What Dessert Goes With Paella? 14 Sweet Treats
Need some ideas for what dessert goes with paella? I’ve got 14 delicious ideas for you right here that pair perfectly with everyone’s favourite Spanish rice dish!
Paella is a colourful and vibrant meal that will likely remind you of summer holidays in sunny destinations.
With a variety of seafood often including delicious prawns, mussels, and squid, it’s a real treat that’s an option for a family meal or a Mediterranean inspired get together.
But what should you serve as a pudding?
Let’s look at the best choices for what dessert goes with paella…
1. Churros with hot chocolate sauce
If you’ve ever sampled the local street food in a quant Spanish square, you might have already tried churros!
These beautiful donuts are long and thin in shape, and usually covered with a generous shaking of cinnamon sugar.
Dipped into a luxurious hot chocolate sauce, they’re the kind of dessert that you can put in the middle of the table and invite everyone to help themselves, which is always a fun way to round off a meal.
2. Sangria sorbet
Sangria is the go-to choice of tipple for Spanish food, but have you ever considered transforming it into a dessert?
This sangria sorbet recipe is absolutely delicious, and though it requires a fair amount of preparation, it’s definitely worth a little extra effort!
It’s a refreshing palate cleanser, which is often much appreciated after a hearty and wholesome meal.
(Love sampling different desserts? You’ll also like desserts to serve with roast chicken!)
3. Spanish flan
Spanish flan is a sweet, creamy custard dessert that’s smothered in a smooth caramel sauce.
In other words, it’s totally moreish and the perfect ending to a special meal.
If you’re feeling up to the challenge of making your own, check out this authentic Spanish flan recipe.
It requires just 4 ingredients and a small handful of steps, so it’s ideal if you want to impress but you don’t have a great deal of time on your hands.
4. Marinated strawberries in orange liqueur
Do you prefer a lighter dessert after a filling meal?
Do you love fresh fruit?
If so, some fresh strawberries marinated in orange liqueur, like Cointreau, is fabulous when you’re wondering what dessert goes with paella.
An added bonus is that it takes hardly any time at all to prepare!
5. Crema catalana
Crema catalana is very similar to creme brûlée, though it’s made with milk instead of cream.
It’s typically flavoured with citrus peel and cinnamon, making it a delicious combination of fresh, sweet, and fragrant.
The final step involves sprinkling with sugar, and using a blowtorch or a hot grill to form a sugar crust.
Cracking through it with a spoon is so satisfying, and many will consider it to be the most exciting part of the meal!
6. Spanish almond nougat
Sometimes, you want something a lighter and less formal than a sit-down dessert.
I like to make a batch of Spanish almond nougat to serve after paella, and if guests have to head off, they can take some with them to enjoy at home.
An interesting fact… Most of Spain’s almond nougat is produced Jijona in Alicante, and it’s exported right across the globe.
If friends have ever brought you some back from their visit to Spain, it’s highly likely that this is the kind of nougat you were given!
7. Burnt Basque cheesecake
Burnt Basque cheesecake is the Mediterranean’s answer to New York’s famous cheesecake!
With a wonderful creme caramel flavour, bittersweet notes, and a creamy yet light centre, it’s a little taste of heaven and it’s sure to be appreciated by everyone at the table.
I like to add some colourful fruit when serving, such as raspberries, for presentation purposes.
Once prepared, it gets burnt, cracked, and cooked on a high heat. This means that it’s pretty much impossible to mess it up!
8. Boozy grilled pineapple
I absolutely adore pineapple as a dessert! Not only is it packed full of beautifully exotic flavour, it’s loaded with essential nutrients and is naturally high in fibre.
Simply combine some spiced rum in a bowl with some sugar, add chopped fingers of pineapple and allow to marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Then remove from the bowl and grill for around 3 minutes on each side, or until golden and tender.
This makes for a satisfying dessert in its own right, though if you want to add something extra, you could serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a sprinkling of desiccated coconut.
9. Natillas de leche
Natillas de leche, or Spanish custard, is a tasty option when you’re debating what dessert goes with paella, and it’s traditional and authentic if you’re keen to create a running theme through your evening.
It’s a pudding that will remind many Spanish people of their childhoods, and though its origins are unknown, one popular theory is that the recipe was developed by nuns in the convents across Europe.
If you want to experiment further, try a chocolate variety. It’s perfect for those with a real sweet tooth!
10. Spanish apple tart
An apple tart is pure comfort food, and a Spanish version tends to be made with a delicious combination of cooking apples, sugar, and ground and flaked almonds.
Serve with cream, custard, or ice cream, depending on your personal preference. If you have guests, it’s a nice touch to be able to give them a choice!
11. Majorcan almond cake
Almonds have grown for centuries in Majorca, so it’s hardly surprising that the people of the island developed this delectable recipe for Majorcan almond cake.
Folklore has it that this recipe is from the 18th century and has both Spanish and Italian roots, but the main thing you need to know is that it’s a beautiful bake!
It’s usually served with almond ice cream, though it’s just as good when served on its own if you want a lighter dessert.
12. Lemon granita
Lemon granita is wonderfully refreshing, and makes for a good dessert after paella on a red hot day.
It requires just lemons, water, and sugar, and you’ll need a food processor or blender to make.
This is also sometimes served as breakfast, so you might want to make an extra couple of portions to keep in the freezer for another day!
(For more Spanish themed meal planning, take a look at the best side dishes for patatas bravas).
13. Basque pastry cream pie
Basque pastry cream pie is one of those desserts that look super sophisticated and impressive, but is actually fairly simple and straightforward to prepare.
Pastry cream is baked between sheets of buttery puff pastry, before being dusted with chopped nuts and icing sugar.
Though you can of course make your own puff pastry from scratch, I choose to cheat a little and pick up the ready rolled variety at the supermarket. You’ll save loads of time, and no one will ever know unless you tell them!
14. Almond cookies
Almond cookies are perfect when you need a sweet treat to serve after paella, but you don’t want to go overboard with a filling pudding.
Just serve your cookies (handmade or shop bought) with a choice of hot drinks after the meal whilst everyone continues to enjoy the company and the conversation.
What dessert do you like to serve after paella?
There’s something here for absolutely everyone, whether you prefer a lighter bite or something a little more substantial to round off your Mediterranean inspired meal.
Have you tried any of these? If so, which one is your favourite, and what do you think is the perfect pairing for paella?