Vegan Mushroom Risotto

Vegan mushroom risotto is a dish that sounds intimidating to make, but it's actually such an easy recipe. It takes some hands-on time, so you'll need to be present.

The good news is that this creamy vegan risotto recipe can be made in one pot with few ingredients! This means fewer dishes to clean up afterward, making cooking more enjoyable.

If you have read our blog before, you might have noticed that we are fans of risotto. Since we live in Milano, where risotto originated, we cook it at least once a week and have perfected it over time.

As we love cooking seasonally and are fully into the Fall season, when mushroom foraging is at its peak, it is only natural that we share this delicious mushroom risotto with you.

We took the inspiration to make this dish during our travels in the Piedmont Region in Italy, where we tasted fantastic porcini mushroom risotto and stuffed plins (which look like a small local version of ravioli).

We make it frequently and enjoy this recipe as a main dish with different types of mushrooms. aside dish, like this air-fried oyster mushrooms. It is also during this time of the year that we make other recipes calling for porcini mushrooms such as the Holiday Nut Roast, Stuffed Onions, and herbs stuffed mushrooms.

Jump to:

• 🇮🇹 Origins of risotto
• 💚 Why you will love it
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 💡Expert tips
• 📖 Variations
• 🥢 How to serve
• 🥡 Storage and freezing
• 🍚 More risotto recipes
• 🎥 Video
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🇮🇹 Origins of risotto

Although the Arabs introduced rice to southern Italy in the 14th century, as its cultivation spread to northern Italy, the Mediterranean humid weather influenced its shape, giving birth to its short and glutinous versions.

The famous Risotto alla Milanese (also found in this blog) is simple but flavorful and's prominent flavor comes from saffron, a common spice used in Spanish cuisine (think of Paella). 

The first version, called the Risotto alla Milanese, is traditionally composed of butter, parmesan cheese, onions, white wine, and saffron.

Our Plant-Based versions are not traditional but vegan and follow the conventional techniques. Check our Sun-dried Tomatoes Risotto recipe, for another great and easy-to-make version of this Italian favorite! They are equally delicious and perfect for us who follow a vegan diet!

Mushrooms also pair fantastically with lemon asparagus risotto, a great option for springtime and Easter dinners.

💚 Why you will love it

• Easy to Make
• One-Pot Wonder
• Seasonally Versatile
• Richly Flavorful
• Comforting & Creamy

🧾 Ingredients

• Mixed mushrooms (cremini, cardo, portobello, porcini)
• Carnarolli rice (or arborio)
• Warm vegetable broth
• Dry white wine
• Onions
• Fresh garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Herbs (rosemary, sage, or fresh thyme)
• Plant-based parm cheese (or nutritional yeast)

Optional:

Vegan butter, Fresh chopped parsley to garnish.

🔪 Instructions

This is how to make creamy, dairy-free, perfect vegan risotto.

To make this easy mushroom risotto, you need only 10 ingredients and 30 minutes. This recipe has no cream because the liquid helps release the starch within the carnarolli or arborio rice.

When making this simple mushroom risotto, everything happens in one pot.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1. Clean your mushrooms.

Depending on the type of mushroom you choose, they might come with more or less dirt, but you need to clean them up by brushing them or lightly washing them. Just don't submerge the mushrooms in water.

Mushrooms tend to absorb liquid like a sponge because they are porous. We don't want that to happen because it's hard to caramelize them and make them more flavorful once that happens—they just become too soggy.

Put your vegetable broth to simmer.

Step 2.  Chop the veggies.

Towel path-dry the mushroom, and slice and cut your mushrooms into pieces. I like to have different textures, so you can slice some of them and chop others in quarters if using cremini mushrooms.

If you have cardoncelli or shiitake mushrooms, you can carefully rip them from top to bottom.

Peel and chop your onions. If you like textures, slice the onions lengthwise; if you don't, simply dice them finely.

Step 3. Stir fry the mushrooms.

In a flat saucepan, briefly heat one tablespoon of olive oil for a couple of seconds and stir-fry your mushrooms face-down, stirring occasionally, so you get that beautiful caramel color out, which you wouldn't get if you add them directly into the flat saucepan.

They would just look like canned mushrooms, dully and boringly greyish.

Once you get that beautiful golden color on some of them, it is time to remove them from the saucepan and reserve them.

We use the same technique on our red wine risotto to pan-sear the beets and plums.

Step 4. Stir-frying the rest of the ingredients

Now it is time to get everything in! On medium heat and using the same saucepan, add one tablespoon of olive oil, followed by your choice of herbs (I am using fresh rosemary and sage).

There is no need to rip the leaves off. Removing the herbs’ leaves attached to the stem is better to remove them later.

Allow the herbs to infuse briefly and stir in the chopped onions until slightly brown, then add the minced garlic.

Add the carnarolli rice (no need to wash or soak it), and stir, until it looks slightly toasted (don't let the onions or garlic get too dark).

Now is when all the magic happens: add the wine, and stir until it is fully consumed. It will only take less than a minute.

Hint: What is happening here is that the wine is causing the rice to open up to absorb all the flavors coming from the liquids and herbs.

Stir in the reserved caramelized mushrooms.

Step 5. Add the hot veggie broth.

Stir in the stock, little by little, while stirring, adding more veggie broth until 'al dente.'

You may be wondering why you cannot add all the stock immediately if you will be using all of it anyway. Well, this is the magic of risotto.

Pro Tip: the carnarolli and arborio medium-grained rice kinds are very starchy, thus giving this vegan mushroom risotto its beloved creamy texture. But for them to unleash their starch, they need to be rubbed amongst them, so a minimal amount of liquid should be in the saucepan. Otherwise, you would be making rice soup.

In minute 10, add homemade vegan parmesan or cheesy nutritional yeast (replacing traditional parm cheese).

This will take about 15 minutes, but you should stir and add liquid as it dries out.

Step 6. "Mantecatura."

The final step is called Mantecatura in Italian, which means adding the final fatty component, which usually comes from butter.

Here, you can use either a good-quality extra-virgin oil (this is the Sicilian style) or a good-quality Vegan butter, such as Earth Balance.

The point here is to add an extra layer of fat to make it creamy.

You may taste and adjust using salt and pepper to taste, although it is rarely needed. It entirely depends on how salty is your vegetable broth.

Step 7. Stir, garnish, and serve.

Remove from the heat, let it sit for 2-5 minutes, and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley and optionally add the Parmesan Vegan Cheese (made in only 5-minutes and can be made beforehand and stored for months).

Optionally top with freshly ground black pepper and enjoy dinner tonight!

📖 Variations

If you want to add more veggies, try to use veggies that won't affect the flavor, such as frozen peas or cooked vegetables like sweet potato. Add them during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Instant pot - you can easily make this recipe on an instant pot. I would just advise you to stir-fry the mushrooms in a saucepan before adding them to the pot.

To make a larger batch, double the recipe, keeping all the proportions.

Cooking Times

The cooking times mentioned in this vegan recipe are only a guide only if you have a gas stove, the preparation will likely go faster. You should also watch when the stock is almost all gone before adding more, and if you are left without broth and the rice isn't al-dente yet, go ahead and add a little water; the flavor is already in!

🥢 How to serve

Vegan Parmesan and chopped parsley are our go-to choices, but risotto doesn't need anything else. For the looks, I have played with sliced toasted almonds for an extra crunch and freshly ground black pepper.

You can serve this amazing recipe with a side such as roasted asparagus with freshly squeezed lemon juice, homemade garlic bread, or Brussels sprouts. Both go very nicely together with risotto.

🥡 Storage and freezing

If you have leftovers from this delicious meal, you can safely store cooked risotto in an airtight container in the fridge, which can be consumed within three days.

If you decide to freeze it, thaw it overnight or in the microwave, and make sure to have some extra veggie stock to add to the vegan mushroom risotto and bring it back to life!

Thank you so much. We hope you enjoy this creamy, dairy-free risotto as much as we do!

🍚 More risotto recipes

The Roasted Pumpkin risotto and butternut squash risotto are both really nice options. These classic veganized versions of parmesan garlic risotto and Risotto alla Milanese are also great choices to get into the spirit of understanding the roots of this absolutely delicious Italian dish.

You can also check out our Lemony Winter risotto, which is a great winter choice.

🎥 Video

⭐ If you try this recipe, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe