If you crave comfort food, this vegan mushroom risotto recipe is the perfect weeknight meal in under 30 minutes. You can create a rich, creamy, and delicious mushroom risotto in one pan with a few simple ingredients!
Creamy, delicious risotto is easy to make without all the butter, oil, and parmesan cheese typically in risotto. Instead, with simple ingredients and instructions, this vegan mushroom risotto recipe cooks in one pan in under 30 minutes.
Jump to:
When I first transitioned to plant-based eating, I thought I had to give up my favorite foods. But, with a bit of creativity and substituting ingredients, savory vegan comfort food is possible and even more delicious than the food I used to enjoy!
Vegan Mushroom Risotto Ingredients
- Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic and a lot of it for this vegan mushroom risotto recipe.
- Shallots: Shallots have a delicate and sweet flavor with a hint of sharpness, while onions bring a more intense heat. You can substitute shallots in nearly any recipe that calls for onions—make sure you're using the same volume. (For example, several medium shallots equals one small yellow onion.)
- Mushrooms: I used portobello mushrooms, but any type or combination of mushrooms works well.
- Vegetable Broth: I buy organic vegetable broth in bulk because I often use it.
- Arborio Rice: Arborio rice is a variety of short-grain rice used primarily in classical risotto preparation. Arborio is broader and longer and not quite as starchy as the other types of rice. This makes for a slightly thicker, softer risotto. Its widespread availability makes it the go-to variety.
Vegan Mushroom Risotto Ingredient Substitutions
- To substitute fresh garlic, try minced garlic: Use ½ teaspoon of jarred minced garlic in place of each clove.
- Or try garlic flakes, also called dehydrated (or dried) minced garlic; use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove.
- Another possibility is granulated garlic: Use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove.
- Yellow onions or leeks are excellent substitutes for shallots.
- Try a variety of mushrooms or your favorite type.
- When I don't have vegetable broth, I substitute Yondu mixed with water.
- Though traditional risotto is famously made with arborio rice—starchy, short-grain rice that gives the dish its creamy texture—you can make it with many different whole grains. Short-grain brown rice, jasmine rice, pearled barley, bulgur wheat, orzo pasta, and couscous are all viable substitutes for various dishes.
How to Make Mushroom Risotto
- Saute the onion and garlic in a large pot on medium heat until the onions are translucent.
- Then, add the mushrooms and cook until brown. If needed, add a little vegetable broth to deglaze the pan.
- Now, temporarily remove half of the mushroom mixture from the pan while you cook the rice.
- As a result, there is more room for the rice to cook with the benefit of the umami flavors of the shallots and garlic.
- Add the Arborio rice. Stir to combine with the mushrooms mixture and allow the rice to brown a little before adding any fluid.
- The key to cooking successful risotto is to warm the broth before adding it to the warm rice coaxes more starch out of each grain of rice and helps prevent it from overcooking.
- On the contrary, the cool broth takes longer to warm up in the risotto pan and may shock the grain into holding onto its starches while the rice cooks.
Another key to making great risotto is to add the vegetable broth 1 cup at a time after the first 2 cups are added and simmer until the rice absorbs the broth.
- Add 2 cups of broth and bring to a simmer.
- Stir slightly; do not over-stir.
- Cook until the liquid evaporates(about 5 minutes).
- Then, add 1 cup of vegetable broth and cook the same way until the rice is cooked and the fluid is absorbed.
- Add the vegetable broth, 1 cup at a time, until all the broth is gone.
- Again, cook the mixture down until the liquid is absorbed.
- Do not over-stir the mixture.
- This process should take 16 minutes.
Add the reserved mushroom mixture you set aside when the fluid is absorbed, and the rice is cooked through. Stir and serve.
Garnish with parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe FAQs
Some popular risotto ingredients such as mushrooms, artichokes, dark leafy greens, and squash contain antioxidants. Antioxidants fight cell damage caused by oxidative stress that occurs when the body is exposed to free radicals.
Risotto is a creamy, hearty rice dish made with short-grain Italian Arborio rice grown in the Northern Italian region of Piemonte. The rice itself is starchy enough to thicken and create its own sauce.
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out on top. But if protein and fiber are your aims, pasta wins over rice. That said, both can play a part in a healthy diet - and as the nutritional differences are pretty slight, it often comes down to which you would prefer.
Tips
- Never wash your rice beforehand, as this removes the starch, which helps give risotto its smooth texture.
- Cook your risotto on low, simmering heat, and add the vegetable broth gradually, one cup at a time.
- This gives the rice time to fully absorb the liquid and flavors.
- Rushing your risotto will only ruin its texture.
- Don't over-stir risotto. It's much better to stir once every 30 seconds and trust the cooking process to do its thing. Over-stirring is one way to ruin a risotto's texture quickly.
- One of the surest ways to ruin risotto is overcooking.
- The whole process should take 16-18 minutes.
- I usually deglaze the pan with wine while cooking, but I didn't like the taste as much as without the wine. But feel free to use dry white wine if you choose.
- If you want a cheesy topping, sprinkle it with vegan parmesan cheese.
Vegan mushroom risotto is a creamy, delicious weeknight meal or the perfect date night meal. And it takes minutes to make in one pan.
More Vegan Recipes to Enjoy
If you love this vegan mushroom risotto recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 shallots minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 16 ounces portobello mushrooms sliced, or any combination of different types of mushrooms
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 4 cups vegetable broth heated
- ⅛ cup parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Saute the garlic and shallots in a large skillet until the shallots are translucent.
- Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
- Add a little vegetable broth to deglaze the pan when the mushrooms begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Heat the broth in a microwave and set aside.
- Remove half the mushroom mixture.
- Add the Arborio rice, stir lightly, and allow the rice to begin to brown (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add 2 cups of broth and bring to a simmer.
- Stir slightly; do not over-stir. Cook until the liquid evaporates(about 5 minutes).
- Then, add 1 cup of vegetable broth and cook the same way until the rice is cooked and the fluid is absorbed.
- Add the vegetable broth, 1 cup at a time, until all the broth is gone.
- Again, cook the mixture down until the liquid is absorbed. Do not over-stir the mixture. This process should take 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the reserved mushroom mixture.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with parsley (optional)
Notes
- Never wash your rice beforehand, as this removes the starch, which helps give risotto its smooth texture.
- Cook your risotto on low, simmering heat, and add the vegetable broth gradually, one cup at a time.
- This gives the rice time to absorb the liquid and flavors fully.
- Rushing your risotto will only ruin its texture.
- Don't over-stir risotto. It's much better to stir once every 30 seconds and trust the cooking process to do its thing. Over-stirring is one way to ruin a risotto texture quickly.
- One of the surest ways to ruin risotto is overcooking.
- The whole process should take 16-18 minutes.
- I usually deglaze the pan with wine while cooking, but I didn't like the taste as much as without the wine. But feel free to use dry white wine if you choose.
- If you want a cheesy topping, sprinkle it with vegan parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Comments
No Comments