This easy vegan risotto recipe cooks up perfectly creamy and delicious! It’s loaded with lots of veggies for an easy dinner recipe everyone will love.
Risotto gets a bad wrap and many cooks think it’s simply too much work to make. But I am here to tell you this veggie risotto recipe is one that gets rave reviews at the dinner table in my house.
It makes a delicious main meal 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.
Sometimes I want a change from potato and rice side dishes for meals and serve this one instead. It makes the perfect pair with white bean burgers and crispy tofu strips.
If you love this risotto recipe, you just have to check out this brown rice risotto! I think you’re going to love it too!
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.
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, most animal products can easily be swapped out 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.
The ingredient list is short for this vegan risotto recipe and should be easy to find in most grocery stores.
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.
Yes most definitely! The cheese isn’t necessary to create the creamy texture that is risotto’s essential trait. Cheese may contribute some flavor to the risotto when included in the recipe so if you eliminate make sure to give it a taste before serving. You can always add nutritional yeast, your favorite vegan cheese, herbs, and spices to replace any lost flavor and keep it vegan and dairy-free.
Eat it with tofu, tempeh, seitan, or even some cooked cannellini beans if you want to serve it up as a main dish. If it’s the main meal, serve it up with crusty bread, salad, or soup.
No, arborio rice is what makes the dish so creamy and delicious. You can certainly use other varieties of rice but it won’t cook up exactly the same.
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. My favorite sides are edamame salad, black bean salad, and quinoa salad.
Top it: Serve it up with vegan parmesan cheese 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.
Photos by Alfonso Revilla
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Gina H. says
Count me in for all risottos, especially a vegan one. So creamy and delicious!
Andrea White says
They are always a great lunch/dinner option!
Teodora says
What beautiful colors! Can't wait to try this!
Andrea White says
Let us know what you think 🙂
Amanda says
Hard to beat such a tasty risotto recipe! Yummm!
Andrea White says
It's definitely one of those winners!
Tina says
This risotto look soooo good!
Andrea White says
It comes out so creamy and delicious every time! Love it!