Vegan Paella with Artichokes

Vegan paella is a delicious version of a quintessential Spanish dish that's also super easy to make. This veggie paella is loaded with onions, red and yellow pepper, and artichoke hearts and flavoured with smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and saffron for a vibrant dish that everyone will love.

Paella is perhaps the most famous Spanish dish, but there are so many variations of it, it's difficult to define an authentic paella. It's a dish that originated in Valencia, where it was originally the food of farmers, who used to make it with rice and whatever they had on hand, from veggies to meat and seafood.

Fun fact - "paella" is actually the name of the cooking pan, but the word has eventually come to define the dish itself.

Authentic paella typically contains seafood, but you definitely don't need it to enjoy a bright, flavourful paella. This vegan paella has red and yellow peppers and artichokes for the perfect texture.

What do you need for vegan paella?

Rice - Bomba rice is the best rice for making paella. This is a type of short-grained rice that's cultivated in Eastern Spain with the sole purpose of being used in paella. It's the perfect rice for paella because it can absorb a lot of water without turning into mush. If you don't have bomba rice, you can use arborio rice instead.

Peppers - I use a red sweet pepper and a yellow one, but you can also use green peppers if you want.

Paprika - A mix of smoked and sweet paprika gives this veggie paella lots of flavour.

Saffron - You only need a pinch of saffron, but it's the ingredient that gives paella its unique flavour. Read the section below for tips on choosing a saffron substitute if you don't have it.

Artichoke hearts - Both marinated artichoke hearts and antipasti-style artichokes in sunflower oil are good options for paella. If using artichokes in oil, make sure you drain them very well before adding them to the paella.

What to use as a saffron substitute for paella?

Saffron is an expensive ingredient, so many people are looking for saffron substitutes when making paella. While it's not possible to recreate the flavour of saffron, you can use some other spices to mimic its colour.

These are some saffron substitutes you can consider for vegan paella:

• Turmeric
• Cardamom
• Safflower (also known as Mexican saffron)
• Pre-made paella seasoning (typically made with a mix of garlic, paprika, black pepper, salt and a dash of saffron extract).

How do you make it?

• Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or any wide pan.
• When the oil is hot, add the onion and fry for 1 minute on medium heat. Add the sliced red and yellow peppers and fry them for 5-6 minutes until they soften.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
• Add the paella rice and toast it for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Next, stir in the chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and saffron.

• Add the stock and bring to a boil, lower the heat, and cook at a gentle boil for 15 minutes, uncovered. Don't stir the rice as it's cooking. If it looks like the liquid boils off too quickly, add some extra stock.
• Add the peas and continue to cook for another minute.
• Stir in the artichoke hearts and fresh parsley.
• Season to taste, garnish with some extra parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe tips for making the best vegan paella

• You can add some dry white wine after the rice and cook it until the alcohol evaporates before adding the stock.
• To get more texture and protein to your paella, you can add some pan-fried tofu in the last few minutes of cooking.
• I use frozen peas, but fresh peas are also great. Just make sure you add them 10 minutes sooner because fresh peas take longer to cook than frozen ones.
• You don't need a paella pan to make a paella. Just use a cast iron shallow casserole or your widest pan instead.

If you liked this vegan paella, you might also like some of my other easy vegan one-pot recipes:

Spanish Chickpeas and Rice

Goulash with Mushrooms and Potatoes

Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup

Spanakorizo (Greek Spinach and Rice)

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