Craving something Italian? This Vegan Mushroom Risotto recipe is sure to hit the spot! Made with traditional risotto rice, packed with flavor-filled mushrooms and cooked in a healthy vegetable broth, this dish is bursting with health benefits and Italian flavors which are sure to curb any craving.
For more Italian dishes, try our Vegan Pizza – Easy Deep Dish Recipe or our Vegan Penne Arrabiata Recipe
What makes vegan risotto different?
Traditional risotto is a rice dish that originated in Northern Italy. The rice is usually first sautéed in butter. This is to soften it and give it a unique buttery flavor. Then, the next ingredient is usually a meat broth. The rice cooks in the meat broth until the risotto becomes creamy.
Risotto recipes are extremely varied and can range from meat to chicken to seafood and everything in between.
Arborio is a short-grained rice that comes from Italy. In general, it’s more creamy than its long-grained cousins because it absorbs more liquid and releases more starch. This creamy nature makes it perfect for risotto dishes of all types and brings a wonderful creamy texture to our vegan risotto.
How to make this vegan mushroom risotto recipe
This Vegan Mushroom Risotto uses olive oil to coat the rice, and a healthy vegetable broth to cook it to creamy perfection. Mushrooms bring in their earthy flavor and pack a nutritional punch that’s sure to boost your immune system.
Tips to help you
- If you can’t find Arborio rice, sushi rice makes a good alternative.
- Cook the rice with the mushrooms and olive oil until the grains become transparent.
- Add the broth slowly. Keep stirring until the rice absorbs all the broth.
- It’s best to eat this Vegan Mushroom Risotto as soon as it’s ready. If it stands for a while, it will continue to cook in its own heat and it might not keep its creaminess.
To add to the Italian flavors, garnish this dish with vegan parmesan, fresh basil, and freshly ground black pepper. Serve with a tossed green salad. It also pairs well with roasted vegetables, especially if it’s cold outside!
Once you’ve mastered cooking risotto, go wild and experiment. It’s an extremely versatile dish and a great base for vegan dishes of all types and flavors.
Vegan Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup vegan dry white wine
- 3 T olive oil
- 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 4 T vegan parmesan
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- Freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add the broth and wine to a saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling remove from the heat and set aside.
- In another saucepan, over medium heat, add the oil and mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Remove 4 tablespoons of mushrooms from the saucepan and set aside for garnish.
- Add the Arborio rice to the saucepan with mushrooms, and cook while stirring so that the grains become transparent, about 5 minutes.
- Add ½ cup boiling broth one at a time, mixing until the ½ cup broth is completely absorbed. Continue with the rest of the broth.
- Cook for 30 minutes or more until the broth is absorbed and the rice is cooked, stirring continuously.
- Serve sprinkled with Parmesan, cooked mushrooms, fresh basil, and freshly ground pepper.