Workshops, experiences, and classes to learn how to cook authentic Valencian paella with top chefs
València is the birthplace of Valencian paella—there's no doubt about that!
And of course, there's no better way to get to know this dish than learning to cook it yourself and discovering its true ingredients, insider secrets, how to achieve the perfect rice texture, which type to use—D.O. València... always!— and how to enjoy that coveted socarrat.
Looking for expert guidance while you cook the traditional recipe? Check out these four experiences to make it happen.
#1 Paella Experience with Valencia Club Cocina
With this experience, you'll start your day at the Algirós Municipal Market to discover the ingredients firsthand, and finish it with a freshly made paella, sangria, and D.O. València wines.
The experts at Valencia Club Cocina will guide you step by step through preparing our beloved paella, with Spanish tortilla, coca de llanda, and a shot of mistela added to the menu.
#2 Paella Lovers Course with Food&Fun
A specialized workshop to learn the traditional Valencian paella recipe alongside an expert chef. You'll master selecting the finest ingredients, timing the cooking process, and achieving the perfect socarrat—which is no easy feat!
Once finished, it's time to taste your creation paired with a local red wine tasting.
#3 Paella Full Experience at Villa Indiano
Cooking paella right in the heart of the Valencian orchard, set against the backdrop of a restored historic villa, makes for a doubly special experience, doesn't it?
Every Thursday, Villa Indiano hosts a group experience—minimum 10 people—where local chefs teach you the authentic recipe while you enjoy the scenic surroundings.
And naturally, once it's ready... it's time to dig in as part of a full menu that includes appetizers and dessert!
#4 My First Paella
A paella class in the Ruzafa neighborhood starting with a tour of its local market—one of the area's most iconic buildings thanks to its colorful facade—to pick your ingredients, and ending in the kitchen preparing the recipe of your choice.
Choose between traditional Valencian paella, seafood paella, or vegetarian paella.
#5 Rice Workshops at El Casal de La Fallera with Valencia Club de Cocina
Valencia Club de Cocina cooking school and El Casal de La Fallera team up to help you get the absolute best out of your rice dishes—whether paella or otherwise.
Even if you're a seasoned home cook... there's always room for improvement! Here are the courses on offer, available on various dates throughout the year:
Learn to make the three favorite rice dishes of València—Valencian paella, baked rice (arroz al horno), and arroz del senyoret—plus the key to achieving dry, loose, and flavorful rice.
Arroces Vieja Escuela (Old-School Rice Dishes)
A course dedicated to preserving traditional cooking methods, just like grandma used to make! You'll work with recipes such as arroz a banda, arròs amb fessol i naps, and arròs d'espinacs i aladrocs.
Arroces Trendy (Trendy Rice Dishes)
Gain the techniques to execute modern creations like ribeye steak rice, turbot rice, and bone marrow with king bolete rice. All absolutely delicious!
Arroces Remix (Remix Rice Dishes)
How about putting a twist on the classics? In this workshop, you'll put a creative spin on traditional dishes. The menu features Valencian stew (puchero), baked rice, and market garden vegetable paella. Pure deliciousness.
Setas & Buenri (Mushrooms & Good Vibes)
A workshop for mushroom lovers. Learn to pair them in rice dishes with Iberian pork secret cut, tender garlic, and black trumpets, cook duck paella with wild mushrooms, artichokes, and foie gras, and prepare a mouthwatering king prawn rice with a wild mushroom mix.
Paella left you wanting more? This family workshop is the perfect excuse to bring the kids and prepare original rice-based desserts together, like rice cheesecake and rice tiramisu.
#6 Group Paella Workshop at Descubre l'Horta
Just fifteen minutes from the city center in l'Horta Nord, Descubre l'Horta turns the paella workshop into a full-on team competition: split into teams with colorful aprons, each group cooks their own paella under the watchful eye of in-house chefs, while a panel of judges waits to blind-taste them and crown the winner.
Afterward, it's time for the team to recharge! You'll all eat together, enjoying paella, orchard salads, coca cristina, and a shot of mistela.
To take part in this experience, which also includes a guided tour, you'll need a group of more than 15 people.
Prefer to eat without putting on a chef's hat?
You can also enjoy an authentic Valencian paella following a boat trip through the Albufera, surrounded by rice fields, or at one of the top restaurants in València, where this dish has been perfected over centuries.
