Common Ingredients in paella Recipes

We researched the most common ingredients in over fifty popular paella recipes and found the top 15 ingredients.

The most common ingredient in paella dishes is olive oil.

Garlic, onion, tomatoes, rice, shrimp shells, chorizo, chicken, chicken stock, parsley and peas are also common ingredients in paella recipes. For herbs and spices, saffron and paprika are popular. Salt is in 85% of paella recipes and pepper, 45%.

The average paella recipe has about 17.6 ingredients, with a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 37.

In terms of directions, paella recipes have about 5.8 steps on average, ranging from 1 to 14 instructions.

An average paella recipe takes about 1 hour 27 minutes to prepare, ranging from 15 minutes to 4 hours 5 minutes.

Ratios of Common Ingredients in Paella

For 1 medium onion (110 g), the median and average amounts of other significant ingredients are below. Some ingredients are potential substitutes for others, meaning they almost never exist together in a single paella recipe, and are marked below.

Ingredient	Median	Average	% of recipes with onion	Potential subsitutions
olive oil	0.14 cup (30 g)	0.17 cup (36 g)	88%
garlic	2.8 clove (8 g)	3.9 clove (12 g)	86%
saffron	0.31 teaspoon (0 g)	0.58 teaspoon (0 g)	84%
tomatoes	2.1 cup (307 g)	2.6 cup (380 g)	63%
shrimp shells	0.42 pound (189 g)	0.55 pound (248 g)	60%
rice	2 cup (372 g)	2 cup (365 g)	60%
chorizo	0.32 pound (147 g)	0.53 pound (239 g)	53%
paprika	1.5 teaspoon (3 g)	2.5 teaspoon (6 g)	53%
chicken stock	2.5 cup (622 g)	3.3 cup (832 g)	49%
parsley	0.07 cup (4 g)	0.28 cup (17 g)	44%

Ingredients by Average Weight in Paella

We also found the average content of the significant ingredients by weight in paella recipes. This would be: 29% chicken stock, 20% rice, 14% tomatoes, 10% shrimp shells, 8% onion, 7% chorizo, 5% chicken, 4% olive oil and 4% peas.

Here are the top ingredients, listed in order of popularity.

olive oil

Olive oil is the most popular ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 85% of paella recipes contain olive oil.

Olive oil is often included in paella dishes in amounts of a quarter cup, 3 tablespoons or 6 tablespoons.

In paella recipes that contain olive oil, it is on average, 2% by weight.

For paella recipes, olive oil is frequently used with salt, saffron, garlic, onion and rice.

salt

Another popular ingredient in paella is salt. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 85% have salt.

Salt is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon.

In paella recipes that contain salt, it is on average, 0% by weight.

In recipes for paella, salt is often used with olive oil, garlic, saffron, onion and rice.

saffron

Saffron is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 80% of paella recipes contain saffron.

Ground is a frequent preparation for saffron in paella dishes.

Common quantities for saffron in paella dishes include half a teaspoon, 0 pinch or a quarter teaspoon.

In paella recipes that contain saffron, it is on average, 0% by weight.

Olive oil, salt, onion, garlic and rice are commonly used together with saffron in paella dishes.

garlic

Another popular ingredient in paella is garlic. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 80% have garlic.

Minced, chopped, crushed, pressed and peeled are frequent preparations for garlic in paella dishes.

Garlic is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 3 cloves, 4 cloves or 1 tablespoon.

In paella recipes that contain garlic, it is on average, 0.4% by weight.

For paella recipes, garlic is frequently used with salt, olive oil, onion, saffron and chorizo.

onion

Onion is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 75% of paella recipes contain onion.

Paella dishes often call for onion to be chopped, diced, minced, sliced and peeled.

Onion is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 1 medium, 1 cup or 1 onion.

In paella recipes that contain onion, it is on average, 5% by weight.

In recipes for paella, onion is often used with olive oil, garlic, salt, saffron and tomatoes.

tomatoes

Another popular ingredient in paella is tomatoes. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 60% have tomatoes.

Variations of tomatoes include:

• tomato paste: 11% of recipes

Olive oil, saffron, salt, garlic and onion are commonly used together with tomatoes in paella dishes.

rice

Rice is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 60% of paella recipes contain rice.

Uncooked is a frequent preparation for rice in paella dishes.

Rice is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 2 cups, 3 cups or 1.5 cups.

In paella recipes that contain rice, it is on average, 15% by weight.

For paella recipes, rice is frequently used with salt, saffron, olive oil, onion and garlic.

shrimp shells

Another popular ingredient in paella is shrimp shells. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 55% have shrimp shells.

Paella dishes often call for shrimp shells to be peeled, deveined, removed and cooked.

Shrimp shells is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 1 pound, half a pound or 12 larges.

In paella recipes that contain shrimp shells, it is on average, 8% by weight.

In recipes for paella, shrimp shells is often used with saffron, olive oil, salt, onion and garlic.

chorizo

Chorizo is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 50% of paella recipes contain chorizo.

Sliced, peeled, diced and cured are frequent preparations for chorizo in paella dishes.

Common quantities for chorizo in paella dishes include 1 pound, half a pound or 2 ounces.

In paella recipes that contain chorizo, it is on average, 6% by weight.

Garlic, saffron, olive oil, salt and onion are commonly used together with chorizo in paella dishes. Conversely, chorizo is not often used with tomato paste.

paprika

Another popular ingredient in paella is paprika. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 50% have paprika.

Smoked is a frequent preparation for paprika in paella dishes.

Paprika is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 1 teaspoon, 1 tablespoon or 2 teaspoons.

In paella recipes that contain paprika, it is on average, 0.2% by weight.

For paella recipes, paprika is frequently used with garlic, olive oil, salt, saffron and onion.

chicken

Chicken is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 50% of paella recipes contain chicken.

Variations of chicken include:

• chicken thigh: 21% of recipes
• chicken breast: 11% of recipes

In recipes for paella, chicken is often used with salt, saffron, garlic, olive oil and chorizo.

Potential substitutions for chicken in paella:

• chicken thigh
• chicken breast

Also, chicken is not often used with bay, tomato paste and squid.

pepper

Another popular ingredient in paella is pepper. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 45% have pepper.

Variations of pepper include:

• black pepper: 29% of recipes

Garlic, saffron, olive oil, salt and onion are commonly used together with pepper in paella dishes.

Potential substitutions for pepper in paella:

• bell pepper ribs
• green bell pepper

chicken stock

Chicken stock is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 45% of paella recipes contain chicken stock.

Seasoned is a frequent preparation for chicken stock in paella dishes.

Chicken stock is often included in paella dishes in amounts of 4 cups, 6 cups or 2 cups.

In paella recipes that contain chicken stock, it is on average, 29% by weight.

For paella recipes, chicken stock is frequently used with garlic, olive oil, salt, saffron and onion.

parsley

Another popular ingredient in paella is parsley. From the recipes we've sampled for paella, over 45% have parsley.

Paella dishes often call for parsley to be minced and chopped.

Parsley is often included in paella dishes in amounts of half a cup, 1 cup or 3 tablespoons.

In paella recipes that contain parsley, it is on average, 0.6% by weight.

In recipes for paella, parsley is often used with salt, garlic, olive oil, saffron and rice.

peas

Peas is another common ingredient in paella dishes. In fact, over 40% of paella recipes contain peas.

Thawed is a frequent preparation for peas in paella dishes.

Common quantities for peas in paella dishes include 1 cup or half a cup.

In paella recipes that contain peas, it is on average, 4% by weight.

Garlic, olive oil, saffron, onion and salt are commonly used together with peas in paella dishes.

Other paella Ingredients

Other significant ingredients used in paella recipes include:

• bell pepper ribs - 30%
• mussels - 30%
• lemon - 30%
• clams - 20%
• white wine - 15%
• bay - 10%
• thyme - 10%
• green bell pepper - 10%
• oregano - 10%
• squid - 5%

---

Select Recipes for paella (Ingredients Only)