Vegan Paella with Cashews and Olives

This vegan paella is fragrant and healthy. Made with arborio rice diced peppers, black olives, and cashews for crunch this is a special occasion meal that is simple enough to make on a weeknight!

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Paella is one of those savory special occasion meals that is often reserved for going out to eat.

I was first introduced to the dish in my teen years when I went to a Spanish restaurant with my family for my birthday.

We didn’t go to “fancy” restaurants often, but when we did, I liked to take advantage and order something out of the ordinary, or at least something my mom didn’t cook at home.

My mom first introduced me to this dish. She spent her summers in Spain before she got married and us kids came along.

She raved about paella, but she never made it at home. I knew paella was the signature dish of Spain, so it went without saying that I HAD to order it! It was everything I thought it would be and more! I was sold!

Most paellas that you see on a restaurant menu will come with seafood, sausage, or other types of meats. I’ve rarely seen a vegetarian or vegan variety.

I was going through my spices, and came across some saffron I had bought quite some time ago. I took it as a sign to make a vegan version of paella at home, only simplify the process for home chefs like me!

This version doesn’t require any fancy cooking techniques, unusual equipment, or numerous steps. It also doesn’t take a ton of time to make. It will be ready to serve in less than an hour.

It’s healthy, using no-oil, and whole food ingredients. Plus it’s loaded with veggies, and has added protein, healthy fats, and a bit of crunch with the addition of cashews.

Why you’ll love this Vegan Paella…

• Authentic Spanish flavors
• Excellent texture and crunch from the cashews
• Loaded with vegetables
• Oil-free and whole food plant-based ingredients
• Gluten-Free
• Presents as a special occasion dish, but easy enough to make on a weeknight!

Ingredients

Here is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to create this recipe. Scroll to the bottom of this post to the recipe card to find exact measurements for each ingredient and complete directions.

• Vegetable Stock-You’ll need ¼ cup to sauté the onions, and 2 additional cups to cook the rice.
• Red Onion-I prefer using red onion for its color and flavor, but a yellow or white onion will also work.
• Arborio Rice-This is an Italian variety of rice that works well for paella. Long grain rice will not do. See below for other recommended rice varieties.
• Turmeric-Gives this recipe it’s bright yellow color.
• Cumin
• Saffron, is a Spanish spice that is synonymous with paella. It comes in small red threads and is derived from the crocus flower. It is one of the more expensive spices.
• Garlic
• Green pepper and red pepper, diced.
• Black olives, pitted.
• Diced tomatoes from a can, or a fresh tomato diced.
• Cashews, add crunch and protein.
• Frozen Peas, give this dish a bright hint of green.
• Cilantro or parsley, finely chopped to garnish.

Tools

This super simple meal doesn’t require any fancy pans! All you need is a large sauté pan with a lid, a cooking spoon, and a cutting board to chop your vegetables! You could use a paella pan, but it’s not necessary!

How to Make Vegan Paella – Step by Step

Step 1: Sauté the chopped red onions in ¼ cup of vegetable stock on medium-high heat.

Step 2: Stir in rice, garlic, turmeric, cumin, saffron, diced green peppers, diced red peppers, olives, and diced tomatoes. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.

Step 3: Add 2 cups of vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 4: Add frozen peas, and chopped cashews. Stir until peas are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped cilantro or parsley.

Top Tips for Making Paella

• Use the right type of rice. I’ll go into this in more detail below, but in short, use a short grain rice such as arborio or bomba (the most authentic Spanish rice).
• This is a dry rice dish. That means it should soak up all the liquid, and take on the flavors of all of the ingredients. Use an appropriate size pan to achieve this, not too big, not too small, something in the middle.
• Traditionally this dish is cooked over an open flame, but let’s be realistic, that’s just not possible for most of us. Instead use a gas flame if possible. However, if you’re like me and only have an electric stove, that will do!

Check out The Paella Company for more tips and tricks!

What is the best rice for paella?

Paella requires a short grain rice. This means the traditional rice you have in your pantry won’t do. A short grain rice such as Italian arborio, which is used for risotto, or bomba rice, the traditional Spanish rice, is the best to use.

Arborio might be easier to find in your local grocery store. However, if you’d like to go with the specialty bomba rice you can likely find it in stores that sell in bulk, or you can also find it online. This type of rice is able to absorb 3 times its volume. This means it will soak up all those amazing flavors!

What vegetables go well in paella?

You can get creative with this dish and use the vegetables you have. There are so many varieties of paella, that you can customize it to your taste.

I love black olives, and think the cashews add a nice crunch and texture, but you could leave those out and add artichokes if you like. Spice it up by adding a hot pepper, or add some leafy greens at the end like spinach or baby kale.

How to Store and Keep

Make sure the paella has completely cooled, then transfer to an air tight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It’s important to allow rice dishes to cool completely before placing in the refrigerator. The difference in temperature from hot to the cold refrigerator will cause condensation, and result in soggy rice.

You can also freeze by allowing it to cool completely, then transferring to an air-tight container, preferably a freezer bag. Label with the date and contents. It will keep for 2-3 months.

How do you reheat paella?

When ready to reheat transfer to a sauté pan. Add a touch of water, and heat until warm. You can also reheat in the oven, or in the microwave. Adding a touch of water will help the rice absorb the liquid and plump back up.

How to Serve

This is a complete meal all on it’s own! You’ve got your grains, your veggies, and your protein all wrapped together in one dish.

However, if you’re looking for some authentic side dishes, I suggest tapas! Try serving with a Mediterranean Cucumber Salad, marinated olives, or sautéd garlic mushrooms.

Check out these other vegan dinner recipes!

• Butternut Squash and Chickpea Curry
• 37 Vegan Prep Meals
• 5 Lazy Vegan Recipes
• Vegan Stuffed Zucchini
• Vegan Kebab Skewers

If you’ve tried this vegan paella, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more plant-based family recipes your whole family will enjoy!