Best Mushroom Risotto Recipe

Impress your foodie friends and family with this Creamy Mushroom Risotto. It’s the perfect date-night-at-home recipe and the results are restaurant quality and easy to achieve, even if it’s your first time making risotto.

You will love this Creamy Risotto

This is a classic and iconic Italian rice dish known as risotto. Risotto is one of those foods that I think many people only eat at upscale restaurants because they are intimidated to make it at home.

There is something so comforting about classic rice dishes. Some of our other favorites are Easy Cilantro Lime Rice, Easy Rice Pilaf with Orzo Pasta, and Garlic Rice with Fried Egg.

But it’s delicious, indulgent texture and flavor is easier to recreate in your own kitchen than you might think, especially using a technique that I’m about to share with you that departs from tradition and makes cooking a perfect risotto much, much easier. 

You can create risotto with so many flavors, but this creamy roasted garlic & mushroom risotto is one of my favorites! Another close favorite is my butternut squash risotto.

What is Mushroom Risotto?

Years ago, before I had ever attempted making risotto at home, my friend Christine casually mentioned that she regularly cooked risotto for her kids.

Which surprised me, so I asked her to teach me and explain her method, having only a general idea of how to make risotto based on watching Gordon Ramsay eviscerate contestants on the show Hell’s Kitchen for their failed attempts at risotto.

“Um, you just dump the box of risotto into the water and cook it,” she replied.

Which definitely sounded wrong to me and I teased her that she was holding back and not sharing her secrets for cooking risotto with me when she had so confidently stated that she “made risotto all the time.”

It took a while for us to clear up the confusion and realize that she was using orzo pasta to make what she thought was risotto.

Creamy Risotto Recipe ingredients

So just to be clear, risotto is made with rice, not pasta. And not just any rice. Risotto requires a specific type of rice called arborio rice.

It’s easy to find in the rice section at your local grocery store. Arborio rice has more starch than other types of rice, which results in the unique, texture of a creamy risotto.

I have heard of other varieties or risotto rice called Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, Roma, Ribe and Baldo, but have never personally used those to make risotto.

But please do not attempt risotto with regular white rice or a Jasmine or Basmati rice because you won’t get the desired result with those varieties, which don’t have the same qualities and starch content of real risotto rice.

How to make Mushroom Risotto

1. The traditional method for making risotto involves stirring heated chicken stock or broth into toasted rice in a saucepan, one ladleful of liquid at a time and stirring almost constantly for 20 minutes until the rice is tender but not mushy.
2. The risotto cooks slowly as the hot stock is absorbed (if you added cold liquid each time it would increase the cooking time even more, hence the heated stock), releasing the starch in the rice as it is stirred to achieve it’s characteristic texture and creating a creamy, velvety dish.
3. I’ve made risotto the traditional way many times and it definitely requires a bit of commitment because of the constant babysitting. But worth it for special occasions, of course!
4. But then I stumbled onto Nagi’s technique from Recipe Tin Eats where she explains that if you use a deep skillet or large pot instead of a saucepan, the rice and liquid can spread out and you don’t have to stir it constantly or add the liquid in installments.
5. And since the broth is added all at once instead of by ladlefuls, you don’t have to heat it up, saving even more time and another dirty dish.

5. So I tried this new approach, and you guys, it absolutely works. As in I couldn’t detect any difference in texture between the risottos I have made the traditional way and the one I made using this much easier technique.
6. It’s kind of ingenious, and since you only have to stir the rice once or twice while it simmers, it frees you up to work on other things!

Mushroom Risotto Recipe variations

While classic risotto typically includes butter, cheese, and wine, you can absolutely make risotto without wine by just replacing the same amount of liquid with additional chicken stock or water. We don’t drink wine at our house although I have no qualms about cooking with it since the alcohol cooks off.

In the past I haven’t wanted to buy a bottle of wine only to use ½ a cup for a recipe and would just substitute with extra stock or water, but I recently discovered little 4 packs of individually sized pinot grigio at Safeway when I saw someone checking out in line in front of me with them. Each little bottle has about 2/3 cup of wine in it, which is perfect for my cooking needs!

The creamy roasted garlic & mushroom risotto variation that I’m sharing with you today calls for crimini mushrooms and chanterelles or hedgehog mushrooms (I just discovered them at the Farmer’s Market last weekend!), but you can honestly use 12 ounces total of whatever mushroom varieties you like.

Other good options would be oyster or porcini mushrooms. If you cook the mushrooms first, then transfer them to a plate and add them back in towards the end of cooking the rice, then you can do everything in the same pan.

But other risotto ideas include adding in vegetables (asparagus, peas, and butternut squash are some of my favorites with risotto), meat (cooked chicken, sausages, or lobster are popular) or fish later in the cooking process. Or you could even make a sweet risotto rice pudding!

Leftover risotto can be shaped into balls and then fried, making another classic (and insanely yummy) dish known as ‘arancini’.

How to serve Creamy Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is best served immediately while it’s creamy and hot. The texture changes as it cools, so try to serve it right after cooking.

If serving at a dinner party or a special occasion, consider plating individual servings for an elegant presentation. Spoon a generous portion of mushroom risotto onto individual plates or a large serving platter if you are choosing to serve the risotto family style. You might want to sprinkle freshly chopped parsley, chives, or some microgreens over the top for a burst of color and added flavor and freshness to the dish. I also like to grate or shave Parmesan cheese over the risotto just before serving. The nutty and salty flavors of Parmesan complement the creamy richness of the risotto.

If you reserved some sautéed mushrooms during the cooking process, consider placing a few on top of each serving. This not only looks appealing but also adds extra texture.

How to store Mushroom Risotto

Allow the mushroom risotto to cool to room temperature before storing. Transfer the risotto to an airtight container. If you intend to consume the mushroom risotto within the next 1-2 days, store it in the refrigerator. For longer storage (up to 1-2 months), freeze the mushroom risotto. Divide it into portions for easier thawing and reheating. Thaw frozen risotto in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Reheat the refrigerated risotto on the stovetop or in the microwave. Add a splash of broth or water to help restore its creaminess.

Best Mushroom Risotto Recipe FAQs

More Delicious Risotto Recipes To Inspire You

• Creamy Lemon Risotto from Julia at Plated Cravings
• Mushroom Caprese Risotto with Balsamic Shrimp from Erica at The Crumby Kitchen
• Spring Green Risotto from Tara at Tara Teaspoon

More Rice Dishes You’ll Love

• Easy Rice Pilaf with Orzo Pasta
• Creamy Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
• Skillet Lemon Chicken & Rice
• Cheesy Chicken Broccoli and Rice Casserole
• Homemade Mexican Rice (aka Spanish Rice)

Dessert

Thai Sticky Mango Rice

Side Dish

Easy Cilantro Lime Rice

Recipes

Garlic Rice with Fried Egg

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Creamy Risotto Recipe

5 from 36 votes

Amy Nash

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Uncategorized

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 servings

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Mushroom Risotto is a restaurant quality dish that is perfect for a special occasion dinner and can be served as either a meatless main dish, side dish, or appetizer depending on how you portion each serving.

Ingredients

  

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• ▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ 2 shallots or ½ a medium onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 whole head garlic roasted
• ▢ 8 ounces crimini mushrooms quartered
• ▢ 4 ounces hedgehog or chanterelle mushrooms
• ▢ 1/2 cup dry white wine, like pinot grigio (optional – swap for water or additional chicken broth if desired)
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups arborio rice
• ▢ 4 cups chicken stock
• ▢ 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ▢ Chopped fresh parsley or micro-greens for garnish
• ▢ Salt & pepper, to taste

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Instructions

 

• Heat a large cast iron skillet or pan over medium heat. Cook the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the oil for 5 minutes until they turn brown, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Wipe out the pan and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the chopped shallots or onion and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the roasted garlic, mashing it in a bit, and season with salt and pepper.  
• Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the rice, stirring just until the grains become somewhat translucent – about 1 minute.  
• Add the wine and cook, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until the alcohol is burned off – about 2 minutes. If not using the wine, just skip this step and add the additional water or chicken stock in the next step.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and add 3 cups of chicken stock to the rice. Leaving the skillet uncovered, continue to cook over medium-low until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring just once or twice while the rice cooks.
• Test the rice by tasting a small spoonful.  It should be firm, but not soft. Adjust salt & pepper, as needed, then add additional stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring in between each addition, until the rice is cooked to your taste and the liquid has been absorbed.
• Add the sauteed mushrooms back into the risotto to heat through just as the rice is almost done. When the rice is done, add another splash of chicken broth to make the risotto slightly soupy and remove the pan from the heat.
• Add the butter, Parmesan and lemon zest to the rice and stir thoroughly until the butter is completely melted and the risotto becomes nice and creamy and finishes absorbing any extra stock.  
• Serve immediately, garnishing with shaved Parmesan, additional lemon zest, and micro-greens or freshly chopped parsley.  

Notes

Many restaurants serve their risotto on the soupier side.  If you prefer it that way, add an extra splash of broth to the risotto right at the very end before plating to loosen it up. 

Technique adapted from Recipe Tin Eats.  

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 418mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g

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