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This incredibly creamy vegan risotto is made with fresh vegetables and savory broth. It's perfect for a warm, comforting meal at home or for feeding a crowd.
Why You'll Love This Vegan Risotto Recipe
- This risotto is incredibly creamy and savory
- The entire recipe is vegan and gluten-free
- You can use this recipe for meal prepping or a make-ahead meal
- It's the perfect recipe for entertaining and feeding a crowd
If you're looking for more plant-based recipes for entertaining try my Vegan Charcuterie Board next!
Ingredient Notes
Garlic: It at all possible, always use fresh garlic. Though it can be tempting to use jarred, pre-minced garlic to save a few minutes, you'll lose a ton of flavor. Go for fresh!
Squash: I used fresh yellow squash and zucchini squash in this vegetable risotto recipe. This will give our risotto extra substance and plenty of extra flavor.
Arborio Rice: This is the rice used to make the actual risotto. I found this article if you want to learn more about this amazingly delicious rice.
Plant-Based Milk: We will add this at the end to give our risotto an extra creamy finish. I used extra creamy almond milk in this recipe but cashew milk or oat milk would be delicious too.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and quantities.
Step by Step Instructions
This recipe is intermediate-advanced and takes a lot of special time and attention. Please ensure that you have time set aside to give this risotto the love and time it deserves.
Making the Risotto
To kick things off, you'll combine the olive oil and yellow onion in a large pot (I recommend a dutch oven because it's large and coated in enamel). Sauté the onion over medium-low heat for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth in a different pot so it's warmed up. Keep it off to the side for now.
Add the garlic and rice to the pot with the garlic, coat in the olive oil, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
Pour the water and salt into the pot with the rice and use your wooden spoon to gently scrape the onions off the bottom of the pan. Allow the water to cook down for about 2 minutes.
Now is the fun part!!!
We will add ½ cup of warm vegetable broth to the pot at a time and very frequently stir the rice/risotto. Once the broth is mostly absorbed (about 4 minutes), add another ½ cup of broth. Repeat this process until the risotto is completely cooked and the broth is absorbed.
Sauté the Vegetables
Sauté the red onion, zucchini, and yellow squash in a pan for about 4-5 minutes until slightly softened.
Finish the Risotto
Stir in the sautéed vegetables, plant based milk and butter, pepper, and fresh basil.
Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do we only add ½ cup of broth at a time? We do this (along with frequent stirring) to get a perfectly creamy, starchy, texture for our risotto. This allows for the rice to slowly absorb the broth and gives us that classic risotto texture we love!
How can I store this? This veggie risotto can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Can I make this spicy? Yes! You can make spicy risotto by adding 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper when you add the onion at the beginning.
Try these plant-based recipes next:
Vegan Vegetable Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion small, diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped
- ½ cup almond milk
- 6 cups squash sliced
- 1 red onion medium, diced
Instructions
- Start by warming your dutch oven or large pot over medium-low heat and add the olive oil. Once warm, add the diced yellow onion and mix in with the olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour the vegetable broth into a separate pot and heat it up until it's nice and warm. Keep it on the burner to stay warm.
- Add the garlic and arborio rice to the pot with the onion and coat in the olive oil. Continue to cook for about 2 minutes until the garlic becomes fragrant and the rice is slightly toasted.
- Pour the cup of water and salt into the pot, mix, and cook for about 3 minutes. Use this time to use your wooden spoon to gently scrape the onion off the bottom of the pot.
- Now we will add ½ cup of warmed vegetable broth to the pot at a time, stirring frequently. Like VERY frequently. This is important because it will create a thick, starchy consistency that we love in risotto. After adding the broth, stir on and off for about 4 minutes or until it's close to being full absorbed. Add ½ cup more broth and continue to repeat these steps until your rice is fully cooked and has absorbed the broth.
- In another pan, sauté the red onion and squash for about 5 minutes or until it's slightly softened.
- Mix the almond milk and vegan butter into the risotto, then mix in the squash and basil.
- Allow to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
