Mushroom Risotto

This mushroom risotto is the best out there! Based on the perfect risotto recipe, fortified with deliciously savory mushrooms sautéed in butter, this recipe makes for an excellent main course or side dish when you’re craving restaurant-quality food and want to impress (your guests or your tastebuds!).

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• It’s thick and creamy, and it’s absolutely packed with rich flavors like parmesan cheese, butter, and mushrooms.
• While there’s a lot of stirring involved, this mushroom risotto is actually really easy to make. It just sounds intimidating!
• It uses really simple ingredients. The saffron thread is only thing you might have trouble finding and even that’s optional! Though, it adds a lot of flavor and color to the recipe, so I really encourage you to track some down if you can.
• Mushroom risotto can be its own solo dish, but it also makes a fantastic side for proteins like Instant Pot Frozen Chicken Breast or Lemon Garlic Salmon.
• With a few simple substitutions, you can make this dairy free, vegetarian, or vegan.

Key Ingredients

Arborio Rice – Traditional Italian risotto is made with Arborio rice. It’s a higher-starch rice so it gets nice and creamy when you cook it. Arborio rice is pretty common, but if you have a hard time finding it, you can use sushi rice or another short-grain sticky rice instead.

Mushrooms – It’s not mushroom risotto without the mushrooms! We’re using both white and brown mushrooms in this recipe. What’s the difference? Age, basically. No, really! All three are Agaricus bisporus. White mushrooms are harvested first, so they’re the “youngest” or least mature, then criminis (or baby bellas), then portobellos. White mushrooms have the highest water content, and the lightest flavor. Portobellos are the heartiest and most flavorful of the three.

Chef’s Tips

• Don’t rinse the rice before cooking! The starchy outer layer helps make this dish as creamy as possible.
• You don’t want to overcook the mushrooms, so stir them in to your risotto right at the very end of your cook time.
• Keep the broth warm while you’re working on the rice. Cool broth will stop the cooking process every time you add it to the rice, so it’s constantly one step forward and two steps back.
• Add the broth to the rice very slowly, in small amounts, and let it evaporate before adding more. And don’t stop stirring ever!

Other Delicious Mushroom Recipes

• Mushroom Gravy
• Cream of Mushroom Soup
• Air Fryer Mushrooms
• Creamy Whole30 Bacon Mushroom Chicken Thighs with Thyme (Paleo)
• Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 4 votes

Mushroom Risotto

Prep 10 minutes minutes

Cook 45 minutes minutes

Total 55 minutes minutes

This mushroom risotto is the best out there! Based on the perfect risotto recipe, fortified with deliciously savory mushrooms sautéed in butter, this recipe makes for an excellent main course or side dish when you're craving restaurant-quality food and want to impress (your guests or your tastebuds!).

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6 servings

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Equipment

• 2 large saucepans
• ladle
• Small bowl

Ingredients

• ▢ 7 tablespoons butter divided
• ▢ 5 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 1 pinch saffron thread see Notes
• ▢ 1 onion finely chopped
• ▢ 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• ▢ 1 ½ cups arborio rice or short grain sticky rice
• ▢ 1 cup parmesan cheese
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ black pepper to taste
• ▢ 8 ounces sliced white mushrooms
• ▢ 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms or other brown mushrooms
• ▢ parsley chopped, for garnish, optional

Instructions

• Warm 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms and cook until soft, approximately 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside.
  
• Pour stock into saucepan and bring to boil, then reduce to low simmer. Ladle a small amount of stock into a small bowl. Add saffron threads and let saffron infuse stock.
  
• In another saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter until foaming. Add onions, stirring frequently. Cook 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook 1 additional minute. Cook only until onions are softened, not browned.
  
• Add rice. Stir until a few grains start to pop. Add saffron liquid, a few ladles of stock, salt, and pepper. Stir over low heat until liquid has been absorbed.
  
• Continue adding stock a few ladles at a time, letting the rice absorb the liquid before adding more. Stir constantly. After approximately 20 to 25 minutes, rice should be just tender and risotto thick and creamy.
  
• Remove saucepan from heat. Add parmesan cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Mix until butter has melted.
  
• Stir in mushrooms. Season with more salt, if necessary.
  
• Divide into portions and serve hot. Top with additional parmesan if desired and garnish with a small amount of chopped parsley (optional).
  

• You can do without the saffron thread if you need to, but it adds a lot of color and flavor to this dish.
• Make it Dairy Free: Use vegan butter and vegan parmesan cheese.
• Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
• Make it Vegan: Use vegetable stock, vegan butter, and vegan parmesan cheese.
• Leftovers: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dish, as freezing will change the textures of the rice and mushrooms. Reheat your mushroom risotto in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding chicken stock 1 tablespoon at a time as needed if the risotto is too thick.

Nutrition Info

Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 403calProtein: 15gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 814mgPotassium: 509mgTotal Carbs: 46gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 44gVitamin A: 539IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 224mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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