This is the recipe for when you're craving Valencian paella but trying to avoid cooking with oil. This well-tested vegetable paella recipe cooked in a wide, shallow cast iron skillet will feed 4 people. It's a full-flavored oil-free vegan recipe that'll become a family favorite.

pan of cooked vegetable paella with red bell peppers in a starburst pattern on top

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Paella is a "Sunday lunch" kind of meal in Spain. One where the family gathers together.

I was taught how to make chickpea vegetable paella by a friend, Loli, over an open fire in the countryside outside Alicante, Spain. The giant paella she made for us served at least 12.

This recipe is adapted for ingredients we can find here in the US, is cooked inside without olive oil and serves four people.

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes

Ingredients Chickpea Vegetable Paella (oil-free vegan)

Paella rice - Bomba and redondo varieties are typically used for making paella in Spain. If you can't find paella rice (or it's too expensive), sushi rice can be used as a fine substitute. I'm using bomba paella rice for this recipe.
Saffron - The most expensive spice in the world, a little of this intoxicatingly fragrant gem goes a long way. Recently, I've been finding saffron for a pretty good price at Costco.
Sweet Spanish paprika - Ñora pepper is traditional in paella, but difficult to find here. When I ran out of the ground ñora pepper paprika I bought in Spain, I started using a sweet Spanish paprika instead. Paprika is dried, ground peppers and each variety tastes different. So, finding one that is labeled "sweet" is important. If you want to impart a smoky flavor to your paella, you can use a smoked paprika instead.
Vegan broth - If you can find a vegan no-chicken bouillon or broth, use that. If not, then use vegetable broth.
Turmeric - Home cooks in Spain often use paella food coloring to give it a yellow hue without breaking the bank with a lot of saffron. We're using a small amount of turmeric to color the dish. Feel free to use extra saffron, if you want.

🔪 Instructions

Here are the step-by-step instructions for how to make chickpea veggie paella without using olive oil.

Make the Sofrito

Making Sofrito for paella - step 1 add tomato, bell pepper, garlic and parsley to food processor

Step 1: Prepare sofrito by adding the tomato, garlic, parsley and chopped ¼ of a bell pepper to a small food processor or blender.

Making Sofrito for paella - step 2 process until broken down but not completely pureed

Step 2: Process/blend until everything is combined and looks like the consistency of a chunky salsa/chimichurri. Set aside.

Make the paella

Step 1 - heat pan and add bell pepper strips to sear

Step 1: Heat pan over medium heat for 30-60 seconds. Add red bell pepper strips to pan. Dry-saute until a little charred on the edges, then transfer bell pepper to a plate or bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Add other vegetables to pan, in order of hardness. Onions, then cauliflower, then mushrooms, asparagus and chickpeas. Saute just to brown a little (they will continue to cook with the rice later).

Step 3 - mix together broth ingredients and microwave to heat

Step 3: Add vegetable stock, saffron, paprika, salt and turmeric to a large heat-proof measuring bowl. Stir and microwave until hot. (You can do this on the stove instead in a small saucepan on one of the other burners.) Keep warm until ready to add to pan, but do not boil it (we don't want water to evaporate).

Step 4 - add sofrito and cook a few minutes

Step 4: Add prepared sofrito to pan and saute for a few minutes.

Step 5: Add rice to pan and stir to spread the rice out evenly.

Step 6: Add hot broth to pan and gently stir.

Step 7 arrange bell peppers and artichokes on top

Step 7: Arrange the reserved bell pepper strips and the quartered artichoke hearts on top of the rice in an artful display. Use your stirring spoon to gently press them into the broth if they're resting on top. We want them to cook in the broth to soak up the flavor.

Step 8: Turn heat down a little bit to medium-low heat and cover. Cook paella over medium-low to medium heat for 20 minutes. DO NOT STIR OR UNCOVER. If you smell it burning, turn the heat down. After 20 minutes, uncover and check on the rice in several spots to see if it's done. (If some parts are done and others are not and there is no liquid left, you can add a little more broth or water to those areas and cover and cook a few more minutes.) Once it's done, turn off the heat and keep the paella covered and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with lemon wedges, garlic cashew aioli, sliced bread and green salad.

pan of cooked vegetable paella with red bell peppers in a starburst pattern on top and a white plate with paella, a salad and lemon

🍳 Equipment

Paellera or wide, shallow pan - I have a 17-inch paellera (paella pan) that feeds 8. When I don't need to feed a crowd, I opt for this recipe using my 3.6 quart wide, shallow enameled cast iron Lodge pan. You'll need a wide, shallow skillet or paella pan to make this dish. It doesn't have to be cast iron. Stainless steel, carbon steel or even non-stick with work. Just make sure it has a lid.

🗺 Cultural influences

This recipe is inspired by the strong cultural influences of my dear friends and experiences from Spain. I was taught how to make this dish when we visited Alicante, Spain in 2018.

Here's an authentic, traditional recipe for this dish: Murcian-Style Vegetable Paella.

See About for more information on my cultural influences and how I attribute recipes.

Love this recipe?

Please rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave a comment below, so I know which recipes you like the best. This helps me know what to make more of!

🧄 Very useful ingredient notes