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
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 recipe, 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’ll 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 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 spice in the world 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 with basic equipment instead of a special paella pan over an open flame.
If you want to give the socarrat a shot, 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, and 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.
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.
We made this tonight and it was terrific! So full of flavor and filling. I subbed out brussel sprouts for peas, and roasted them with the veggies and they were amazing.
Great variation! Thank you, Dani for sharing and for your review.
Cooking time was precise for using arborio rice. Came out perfect. Beautiful mix of colorful vegetables that are perfectly seasoned. Wonderful addition to the vegetarian recipe box. Thank you for sharing.
Kate, this paella was AMAZING! I live in Spain (Asturias) right now and wanted to take a shot at a good, healthy paella. I can honestly say that this is better than much of the paella I’ve eaten out here in restaurants. I doubled the saffron and added one more teaspoon of paprika. Saffroon isn’t needed, obviously, but I think doubling it was great. But then again, I’m close to it here and it’s easy to get. I also omitted the chickpeas just because i wanted it to be a bit lighter. I used a paellera, but I don’t think it’s necessary at all. Wonderful job, though! I will be recommending this recipe a lot. Plus, I’m proud of myself for finally making paella! I’m from the USA and have never done it before. Thanks for helping me have such a wonderful experience! I have pictures if you want them.
I tried this out on company (I know, bold move, but you’ve never let me down!) and everyone was raving about it. I love that I could do a little prep work before everyone arrived, and then pop it all in the oven to be free and socialize with everyone pre-dinner. It made the house smell amazing, and the flavor was so, so good. My 3- year old loved it, and normally I need to bribe him just to eat dinner. Thank you!
I made this tonight and it was so yummy! I forgot to buy the peas so I used asparagus instead. For some reason my rice didn’t cook in the 55 minutes so I had to add more broth and cook another 15 minutes. In the end, it was great, just like all of your recipes! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Made this last night and both my boyfriend and I loved it! We’ve recently decided to stop eating meat and your recipes have made that decision much easier and very delicious! Thanks, Kate!
Kate – I have been cooking your recipes for years and love each and every one of them. This is by far one of the best! Absolutely amazing.
That makes me so happy, Caitlin! Thank you so much for your comment and review!
Loved this! It halved pretty easily (as a single college student, I can’t finish 6 servings of anything) and instead of adding chickpeas, peas, or red bell pepper, I roasted some thickly-sliced mushrooms along with the olives and artichokes. I also used regular brown rice and 55 min in the oven seemed to do the trick. Thanks for an accessible, vegetarian version of paella! This is definitely one of those recipes that wins in the prep time to flavor pay-off ratio.
Glad you thought is was worth the effort! So good for sure. I like how you were able to make this worked well with your variation, Roshni!
Did not taste good at all to me.
Hi Kate,
The Recipe looks nice. I really like the way you present the Dishes.
Using natural ingredients is very important for cooking.
Thank you!
I used extra saffron, in that i wanted to taste it and found out how surprisingly asparagus like it is. Thanks again for the cookbook, i really like it, every recipe ive tried has been worthwhile; 4 to 5 star’s.
Thank you, Brian! I’m so happy to hear that.
Please keep the good ideas “more ideas”coming; also please do see chamelion coffee’s recipes as well.
I love making paella and can’t really imagine it with w/o meat or shrimp but am also trying to eat less meat …. so gave this a go.
I did tweak it a bit (sorry), but only because I’ve made so many paellas in my time, so did make a proper sofrito as the base, used bomba rice since I had so bloody much on hand and basically just subbed in the chickpeas for the meat. I also always use saffron (just not optional in my book), which imparts that fabulous, unique and all-important paella flavour.
It was lovely and decadent and I will definitely be making it again as a 50% vegetarian:))
Thank you, Olivia for your comment and review! I’m happy you tried it.
I’ve always appreciated the benefits of brown rice and the extra cooking time of this recipe makes it taste nuttier and a lot more tender than the 30 minutes it usually takes to cook. Well done
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it. I appreciate the review, Sev.
YUM x 1,000,000 !!!
I’ve made this twice : once exactly to the recipe, and once with some seafood steamed on top (last 15 min or so). Also added some red onions to the roasted veggies.
Both times, completely amazing! Delicious, complex, and surprisingly easy.
Ha, thanks Asako! I appreciate the enthusiasm. :)
This recipe is awesome! I really liked it! Thank you :)
Wonderful! You’re welcome, Kim. If would want to leave a star review, I would really appreciate it.
I made this recipe last night for dinner and loved it! Such great flavors and a beautiful dish!
Wonderful, Allison! Thanks for your star review.
Fantastic recipe! I’ve made this twice now with different combos of veggies – fennel/peppers/carrots/asparagus, etc. The flavors are just perfect. The only swap I made was to use judion beans that a friend brought me from Spain instead of garbanzo (lucky me!).
I have a baby so I really appreciate recipes like this that use the oven and don’t require babysitting (pun intended) at the stove. I timed it tonight so that we had piping hot paella waiting for us right after baby’s bedtime! Thank you for this and all of your other awesome recipes!!
You’re so welcome, Meera! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Tasy, but not paella
My goal is to make recipes as authentic as I can, but also making it vegetarian and attainable to most. Sorry you felt it wasn’t authentic. But I’m happy you thought is was tasty!
Deliciosas ensaladas ..
Thank you!
I have yet to be disappointed in any Cookie and Kate recipe I’ve tried and this was no exception. It was an excellent paella!
I’m so happy to hear that, Molly! Thanks so much for your review.
This looks amazing!! I would like to make it for a group of 10 friends this weekend. What are your suggestions for making it an hour or two ahead of time, will it reheat well?
It is best served immediately, but you can gently reheat on the stove and it should be delicious.
as I have two vegetarian daughters in the house , I decided to make this dish several months ago for the whole family and it was delicious. Tonight I am making this dish again, fingers cross I nail this like I did the first time . We rate this paella 10/10 …..
I bet it turned out wonderfully, Tina! Thanks for your review.
Hi Kate! I made this today and it turned out very good, hubby loved it too:) paella or not paella it was a super awesome lunch..thank you! love your website
Thank you, Alex! If you would like to leave a star review, I would appreciate it. :)
This is a great recipe! I have never made rice like this in my Dutch oven. That alone was amazing. Then the addition of all those great veggies! Heaven. I whiffed a bit on the grocery list and forgot a lemon, parsley and peas. I substituted a yellow squash for the peas. To brighten the flavor without lemon I used 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar. I added it to the rice before I put it in the oven because I was scared for it to be too prominent. I had some radish greens around so I diced them up and also added them to the rice right before baking. I don’t drink, so I did not use the wine. I did not use the saffron. I also traded kalamata olives for a good black olive to better fit my budget. Even with deviating from the plan a bit the flavor that was developed was amazing! Thank you very much for the great recipe!
Thank you for your detailed comment on how you approached the recipe, Anna! I’m happy it turned out so well for you. Thanks for the review, too!
I was looking forward to making this all week, and then today my husband made it for me, knowing I’d be home late after a long day at work. Coming home to this meal on the stove was the best!! The paella was so delicious – I definitely had seconds. I loved the flavor the saffron added to the dish. We’ll definitely be making this again!
What a sweet husband! I’m glad you enjoyed it and it was just what you needed. Thanks for sharing, Kate!
Made this recipe last night & it was soooo good! Even achieved the crispy rice! Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Natalia! I’m glad you liked it so much.
Yummmm!!! Hubs and I loved this! We skipped the olives and the socarrat. It came together surprisingly quick, and we’ll get 2 nights and at least one packed lunch out of it. Hearty, tasty, and pretty, too!
Great, Julia!
I have loved every one of your recipes that I’ve tried, but this one came out bland. The only substitution was regular olives for kalamata, since that’s what I had on hand. The right olives would have improved it, but not enough to make up for the blandness. Anybody else have this issue?
I’m sorry you felt that way, Jann! Hmm… maybe increase the amount of your favorite spice in the dish if you like.
I certainly mean no offense — I’m a big fan. We’ll chalk it up to the cook (me)!
I’m a pescatarian and paella has been my favorite dish to make for decades now. My son recently became a vegetarian and, while I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like, cooking for him has been challenging. We both LOVE this vegetarian paella! It’s easy to make, and so full of flavor, it’s my new staple. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that, Anne! Thanks for trying it and reporting back your experience.
We just returned from a bus tour of southern Spain and traveled with several vegetarians. Frankly they found it difficult to find good veggie alternatives. Spanish restaurants didn’t seem to have suitable vegetarian alternatives other than a pile of grilled vegetables. Finally at our farewell dinner a hotel produced a “vegetarian” paella that the travelers raved about. The rest of us had traditional paella with chicken and seafood. We are having a vegetarian group for Thanksgiving this year and are looking forward to trying this recipe. Thank you for coming to our aid. It looks amazing. My daughter is bringing a paella pan. We’ll let you know how it turns out.
That sounds like a wonderful time! I’m happy this recipe is just what you need. Thanks so much, Drew!
Thank you for this fool-proof delicious vegan, gluten-free recipe! An amateur in the kitchen, I was so nervous to cook for my vegan friends but this recipe saved the day. I’m also kind of a picky eater so I left out the chickpeas and substituted green peppers for red, and black olives for green. It was still super yummy and received lots of compliments from my dinner guests! Thank you, Kate! I love your blog!
You’re welcome, Lindsey! Thanks for sharing your variation.
Just made this! It was incredibly delicious–tasted super fresh and delicious. The flavours were incredible, complex and deep. I was always intimidated by paella, but this was really easy to make, all things considered.
I’m glad you made it and loved it, Taz! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts.
I so enjoyed the processing of preparing this dish! The flavor was wonderful. Although I don’t typically care for a couple of the ingredients, I definitely liked them in the paella. I did think it to be a little dry so perhaps I left it in the oven a too long.
I am not vegetarian or vegan but I will definitely be making this paella again! Thank you!
I’m really happy to hear that, Cathy! Thanks for trying it and letting me know what you thought.
Had some family visiting from out of town including my teenage niece who’s vegan. After a 4 hour flight and a 2 hour car ride, I had this dish waiting for them. We all devoured it! Now my sister is making it for Christmas. Thank you!
That’s so nice of you! I’m glad it was a hit.
Dang, this is a keeper. I still have leftovers in the fridge from my first attempt but am preparing to make it again for company. It was that good. It would also be amazing with added shrimp or chicken if the people you are feeding are carnivores. I skipped the saffron and used Trader Joe’s organic diced fire roasted tomatoes (with green chiles). Otherwise I followed the recipe. A-Mazing!
Fantastic, Mary! Thanks for letting me know you loved it.
Just made this tonight and loved it!! I used fresh diced tomatoes instead of canned, and left out the saffron, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly! Had a medium grain brown rice and 55 minutes was perfect cooking time. Thank you for the amazing recipe – it’s going into the regular rotation!
Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you loved it.
Tried this last night (forgot to add peas and parsley – oops!) but can say that it was delicious and got a big thumbs up from the boyfriend.
nb: used paella rice and a normal la creuset casserole dish with lid for the rice.
I’m glad it was still delicious, Lucy! I appreciate your review.
Make this recipe tonight – added tumeric instead of saffron (more within my budget) and it smoothed all the flavors together. The roasted Kalamata taste was a little to strong – the tumeric calmed it down perfectly
Interesting substitution! I’m glad you liked it though, Cheryl!
One of our all time favorite weeknight recipes!
Hooray, Libby! I love that this is a weeknight recipe for you!
This is one of the best things I have eaten! I doubled the olives, since I really love Kalamata olives. I also used Jasmine rice since I’m not a huge fan of the texture of brown rice. Cooked it for 50 min and it came out delicious and vibrantly-flavored! I have some of your other recipes on the list for this week’s dinners. Can’t wait to try. :)
When do the frozen peas go in? I don’t see mention of them until the very end at step 8? Just want to make sure I’m not missing something. Thank you!
Hi Samantha, good question! The frozen peas actually defrost in the residual heat between the rice and roasted veggies.
Loved this recipe and can’t believe I made it – thank you! Planning to make again for family and have 2 questions: should I boil rice prior to adding in step 3, and can I add shrimp along with the roasted veggies in step 5?
I don’t know on the shrimp, but for the rice see step 3 & 4. You add the rice dry and it will cook during those steps. I hope this helps!
I made this last night for dinner and it was amazing! Prepared exactly as written – I also went for the socarrat using your tips and it worked. :) Thanks so much for such deliciousness!!
I love it! Thanks for your review, Rebecca.
Reading through the recipe it’s not clear if the rice is cooked before adding it to the pot.
See step 3 & 4 for the rice. I also have additional notes on the rice in the post. I hope this helps!
Another 5-star recipe.
Thank you, Pepper! I appreciate the review.
A great vegetable paella. I even bought saffron (which BTW is very expensive for those of you who don’t already know). I saved this for a weekend to make since it takes a while. I loved the artichoke/olive combination. This served both of us with leftovers for three lunches. Thank you as always Kate. {BTW, I don’t know what bomba rice is and I just used brown.}
Thank you for sharing, Heather! I appreciate the review.
Yummy! So good! Surprisingly paellaish! I used frozen green peas instead of chickpeas. The colours of the paella are lovely!
I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for sharing your feedback, Catharina!
I made this dish this evening and we loved it. We enjoyed the unique flavours, aroma and the visually appealing aesthetic of the paella. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re welcome, Jeff!
I have been mostly plant based for years but became 100% plant based 4 months ago. I search the web continually for recipes that my carnivorous family will like. I can’t believe I haven’t found your blog until now! I actually subscribed! I have NEVER subscribed to a blog. (I also love that Cookie is part of it :) – I am a veterinarian). Paella has been one of my favorite dishes since I was in grad school and my advisor’s husband made it for us at their son’s 2nd birthday party. He was a Spanish Literature and History professor at Yale at the time and then became the head of the department at NYU. Pretty amazing and brilliant man – and amazing cook. I have vegetarian friends of my husbands coming for dinner in a couple weeks and I have been looking for something to make. I love to cook. So far, my husband eats and enjoys all the vegan meals I make, but my kids won’t. Probably no different with this, but one can hope. Regardless, I am sure I will love it! I can’t wait to try it (I even have a Paella pan – put it on my wedding registry because, well, Paella!)
I’m so happy you found the blog too, Tracy! Cookie is my sidekick, so she must be apart of it. :) Thanks so much for sharing and for your review! I love to hear what you think of recipes. So, as you keep trying, keep letting me know what you think!
I forgot to buy a can of tomatoes so I added an extra cup of broth, it still came out so good! Absolutely delicious!
Thanks for sharing, Carissa!