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Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto Recipe

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How do you get a rich vegan mushroom risotto when you’re using only whole food ingredients? Come check out this healthy and perfect recipe!

Dark blue bowl filled with mushroom risotto and topped with thyme
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

This post was originally published on February 22, 2016.

Sitting down with a giant bowl of rich flavorful risotto is the ultimate comfort. But the butter filled recipes always made me feel heavy and bloated. But not this one!

Risotto is a bit of a labor of love, but it’s not difficult per se, it just takes a little patience. I love taking the time to make this delectably satisfying dish, it just feels so fancy yet the kids actually eat it too!

Plus, with my tips you can speed up the process, which is always welcome in my crazy busy household!

Ingredients

No butter is needed to get the best rich and creamy risotto you know and love! Here’s what you’ll need:

Bowls filled with ingredients to make a vegan mushroom risotto

To get this extra rich in flavor, I suggest adding in two other ingredients:

  • Grated parmesan in a pile with a cheese grater behind it
  • Silk dairy free milk containers laying on a grey towel

How To Make Vegan Risotto

  1. Sauté onion, mushrooms, and seasonings.Wooden spatula mixing mushrooms in a pan to brown them
  2. Add the rice and toast.Pan filled with mushrooms and uncooked rice being browned
  3. Add the wine (if using) and cook until absorbed.Mushrooms cooking with rice and broth in a pan and being stirred by a wooden spatula
  4. Stir in warm broth ½ cup at a time letting it absorb completely before adding more, repeat until you reach your desired consistency.Pan with mushroom risotto cooking inside being stirred by a wooden spatula
  5. Enjoy!Fork getting a bite of mushroom risotto from a dark blue bowl

Flavor suggestions

The great thing about risotto is that you can tweak it a few different ways to fit your preferences and it tastes amazing no matter what! Here’s a few ways you can adjust this recipe:

  • If you are not using the wine, just add an extra ½ cup broth to the total.
  • For an extra creamy risotto, substitute some of the broth with your favorite dairy free milk, I like to use Silk’s Unsweetened Cashew Milk.
  • For extra cheesy flavor mix in Vegan Parmesan at the end, about 1/2 to 1 cup is a good amount.
  • Arborio rice is what is traditionally used in risotto and gives this dish its texture. If you don’t have any on hand you can swap it out for white or brown rice, or even orzo. The texture will be different but still delicious!
  • Sneak in some extra flavor and nutrients by adding in extra veggies. Try spinach, asparagus, or broccoli.

Serving suggestions

Risotto is a hearty enough dish to stand alone, but I like to serve a variety of foods at dinnertime. Any of these plant based dishes go wonderfully with this recipe:

Tips and tricks

  • Make sure to warm the broth and/or dairy free milk before adding it to the rice. If you don’t it will add quite a bit of cooking time, and honestly who has extra time on their hands?
  • Use broth instead of oil for sautéing to keep this dish oil free.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
  • You can also safely freeze this dish but the texture will change. Defrost completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
  • To reheat leftover risotto you can simply microwave, but the best way to recapture the fresh texture is to add about 1/4 cup of liquid (either water or broth) for every 1 cup of risotto. You can do this either in the microwave or on the stovetop, just make sure to stir well so it heats evenly.

Common Questions

What can vegans eat with risotto?

Anything plant based! I like to serve with a side of veggies or a salad.

What can I use instead of Parmesan in risotto?

You can simply omit the parmesan and your risotto will still be delicious, or better yet you can use a Vegan Parmesan!

What liquid do you use for risotto? 

Broth and white wine are the traditional liquids, sometimes people add milk or cream for a creamier result. I like to use white wine, vegetable broth, and dairy free milk.

Is risotto typically vegan?

It is not as it usually uses butter and parmesan cheese. Luckily though those are easy to sub out for plant based ingredients!

More Vegan Rice Recipes

Rice is one of those incredibly versatile foods, it’s used in basically every cuisine! It’s easy to have cooked on hand to make up quick meals the family will actually eat. Check out these other recipes that feature the great grain!

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Dark blue bowl filled with mushroom risotto and topped with thyme

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Sophia DeSantis
How do you get a rich vegan mushroom risotto when you're using only whole food ingredients? Come check out this healthy and perfect recipe!
5 from 16 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 370 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup chopped yellow or sweet onion
  • Drizzle of your favorite oil to sauté , or broth if oil free
  • 1 pound mushrooms , sliced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic , chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 ½ cups Arborio rice , see note
  • ½ cup white wine , sub with broth if you don't want wine (see note)
  • 7-8 cups veggie broth , low sodium if needed
  • 1-4 cups unsweetened dairy free milk of choice , optional, but recommended, to sub for some of the broth (see note)
  • ½-1 cup vegan Parmesan , optional (see note)

Instructions
 

  • Put the broth, plus subbed in milk if using, into a pot and warm on low. You want this warm when you add it to the rice so that it cooks faster.
  • Sauté onion and oil, or broth if oil free, until onion is soft. About 5 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms, thyme, garlic and salt and sauté until the mushrooms have released all of their liquid and are browning. About 5 more minutes.
  • Add the rice and cook until toasted a bit. About 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the wine and cook until it’s absorbed, about 2-3 minutes. If you are not using wine, skip this step.
  • Add the warmed broth (or broth/milk mix) about ½ cup at a time and stir the rice until it’s absorbed. Then keep adding until all done or you reach a consistency you like. I used all of it. This takes about 20-25 minutes.
  • If using Parmesan, mix it in at the end.
  • Serve!

Notes

  • You can use another rice if you prefer, but arborio gives it a creamy texture. You can even use orzo to make this an orzo based risotto.
  • If you are not using the wine, just add an extra ½ cup broth to the total. Keep in mind the richness flavor wise will be lost a little.
  • If you want this extra creamy sub 1-4 cups of the broth with your favorite dairy free milk. I have done from 1 to 4 and the more you sub the creamier and even more amazing it is.
  • For extra cheesy flavor mix in Parmesan at the end. This makes it even richer.
The old version of this recipe is a lazy risotto recipe that makes a creamy sauce added directly to cooked rice. Here is the sauce recipe:
  • 1 cup boiled potato (about 1 medium sized potato)
  • 4 garlic cloves, roasted
  • ¾ cup raw cashews (soaked overnight if not using high speed blender)
  • 1 ½ cups veggie broth
  • 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk, I used cashew
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (optional for added tang)
Simply blend all sauce ingredients. Saute the onion, garlic, mushrooms, thyme and salt in a pan. Then add the sauce and cook until thickened. Add the cooked rice (or orzo if you prefer) into the pan and mix to combine.

Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 370kcalCarbohydrates: 72gProtein: 9gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 815mgPotassium: 497mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 48IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

Keyword creamy mushroom recipe, healthy risotto
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
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Comments

  1. Donna says

    Yum! This popped up in my Facebook feed a few days back, and I have been thinking about it ever since, glad I found it again! My kids are huge fans of orzo, and I love how creamy this is, without any dairy!

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  2. Michelle Blackwood says

    This is the ultimate comfort food, love this creamy risotto!

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  3. Becky Striepe says

    This looks so good! I love risotto, and I think adding peas might be the trick that gets my 3yo to dig in.

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  4. Aimee / Wallflower Girl's Kitchen says

    This is my kind of dish. Looks super creamy and delicious!

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  5. Cadry says

    This sounds divine! Cashews do such a magical job of making sauces fatty & creamy. I feel like a fool for all of those years I just ate them by the handful as a snack! 😉

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Thank you Cadry!! You’re so funny. I actually usually love the cashew and walnut combo. Didn’t work for the flavor I wanted here but it’s my usual go to. Nuts are amazing!!

      Reply

  8. Taylor Thurston says

    I’ve never actually tried risotto before. Right?! How can I call myself a food blogger?? It’s almost shameful. This risotto looks SOO good… the creamier the better I say!

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  10. uma says

    I love risotto, i have tried pumpkin one. this looks so yummy, creamy….love to try!

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  11. Nicole says

    Looks wonderful, especially the sauce!!! I’m such a fan of creamy and rich but agree that it just doesn’t do my belly well so it isn’t eaten very often. Nice to have another recipe I can hold on to for when that craving hits again.

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  12. Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says

    I’ve honestly never made risotto because of the whole stirring thing ha! I’m such a lazy cook. Although 15 minutes sounds doable and totally worth it for that much creaminess. And I do appreciate the lazy persons option too 🙂 Oh and I’m so happy to know that GF orzo exists! I used to love orzo and haven’t had it in forever!

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

    • veggiesdontbite says

      Ha!!! Yes, it can be a pain. But I’m a huge multitasker and run around the kitchen doing other things as I run and stir real quick. And the lazy version totally works too so go for it! Thanks so much Natalie!

      Reply

  13. Shreyashi says

    Cashew nut paste is a very good way of lending creaminess to a dish. I use it quite often in my curries. Neat idea combining that luscious creaminess in a risotto.

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

  14. Hedi says

    Oh wow Sophia this looks amazing, I cant just see myself eating the whole lot in one go. Your blog is dangerous for me!! 🙂

    (this comment was made on the old recipe version)

    Reply

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