One of the visitors to this website asked me for a vegan risotto recipe. Cooking risotto is a labor of love that provides a good arm workout. Arborio is an Italian rice typically used in risotto recipes. Risotto is also known for its creaminess. Most recipes ask for butter at the end to give risotto more richness. However, it’s possible to achieve the creaminess in risotto without the butter. Here is how I make a vegan pumpkin risotto. If risotto is the main dish, then the following recipe yields about 2 servings.
What You’ll Need:
1 cup Pumpkin puree (I buy the canned ones. Make sure it’s puree and not pie filling)
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups Vegetable broth
1 Shallot
2 Garlic cloves
1 Rosemary spring
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Extra water
- Dice the shallots into small pieces and mince the garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat. If you’re making a larger portion, then use a larger pot. You don’t want to use a shallow or sauté pan because you want the rice mixture to stick together while cooking.
- Cook the shallot and garlic in the oil until you can smell the aromatics. In the saucepan, cook the arborio rice with the shallot and garlic mixture until the rice is toasty. This takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn the heat to a low simmer. Slowly add 1 cup of vegetable broth. Slowly stir the mixture frequently. Once almost all of the broth has been absorbed, add another cup of vegetable broth. Repeat this mixture until all 4 cups of vegetable broth is gone.
- At this stage, add the rosemary. Then add the pumpkin puree. The pumpkin puree adds a rich color, some creaminess, and moisture. Continue to stir frequently (you don’t have to stir the entire time but you do need to stir frequently). The stirring actually helps bring out the starch in arborio rice that gives risotto the creaminess. Stirring will also help prevent the risotto from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- As the risotto is simmering, liquid will evaporate. If needed and while stirring the risotto, very carefully add 1/3 cup of water at a time such that the risotto doesn’t dry out. I end up using about 1 cup of water during this stir and simmer process. The total cooking time for this recipe is about 35-40 minutes, so definitely a good arm workout.