Vegetarian recipes from Spain
15 recipes
A guide to the food of Spain
DIY oat milk and the plant milks of the worldValencian horchata, Chinese doujiang, medieval almond milk, coconut milk: where plant milks come from, and a method in grams for making DIY oat milk.Meatless Spanish cooking rests on three plain foundations: potatoes, bread and a generous pour of olive oil, joined by tomato, pepper, aubergine and garlic. Vegetables are seldom served raw. They are roasted at length, as in Catalan escalivada, or stewed slowly until they collapse, as in pisto manchego. Bread is both base and binder: rubbed with tomato and dressed with oil it becomes pan con tomate; blended with tomato and oil it gives the thick body of salmorejo, denser than its Andalusian cousin gazpacho.
The meal works by sharing: several small plates in the middle of the table rather than one portion each. That format explains the standing of potatoes, served in spiced tomato sauce as patatas bravas or bound in a garlic emulsion as patatas al alioli. The potato tortilla does the same job: cooked as a thick cake, cut into wedges, eaten warm at the bar or at the table. Rice is handled differently, spread in one wide layer and never stirred, which gives vegetarian paella the toasted crust at the bottom of the pan that eaters prize most.
The recipes
Spain⏱ 50 minPatatas a lo pobre, Spanish poor man's potatoes
Potatoes, onion and green pepper slowly confited in olive oil with garlic: the classic Spanish side dish, vegan and gluten-free.
Spain⏱ 45 minHomemade lentil burger
Spanish-style lentil burgers: cooked lentils, softened onion, cumin and sweet paprika, bound with breadcrumbs and seared on the griddle. Vegan option.
Spain⏱ 25 minNatillas, Spanish custard with cinnamon
Homemade natillas: a Spanish custard of milk, egg yolks, lemon and cinnamon, cooked on the stove and served well chilled.
Spain⏱ 70 minSpanish baked cheesecake (tarta de queso al horno)
Spain's everyday baked cheesecake: cream cheese, eggs and cream on a biscuit base, with a creamy centre and a golden top.
Spain⏱ 65 minSpanish egg flan (flan de huevo casero)
Homemade Spanish egg flan: milk, eggs and vanilla baked in a water bath under a golden caramel, smooth and free of holes.
Spain⏱ 40 minSpanish green beans with potatoes and garlic
Green beans and potatoes boiled together, then tossed with garlic and smoked paprika in olive oil. A simple Spanish dish, vegan and gluten-free.
Spain⏱ 35 minSpanish Patatas al Alioli
The Spanish tapas bar standard: boiled potato cubes turned in a homemade garlic alioli, with flat-leaf parsley over the top.
Spain⏱ 20 minSalmorejo
A chilled Cordoban tomato cream thickened with stale bread and emulsified with olive oil until pale pink and velvety.
Spain⏱ 65 minPisto Manchego
Courgette, aubergine and peppers cooked separately then folded into a slow-reduced tomato sauce rich with olive oil.
Spain⏱ 65 minEscalivada
Peppers, aubergines and onions roasted whole until smoky and collapsing, then peeled and served in strips with garlic and olive oil.
Spain⏱ 60 minPatatas bravas
Crisp roasted potato cubes smothered in a fiery smoked paprika tomato sauce and dolloped with a garlicky plant-based aioli.
Spain⏱ 15 minPan con tomate
Thick slices of toasted rustic bread rubbed with garlic and ripe tomato, drizzled with olive oil and finished with flaky salt.
Spain⏱ 20 minGazpacho
Andalusian chilled soup of ripe tomatoes, pepper, cucumber and garlic, thickened with bread and olive oil and sharpened with sherry vinegar.
Spain⏱ 60 minVegetarian paella
Saffron rice cooked in a fragrant broth with peppers, green beans, artichokes and peas, right down to the golden crust at the bottom.
Spain⏱ 50 minSpanish potato tortilla
The thick, tender Spanish omelette, potatoes and onions slowly cooked in olive oil then bound with eggs.
At a glance
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Recipes on the site | 15 |
| Of which vegan | 10 |
| Of which gluten-free | 10 |
| Quickest | Pan con tomate, 15 min |
These recipes keep coming back to the same few things: potato, eggs, peppers, tomato.
Elsewhere in Europe: Italy, Greece, France, Ukraine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Russia, Norway.
Read more
- Eating vegetarian in Spain and Portugal
The Iberian vegetable dishes that predate the word vegetarian, what actually holds them together, and the ham stock and hidden tuna to watch for.
- The tomato, three centuries to conquer the world
The tomato reached Europe in the sixteenth century and was distrusted for two hundred years. What each kitchen made of it, and the handling that matters.
- Mediterranean diet: a way of building a plate
What actually defines the Mediterranean diet beyond the folklore, illustrated with real dishes from Greece, Italy, Spain, Lebanon and Morocco.