Instant Pot Risotto

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A cheesy and creamy Instant Pot risotto recipe. All the flavor of the traditional Italian dish without all the hassle and messy clean-up afterwards!

Kim and I have been fans of Italian food for a long time. You can see Italian influence in quite a few of our dishes.

For example, my homemade chicken alfredo recipe is definitely Italian-inspired. However, when we tried to find an Instant Pot risotto recipe, there weren’t a lot of options.

Well, Kim wanted to change that situation. So, for today’s recipe, we’re sharing a risotto made in a pressure cooker.

She wanted to keep it as true to the original while still maintaining our, “keep it simple,” approach to cooking. This risotto only takes about thirty (30) minutes to prepare.

Hopefully, you find it as easy and delicious as we did. Let’s get cooking!

Two colorful bowls of the instant pot risotto accented with fresh herbs.

Instant Pot Risotto Instructions:

Alright, you know the drill, begin my prepping your ingredients. Chop the herbs, dice the onions, and mince the garlic.

Once that’s out of the way, measure out the butter, chicken stock, rice, and wine. After that, turn your Instant Pot on to sauté and toss in the butter and onions.

Let them cook for a few minutes before adding the garlic and herbs. At this point, don’t allow the garlic to saute for more than 60 seconds; otherwise, it may burn.

Melted butter with diced onions being sauteed in the pressure cooker.

Next, add the rice to mixture. It needs to toast for about 4 minutes. Just make sure you keep stirring everything as it heats.

The last thing you want is rice sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot.

The rice has been to toast for a few minutes.

When the arborio has started to brown slightly, it’s time to pour in the wine. Adding wine to the pressure cooker will help deglaze the pot and add a fruitiness to the dish.

Take a moment to scrape the bottom of the pot.

Broth has been added to the cooker to cover the toasted rice.

Afterward, pour in the chicken broth. Again, use a spoon to stir all the ingredients together. With the broth in the pot, you can now seal your pressure cooker.

Set the device on manual or high pressure to cook for 5 minutes. A 5 minute natural release is also recommended to ensure the rice is fully cooked and not crunchy.

The risotto has cooked and is ready for the parmesan cheese.

Last, once the natural release is done, let out the remaining steam and remove the lid. Simply stir in the shredded Parmesan cheese and the dish is done.

That’s it for this Instant Pot risotto recipe. Kim and I hope you enjoy the dish and wish all the best 🙂

Decorative bowls loaded with instant pot risotto surrounded by herbs.

Instant Pot Risotto Tips:

Not everyone likes alcohol; however, this recipe does call for white wine. If you’d prefer not to use wine, then you can always substitute it out with chicken broth or cooking wine (which I believe has a lower alcohol content).

Keep in mind, that the alcohol will cook out of the dish and leave the fruity flavor in its place. So, it’s really not a big deal to use wine when cooking.

When adding the broth, it’s really important to make sure none of the rice is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Otherwise, there’s a strong possibility you’ll get a burn notice.

Also, we do not recommend using regular rice with this recipe. You need to use arborio, it’s meant for risotto.

Personally, I like to add mushrooms and other veggies to my risottos. All you have to do is toss them in to saute alongside the diced onions. One last thing, if you don’t have fresh herbs, that’s okay. Use a teaspoon of dry herbs instead.

Decorative bowls loaded with instant pot risotto surrounded by herbs.

Instant Pot Risotto

5 from 6 votes
Print Pin
Author: Kimberly
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Come to Pressure and Natural Release: 10 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup white onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Italian herbs, basil, thyme, or oregano, anything you like
  • ½ cup white wine, or substitute with broth
  • 2 cups arborio rice, unrinsed
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded off the block
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Turn on the Instant Pot using the “Saute” function. Allow the liner to get hot, then add the butter and onions. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent (about 3 minutes). Next, add the garlic and fresh herbs. Cook for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minutes.
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    1 cup white onion
    2 garlic cloves
    1 tablespoon Italian herbs
  • Add the rice, and stir continuously for 4-5 minutes to toast.
    2 cups arborio rice
  • Pour in the white wine to deglaze the liner. Use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits of rice off the bottom of the pan. Turn off the Instant Pot.
    ½ cup white wine
  • Add the broth, stir the rice and broth (make sure there is no rice stuck to the bottom of the pan), then close the lid. Use the manual/pressure cook button and adjust the time to 5 minutes.
    4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • After the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 5 minutes before opening the valve to release any remaining pressure.
  • Open the lid and add the Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine and until cheese is completely melted. Serve hot!
    1 cup Parmesan Cheese

Suggested Equipment

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 661mg | Potassium: 122mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 199IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 3mg

Notes

The calories listed are an approximation based on the ingredients and serving size of one (1) cup of risotto. Actual calories will vary. The dish can be stored in your fridge in a sealed container for up to three (3) days. Additionally, the risotto can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth.
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