a wide-bottomed pan or paella pan, heat ¼ cup of olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook the onion, garlic and mushrooms until the mushrooms have released their juices and turn golden brown. Add ¼ cup roasted red bell pepper and artichokes, and cook 1 minute.
- Add sofrito and cook 1 minute. Then add white wine and reduce the mixture by half.
- Add bomba rice, cannelloni beans and green peas peas. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 15 minutes. Do not stir the rice.
- Add saffron, paprika, smoked paprika, cayenne, vegan chicken bouillon cube, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and let boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Then reduce heat to low and cook an additional 12 to 15 minutes. At 12 minutes, move some of the rice aside to see if the liquid has been absorbed. When it has, crank the heat to high and cook for 1-2 more minutes to get the crunchy socarrat at the bottom of the pan. Then remove the pan from the heat.
- Let the paella set for 5 minutes before serving. During this time, decorate with the vegetable garnishes, top with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Substitutions for homemade sofrito: If you’re short on time, you can substitute a pre-made jarred sofrito in this recipe instead of making it from scratch. Pre-made sofritos aren’t quite the flavor bomb that homemade sofrito is, but they work in a pinch. You can buy them in the international section of your grocery store or on Amazon. If you can’t find pre-made sofrito, you can use canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead. Substitute ⅓ cup of pre-made sofrito or fire-roasted diced tomatoes for the homemade sofrito.
- Use any vegetables you like: We love to use asparagus, carrots, bell peppers, and peas in our paella. But you can substitute any vegetables you like. For example, we’ve made an autumnal paella using veggies like leeks and Swiss chard.
- Use any wide-bottomed pan: You don’t need a paella pan to make paella! You can use any wide-bottomed pan in your arsenal.
The best paella I’ve ever had. No cap.
Worth the effort. Absolute stunner of a dish.
I made it this week! I added a little soyrizo. We loved it and the socarrat turned out great ❤ And we’ve been loving the leftovers!
So happy to hear that!