Flavorful Spanish Saffron Rice Recipe

You know a dish is good when after one bite it can take you to another place. 

Just with one bite of this Spanish saffron rice, you will travel to any place in Andalusia, that’s how powerful & flavorful this Spanish rice is.

Keep reading to learn more about this Mediterranean dish, how you can make it at home, and some useful tricks for storing and serving.

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Background of the Dish

You might be wondering how did this dish manage to stand out from other simple rice recipes, such as the Spanish chicken soup with rice, and the answer is easy.

Spanish saffron rice became popular in the 8th century, way before any other Spanish rice recipe was even on the map.

The Saffron threads are what made this dish popular, since it was a symbol of power and high status, mostly thanks to the economical and cultural value of the Saffron that came from Asia and the Arab world.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Saffron Rice

To make the best Spanish yellow rice you just need rice, vegetable broth (or any type of your choice), saffron threads, olive oil, and onion.

To cook the Spanish saffron rice you will just need a large pot and a stove, so there are no excuses, you have to try this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (250 gr) white rice
• 1 onion
• 1 tablespoon (20g) Saffron threads
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 cup (240ml) Vegetable broth
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Spanish Saffron Rice – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making this saffron rice recipe, grab a large pot and heat the olive oil at medium heat. In the meantime, peel and chop the onion.

2. When the oil is hot, fry the chopped onion until it becomes transparent.

3. After that, using a different bowl or pan, mix the saffron threads with the vegetable broth.

4. At that time, add the rice, salt, and pepper to taste. Keep in mind that the saffron spice already gives a lot of flavors, so just add a pinch of pepper.

5. Now, add vegetable broth mixed with the saffron so that the rice is covered, and cook the saffron rice for  18 to 20 minutes at medium heat.

6. As a tip, if the broth evaporates too quickly, add more until the rice is cooked (this helps prevent it from burning, but don’t add too much either because it will be watery).

7. For the final step, wait until the saffron rice is al dente, then you can remove it from the heat and serve the saffron Spanish rice.

Substitution of Ingredients

Not only is this an easy Spanish yellow rice recipe, but it also lets you make dozens of replacements for it.

White rice is the classic type for this Spanish rice dish, and you can use long grain, short grain, or even switch it and use brown rice.

As well as other saffron recipes, it doesn’t have many ingredients because the saffron can be overpowering, however, you can use more onions, bell peppers, beans, or any other type of vegetable.

Feel free to take inspiration from other flavored rice recipes, and instead of making it Spanish saffron rice use sweet paprika, tomato sauce, malbec wine, or whatever comes to your mind.

Try other Spanish recipes with rice such as Spanish rice with chorizo and Spanish rice and beans with pork, if you want something meaty as well.

And when it comes to rice recipes, make sure you try Spain’s most famous dessert, the rice pudding, or arroz con leche.

Tips on Serving Spanish Saffron Rice

Serving Spanish rice with saffron is pretty simple, just place it on plates while hot and you can have it for lunch or dinner.

The Spanish saffron rice is usually the main dish, but you can serve it on smaller plates and have it as an appetizer.

If you want it to be the main dish you have to serve generous portions, since contrary to other Spanish rice recipes (like the rice with lobster or the Spanish rice with ground beef), this one doesn’t have any protein.

Another delicious vegetarian and vegan recipe that you should try is the healthy quinoa Spanish rice.

How to Store Spanish Saffron Rice

Once you finish making the best rice recipe you have two main ways of storing it: in the fridge or freezer.

In both cases, let it cool to room temperature and then take it to a covered container.

The Spanish saffron rice can last up to 4 days in the fridge or 15 days in the freezer.

If after storing it you think that the rice has a sticky and hard texture, then you can repurpose it and turn it into some rice side dishes, such as rice croquettes.

Recipe Card: Spanish Saffron Rice

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