Recipes › Main Course › Easy Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Easy Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Recipe by Pedro M. A. Neves

This Easy Creamy Vegan Mushroom Risotto Recipe delivers all the luxurious, silky texture of traditional risotto without any dairy or animal products. Tender arborio rice slowly absorbs savory mushroom broth while nutritional yeast and plant-based cream create an indulgent sauce that rivals its conventional counterpart. This Italian-inspired main course is ready in under an hour and requires only basic ingredients and steady stirring.

Ingredients

• 300g (1½ cups) arborio rice
• 400g (14 oz) mixed mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 150ml (⅔ cup) dry white wine
• 900ml (3¾ cups) vegetable broth, warmed
• 100ml (⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon) unsweetened oat milk or plant-based cream
• 30g (3 tablespoons) nutritional yeast
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil
• 15g (1 tablespoon) vegan butter
• 30ml (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
• 2g (½ teaspoon) salt, plus more to taste
• 1g (¼ teaspoon) ground black pepper
• 5g (1 tablespoon) fresh thyme leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 15g (¼ cup) fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and their moisture has released and mostly evaporated. Season with a pinch of salt. Transfer mushrooms to a plate, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the pan.

2. Add diced onion to the same pan and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds more until fragrant.

3. Add arborio rice to the pan and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes until the rice grains are lightly toasted and have absorbed the oil. You should hear a gentle clicking sound as you stir.

4. Pour the white wine into the pan and stir until the liquid is almost completely absorbed, about 1-2 minutes. The rice should release a starchy aroma.

5. Begin adding the warm vegetable broth one ladleful at a time (approximately 150ml per ladle). After each addition, stir frequently over medium heat until the liquid is almost absorbed before adding the next ladle. Continue this process for 18-20 minutes. The rice should become gradually creamier while maintaining a slight firmness at the center of each grain.

6. When the rice is nearly tender with a slight bite remaining and most broth has been absorbed, add the cooked mushrooms back to the pan along with the vegan butter, plant-based cream, nutritional yeast, fresh thyme, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes to incorporate all ingredients and create a flowing, creamy consistency.

7. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. The risotto should flow slightly on the plate rather than mounding.

8. Divide risotto among four warm bowls and garnish each portion with fresh parsley and a thyme sprig. Serve immediately while hot.

Substitutions

• Replace oat milk with cashew cream (blend ½ cup soaked cashews with ½ cup water) for richer texture
• Substitute nutritional yeast with 2 tablespoons finely grated vegan parmesan cheese for sharper flavor
• Use any combination of mushrooms: cremini, portobello, oyster, or shiitake based on availability
• Replace white wine with additional vegetable broth if alcohol-free preparation is preferred

Tips

• Keep vegetable broth at a gentle simmer in a separate pot to ensure each addition is warm; cold broth will cool the rice and interrupt the cooking process
• Stir frequently but not constantly; vigorous stirring at the beginning is essential, but moderate stirring in the middle stages prevents mushiness
• The risotto will continue to thicken slightly as it sits; serve immediately for the ideal creamy flowing consistency
• If risotto becomes too thick, add a splash more warm broth or plant-based milk to reach the desired consistency

Risotto originates from Northern Italy, particularly the Piedmont and Lombardy regions where arborio rice cultivation thrives. The technique of gradual broth incorporation creates the characteristic creamy consistency through starch release rather than cream, making this vegan adaptation authentically Italian in method and spirit.

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