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A healthy and hearty rice dish that is sure to please a crowd — this loaded vegan paella is a must make recipe!
This vegan paella is made with fresh whole food ingredients, bursting with beautiful color thanks to the variety of vegetables we used, and one that is meant to be shared with the ones you love.
Paella was a dish that my grandmother used to make all the time for family gatherings, and it was something that I always looked forward to. She was raised with both Filipino and Spanish roots, so we often enjoyed two variations of the recipe. Today we are going to be sharing with you our version of her Spanish paella, you are in for a treat!
My grandmother’s paella always included either seafood or meat and eggs. We wanted the dish to be just as filling and hearty as hers, and since we are veganizing her recipe, we LOADED it up with vegetables. 
We also created this dish as a part of our vegan valentine’s day menu this year. Chris and I put together two comforting and easy-to-make dishes that we thought would be perfect for an at-home date night. 
Alongside this Loaded Vegan Paella, Chris put together 5-Ingredient Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls. Yes, they are amazing as they sound! I am drooling just thinking about them.
If you make this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below! Also, please tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!
Loaded Vegan Paella {easy + healthy}
- Total Time: 36 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Description
The ultimate loaded vegan paella! This recipe is healthy, made with fresh whole food ingredients, bursting with beautiful color thanks to the variety of vegetables we used, and one that is meant to be shared with the ones you love.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, cut into strips (we used 1/2 red and 1/2 yellow)
- ½ pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 medium potatoes, diced into medium-sized pieces
- 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ tablespoon ground turmeric
- ¼ tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional, omit if you don’t like spicy)
- ½ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled (optional)*
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 1/2 cups paella rice (short grain white rice)
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup artichoke hearts
- 1 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
- 1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- Salt, to taste
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet (between 12-14 inches) over medium heat, add in about 3 tablespoons of water. Once heated, add the onion and garlic, and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers, asparagus, potatoes, and tomatoes, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the paprika, turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and rice. Stir until uniform. Add the vegetable broth, parsley and bay leaves, then bring to a boil. Continue cooking over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed by the rice, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in the peas and artichokes. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and allow it to cook for 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 more minutes.
- Stir in the olives and add the reserved olive liquid to taste, 1 tablespoon at a time. Serve warm with lemon wedges, if desired.
Notes
- We opted to keep saffron out of our recipe to keep this recipe more affordable.
- Nutrition facts do not take into consideration the addition of salt to taste.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 26 minutes
Nutrition facts label provided by Nutri Fox.
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We’ve made this on the past couple new year’s eves to feel fancy with our saffron but not overworked & tired out lol. It’s so good!
OMG, this is amazing! I made it tonight and added the saffron threads. I did end up adding an extra cup of broth because the potatoes weren’t cooked sufficiently. It took about an extra 12 minutes but the flavor! Thank you so much!
Second time of making and tastes as good as ever. Although you have omitted the saffron it would have been good to have included it in the recipe.
Next time I may try a cheaper option by using green beans and mushrooms instead of asparagus and artichoke.
We are not Vegans but I often cook vegan/vegetarian curries – I have never made a Paella .
Amazing recipe only difference was the addition of capers. The kids even had secinds!
Ah yay, we are so glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
This was so simple and delicious!
so glad you liked it 🙂
Doesn’t paella usually have saffron in it?
We opted to color our rice with turmeric instead of the saffron to keep it more affordable! You can also opt to use anatto as well.
To me, this is a perfect Valentine’s dinner – it’s flavorful, not heavy or greasy. Plus, smoked paprika!!!
heck yeah, one of the best spices! 😛
This paella recipe is so perfect. I grew up in a hispanic household and one of the main things that i miss after going vegan is paella, so thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing, Jen!
Looks absolutely delicious! For my birthday a couple months ago, my boyfriend took me out to a local restaurant where they served a vegan paella. It was sooo good and we’ve been talking about making a homemade paella ever since. This recipe couldn’t have come at a more perfect time! Can’t wait to try it.
Awww yay, perfect timing! We hope you love this recipe, let us know what you two think 🙂
Sounds like you had a lot of tasty family gatherings growing up! This is something I could eat every single day! In fact, I’m going to go throw some rice on as soon as I finish typing this. Thanks for sharing!
This looks like Indian pulao. With lots of flavor and vegetables this will be perfect to share with loved ones:)
Yes, definitely perfect to share! 🙂