Two things I love most – not having to stir something for an hour, and no animal products being used! This instant pot risotto is one of my favorite, I don’t want to cook recipes for a quick meal any night of the week.
It’s a dream to get the same creamy texture without all the work or any dairy products!
My boyfriend actually introduced me to risotto; I hadn’t even heard of it before. Now it’s become one of our regular meals, especially with the versatility of risotto, having the ability to take on so many different flavors.
The one I make the most has a bunch of fresh vegetables, making this a super healthy dinner in one bowl.
Since I’ve been avoiding gluten, I lost pasta for the most part. Risotto has been one of the closest items to pasta I can find at the moment. It’s made from arborio rice, which gives risotto it’s creamy texture without the requirement of any cream or cheese products added. It’s one of the reasons I like it so much.
Why This Instant Pot Risotto Recipe?
Why my risotto is different from other recipes is due to 3 primary reasons:
- I add a ton of vegetables and herbs to this. This gives it a unique flavor compared to typical risotto recipes. I also add these because:
- I don’t always have vegetable broth on hand. Rather than the vegetable broth giving the risotto the majority of the flavor, I allow the produce and herbs to shine.
- This version uses lime juice in place of wine. Wine does give risotto a distinct flavor, feel free to add it in if you’ve got it. My boyfriend doesn’t drink or want alcohol in his meals, so I’ve replaced the wine with lime juice. (But you don’t have to)
Ingredients
The ingredients for this instant pot risotto are fairly straightforward, and you could even change the vegetables depending on what’s in season in your area of the world!
Primary Ingredients
These are the ingredients that this vegan risotto wouldn’t be the same without. This recipe is entirely based off 2 cups of arborio rice, so if you want to do more, just remember that for every cup of rice, do 2 cups of water!
Along with the arborio rice, you’ll need 4 cups of boiling water or vegetable broth (or a mixture of both), and olive oil!
Vegetables
I use: zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, and peas for the vegetables. The zucchini depends on the season, and the mushrooms give this almost a meaty texture with adding amazing umami flavor.
(I also use the juice of a lime instead of wine to deglaze the mixture)
It’s really common to use onion and garlic in risotto too, but I can’t eat either of those so they get skipped, and the recipe does just fine without them!
Spices
These spices I use are (in dried form): 2 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper. Then if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll cut off some fresh basil from the garden to add a fresh flavor at the end. The salt is a very high quantity because whether or not I’m using my homemade vegetable broth or just water, there’s no salt added.
*If you’re using vegetable broth with salt in it, use less!
Making the Instant Pot Risotto
This instant pot risotto takes so much less time and effort than a traditional stovetop recipe. About 5-10 minutes of prep, set up the instant pot, and walk away for a while! No more standing over the hot pot stirring constantly. So, how to make the risotto:
Cut the zucchini into small cubes and slice the mushrooms. If you’re using onion and garlic, finely dice. Cut up spinach into small lengths. Set spinach aside from other vegetables. Combine dry spices in a small bowl, for preparation.
Bring water (or vegetable broth) to a boil (I heat it up in my kettle). Heating water before adding is the same as on the stove, so the water doesn’t have to take time to come to temperature and increase the cooking time.
Set the instant pot to sauté, add in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and then some (so it can cover all of the rice), and allow it to heat. Add in the vegetables, aside from the spinach (or peas). Allow to sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in the arborio rice, and stir. Try to make sure all of the rice is coated with oil. To this, add in the spices.
Squeeze the juice of the lime directly onto everything in the pan. Alternative: if you’re using wine, pour that in now. Mix. Finally, over everything, pour the hot water. Stir to mix.
Place the lid on the instant pot, ensure it’s set to pressurize, and set the pressure cooker to manual, high pressure, for 12 minutes. Once it’s finished the 12 minutes, manually release the pressure immediately.
I used to do 5 minutes, but the water wasn’t completely absorbed and haven’t found any problems with the added time. This may require some trial, as it can depend on the brand of arborio rice you’re using!
Finishing Touches
Remove the lid. The risotto might still have some liquid, but it will be soaked in during the next few minutes. Add in the spinach and peas if using at this point. Stir to combine and until the spinach is cooked (about 1 minute). Taste the risotto at this point to see if you need any more salt/pepper.
Top with some fresh basil.
Enjoy your instant pot risotto dinner!
Recipe
Instant Pot Risotto
Notes
Onion and garlic are typically added to risotto, however I avoid them. Add them if you’d like those flavors added in.
Ingredients
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 4 cups vegetable broth or hot water
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 zucchini
- 3-4 mushrooms
- 1/2 cup chopped spinach
- 1 lime
- Optional: 1/2 head broccoli and 1/2 cup peas
- Also optional: onion and garlic
- 2 tsp basil
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp rosemary
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Fresh basil, optional
- 1/4 cup wine – optional
Instructions
- Cut up the zucchini into small cubes and slice the mushrooms, and optional broccoli. If using onion and garlic, finely dice. Cut spinach into thin slices.
- Combine dry spices in a small bowl.
- Bring water or vegetable broth to a boil (I use my kettle).
- Set the instant pot to saute, heat the olive oil. Add in the vegetables (except for spinach and peas, if using). Saute for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the arborio rice, trying to coat them all with olive oil. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add in the spices. Squeeze the lime over everything. (If you’re using, pour in the wine).
- Over everything, pour the water.
- Close the lid, set the instant pot to manual – high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Immediately after cooking, manually release pressure.
- Stir in the spinach, and peas if using. Cook for about a minute.
- Serve in a bowl, topped with fresh basil.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Risotto
Serves: 4 bowls
|
Amount Per Serving: 1 bowl
|
||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 223 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 14.5g | 21.5% | |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% | |
| Trans Fat 0 | ||
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0 | |
| Sodium 1179mg | 49.1% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 23.1g | 7.7% | |
| Dietary Fiber 2.9g | 8% | |
| Sugars 1.3g | ||
| Protein 5.3g | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium 44mg | Iron 1mg | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
A Food Mood
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