Learn how to make risotto and master the cooking technique. This simple risotto recipe involves sauteing aromatics and rice first, then gradually adding the liquid. Continuous stirring ensures separate grains and a creamy texture.
Recipe Science
- For risotto, use arborio rice. Its short-grain structure and high starch content give a creamy, sticky texture.
- Don’t rinse arborio rice before cooking! Its oval shape and extra starches create a creamy, pudding-like texture.
- Stir the rice frequently to prevent clumping. This releases starch for a creamy texture while keeping the grains separate.
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Why It Works
If there’s one dish, home cooks should never rush through; it’s a big pot of risotto. This Italian rice dish consists of common pantry ingredients that transform into a customizable gourmet meal. The key to success is time and attention. However, I’ll show you a few more techniques to make this classic comfort food.
To start cooking risotto, saute the aromatics and rice to deepen the flavors. White wine adds oaky notes and bright acidity to the starches. Stirring constantly in warm stock ensures the liquids fully absorb naturally, creating a thickened texture without flour. This recipe engages all your senses and allows you to slow down, grab a glass of vino, and enjoy the process.
What is Risotto?
Risotto is a traditional northern Italian dish made from arborio rice. The name comes from the cooking technique. You continuously stir the grains (rice, barley, farro). The process involves gradually adding warm stock or broth like vegetable, chicken, fish, or beef to the grains, and over time, the liquid absorbs. The natural starches in the rice swell and thicken, creating a creamy consistency.
You enhance the dish’s flavor with onions, garlic, olive oil, white wine, and aged hard-grating cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. Other ingredients, like bacon, mushrooms, peas, or butternut squash, can be sauteed and added to customize the meal. It can be served as a side dish or main dish.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Rice: A traditional risotto uses Italian arborio rice. It’s a short-grain rice variety high in starch content and yields a creamy texture. It contains about 19 to 21% amylose, which generates a softer and stickier consistency instead of fluffy and dry like long-grain white rice. Just be sure not to rinse off those starches with water as you would when cooking long-grain rice.
- Oil: To add a nutty flavor, I toast the risotto rice with high-quality olive oil.
- Wine: Use a dry white wine like chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio. The unique flavors developed during fermentation for each variety eventually infuse into the dish. I prefer the chardonnay for its light, oaky, and buttery notes.
- Stock: Use vegetable stock of broth to hydrate the grains of rice.
- Alliums: Adding minced garlic and diced onions to risotto builds a flavorful foundation. The onions provide sweetness and depth, while the garlic adds a subtle, savory aroma. Sautéing them together enhances the overall taste, balancing the rich, creamy texture of the risotto.
- Seasoning: Salt and pepper enhance the savory taste of the mild-flavored rice.
- Cheese: Stirring in Parmesan cheese adds a rich, savory flavor with a nutty, salty finish. As it melts, it enhances the risotto’s creamy texture, giving the dish that signature velvety feel while balancing the starchiness of the rice.
- Herbs: The dish is garnished with freshly chopped parsley. The mild herb adds a subtle herbaceous note and a pop of green color.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
Once you have learned the basic risotto technique, it’s easy to customize! Try these delicious ideas:
- Liquid: If you plan to add a protein like chicken, beef, pork, sausage, or seafood to the dish, you can pair it with different types of stock and broth. Chicken broth has the most neutral taste and color.
- Wine Substitutes: To add a hint of red wine, use rosé. Choose a more acidic option like Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or sparkling wine like prosecco for a crisp white wine. If you need a substitute, try white grape juice or stock with a teaspoon of white wine vinegar for a similar effect.
- Cheese Options: For a sharper, saltier kick, try Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano Reggiano. Mascarpone adds a rich creaminess, while Fontina melts beautifully for a smooth, mild flavor. Gorgonzola can also bring a bold, tangy twist to the dish.
- Add Vegetables: Try my mushroom risotto for a more robust umami flavor. My pea risotto is delicious for a spring dish, and my butternut squash risotto is perfect for a fall dish.
- Add Seafood: Top the risotto with lobster tail, seared scallops, or garlic butter shrimp.
- Herbs: Add saffron threads to infuse a stunning bright yellow hue to the rice. Garnish with delicate herbs live chives, tarragon, or basil.
How to Make Risotto
Step 1: Warm the Stock
Vegetable broth or stock infuses extra flavor into each grain than water. The liquid needs time to heat before adding to the rice. The increased temperature allows quicker absorption and reduces cooking time to about 30 minutes. The heat also helps maintain a simmer, allowing the rice to continue tenderizing and starches to swell.
Step 2: Cook the Aromatics
Chopped onions and garlic add a classic flavor base to risotto. The onions sweat and caramelize as moisture is driven off the surface, which adds a hint of sweetness. The sulfurous compounds in the onions and garlic soften with the heat and deliver rich, savory glutamates to the dish.
Step 3: Toast the Rice
Saute the rice first in olive oil before adding the stock. The oil creates a thin lipid protective layer, preventing the starches’ immediate release. Without the oil layer, the grains would rapidly stick together and clump. The brief exposure to dry heat also toasts the grains, adding a nutty taste.
Pro Tip: The oval shape and extra starches provide a creamy, pudding-like consistency when cooked on the stovetop. The softened grains’ characteristic al dente texture has some chew and stays separate when suspended in the thickened stock or broth.
Step 4: Reduce the Wine
Add the wine to the pan and stir for about 1 to 2 minutes, allowing the liquid to evaporate. This process concentrates the flavors, leaving a subtle acidity that enhances the dish without overpowering it.
Ingredient Chemistry: The grape’s natural acidity from tartaric and malic acid enhances the other ingredients’ sweet and savory notes. The wine also helps to deglaze any stuck food bits in the pan. You don’t want the dish to taste boozy, so simmer until the alcohol evaporates.
Step 5: Cook the Rice
Making risotto is different from other ways of cooking rice. Risotto cooks without a cover, so instead of steaming, it simmers until the liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is al dente.
A steady simmer ensures that the grains will soften over time. I only add ½ cup of stock at a time. This amount makes it easier to observe the liquid absorption and watch the texture change as it continues to cook.
Tips for Perfect Execution: This risotto recipe requires patience and careful attention. It’s crucial to constantly stir to prevent the grains from sticking together. The agitation also encourages the starches to release from the rice’s surface while keeping them separate.
Step 6: Add the Seasonings
Once the rice finishes cooking, stir in grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper.
The dry-aged cheese adds a beautiful nuttiness and extra gooey creaminess to the dish.
Step 7: To Serve
Serve risotto right away. As the starches cool down, they get thicker and set into a more rigid gel. Plus, more moisture is absorbed by the rice as it sits. Add a little more warm stock or broth and stir to loosen the texture.
Top with freshly grated Parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh parsley—my favorite way to add a touch of flavor and brightness to the dish!
Frequently Asked Questions
The secret to a good risotto is releasing the starch from the rice. Toasting the arborio in olive oil adds a nutty depth of flavor and helps the grains hold their shape. The rice has a high level of amylose starch for a softer, stickier texture. As you slowly add warm broth and stir, the agitation hydrates and swells the starches, creating that creamy texture. Be patient and stir frequently!
Pair it with dishes that add contrast and balance to complement the creamy texture of risotto. Grilled shrimp, seared scallops, roasted chicken, or reverse-seared steak bring a savory, meaty element. Roasted asparagus, broccolini, sautéed mushrooms, or a fresh arugula salad add brightness and earthiness. Serve it with crispy pancetta or prosciutto for a salty, umami boost.
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Classic Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 cups vegetable stock, or broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onions, ¼" dice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups arborio rice
- ½ cup dry white wine, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Warm Stock – In a large pot, add the vegetable stock and heat over medium-low heat until warmed to about 120 to 130ºF (49 to 54ºC), about 10 minutes.
- Cook Aromatics – Heat a separate Dutch oven or large saute pan with high sides over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once hot, add the onions and garlic. Cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Toast Rice – Add the rice, stir and cook until the grains are coated with oil and lightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce Wine – Add the wine to the pan and stir until the liquid has evaporated, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Cook Rice – Add the warm stock, ½ cup at a time, stirring frequently. Add more stock once most of the liquid has been absorbed. Continue to add the stock in ½ cup additions, stirring continuously for the liquid to be absorbed, and until the rice is tender yet slightly chewy, about 25 to 30 minutes. The final result should be loose, separate grains that are creamy and suspended in the stock, with oatmeal-like consistency. Not all of the stock may be used.
- Add Seasonings – Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese, salt, and black pepper. Season to taste.
- To Serve – Immediately serve garnished with parmesan cheese and parsley.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: 6 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Storing: Cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze in a resealable bag for up to 3 months, and defrost before using.
- Reheating: If not served right away, the rice will continue absorbing the liquid and thickening further. Add more warm stock as needed right before serving to loosen the consistency. Warm over medium heat, stir, and warm until hot.
- Make it Vegetarian: Look for vegetarian parmesan that does not contain animal rennet; instead, use microbial/vegetarian rennet.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Recipe Resources
Pantry Staples
Types of Rice
Food Science
Stock vs. Broth: What’s the Difference?
Health Notes
Mary Jo says
Hi Jessica,
How far can I make this risotto in advance for a dinner party?
I’d like to have a cocktail hour before dinner and be able to enjoy being with my friends.
I’m looking to make it approximately 2 hrs.before serving.
Jessica Gavin says
You can definitely make the risotto a few hours in advance and keep it covered on the stovetop. Before serving, just add more stock or some water if needed to reheat and loosen the consistency a bit. The starches in the rice will thicken the dish when not serving right away.
Anthon says
Hi, Jessica!
Milan version of Risotto has some butter adding before parmesan injection. I like it more.
Jessica Gavin says
The addition of butter sounds delicious!