Vegetable Paella
The best vegetable paella recipe! It's loaded with vegetables, chickpeas, and savory, smoky rice. This Spanish dish is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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I’m so excited about this paella recipe! I hope you are, too. Paella is a beautiful rice dish hailing from the east coast of Spain, near the port city of Valencia. I tried it for the first time in Barcelona about ten years ago, and none of the American versions I’ve sampled since then have come close—until now.
Paella often includes seafood or meat, but I made this paella vegetarian by mixing chickpeas into the rice and adding extra vegetables. If you were to order this in a Spanish restaurant, it would be called paella de verduras (vegetables). My version is fresh, colorful, and hearty, thanks to brown rice and chickpeas.
This paella is a great party option if your guests are following special diets. It’s vegan/vegetarian/dairy free, gluten free, nut free, and soy free. Although, I’d say it’s a great party option in general! Just add a big green salad and Spanish wine (red or white would work).
How to Make Homemade Paella
If you’re a fan of my baked risotto recipes, you’re going to love this recipe. The method is similar—you cook some aromatics in a pot, then add the rice and bake the pot on the lower rack of the oven while roasting the vegetables on the upper rack. Layer the vegetables on top of the baked rice, and you’re basically done.
The recipe might look long at first glance, but please don’t feel intimidated. The ingredients are basic, and the method is surprisingly simple. This is not a recipe to start when you’re starving, since it will require about 50 minutes in the oven. However, most of the cooking time is passive. If you’re making this for a party, you’ll have plenty of time to clean the kitchen before guests arrive.
For this recipe to work, you’ll need to use the proper equipment. Paella is typically made in a paella pan (called a paellera), but I did my best to find a more common pan option. For this recipe, you’re going to need a large Dutch oven or a large skillet with a snug-fitting lid (both of which must be oven-safe). Baking the rice is the best way to ensure the proper texture—paella rice should be nice and tender, but far from soggy.
You might be able to carefully pour the boiling rice mixture into a casserole dish, cover it tightly with foil, and bake as directed. I’m just not entirely sure it will work since I haven’t tried, and it sounds potentially dangerous.
Watch How to Make Vegetable Paella
Paella Ingredient Notes
Artichokes aside, you might not find this red bell pepper and Kalamata olive combination in authentic Spanish paella. They are common Spanish ingredients, though, and they’re the most feasible vegetarian alternatives to shrimp and mussels that I could come up with. You could use any vegetables you’d like, really. Just roast them until they’re nice and tender.
Traditionally, paella is made with bomba rice, a Spanish variety of short-grain white rice. I don’t know where to buy bomba rice here in the States, and I personally can’t tolerate white rice (hypoglycemia) so I used short-grain brown rice instead. Check my recipe notes for other rice options, which may affect baking time.
If you love smoked paprika and/or peas, I believe you could safely double the amounts below. Saffron is standard in paella, but it’s the most expensive of spices and I couldn’t really taste it in the end product, so I made it optional.
Socarrat Notes
Last but not least—to socarrat or not to socarrat? Socarrat is the irresistibly golden and crispy bottom you’ll find in awesome traditional paellas. It’s not easy to attain a perfect socarrat at home, since we’re using basic home equipment instead of a special paella pan over an open flame.
If you want to give the socarrat a shot, just remove the lid on the baked rice and heat the rice over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. It’s hard to know when exactly to pull the pan off the heat, and you might end up with some semi-burnt rice on the bottom—which I actually enjoy.
If the socarrat leaves burnt bits on the bottom of your fancy Le Creuset, the easiest way to remove them is to scrub off what you can, then generously sprinkle baking soda and a splash of warm water on the pan. Let it soak for a while, then it should scrub right off.
As always, please let me know how this dish turns out for you in the comments! I hope you love it just as much as I do. I’m counting down the days until I get to eat paella again in Barcelona with my friends Ali and Barclay!
Vegetable Paella
The best vegetable paella recipe! It’s loaded with vegetables, chickpeas, and savory, smoky rice. This Spanish dish is perfect for serving at dinner parties, since it’s vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. Recipe yields 6 hearty servings.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes (preferably the fire-roasted variety), drained
- 2 cups short-grain brown rice*
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup dry white wine** or vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
- 1 can (14 ounces) quartered artichokes or 1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichoke, drained
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and sliced into long, ½”-wide strips
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley, plus about 1 tablespoon more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus additional lemon wedges for garnish
- ½ cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Arrange your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, making sure that you have ample space between the two racks for your Dutch oven. You’re going to need a large Dutch oven (preferably 6 quarts/11-to-12” in diameter or bigger, although I got by with my 5.5-quart Le Creuset) or a large skillet with a snug-fitting lid (both must be oven-safe!).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in your Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until the mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly, about 2 minutes Stir in the rice and cook until the grains are well coated with tomato mixture, about 1 minute. Stir in the chickpeas, broth, wine, saffron (if using) and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and transfer it to the lower rack in the oven. Bake, undisturbed, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, 50 to 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup. On the baking sheet, combine the artichoke, peppers, chopped olives, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt, and about 10 twists of freshly ground black pepper. Toss to combine, then spread the contents evenly across the pan.
- Roast the vegetables on the upper rack until the artichokes and peppers are tender and browned around the edges, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the vegetables cool for a few minutes. Add ¼ cup parsley to the pan and the lemon juice, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.
- For optional socarrat (crispy bottom—beware that you might have to scrub burnt bits from your pot later if you do this): Uncover the pot of baked rice, transfer it to the stovetop and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, rotating the pot as needed, until the bottom layer of rice is well browned and crisp.
- Socarrat or not, sprinkle the peas and roasted vegetables over the baked rice, cover, and let the paella sit for 5 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley (about 1 tablespoon) and serve in individual bowls, with lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This is such a stand out recipe! Non traditional, for sure, but it was so flavorful and moist. It made quite a bit and we’ve really loved the leftovers. I will definitely make it again. (Definitely double the paprika. It’s not spicy but so much flavor!)
I’m glad you love it, Anna!
Just finished eating it. Wow really good !
I recommend for certain !
With a glass of red wine you are in business !
Thanks Kate !
Always good recipes !
Thank you, Noemie! I’m glad you loved it.
So delicious and easy to make!
This sounds like a great recipe! I make paella in my cast iron skillet. I start it on stovetop and finish in the oven and it produces an awesome socarrat. Bomba rice can be bought online from Supermarket Italy
I wondered, where do the frozen peas come in and/or go in? We enjoyed it very much but being a bit of a follow the details kinda guy -I wondered about the frozen peas?
Hi! See the last step. I hope you enjoyed it!
Hi, I’m fairly new to cooking and usually only eat vegetarian dishes so this sounds delicious to me. However I don’t have a dutch oven but I do have a large cast iron skillet, could I possibly use that and do the top with foil? My other skillets with tops I don’t think are oven safe.
Hi Cari, If it has enough space to not boil over. I’m not sure about foil as I haven’t tried it.
I make this in a 12″ cast iron skillet (about 2.5″ deep) and it works just fine!
I made it using my cast iron skillet and foil to cover with Arborio rice and it came out perfectly!!
That’s great, Martina! I appreciate your review.
Ok I’ll try that, Thank you!
This is so delicious. I would absolutely serve this to guests, vegan and non vegan alike. What a wonderful recipe—thank you!
You’re welcome, Carolyn!
I love this dish. I swapped out the peas because it’s zucchini season. I did have a bit of a heavy hand with the paprika and a light hand with the salt to tweak it more to my taste but as always everything was in well balanced.
Sounds like a great idea! Thank you for your review, Beth.
I trust all your recipes to have accurate proportions and they are always absolutely delicious. At times, however I would need to reduce them for my household of two. I see that the recipes can be extended 2X or more as needed and am wondering if some could not also offer a 1/2 version?
The paella, for example, looks huge. I doubt that cutting ingredients by half would be the right way to go. Any suggestion as how to do this correctly?
Thank you so much.
Rebecca B.
Hi Rebecca, I appreciate your feedback. Not all recipes would translate well to a half recipe as to why I don’t offer it.
I made this dish and it came out great. Thanks for taking the time to post this.
You’re welcome, Martha!
Fabulous dish!! I’ve been looking for healthy vegetarian meals (e.g., less fatty dairy as protein sources) and this hit the spot! *Plus* I normally don’t do well with chickpeas, not a fan of the taste and my stomach doesn’t seem to digest them well, but with the slow bake and the spices they were delicious and caused no digestive issues.
I personally love saffron so I doubled the amount – expensive but worth it, and that wonderful saffron flavor came through with the other spices. Paired it with a lovely Tempranillo for one fabulous meal!
Last, for anyone without a dutch oven, cast iron skillet, paellera pan, etc., I made this in a 9×11 glass casserole dish with foil tightly over the top, and it worked perfectly. Just be extra careful transferring the ingredients to the pan, as mentioned in the recipe.
Thanks for an amazing recipe! <3
I’m glad you love this recipe, Alicia! I appreciate your review.
I made this for the first time last night. It is sooooo delicious!!! I have already shared it with 3 vegetarian/gluten-sensitive friends. Wonderful texture and flavor. My prep time was more like 30 – 40 minutes, but I tend to take my time when learning a recipe. This is now in my permanent collection!!!
Wonderful, Barbara! I’m glad you love it.
i make veg paella and I like some of these ideas. Kalamata olives, artichokes, lots of smoked paprika. But . . . how can you leave out saffron and say that you don’t notice? This mystifies me. I wonder if there is something where some people taste it more, or differently, than others. Saffron is what allows me to pass off my veg cooking as paella-like. This is THE dish that most essentially seems to need it. It is the most expensive by weight, but it is very potent so you don’t need much.
I totally ruined your recipe by throwing everything into the IP for 22 minutes, but flavor was still good. Texture was like risotto. Thanks Kate!
Oh no! I hope you try to make it again the baked way and let me know what you think.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was sooooooooooooooo yummy. A hit with everyone in the family, including a carnivorously-inclined adult, a 4-year-old with rather peculiar taste buds, an adult who has to avoid dairy and soy while breastfeeding, and even the nursling baby (we assume!). I doubled the chickpeas, peas, and olives and will also double the peppers next time. Everything else about the recipe was perfect!
I love to hear that, Liz! Thank you for your review.
Good morning, Do you simply spread the roasted vegetables over the top of rice before serving or did you incorporate into rice? It looks delicious and think I may add asparagus.
Hi Mark, see the final step. I hope that helps!
Thanks. Not sure how I missed it. It is clearly there. Guess I was daydreaming thinking about making some.
Do you drain and rinse the chickpeas if they are already cooked (canned)?
Hi Lisa, yes you want to drain the chickpeas.
This looks lovely. Does anyone know how using bomba rice will change cooking time and amount of wine/stock needed?
This may be delicious, but it is not close to real paella. Canned tomatoes, canned artichokes, and brown rice? If you’re going to splurge on saffron, do yourself a favor and get fresh tomatoes and artichoke hearts, and use Bomba (or similar) rice. And where are the garrafon beans? Everyone has their own spin, but I’ve also never seen anyone use kalamata olives in paella. That would completely change the flavor profile.
Hi Damon, thank you for your feedback. I try to be as authentic as I can, while adding my own interpretation as a recipe developer.
I recommend putting in the saffron as late as possible. It is a rather heat sensitive spice and is for example put in last when you cook saffron risotto and only after the pan has been off the heat four a short period.
Thanks Kate! Delicious, not hard to make, and a great way to christen my new Dutch Oven. We loved the crispy rice bottom and agree that’s the way to go. I followed your recipe exactly, but also roasted a small sliced zucchini along with the veggies. A perfect meal for a -20 night – or really any time :-)
That is cold! I’m glad this was just what you needed, Max.
Excellent!
Thank you, Sandi!
I made this today without chickpeas. It is probably the best ever. Thank you.
Most vegetables out of garden and I just love brown rice.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Janet!
I made this for my vegan son, daughter in law and grandchildren. They loved it! My very non-vegan husband like it too.
I doubled the flavors RE: spices and veggies . But I kept the rice and liquid the same. We like that.
Nest time I will add more saffron! Another hit!
Thanks, Kate!
Just made this and OMG!!! The flavors and textures were amazing. I did have to switch up the vegetables to use what I had on hand(eggplant, baby Bella’s, sweet potato, radishes and asparagus in place of peas). Also I only had red,purple and brown rice. However I used your technique and seasonings. So so good…thank you!
Thank you for sharing, Tamsen!
I made this recipe last night and it was amazing! Absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I used Arborio rice, turmeric instead of the saffron and regular paprika because I did not have smoked. I added asparagus to the veggies. It took maybe an additional cup of broth. I kept an eye as the rice was drying and added warm broth until it was cooked. It was so good!!! We all loved it so much. Thank you for another great recipe.
I’m happy you loved it with your changes! Turmeric sounds interesting in this. Thank you for sharing, Marisa!
Today was my first (and won’t be the last) time making this and I’m gobbling it up! I can’t wait to try with a few different veggies but it’s so incredible as is! Thank you! One question—do you know if it will freeze well?
I’m glad you love it! I’m not sure this one is the best option to freeze. If you try it, let me know!
This is definitely a favorite now! I’ve avoided making it, unsure of whether the family would like it. I’m so glad I went for it this week, it is so tasty. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes, they always make me feel like I CAN cook.
I’m so glad you finally made it and now it’s a favorite! I appreciate your review.
Can anyone tell me if this recipe can be made ahead, at least part way? Hate to take a lot of time cooking with company already here. Thank you!
Hi Kris! It’s actually more time hands-off in the oven time. But, it does make great leftoevers!
Thank you. I ended up not making it ahead but with my friend, which was lots of fun. We did cut the recipe in half, however, and that worked out fine, although I baked it in the oven too long. So I got crispy rice unintentionally! We all agreed it was delicious and I have shared the recipe with other friends as well. I will definitely make this again.
I have a question. Someone just gifted me a 15 inch paella pan which I would love to use for this recipe. Do I need to cover it when it goes in the oven as you instructed for the Dutch oven, etc? And what would I use? I don’t think I have a lid that would provide a tight enough fit.
Thanks,
Karen
Hi! If you follow this method, it will need to be covered to turn out correctly. I’m not sure on a covering. Sorry!
I’ve made this recipe several times and it turns out delicious every time! I added chopped chipotle pepper to the recipe today. It was the perfect amount of spice. Kate, thank you for sharing this recipe!
You’re welcome, Denise! I appreciate your review.
I’m cooking for 40, would it work to pre-bake the rice, reheat in batches in an electric skillet while veggies roast? I’ll have a standard size stove/oven.
I’m not sure, you could try it. Sorry!
This was delicious, my family and I loved it! Going into the regular rotation! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Melissa!
This is amazing! I don’t usually write reviews for recipes but this deserves one. 10 out of 10 !!
If making this in a paella pan in the oven would you still recommend roasting the veggies separately?
Hi! I recommend this recipe as written.
I have made this recipe at least 6 times since it was posted for family and friends and shared the link to it more than once. This recipe is delicious and it is going on the recipes notebook I am writing for my daughter (with credit to you of course). I love your recipes!
Great to hear, Aline!
This is a recipe I make about every six months usually when I get to treat myself by making and enjoying dinner alone when my husband is out of town. I love the flavors and it’s so versatile! This time I accidentally bought a can of hearts of palm instead of artichokes and that will definitely be an intentional addition next time
This was absolutely delicious! Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. May double the chickpeas next time…Thank you!
You’re welcome, Melissa!
I made this for a block party and followed the recipe except for using Arborio rice. It was a bit bland. I will make it again but next time I will add more veggies and spice, maybe roast a hot pepper or two.
How far ahead can this recipe be made? Can it be frozen?
I haven’t tried to freeze this, sorry! I’m not sure how well the vegetables will hold up. It does make great leftovers.
Thank you! I love this dish!
I’ve made this recipe several times, and we love it! It also freezes and reheats great as single portions, in my experience.
Today, I wanted to see if it could be made in the multi-cooker (Instant Pot) to speed things up a bit.
Here were my modifications:
– Start the vegetables roasting in the oven, first!
– Start the pot on Brown/Saute – Low, and follow all stovetop instructions
– Reduce total liquid added from 3 1/3c to 2 2/3c (I do all broth)
– Raise to high heat, if necessary, when raising to a boil
– Cover, seal, and set to Rice Cooker (low pressure) for 18m
– Allow a full natural pressure release before adding peas and roast vegetables as instructed
– I use a medium-grain brown rice
It came out exactly the same as usual, but with 20m or so shaved off the total time. Thanks for such an awesome recipe!
Super Delicious! Wish I could attach a photo, it was so picturesque.
Thank you for this outstanding recipe to serve a family gathering. So beautifully presented and enjoyed with added chicken & shrimp proteins on the side for those that wanted to add them. I did use the Bomba rice and prepared it in an open Copco paella pan on top of the stove.
Substitutions I made were: small green pimento olives, frozen artichoke hearts, I roasted the peppers, chickpeas separately (spiced them), and blanched the green beans. I added 1/2 thinly sliced fennel with the onions
I found it could have used a little more stock.
Rice was a little al dente
Easily serves 8 with an arugula-bibb lettuce salad with honecrisp apple, dried cranberry, feta cheese, pepitas with sherry-wine vinaigrette and Catalan spinach with garlic, pine nuts and golden raisins
Thank you for sharing, Beth!
I doubled the paprika, tripled the saffron, skipped olives and parsley. i roasted the veggies till they were al dente- for a more crunchy texture.
I think it may be good with grilled beyond meat sausage
I’ve been looking for a vegetarian Spanish paella. Finally ran across this one. As everything from Cookie and Kate is fabulous, I’m making this tonight for company. That’s how confident I am with their recipes. I’ll report back, but of course it will be a winner.
I hope it was a hit, Gail!
I love this recipe! I’d like to make it for someone who doesn’t like chickpeas or beans. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute? What about coarsely chopped cashews, or would you just add more peas?
You could try it. Let me know what you think, Sarah!
I went with the chopped cashews option, and it turned out great!
Made this last night (turned out I didn’t have parsley or lemon so I omitted) still both my kids 4 and 2 loved it (they are hard to get to eat well) and my husband called “restaurant quality” which is high praise indeed from him. Thank you for all your recipes!
You’re welcome, Olga!
I have made this several times and it’s the only paella recipe I use. I absolutely love it; so flavorful.
Wonderful to hear, Lynn!
Absolutely delicious! I make it frequently for my husband. He loves it ! Thank you for the recipe.