25 Easy Spanish Recipes (2024)

Are you looking for easy Spanish recipes?

Whether you are busy or you prefer to cook recipes that are easy and don’t involve buying many ingredients, we’ve got you covered!

We have compiled 25 delicious and straightforward Spanish recipes to make at home.

25 Easy Spanish recipes

1. Tortilla de patatas – Spanish potato omelette

Tortilla de patatas is one of the most known Spanish recipes in the world. This humble dish isn’t difficult to prepare and everyone loves it.

Eggs, potatoes and olive oil are the three key ingredients that you will need to make this Spanish potato omelette. However, there are different variations of this dish. You can add onions, chorizo, peppers or other ingredients.

The most complicated part of the recipe is flipping over the tortilla to cook on both sides, but you can buy a double side pan to make it easier for you.

2. Patatas bravas – Spanish fried potatoes with spicy sauce

If you are looking at different ways to use potatoes in your cooking, you will love patatas bravas, one of the classiest tapas in Spain.

Diced potatoes are fried until golden and then topped with a spicy homemade sauce made of onions, sweet paprika, spicy paprika, flour, and chicken stock.

They are the perfect appetizer for parties, BBQs, or any lunch gatherings.

3. Pan con tomate – Spanish tomato bread (Catalonia)

Spanish tomato bread is a traditional dish which is usually eaten at breakfast, but you can have it as a side dish or tapa too.

This 5-ingredient recipe is delicious and made in a few minutes. Toast slices of bread, and prepare the homemade tomato sauce with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and salt. Then spread the juicy tomato sauce on the golden and crispy bread.

It’s very simple but incredibly delicious!

4. Gazpacho – Cold tomato soup (Andalusia)

Light, refreshing and full of healthy ingredients, gazpacho is the perfect appetiser or light lunch. This cold tomato soup originated in Andalusia, but you can find it across the country.

It is often eaten during the summer months to cool you down from the heat; however, it is a recipe that you can make all year round.

Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, bread, olive oil and water are put together in the blender. It is a quick recipe and perfect for vegetarians too.

5. Pimientos de padrón – Fried padron peppers (Northern Spain)

Pimientos de padrón is a vegetarian-friendly tapa that is very easy to make at home.

To start with, pimentos de padrón are green peppers that come from Padron in Galicia, in the north of Spain. These peppers are mild, although you can find the odd one that is a bit spicy too.

This is only a 3-ingredient recipe, so you must use good quality products. Peppers are washed, dried, and then fried in a hot pan with olive oil.

Sprinkle sea salt and enjoy these delicious peppers!

6. Espinacas con garbanzos – Spinach with chickpeas (Seville)

There is no visit to Andalusia, especially Seville, without trying espinacas con garbanzos, a mouthwatering stew made with spinach and chickpeas.

This easy Spanish recipe is made in 20 minutes and it is perfect for vegetarians and vegans too.

You need chickpeas, spinach, garlic, sweet paprika and salt to make espinacas con garbanzos. In addition to these ingredients, you can also add a bit of bread to thicken the sauce.

7. Huevos Estrellados – Fried eggs with potatoes

Huevos rotos, also known as huevos estrellados, is a synonym for comfort food. Not only are they scrumptious, but quick and easy to prepare.

Ideally, you want to make homemade chips for this dish and then fry a few eggs. Once the eggs are ready, get a plate, put the chips and eggs on top, and then break the eggs.

Although you don’t really need to add anything else to this dish, it is very common to add Serrano or Iberian ham.

8. Berenjenas con miel – Fried aubergines with sugar cane honey (Andalusia)

A delicious Spanish appetiser is berenjenas con miel, fried aubergines with sugar cane honey. This dish is typical of Andalusia, especially in towns like Frigiliana in Malaga where you can find the main sugar cane honey factory.

It is a recipe that you can pull off in 15 minutes. Dice the aubergines, coat them in flour and fry them in a hot pan with olive oil. Finally, let them drain in a kitchen towel and serve them with a drizzle of sugar cane honey.

9. Pisto manchego – Spanish Ratatouille

If you are looking for an easy recipe to level up your vegetable intake, pisto manchego is an excellent choice.

This Spanish-style ratatouille is made with courgette, aubergine, pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, spices like cumin, and black pepper. It is a delicious and healthy vegetable dish packed with flavour.

If you wish, you can also add a fried egg on top. There is no better way to enjoy pisto manchego than with a few slices of bread.

10. Rosada frita – Fried rosada fish (Andalusia)

If you visit the south of Spain, and you love fish, you must try this traditional dish that consists of fried rosada fish.

It’s also an easy recipe to make at home. Rosada (pink cusk-eel) is a common fish in Spain, but you can swap rosada for other meaty white fish.

Then the cooking preparation is straightforward – marinate the fish in lemon, garlic and parsley, dust it with flour and fry it in a shallow pan.

This flaky but crispy fish goes perfectly with a cold beer or a glass of red wine.

11. Arroz con pollo – Rice with chicken

Arroz con pollo is a recipe similar to paella, however, you don’t need to cook this rice in a paella pan, you can do it in any pan and the preparation is simpler.

This is a good recipe to prepare any day for lunch or dinner. You need chicken, rice, onions, peppers, chicken stock, saffron and thyme. However, you can add other vegetables like carrots and green beans too.

This rice with chicken is delicious, nutritious, and packed with vegetables.

12. Gambas al ajillo – Garlic prawns

Gambas al ajillo is a traditional tapa you will find in many restaurants across Spain. It is flavourful, and the best thing is how easy it is to prepare.

Prawns, garlic, and chilli pepper are the key ingredients to make this quick recipe at home which takes less than 15 minutes.

Be ready to dip bread into the irresistible garlic sauce.

13. Ensalada mixta – Spanish mixed green salad

If you are looking for an easy and healthy starter, don’t look any further, ensalada mixta is for you. You will find this salad on many restaurant and tapa bar menus, and Spaniards tend to share this flavourful salad before digging into their main course.

Different restaurants use different toppings, but every ensalada mixta has lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, hard-boiled eggs and tuna.

In addition to these ingredients, you can also add sweet corn, beetroot, white asparagus, onion and cucumber.

14. Salmorejo – Cordoba tomato soup (Cordoba)

Smooth, refreshing and healthy, salmorejo is a cold tomato soup that originated in the province of Cordoba, in the south of Spain.

This is a similar soup to the classic gazpacho, and it is the perfect appetiser or light meal to cool down on a warm summer afternoon.

The soup is made of tomatoes, bread, garlic, olive oil and salt, and then it is topped with serrano ham, hard-boiled egg, and sometimes croutons.

15. Arroz a la cubana – Cuban-style rice (Canary Islands)

Arroz a la cubana is a dish that takes many Spaniards back to their childhood. It isn’t a dish you often find in restaurants, but it is still popular in many households.

Despite its name (translated as Cuban-style rice), the dish originated in the Canary Islands, in Spain.

This recipe consists of boiled white rice served with tomato sauce and a fried egg on top. In addition to this, you can also fry some bananas on the side.

16. Patatas a lo pobre – Poor Man’s Potatoes

An easy potato recipe is patatas a lo pobre, known as poor man’s potatoes in English. It is a great side dish to accompany any meat or fish dish.

The cooking method is straightforward as you need to slice the potatoes, onions, and peppers, and fry them alongside garlic.

It is simple, easy but scrumptious!

17. Campero de pollo – Chicken sandwich (Malaga)

Who doesn’t like an easy and quick lunch or dinner? Well, this chicken sandwich is perfect for those days when you don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen.

This sandwich originated in Malaga, and locals often have it as a takeaway for dinner, however, you can have it at any time you wish.

The preparation is simple: chop the vegetables (tomato, lettuce and onion), fry the chicken breasts and then add all the ingredients to a bun. Add mayonnaise and cheese, and finally, put the sandwich on the grill to melt the cheese and toast the bread.

You can serve this sandwich with crisps or chips on the side.

18. Merluza a la riojana – Rioja-style hake (La Rioja)

Merluza a la riojana is a traditional fish dish of the La Rioja region in the north of Spain that you can recreate at home.

Hake, peppers, onions, plum tomatoes, sweet paprika, olive oil and salt are the only ingredients you need to make this Rioja-style hake.

It is a recipe that you can pull off in approximately 30 minutes and your family or friends will enjoy. You can serve it with white rice, salad or homemade chips.

19. Gildas – (Basque Country)

If you are looking for a different appetiser, gildas is the perfect recipe idea for you. This is one of the most popular pintxos in the Basque Country, in the north of Spain.

You don’t need to cook anything but put some ingredients together to make this traditional appetiser. Green olives, anchovies and pickled green chilli peppers are added to small wooden skewers or toothpicks.

They are often served with a beer, cider or glass of vermouth wine.

20. Chorizos al vino – Chorizo in white wine sauce

A traditional Spanish dish is chorizos al vino which consists of chorizo slices cooked in a white wine sauce.

This tapa is packed with flavour and any meat lover will be fascinated by how easy is to make this appetiser.

Fresh chorizo, white wine, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves are essential to cooking this recipe.

You can either serve it in a small bowl or put the chorizo slices in bread rolls.

21. Ajoblanco – Almond soup (Malaga)

Ajoblanco is a classic and light soup from the province of Malaga in the south of Spain. If you visit the city during the summer months, you are likely to see this soup on many menus as a starter.

The soup is made with almonds, bread, garlic, water, olive oil, vinegar and salt, and it is full of flavour.

The best way to serve this almond soup is cold and accompanied by a bunch of grapes.

22. Pipirrana – (Jaen)

If you are looking for a light dinner or starter, this vegetable dish ticks off the boxes.

Pipirrana is a dish that originated in Jaen, in the south of Spain, and it is a popular recipe in the summer months.

It is light, and refreshing and has plenty of nutritious ingredients such as tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, hard-boiled eggs and tuna.

23. Zarangollo murciano – (Murcia)

Zarangollo murciano is a humble, easy and popular dish in the region of Murcia.

The three basic ingredients to make this easy recipe are courgettes, eggs and onions. They are all slowly cooked in a pan and ready to eat in less than an hour.

It is juicy, succulent and a fantastic dish to enjoy at any time of the day.

24. Pinchos morunos – Pork skewers (Andalusia)

A meat-based tapa that you will find in many Andalusian tapa bars is pinchos morunos. These Spanish pork skewers are juicy and packed with lots of flavours.

Whether you are hosting a BBQ at home or you want to cook something a bit different over the weekend, these skewers will become your favourites.

To make them at home you need pork tenderloin, lemon, garlic, olive oil, paprika, cumin and a spice blend made with coriander, and oregano among other spices.

The key to making the best pinchos morunos is to leave them to marinate overnight so the meat soaks up all the spices.

25. Albóndigas en salsa – Spanish-style meatballs

A classic Spanish recipe is albóndigas en salsa. There isn’t a tapa bar that doesn’t offer this traditional recipe.

Ideally, you want to make homemade meatballs for this recipe, however, if you are in a rush, you can speed up the process by buying already made meatballs from your local supermarket.

For the sauce, you will need white wine, onion, garlic, peas and broth.

The combination of meatballs and the white wine and garlic sauce is spectacular. Serve your meatballs with a few slices of bread to dip in the sauce.

If you liked this article about easy Spanish recipes, consider checking out the other articles below —

• 25 Delicious Spanish Chicken Recipes
• 15 Tasty Spanish co*cktail Recipes
• 28 Appetizing Spanish Side Dish Recipes
• 17 Classic Spanish Non-alcoholic Drinks