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This vegan risotto recipe cooks up perfectly creamy without any cheese! It’s loaded with mushrooms, asparagus, tomato, and carrot, so this vegetarian risotto makes a nourishing dinner everyone will love. It’s one of my favorite easy vegan dinner recipes for busy weeknights and holiday dinners alike.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love this Vegan Vegetable Risotto Recipe!
- Is Risotto Vegan?
- Ingredients for Vegan Risotto
- Substitutions and Variations
- How To Make Vegan Risotto with Vegetables
- Toni’s Recipe Tips for Veggie Risotto
- FAQs for Dairy-Free Risotto
- What to Serve with Veggie Risotto
- Storage Instructions
- More Yummy Vegan Rice Recipes
- Best Vegetable Vegan Risotto Recipe
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Vegetable Risotto Recipe!
Let me let you in on a secret: risotto doesn’t have to be difficult! With these simple and straightforward steps, you can whip up a delicious vegetable risotto that gets rave reviews at the dinner table in my house. Arborio rice cooks up decadently creamy in this dairy-free risotto. The starch in the risotto makes it creamy enough to totally skip the milk!
Plus, it’s a super flexible dish that provides a great way to use up whatever veggies you have on hand. It’s hearty enough to serve as a main dish, but can also double as a side dish. As a main dish, all your creamy vegan risotto needs is a salad side dish and your favorite bread recipe like this focaccia bread. As a side, it makes even simple mains like white bean burgers and crispy tofu strips feel fancy!
And if you love this veggie risotto recipe, you’ll have to check out my brown rice risotto or creamy pumpkin risotto. A big thank you to Miranda Rivera for developing this recipe!
Is Risotto Vegan?
Risotto originates from Italian cuisine and the most basic preparation is made with stock and arborio rice cooked in butter. But many other ingredients can also be added to the dish to give it flavor and create a wide range of variations. Because many classic recipes use chicken stock and Parmesan cheese, risotto isn’t always vegetarian either.
There are lots of ways to make risotto vegan easily without sacrificing flavor. If you are ordering in a restaurant and the dish isn’t marked vegan it might be a good idea to ask a few questions about the ingredients and preparation.
At home, you can easily swap out animal products with vegan ingredients to create appetizing and tantalizing dishes. Use olive oil instead of butter and eliminate dairy products and add flavors such as aromatics, herbs, spices and vegetables.
Ingredients for Vegan Risotto
The ingredient list is short for this vegetable risotto recipe and should be easy to find in most grocery stores.
- Olive oil: I use it in place of butter to sauté the veggies over medium heat. You can also sauté them in a splash of water or broth to make this risotto oil-free.
- Fresh mushrooms: Any type of mushrooms will work in the veggie risotto but white or cremini mushrooms are the easiest and least expensive options.
- Aromatics: Yellow or sweet onions and fresh garlic are the base of flavor in this easy vegetable risotto recipe.
- Arborio rice: Essential to make a perfectly creamy risotto.
- Vegetable broth: Gives the risotto more flavor than cooking with water. Brands vary a lot in salt and flavor, so use one you love the taste of, or a low-sodium broth if you’re watching your salt.
- Veggies: Fresh asparagus, tomato, and carrot work best in my version.
- Fresh basil: This finishing touch infuses the best vegetarian risotto with so much flavor.
- Salt and pepper: Season to taste right before serving, since vegetable broths vary a lot in saltiness.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegan risotto with peas: Swap out the asparagus for fresh green peas.
- Vegan risotto with asparagus only: Add more asparagus and eliminate the carrots and tomatoes.
- Vegan risotto with no mushroom: Eliminate the mushrooms. Adding a bit of miso helps to replace the umami flavor of mushrooms when you make this recipe without them.
- Other veg risotto recipe ideas: Don’t like the vegetables or want to use up veggies in the fridge? Here are some of my favorites to use in veggie risotto. Cook it with a single veggie or use any combination of chopped broccoli, asparagus, mushrooms, peas, spinach or kale, fennel, zucchini, and butternut squash.
How To Make Vegan Risotto with Vegetables
If this is your first time making veggie risotto, don’t worry. You can follow along here to see how easy it is to make.
Step 1: First, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add mushrooms, onion, and garlic and cook until onion is tender.
Step 2: Next, add the rice to the skillet. While it cooks, continue stirring for about 5 minutes or until the rice is golden brown.
Step 3: At the same time, in another saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and let it simmer just enough to keep it heated. Then, slowly add one cup of broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed.
Step 4: Then, add another one-half cup of broth and the asparagus to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Again, add another cup of broth, one-half cup at a time, stirring constantly until the broth has been absorbed. (This should take about 15 minutes.) Next, stir in the remaining one-half cup of broth along with the tomato and carrot. Continue cooking and stirring until rice is slightly creamy and just tender.
Step 5: Finally, stir in the basil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve it right away!
Toni’s Recipe Tips for Veggie Risotto
- Get the right rice: It really all starts with the rice. You simply can’t make true risotto without arborio rice. The high starch content it releases into the pot is what gives dairy-free risotto a creamy texture.
- Stirring: It’s not necessary to stir constantly the entire time it cooks, but it does need a lot of attention and frequent stirring.
- Add broth slowly: Follow the instructions and add the broth in small amounts, letting it fully absorb into the rice before adding more.
- Toasting the rice: Don’t rush and skip this step. Toasting the rice before adding the liquid enhances the flavor.
- Adding the basil: Fresh herbs work best added at the end of cooking. Stir it in right before serving. It’s even better to set a bit aside and sprinkle it over the top of each serving.
FAQs for Dairy-Free Risotto
Yes, definitely! The cheese isn’t what makes risotto creamy. The starch from the Arborio rice does that as you stir in the broth a little at a time. If you miss the cheesy flavor, stir in a spoonful of nutritional yeast or your favorite vegan parmesan, then give it a taste before serving.
Not always. Many restaurant and traditional risotto recipes are made with chicken stock, butter, and Parmesan cheese, so ask how it’s made when you order it out. This version is 100% vegan and vegetarian because it uses vegetable broth and olive oil and skips the cheese.
To make it a hearty main dish, serve it with tofu, tempeh, seitan, or some cooked cannellini beans. It’s also great with crusty bread, a big green salad, or a bowl of soup.
Arborio rice is what makes this dish so creamy, so it’s the one I recommend. Other short-grain risotto rice like carnaroli should work too, but I haven’t tested it. Long-grain rice won’t release enough starch, so it won’t cook up the same.
Vegetable broth brands vary a lot in flavor and salt, so taste your risotto right before serving and season it with salt and pepper to your liking. A squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of vegan parmesan, and the fresh basil at the end all add a lot of flavor.
What to Serve with Veggie Risotto
Main Dish: When serving risotto as a main dish, you can serve anything you’d normally serve with a bowl of pasta as a side dish. Since it doesn’t have a large amount of protein, you might want to add on a side made with tofu, beans, or another plant-based protein like BBQ tempeh or smoked seitan. My favorite sides are edamame salad, black bean salad, and quinoa salad.
Top it: Serve this dairy-free risotto up with vegan parmesan cheese or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast as a topper and a squeeze of lemon.
Side Dish: When using it as a side dish, it can really replace any type of simple rice or rice pilaf side. My family really loves it served as a side with tofu main dishes. But it will also work with these recipes too:
- Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Chickpea Quinoa Burger Patties
- Mushroom and Red Lentil Meatballs
- Spicy Sesame Tofu Stir Fry
Storage Instructions
Fridge: This veggie risotto is best served fresh. However, you can leave any leftovers to cool and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days.
Reheat the dairy-free risotto over low heat on the stovetop, adding more vegetable broth to loosen the consistency.
More Yummy Vegan Rice Recipes
Vegan Dinners
Hearty Vegetable Rice Pilaf
Vegan Dinners
Easy Vegetable Fried Brown Rice
![Completed Garlic Rice [Spanish Yellow Rice] in a white bowl against a white background.](https://plantbasedonabudget.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/15-Golden-Garlic-Rice-Plant-Based-on-a-Budget-1-2-378x378.jpg)
Vegan Dinners
Garlic Rice
Vegan Dinners
Easy Vegan Mexican Rice
If you tried this vegan vegetable risotto recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!
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Best Vegetable Vegan Risotto
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil optional, or use water to sauté
- 2 cups (140 g) fresh mushrooms sliced
- ½ cup (80 g) onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup (200 g) Arborio rice uncooked
- 3 cups (720 ml) vegetable broth
- ¾ cup (100 g) asparagus cut into bite-size pieces
- ¾ cup (135 g) tomato seeded and diced
- ¼ cup (28 g) carrot shredded
- 3 Tablespoons (8 g) fresh basil leaves snipped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic and cook until the onion is tender.
- Add the rice. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes more, until the rice is golden brown.
- Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring the broth to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer. Slowly add 1 cup of the broth to the rice mixture, stirring constantly.
- Continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the liquid is absorbed. Add another ½ cup of broth and the asparagus to the rice mixture, stirring constantly. Continue to cook and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Add another 1 cup of broth, ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until the broth has been absorbed. (This should take about 15 minutes.)
- Stir in the remaining ½ cup of broth, the tomato, and the carrot. Cook and stir until the rice is slightly creamy and just tender. Stir in the basil. Serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- It really all starts with the rice. You can’t make true risotto without Arborio rice. The high starch content it releases into the pot is what gives risotto its creamy texture.
- It’s not necessary to stir constantly the entire time it cooks, but it does need a lot of attention and frequent stirring.
- Follow the instructions and add the broth in small amounts, letting it fully absorb into the rice before adding more.
- Thank you to Miranda Rivera for developing this recipe!
Would you please provide healthy, vegetarian recipes high in protein, low in cholesterol and sodium.
Thank you!
Hi! Here are some recipes you might like to try out 🙂
tofu fajitas – https://plantbasedonabudget.com/tofu-fajitas/
chickpea sweet potato boats – https://plantbasedonabudget.com/chickpea-sweet-potato-boats/
easy chickpea stew – https://plantbasedonabudget.com/chickpea-bread-stew/
easy lentil salad – https://plantbasedonabudget.com/easy-lentil-salad/
Hope you enjoy the recipes if you end up trying them out 🙂
Hi, this was extremely bland. I liked the asparagus and mushrooms but the flavor was flat. Some seasoning in your recipe would be a good idea. I added my own. Too many recipes I come across are lacking flavor…which means people are afraid of spices.
Thank you for giving this risotto a try and for sharing such helpful feedback! I’ve added salt and pepper to the recipe now, with a note to season it to taste right before serving. Vegetable broth brands vary a lot in flavor and salt, so that last taste makes a big difference. A squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of vegan parmesan on top add a lot of flavor too. Thanks again, and I hope you’ll give it another try!
Very good despite not having garlic (I used garlic powder), carrots, and asparagus on hand.
Nothing like a yummy risotto recipe!
Sounds delicious. Would nutritional yeast be a good addition? I’m new to plant based eating and am trying to figure out where nutritional yeast fits and doesn’t
You can always add a bit and see how you feel 🙂 I love adding nutritional yeast to soups and on a tofu scramble! 🙂
Made this tonight and it’s the first successful risotto I’ve ever made! it’s very yummy, creamy as described, and healthy. This will be a regular!
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s definitely a winner in our household too!
Love risotto, I haven’t had it in so long, will definitely try this recipe
Let us know what you think 🙂
Count me in for all risottos, especially a vegan one. So creamy and delicious!
They are always a great lunch/dinner option!
What beautiful colors! Can’t wait to try this!
Let us know what you think 🙂
Hard to beat such a tasty risotto recipe! Yummm!
It’s definitely one of those winners!
This risotto look soooo good!
It comes out so creamy and delicious every time! Love it!