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You definitely don’t need chicken or seafood to enjoy paella. This vegan paella with red bell pepper, artichokes, smoked tofu, zucchini, and olives is so delicious and super easy to make! It’s the perfect summer dinner.

It’s actually even healthier and lighter than traditional paella. And it’s packed with flavor and tastes so much like a vacation to Spain!

What You Need For The Vegan Paella:

The ingredient list for the vegan paella might seem a bit long at first sight. However, you should be able to find most of the ingredients in a well-stored grocery store.

You need:

bomba rice (alternatively you could also use arborio rice)

smoked tofu

an onion

garlic

a red bell pepper

a zucchini

white wine

paprika powder

saffron threads

peas

black olives

sun-dried tomatoes in oil

artichoke hearts in oil

vegetable broth

fresh parsley

salt and pepper

red pepper flakes

fresh lemon juice

lemon wedges for serving

As always, you can find the full ingredient list and the recipe instructions in a separate, printable recipe box at the end of this post.

How To Make Vegan Paella

As I said, the vegan paella recipe is pretty easy and straightforward. And while the rice is cooking, you don’t have to do much!

STEP 1: Heat some oil in a large pan and fry the smoked tofu cubes over medium heat until brown and crispy on all sides. Put aside.

STEP 2: Heat some more oil in the same pan and sauté the onion and the garlic for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the red bell pepper and the zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook about 2-3 more minutes.

STEP 3: Deglaze with white wine. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika powder. Dissolve the saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water and add to the pealla.

STEP 4: Add the vegetable broth (I recommend starting with 3 cups) and cook for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is tender and has absorbed all the liquid. If necessary add more vegetable broth.

STEP 5: Once the rice is tender, stir in the cooked peas, the sun-dried tomatoes, the olives, the smoked tofu, and the artichokes. Cook for about 2 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with lemon slices.

Recipe Notes:

I used white wine in this recipe. So if you’re not consuming alcohol or if you’re making this vegan paella for kids, just sub the wine with some more vegetable broth. Also adjust the amount of red pepper flakes.

Make sure to pan-fry the smoked tofu cubes until they’re nicely browned and crispy. I love crispy tofu!

The amount of vegetable broth can vary depending on the kind of rice and the heat you’re using. I therefore recommend starting with 3 cups and then adding more vegetable broth later if necessary.

The vegan paella also tastes great on the next day. Its flavor even gets more intense. So if you’ve got leftovers, just bring them to lunch the next day. You could either heat up the paella on the stovetop again or just eat it cold.

What Is The Best Rice For Paella?

There are three kinds of rice that are commonly used for paella: senia, bahía, and bomba rice.

The most popular kind of rice for paella is bomba rice because it’s very easy to prepare. So most hobby cooks decide to use bomba rice for their paella.

Bomba rice absorbs the flavors really well and it does not stick together. Even with a longer cooking time, it doesn’t become mushy. So this means you can be a bit flexible when it comes to the cooking time.

Real paella experts, however, mostly use senia or bahía rice for their paella. It absorbs the flavors of the broth and the other ingredients even better than bomba rice.

But you have to pay close attention to the cooking time of the rice and the liquid needed.

In the U.S., Italian arborio rice is often used as a substitute for bomba because it’s easier to find. Arborio and bomba rice are quite different though. Arborio rice is often used for risotto.

But the paella recipe still works with arborio. Start by adding less vegetable broth and try to avoid stirring it as much as possible, so it doesn’t become too creamy.

More Delicious Vegan Rice Recipes You Might Like:

I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

I hope you like this vegan paella as much as we do around here.

If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about it. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

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Sina