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5 from 10 votes

Vegan Paella

Vegan paella is comforting, flavorful, and family-friendly. It’s made with cooked brown rice, spicy tofu, earthy mushrooms, veggies, a hint of fresh lemon juice, and the perfect amount of seasonings. It’s so delicious that you won’t miss the meat – I promise!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Spanish, Vegan
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 228kcal
Author: Anjali Shah

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add tofu when oil is heated through, season with salt. Sauté 10 minutes, or until tofu is browned, stirring occasionally.
  • Add mushrooms, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until mushrooms release liquid and begin to brown.
  • Meanwhile, cook your brown rice. Add in saffron at the same time you add the rice to the boiling water. Stir and cook on low - let sit until all water is absorbed. Back to the tofu/mushroom mixture: Stir in carrots, corn, tomatoes, garlic, and all of your spices (including salt & pepper), and sauté 2-5 minutes more.
  • Stir in rice, and about 4 oz veggie broth. Cover with lid, and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.
  • Add peas on surface (do not stir yet), cover, and allow peas to steam 1 to 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat, and stir in lemon juice and green onions. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Video

https://youtu.be/-6r0RfUMTl0

Notes

  • Allow The Ingredients To Cook: Once you add the rice to the pan, I know it’s tempting to stir it several times. But don’t stir it; because that will give you more of a risotto like consistency. For authentic paella, you want it to absorb the liquid and get a nice crust on the bottom of the pan (this crust, made up of crispy rice, is called the soccarat!)
  • Use Your Knife Skills: Chop all your veggies into evenly size bite-size pieces. It’s much easier to eat when everything is uniform, but also it will cook much more evenly as well. 
  • Don't Skimp On The Citrus: The fresh lemon juice gives the vegan paella a little bit of extra zest, so don’t skip adding it. Always try to use fresh lemon juice, not the bottled stuff. It makes a huge difference when it comes to flavor. 
  • Slow Cooker: If you've used a crockpot to make a rice-based dish before, just adjust this recipe to your typical cook times for rice and veggies in a slow cooker.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 854mg | Potassium: 967mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 7g