This easy one-pan Vegan Paella recipe is irresistible, with its tender saffron-infused rice, colorful vegetables, and crunchy golden brown crust. It’s a date-night worthy meal without a whole lot of effort!
Paella may look like a complicated dish that only experienced Spanish chefs can master but I promise you, it’s so easy! This vegan version of the Spanish classic nestles colorful vegetables like green beans, artichokes and tomatoes, plus creamy butter beans in golden saffron-perfumed rice.
What’s better is that this easy vegan paella recipe comes together in one pan in about 30 minutes. I made it in a paella pan but any wide, shallow pan will do in a pinch. Plus, you can customize it to your liking using the vegetables, plant protein, and beans of your choice.
Enjoy this impressive Spanish-inspired dish for special occasions or a weeknight dinner. One try and I know you’ll be making it on repeat year-round.
What is paella?
Paella (pie-aye-yuh) is a Spanish dish that cooks saffron-infused rice with meat, seafood, and vegetables in a large paella pan. It’s a very fragrant dish with a lot of vibrant colors and a scorched bottom (called the socarrat) for a slight crunch. While the authentic version is not vegan, it can easily be made vegan by swapping the meat for more vegetables or plant-based proteins.
How to make vegan paella
Find the complete recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
Sauté the garlic, green beans, butter beans, and artichokes in a warm, oiled paella pan over medium-high heat.
Stir in the tomatoes, smoked paprika, saffron threads, and salt, then pour in the vegetable stock.
Heat to a boil, then sprinkle the rice evenly into the pan. Once it starts boiling again, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and allow the rice to cook. Don’t stir the paella after this point!
Never, ever, ever stir paella, or else the signature crust will not form on the bottom. If for some reason your rice is not tender and still crunchy, add about 1/4 cup more broth and continue cooking. This could mean your heat was too high.
Simmer uncovered until the paella rice is tender and has absorbed all of the broth. If using a wide paella pan, it’s helpful to rotate the pan every 5-10 minutes for even cooking. As soon as you hear crackles or pops from the bottom of the pan, take it off the heat.
A perfect socarrat (scorched crust) is golden brown with a nutty aroma. If you smell burning at all, immediately take the paella pan off the heat.
Garnish the vegetable paella with lemon slices and chopped parsley, then serve and enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
A wide paella pan will cook the rice perfectly and make it easier to form the socarrat but you don’t have to have one to make paella. Any 12 to 14-inch shallow nonstick skillet will work as well.
You can use 1 teaspoon of saffron powder or 1 teaspoon of turmeric instead.
The best rice for paella is bomba rice because it absorbs liquid so well. If you can’t find it, Calasparra rice and arborio rice (AKA risotto rice) are both okay substitutes.
You can add more vegetables, such as diced red bell peppers, sliced zucchini, green olives, a diced shallot, chickpeas, peas, sliced mushrooms, cannellini beans, chopped asparagus, or any other quick-cooking veggies and beans you like.
For a protein boost, top the paella with crispy air fryer tofu, vegan chorizo, or sliced seitan chicken. My Vegan Scallops on top would also be a tasty nod to this dish’s seafood roots.
Vegan paella is best eaten within a few hours of being cooked but if you end up with leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, warm the leftover paella in a warm, oiled skillet until it’s warmed through and the bottom is a little crispy again. You can also simply warm it in the microwave.
Look at that beautiful golden socarrat! It’s the very best part of the paella, if you ask me.
Vegan Paella
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups cut green beans
- 15 ounce can butter beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup artichoke hearts quartered, frozen or canned
- 3 medium tomatoes diced, about 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups bomba rice
For garnish
- lemon slices
- flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a 14-inch paella pan (or any wide, shallow skillet), add the oil and warm over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, green beans, butter beans and artichokes and sauté for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, smoked paprika, saffron and salt. Mix everything together well, then pour in the broth.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then sprinkle the rice in, trying to distribute it evenly throughout the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil again, then reduce heat to medium-low. You want to see the rice is cooking, but not boiling hard, so adjust heat as necessary. Don't stir after this point!
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes, uncovered, until the rice is tender and the broth is cooked off. Carefully rotate the pan every 5 minutes or so. If for some reason the rice is still crunchy after the broth has cooked off, add 1/4 cup more broth and continue cooking. This means your heat was a bit too high.
- Once the broth is about cooked off, listen for any crackles or pops from the bottom of the pan. You should also smell a nutty aroma from the crust forming. As soon as you hear any pops, remove from heat. If it smells like it's burning at all, remove from heat immediately. You are hoping for a golden, crisp rice crust.
- Garnish with lemon slices and chopped parsley, if desired and serve.
Notes
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a well oiled pan or microwave until warm.
- Paella can be frozen, but the rice will become rather mushy.
- Feel free to add any extra protein to the vegan paella, like vegan chicken, scallops or even tofu.
Tried this tonight thank you was beautiful. My local Waitrose had some Smokey vegan sausages that went perfectly on top. No complaints from the kids. Total success!
Hi Luke. Your meal sounds amazing! I’m so glad you and your family loved the paella! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
I don’t know what kind of voodoo magic you need for this recipe to work, but I had to add an additional 8 cups of liquid and 90 minutes before the rice would cook.
Once it did cook, it tasted good though.
This was so easy and delicious! I made several tweaks based on what I had on hand, so it is a very versatile recipe. Thanks!
Hi Jenifer. I’m thrilled you loved the recipe! Thanks for sharing your great review and feedback! Wishing you happy cooking!
It tasted delicious but needed much more time.
Will another rice work?
Bomba rice is ideal for paella, but you could use Calasparra rice or arborio rice if needed. It won’t be quite the same. If you use another white rice like jasmine or basmati, you’ll probably need to adjust the broth and I’m not sure how it will turn out.