How to Cook Risotto
This homemade risotto base is the only risotto recipe you'll ever need! Learn how to cook risotto so that it's perfect every single time. This is the perfect Italian side dish, dinner or date night meal! If you need an easy risotto recipe, this is it! It has all of the steps you need to feel confident trying this Italian dinner recipe.
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Easy Risotto Recipe
Risotto is the perfect way to level up your dinners, whether it's a date night or a weeknight! With just a little patience and a little time, you'll have perfectly cooked risotto packed with flavor.
I fell in love with risotto when I studied abroad in Italy, and it's one of the meals I love to make when I want to reminisce about that trip. It also makes for a really good date-night meal. I love making this creamy, vegetarian tomato zucchini risotto and opening a special bottle of wine whenever we get a night to ourselves.
This classic Italian dish is made from starchy, short-grain rice such as Italian Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice. Adding a warmed broth into the rice allows it to absorb the broth slowly. These special rice grains can absorb a lot of liquid, so they are often served with a cheese sauce, broth or wine sauce. Some people might even call it Italian mac and cheese!
This recipe is easy to make — but it takes a little know-how. But once you try it, I know you'll be a pro!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Mastering homemade risotto was one of the first recipes that gave me a huge boost of confidence in cooking. And you'll love it too!
- Risotto feels fancy! It's an impressive dish for date night and dinner parties but easy enough to enjoy on a weeknight.
- It's easy. If you've ever watched a cooking show, the contestants and judges make it seem like risotto is overly complicated and like a delicate flower that you could easily destroy. But it's actually quite easy! And impressive.
- It's a great side dish or main dish! Serve it under a protein like chicken, fish or pork, or enjoy it vegetarian.
What You Need to Make Risotto
Making risotto doesn't require any special equipment — you probably have everything you need at home!
You'll need two saucepans: a small sauce pan for the broth and a medium-size sauce pan for the risotto. You'll want a ladle or large spoon for adding the broth slowly, and a wooden spoon for mixing everything together.
Ingredients
Once you master making a risotto base, you can play with plenty of toppings and proteins. It's such a delicious blank slate.
A good base for risotto uses Arborio rice, garlic, onion (or shallot), white wine, and chicken broth (use vegetable broth to make this vegan risotto)
Use a dry white wine or cooking white wine in your risotto, if you choose to use it. I recommend Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. Bonus: Once you open it, you can pour yourself a glass to enjoy with dinner!
Best Rice for Risotto
There are a lot of variables when it comes to cooking risotto. The temperature of the broth, the type of rice and how often you stir the rice are all factors in making the best risotto. Don't worry, though. None of these things will RUIN a risotto recipe — they may just change the cooking time and the final consistency.
Arborio rice is the easiest rice to find and use for risotto. Do not rinse the rice before you cook it as it has starches on it that are essential to the cooking process to make risotto creamy!
If you don't have arborio rice, you can use another short or medium grain rice in a pinch.
However, avoid Jasmine or Basmati rice because they are not going to have enough starch to make risotto creamy.
Tips for Making Risotto
Risotto is actually so easy to make. In order to make it right every time, remember these three things:
- Don't rush. Risotto does take time and it's a process you really don't want to rush. So be prepared to make this recipe on an evening when you have time.
- Nail the basics first, then go crazy. Getting the base of this recipe is really the key here. Once you have this basic risotto down, the toppings have infinite possibilities.
- The stock temperature matters. Always use warm stock. Any kind will work!
- Cook your toppings separately from risotto. When you're making risotto, you don't want to be trying to time things to cook at the same time in the main pot. Cook any vegetables or proteins separately from the risotto and gently toss them in as the risotto is finished cooking.
How To Cook Risotto
Cooking risotto always seems tricky at first — there are a lot of steps! Once I learned how to cook risotto, I found that risotto isn't nearly as complicated as it seems to be. However, the directions and time it takes to make it can often be a little overwhelming.
But I promise you that you can do it! If you get discouraged after trying it once, I encourage you to try again.
Start by getting out a small sauce pan. Pour in the broth and set to low heat.
- Dice onion and mince garlic. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a sauce pan on medium heat, sauté onions and garlic until almost translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add arborio rice to pan and stir with wooden spoon until the edges are translucent, another 2 minutes.
- Pour in wine and let the wine absorb almost fully, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Use a ladle to pour about ½ cup of broth into the risotto. Allow risotto to almost fully absorb broth before adding another ladle. Stir risotto occasionally, between ladling in broth.
Always use warm stock for risotto. Never cold stock! If your stock is a new container and is at room temperature, that is okay. But the best way to make risotto is to warm your stock in a small saucepan and ladle it into the risotto as it cooks. This can also help cook the risotto faster because it will keep the entire pot warm instead of shocking it with cold liquid over and over again.
- When there is about a ½ cup of broth left to add to the risotto, take a spoonful to test. Risotto typically is served "al dente" but you can cook it to your personal preference. When resting, the risotto will continue to cook so be sure to not overcook it during this process.
- If needed, add the rest of the broth or more to cook to the right consistency for your preference. Add any toppings or proteins into risotto and stir together. (Or serve proteins on top.) Serve immediately.
How to Know When Risotto Is Done
A few things to keep in mind to know when your risotto is fully cooked:
- Texture: Risotto is typically served a bit more cooked than "al dente". If you take a bite of the risotto, it shouldn't be crunchy but should also not be mushy. Find whatever that sweet spot is for your preference. But this definitely means that once you have used up all of the broth, be sure to taste test to catch it before it gets overcooked.
- Creaminess: Risotto will be creamy and still have some liquid to it. It shouldn't be dry and able to form into a ball. If you run your wooden spoon through the risotto, you should see the bottom of the pan and be able to watch the risotto slowly fall back into place.
What to Serve with Risotto
I like to pair risotto with a simple protein like pan-seared chicken thighs for a complete meal that I'm able to make all at once. Once everything has been cooked separately, you can toss it all together gently. Or you can serve your proteins on top. Then top with any shredded cheese you want to use.
Risotto Toppings
Once you have a good base for risotto, the topping possibilities are endless. Try one, two or a combination of these risotto toppings to make your own delicious dish:
- roasted veggies such as mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin)
- grains and legumes such as cooked corn, lentils or white beans
- cheese such as shredded or shaved parmesan, blue cheese, ricotta or mascarpone
- dairy products like butter or browned butter or a splash of heavy cream
- aromatics like thyme, rosemary, oregano, fresh basil or lemon
- oils like olive oil or truffle oil
- black pepper or other finishing seasonings
Risotto Proteins
Risotto can be enjoyed as a side dish or you can serve proteins right on top or mixed in the same sauce. Lemon pepper chicken thighs are great on top or mixed in, or balsamic chicken would be perfect plated next to risotto.
You could also sauté some blackened shrimp in butter or serve cast iron steaks alongside this risotto. The ideas for proteins are endless too, as risotto pairs with just about anything. Try one of these:
- chicken: chicken breast or thighs
- pork: pork chops, pork tenderloin or cooked sausage
- steak: just about any cut, such as filet mignon or rib-eye
- crustaceans: shrimp, lobster or scallops
- fish: salmon, tilapia or tuna
- eggs: fried or poached
FAQ
Risotto and pasta are both Italian dishes, can be served with many veggies, meats and sauces and make for a delicious night meal. But the similarities stop there — the two are very different.
Risotto is a dish made from a type of rice grain and has a creamy texture. It is cooked slowly with broth and is often served hot with vegetables and proteins as a side dish.
Pasta is made from egg- and flour-based noodles and produced in a variety of shapes. We eat pasta hot and cold in a number of ways: mixed with broth to make soup, mixed with cooked meat and veggies and doused with sauce. It is cooked in salted, boiling water in just a few minutes.
Yes, you can. White wine is usually added during the cooking process for risotto to add flavor and acidity. Skipping it won't ruin the recipe, but you may want to squeeze in lemon juice at some point during the cooking process or at the very end for a punch of flavor!
Occasionally. Always stir risotto occasionally. Stirring it too frequently will make it too sticky, but not stirring it at all won't allow the starches of the rice to come in contact with each other, which is what makes the risotto naturally creamy.
Risotto can be made with or without dairy. You can even make vegan risotto.
In fact, even without dairy it can still be quite creamy. Adding the liquid slowly allows the rice to "bump together" which makes risotto creamy naturally without needing to add in any cream. Many recipes call for added cream or cheese for extra creaminess, but risotto can be kept dairy-free very easily.
Yes! Unlike traditional pasta, which is made from wheat flour, risotto is made from rice, a grain that doesn't contain gluten.
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Easy Risotto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 ounces chicken broth beef broth, or vegetable broth
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 medium yellow onion or shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1½ cups Arborio rice
- ¾ cup dry white wine
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, pour in 32 ounces chicken broth and set to low heat.
- Dice 1 medium yellow onion and mince 2 cloves garlic.
- Add 2 of the 4 tablespoons olive oil to a saucepan on medium heat, sauté onions and garlic until almost translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Add 1½ cups Arborio rice to pan and stir with wooden spoon until the edges are translucent another 2 minutes.
- Pour in ¾ cup dry white wine and let the wine absorb almost fully, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Use a ladle to pour about ½ cup of broth into the risotto. Allow risotto to almost fully absorb broth before adding another ladleful. Stir risotto occasionally, between ladling in broth.
- When there is about ½ cup of broth remaining, taste the risotto. Risotto typically is served "al dente" but you can cook it to your personal preference. (When resting, the risotto will continue to cook so be sure to not overcook it during this process.)
- If needed, add the remaining broth to cook to the right consistency for your preference. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
More risotto recipes
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Perfection! Thank you. Easy to make, which is what I love about your recipes, but the flavors were out of this world. Tender rice and veggies a must-try recipe.
I didn't have any white wine on hand so I used your notes and added some lemon juice for acidity. It turned out great!
I made this for dinner last night and the whole family raved! Thanks for the tip about the warm stock -- I had no idea and probably that's why my risotto has always been a little lackluster until now.
This was so easy to follow and made such delicious risotto! I was intimidated by risotto but you made it easy to follow! I'll be making it again soon!
I made this for our Valentine's Day dinner yesterday and it was delicious! It was my first attempt at risotto and your method was very easy and came out creamy with wonderful flavor. I skipped the zucchini and tomatoes, and roasted broccoli and butternut squash in the oven while the risotto cooked on the stove top. I mixed the squash in at the end and topped it with the broccoli. Thank you for the detailed instructions - this is my go-to recipe from now on!
I am SO glad that you liked it so much. Your variation with butternut squash and broccoli sounds AMAZING!! I'll have to try that next!
Risotto is something I've always wanted to try making! Thanks for making it so easy for me in this post. I love how you provided so much information and visual instructions. I can't wait to try making this soon!
I hope you enjoy it! I wanted to try to make sure that this post makes risotto much easier to try!