How to make vegan risotto that's just as flavorful as any non-vegan risotto! Vegan risotto is easy to make and comes together in around 30 minutes. Perfect for a quick yet decadent meal.
Making a vegan risotto that tastes good is not hard at all!
Even if you're a risotto beginner you can make this dish with success.
This risotto recipe is great because it gives you all the things you need to make a stunning recipe.
Then, once you've got the hang of making risotto, you can experiment with your flavors. Add in beet puree or pumpkin puree to the broth. Or come up with a different vegetable stir-in.
Once you've mastered the basics the possibilities are endless!
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Why I love this Vegan Mushroom Risotto
- Dietary needs - Risotto is naturally gluten-free because it's made from rice. This recipe is also vegan, dairy-free, oil-free, and sugar-free.
- Risotto that's not complicated - this is a basic risotto recipe with some added mushrooms for flavor. Risotto can seem intimidating, but this recipe is really approachable even if you've never cooked a risotto before
- Full of flavor - just because this recipe is easy doesn't mean it's bland! There is tons of flavor in this vegan risotto
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Vegetable Broth: Vegetable broth or stock can make or break a recipe, especially risotto, where the broth is the liquid that is cooking the rice and contributing to the overall flavor. You want to look for a broth that has many different vegetables, but no other added ingredients like preservatives or sugar. My go to is this brand.
- Shallots: Shallots are like a cross between onion and garlic. They add some beautiful texture and flavor to the risotto. If you don't have shallots you can omit them or use more garlic.
- Garlic: garlic adds some great flavor. Use fresh for best results. You could sub freeze dried garlic but I don't recommend using garlic powder.
- Dry White Wine: Wine adds flavor and acidity to the risotto. Dry white is perfect for this particular risotto, since we don't need to add any sweetness or color. A pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc will work fine - and it doesn't have to be a fancy brand.
- Arborio Rice: Arborio rice is a very starchy rice which is why it's used in risotto recipes. The classic creamy texture of risotto comes from a combination of the cooking technique and using the correct rice. You must use arborio rice for this risotto.
- Add-In Vegetables: For this risotto we're using mushrooms. Mushrooms add some texture and earthy flavor to the risotto. In this recipe you'll cook them together with thyme for a burst of flavor that you'll stir in at the end. You can experiment with other vegetable add ins - cook the veg on the side and then stir them in at the end.
- Fresh Thyme: I love thyme - it's earthy, lemony, minty flavor that adds so much depth to this dish. You can experiment with other herbs like sage or parsley to create different variations of a vegan risotto.
- Salt and Pepper: use at the end to adjust the flavor to your liking.
How to make Vegan Risotto
Step 1. Heat the vegetable broth on low. Keep warm throughout the process.
This is very important because you don't want to add a cold broth to rice that you are trying to warm.
Step 2. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable broth to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute.
Step 3. Add the garlic. Cook 30 seconds.
Step 4. Add rice, stirring to coat, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.
Step 5. Add ½ cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 6. In a separate pan cook the mushrooms and thyme. Sauté using a bit of the vegetable broth mixture for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.
Step 7. Remove the rice from heat, and stir in mushrooms. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Step 8. Spoon into bowls, top with additional sage, and enjoy.
Risotto Tips & Tricks
The reason risotto becomes so creamy is the starchiness of the rice. If you rinse the rice beforehand you rinse some of the starch off, resulting in a dry, crunchy risotto - not good.
Leave your rice as-is when cooking a risotto.
Especially for risotto newbies, this step is super helpful. Warm broth helps the rice cook evenly. Imagine adding cold broth to the pan - some of the rice will drop in temperature and cook slower while other parts of the rice will continue cooking at a higher temperature. Eventually this will lead to uneven cooking.
For best results, keep the broth simmering on the stove while you cook to ensure even cooking. Or, if you don't have enough burners, heat up the broth in the microwave.
Since this risotto is oil-free, be extra careful not to burn your rice when you toast it in the pan.
There will be some moisture from the shallots, but the rice will not need as long to toast as it would if you used oil.
You definitely don't need to stir continuously for 30 minutes, but stirring early and often is a good rule of thumb, especially if this is your first risotto.
The starch from the rice is released when you stir, so more stirring = more creaminess.
The exact texture of your rice is up to personal preference, but risotto is classically cooked with a little toughness left in the grains.
A traditional risotto has a little bite to it. Not enough to where the rice is undercooked and unpleasant to eat though. You want a happy medium between mush and tooth.
Recipe Prayer
Thank you God for this risotto. Thank you for teaching us how to cook good food that is also good for our bodies. Amen.
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📖 Recipe
How to Make Vegan Risotto
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Vegetable Broth
- 2 Medium Shallots sliced
- 4 Cloves Garlic minced
- ½ Cup Dry White Wine like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
- 1 ½ Cups Arborio Rice
- 2 Pounds Cremini Mushrooms
- 1 Tablespoon Thyme Leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable broth on low. Keep warm throughout the process.
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable broth to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute.
- Add the garlic. Cook 30 seconds.
- Add rice, stirring to coat, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed.
- Add ½ cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- In a separate pan cook the mushrooms and thyme. Sauté using a bit of the vegetable broth mixture for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.
- Remove the rice from heat, and stir in mushrooms. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon into bowls, top with additional sage, and enjoy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
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