My vegan paella is a show-stopping main dish that's guaranteed to be a hit! Made with saffron-infused rice, white wine, savory mushrooms, and vibrant veggies, it’s deeply flavorful, surprisingly easy to make, and perfect for impressing guests — or just treating yourself to something special.
I think we all know by now how much I love a good rice dish. You're here, so I bet you do, too! If you enjoyed some of my other favorite rice recipes, like my Spanish rice and beans, Mexican rice and beans, or Mediterranean chickpeas and rice, you’re going to love this vegan paella. It’s just as delicious and flavorful as the others, but feels extra fancy thanks to saffron, white wine, and a medley of savory mushrooms. This recipe is perfect for special occasions, dinner parties, and even hot dates!
Jump to:
Mushrooms make a perfect stand-in for seafood here. They’ve got a great meaty texture, tons of umami, and you can mix and match varieties. In addition to mushrooms, this dish includes vibrant veggies, briny olives, and a mix of spices, including saffron for some floral notes, and two kinds of paprika, for a smoky flavor punch.
It’s a beautiful, crowd-pleasing vegan main that even omnivores will love.
Ingredients You'll Need
Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Saffron. Saffron should be available in the spice aisle of your grocery store. It's pricey, but fortunately you don't need much of it for this recipe.
- Olive oil. Stick with a good quality olive oil for this recipe.
- Mushrooms. Feel free to use your favorite variety of fresh mushroom for this recipe. I like making it with a mix of button, cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms, but whatever you have on hand is fine.
- Salt & pepper.
- Onion.
- Red bell pepper. You can use an orange or yellow bell pepper if you prefer.
- Garlic.
- Tomatoes. I like to use roma tomatoes, because they don't have many seeds. Feel free to substitute another variety, but consider seeding them before adding them to the recipe.
- White wine. Use a dry variety of wine, like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc. Also, keep in mind that some wines are processed using animal products. Barnivore is a great tool for identifying vegan brands.
- Paprika. You'll need a little bit of sweet paprika, and a little bit of smoked paprika. This mix will give your vegan paella a nice flavor balance!
- Rice. The recipe calls for bomba rice, which is a short grain variety traditionally used in paella. You can get it in specialty stores, or order it online. If you can't get ahold of bomba rice, another short grain variety will work as a substitute. I've had luck using arborio rice, which is the type you'd normally use in risotto.
- Vegetable broth.
- Green olives. These are optional, but add a nice pop of flavor to the dish.
- Frozen peas.
- Fresh parsley.
- Lemon wedges.
Equipment You'll Need
- A paella pan is preferable for this recipe. These pans are very large, so they allow you to spread the ingredients out in a nice thin layer, giving you lots of crispy crust on the bottom, known as socarrat.
- A large skillet is a suitable alternative. I wouldn't use anything smaller than twelve inches. Make sure it has a good nonstick surface. Well seasoned cast iron works well because it distributes heat nice and evenly.
How It's Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Soak the saffron. Cover your saffron threads with a bit of warm water. Let them soak for a bit. You'll notice that they'll bleed some yellow color after a few minutes.
Step 2: Cook the mushrooms. Sauté sliced mushrooms in some olive oil in your paella pan or skillet. Let them cook for a few minutes on each side, until they brown. Take them out of the pan when they're done.
Step 3: Cook the pepper and onion. Add some more oil to the pan, then add your diced pepper and onion. Cook them for a few minutes, stirring often, until they start to soften.
Step 4: Cook the garlic. Push the pepper and onion to the side, then add your minced garlic to the pan. Sauté it briefly, just until it becomes very fragrant.
Step 5: Reduce the wine. Stir in the wine, along with diced tomato, both paprikas, the saffron and its soaking water. Simmer the wine for a few minutes. You'll want to reduce it by about half.
Step 6: Simmer. Add the mushrooms back to the pan, along with the rice, broth, and olives. Once it reaches a simmer, stop stirring and let the rice cook undisturbed. Let it cook for about 20 minutes, until the liquid evaporates. You'll need to occasionally reposition the pan to get everything to cook evenly.
Tip: Your paella pan is probably going to be too big for one burner. That's why I like to place it over multiple burners. I like to use three (my stove has a middle burner), but two will also work. You'll also need to occasionally move the pan around in order to get everything evenly cooked. I usually rotate the pan about 90 degrees every two or three minutes.
Step 7: Add the peas. Sprinkle the peas over your paella, then let it cook a few minutes longer, just to heat them up.
Steps 8 & 9: Rest, then finish. Take the pan off of heat, then cover it up and let it sit for five minutes. Uncover, sprinkle it with some salt and pepper to taste, garnish with fresh parsley, and dig in!
Serve your vegan paella with some lemon wedges.
Leftovers & Storage
I like to keep my leftover paella in the pan, covered tightly in plastic wrap. Sometimes it won't fit in the fridge, though! In these instances, I transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for three to four days.
If you've stored your paella in the pan, simply uncover the pan and place it on the stove over medium heat to reheat it. Pour about a half cup of water over it every few minutes to keep it from drying out too much. Rotate and wiggle the pan like you did when you were cooking the dish. Keep this up until it's heated throughout, which should take five to ten minutes.
If you transferred it to an airtight container, you can reheat it in the microwave, or in a skillet on the stove, adding a splash of water if needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, as long as your wine and broth are certified gluten-free!
If you're having trouble getting that signature sorcarrat (i.e., crispy bottom), try turning up the heat for the last minute or to of cooking your paella.
Saffron is what gives paella it's characteristic floral flavor and golden color. I definitely recommend using it, but if you absolutely can't, try adding a pinch of turmeric for color. Just know that you won't achieve quite the same flavor.
More Vegan Main Dish Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Paella
Ingredients
- Generous pinch saffron (about 20 threads)
- ¼ cup warm water
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 16 ounces assorted fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped (Note 1)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups Bomba rice
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup pimento-stuffed green olives (optional, or to taste)
- ¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
For Serving
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Place the saffron threads into a small cup or bowl and cover them with the warm water. Let them soak for at least 10 minutes. You can begin cooking in the meantime.
- Coat the bottom of a large 15-inch paella pan (Note 2) with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and place it over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Season them with a few pinches of salt. Cook the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until lightly browned on both sides. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and transfer them to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the onion and bell pepper. Sweat the onion and pepper for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they begin to soften.
- Push the onion and pepper to the side, then add the garlic in the space you've just made. Sauté the garlic for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Stir in the tomatoes, wine, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, and the saffron, along with its soaking water. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer until the liquid reduces by about half, about 5 minutes.
- Return the mushrooms to the pan and stir in the rice, broth, and olives. Season the mixture with a bit more salt and some black pepper. Raise the heat again and bring the liquid to a boil, stirring occasionally as it heats up. Once the liquid boils, lower the heat so that it's cooking at a low simmer. Stop stirring at this point. Let the mixture simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and slightly charred at the bottom where it contacts the pan. Reposition and wiggle the pan around occasionally so that the paella cooks evenly (Note 3). If the mixture gets too dry before the rice is tender, you can add up to a half cup of water at a time.
- Sprinkle the peas evenly over the paella, and let it cook for a minute or two longer, just until the peas are warmed through.
- Remove the pan from heat. Cover it with a lid or foil and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Uncover the paella. Season it with some salt and black pepper to taste, then sprinkle it with fresh parsley. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- I like to use a mix of button, cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. You can use any of these varieties alone, as well as any combination of them. Other fresh mushrooms will work as well.
- You can use a large skillet if you don't have a paella pan. I've made this recipe in a 12-inch cast iron skillet, but it was a tight squeeze. I wouldn't recommend making it in anything smaller than that. If you don't have a large enough cooking vessel, consider scaling back on the recipe size.
- If possible, try positioning the pan over multiple burners to help the paella cook more evenly.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Absolutely delicious! I haven't made Paella before but it was great and easy. I added some red pepper and fresh chilli as well for a bit more fresh veg, we loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Looks so yummy! But as Spaniard I have to say that I'm missing peppers. It's quite traditional to use peppers in Spanish paella. Not only seafood paella is the traditional one, also the chicken one is very popular here in Spain and it's the one that I usually mimic: use red and green peppers, green peas and oyster mushrooms, and also black pepper, cumin and thyme instead of paprika and saffron 😉
At what point do you add the rice?
Step 4. :)
Could this be cooked in a slow cooker?
I'm not sure! Part of what makes it so good is the crust you get on the bottom and I'm not sure you could achieve that with a slow cooker. Please let me know how it works out if you give it a try!
Late night I did it. Delicious! But I first made the rice and when almost done I added the remaining ingredients in order not to overcook the mushrooms. Very good indeed. Thanks.
Yay!! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Sandra!
Ohh love paella! This dish is so colourful and flavourful looking. Can't wait to try it!
Thanks Maria! I hope you enjoy it!
I am so thrilled that Kristin Emily Kerr referred those of us in her 21 Day Healthy Vegan Challenge to your site! I'm having the Mushroom Strogonoff again tonight, but was just looking over some of your other recipes and I don't think I could go wrong with ANY of them! Your recipes are not complicated with hard to find items (I usually have most items in my pantry and spice cabinet).Thank you for a world of deliciousness for new and current vegans!
Oh that's awesome to hear!! I'm glad you like the recipes! Enjoy!!