Cooking risotto has never been for the feint of heart… but it is for people with Instant Pots! With this Instant Pot Risotto recipe, your pressure cooker does the heavy lifting and removes all the guesswork. This classic, creamy comfort food is vegetarian with lots of flexible serving options. Tips for getting the best risotto rice in under 30 minutes included below.
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An Easier Way to Make Perfect Risotto
It’s not souffle or galantine, but risotto is up there as one of the most infuriating foods to cook because it’s one of the most difficult recipes to get just right. Thankfully for us 21st century home cooks, we can make risotto in a pressure cooker. Cheating? I beg to differ.
The first time I made risotto in my Instant Pot, I’ll admit to some trepidation, but the results made me a convert. The two biggest problems most people have are not insignificant either: (a) cooking risotto rice to a perfect consistency and (b) achieving maximum creaminess in the dish.
Like a guardian angel over your shoulder, this Instant Pot recipe removes all fear and doubt from the process. It’s no risk and all reward, especially when it comes to keepin’ it creamy!
Once a dish reserved for special occasions, risotto in the instant pot has made this classic Italian comfort food more accessible than ever. I was nearly shocked dead when it produced a truly perfect pot of creamy risotto in under 30 minutes.
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Why Make Risotto in the Instant Pot?
- It’s fast and easy! Ready in just 25 minutes, guaranteed.
- Hands off cooking means less work. The instant pot handles everything – no need to preheat broth or obsessively stir and check your rice.
- Perfectly predictable results vs. stovetop or oven-baked risotto.
- The consistency is absolutely perfect – creamy, bite-tender restaurant quality risotto.
- It’s a one-pot wonder, made start-to-finish in your pressure cooker.
Must Haves for Perfect Instant Pot Risotto
Key Risotto Ingredients
- Arborio rice. Available in most grocery stores, arborio is the best rice for risotto. It is a short-grain rice, and is very starchy. (*Psst* That starch is what creates the creamy texture in the finished risotto.) Unlike most classic rice dishes, don’t rinse the rice first since you need to preserve its starchy coating.
- Dry white wine. I typically use Sauvignon Blanc; Pinot Grigio or an un-oaked Chardonnay are also great selections. Always cook with wine you’d happily drink.
- Butter. Use good quality butter, salted or unsalted (adjust salt to taste as needed). We like Kerrygold.
- Parmesan Cheese. Fresh and finely grated is necessary for the cheese to melt into a creamy coating; grated using a microplane for best consistency.
Essential Tools
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- 6-quart Instant Pot: The 6-quart size is sufficient, and even handles a doubled recipe – perfect for large-batch cooking.
- Microplane: for finely grating the parmesan cheese.
- Rubber spatula: for gently folding in the butter and parmesan cheese.
Watch: Instant Pot Risotto Recipe Video
How to Make Risotto in an Instant Pot
Restaurant quality risotto can be yours in under 30 minutes with this easy Instant Pot Risotto. Cooking risotto in the pressure cooker takes away all of the usual guesswork. This basic risotto recipe results in an anything but basic dish – bite tender, ultra creamy, and perfect for any occasion.
Prep
- Press the saute function and allow the inner pot to heat up. Saute onions in olive oil until soft, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the arborio rice. Toss with the onions and garlic. Saute the rice until chalky white in appearance.
- Add the white wine and deglaze the pot – aka, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook roughly 3 minutes, or until the wine has been absorbed.
- Cancel the saute function. Stir in the broth then top with the thyme sprig.
Pressure Cook
- Secure and seal the lid, then program to High Pressure for 5 minutes.
- Perform a quick release when the timer goes off; wait for the float valve to fully drop before opening the pot.
- At this point, the rice will be fully cooked but may appear just a tiny bit soupy – that’s okay! That starchy liquid will form the creamy sauce.
Finish and Serve
- Remove the thyme stems; the leaves can stay.
- Add the butter and one-third of the parmesan cheese. Stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add another third of the cheese and stir until smooth. Then add the remaining cheese and stir until smooth.
- Season to taste and garnish with more fresh thyme if desired.
Tips for Making Perfect Pressure Cooker Risotto
- Arborio rice is a must, and it’s available in most grocery stores.
- Don’t rinse the rice. Unlike other rice preparation in the instant pot (or elsewhere) you need the starchy residue from the rice to achieve the right consistency.
- Allow the wine to fully absorb before moving onto the next step – the purpose of the wine is add flavor and aroma, and some of that will be lost if you don’t allow it to fully absorb into the rice.
- Finely grate the parmesan cheese – a microplane will yield superior results, but the smallest holes on a box grater will also work.
- If the risotto is still a bit too wet after adding the cheese and butter, turn on the Saute function and cook 2-3 minutes more (stirring frequently!), or until desired consistency is achieved.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Risotto
While I have consumed an entire bowl of risotto as a meal (and certainly will again in the future), generally I like to get some protein and veggies onto my plate as well.
Risotto is an excellent side dish with protein or a grain base for a vegetarian main course:
- With Rosemary Steak or Creamy Rosemary Garlic Chicken and a tossed green salad
- Add Maple Roasted Root Vegetables or Summer Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables on top for a cozy vegetarian main dish
- With Baked Turkey Meatballs and a side of roasted brussel sprouts
Did you make this Instant Pot Risotto? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
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Recipe
Instant Pot Risotto
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Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced to ½"
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c arborio rice, do not rinse first
- ½ c dry white wine
- 2 c chicken broth
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 oz parmesan cheese, finely grated, preferably with a microplane
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- sea or kosher salt, to taste
Instructions
- Press the Saute function and allow the inner pot to heat up. Add the olive oil, heat it until it shimmers, then add the onion. Saute the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
- Add the arborio rice and toss to coat in the fat with the onions. Saute the rice 2 minutes, or until very fragrant and chalky white in appearance.
- Add the white wine to deglaze the pot; scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and continue to saute until the wine has been absorbed, about 3 minutes.
- Press the Cancel button. Add the broth and stir to combine, then top with fresh thyme.
- Secure the lid and ensure the pressure valve is set to Sealing. Press the Pressure Cook Button, adjust to High Pressure, and set the timer for 5 minutes. Once the time goes off, do a quick release for the pressure. Allow the pressure to release until the float valve has dropped.
- Remove the lid from the pressure cooker, then fish out the thyme stems (leave the leaves). Add butter and one-third of the parmesan cheese, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Add another third of the parmesan cheese, folding until the cheese melts into the risotto; then add the last third of cheese and stir until completely smooth. Taste for seasoning and add pepper to taste and salt if needed (parmesan is salty, so you may need none). Garnish with fresh thyme if desired and serve immediately.
Notes
- Arborio rice is a must for risotto.
- Don’t rinse the rice. Unlike other rice preparation in the instant pot (or elsewhere) you need the starchy residue from the rice to achieve the right consistency.
- Allow the wine to fully absorb for best flavor.
- Finely grate the parmesan cheese – a microplane will yield superior results, but the smallest holes on a box grater also work well.
Barb
Amazing i will be making this again very soon.
Grace
Is it possible to double this recipe without the proportions being thrown off?
Danielle
With the caveat that I haven’t doubled this recipe in the IP myself (I’ve only doubled stovetop recipes), yes, I think this will work. Be sure that all of the wine has been absorbed before proceeding to the next step. I would also add 1 minute to the total cook time, so 6 minutes high pressure.
Kym
Gamechanger is an understatement! My mind is literally blown at how easy this is to prepare and HOW AUTHENTIC it tastes. Why would anyone go back to slaving over the stove when this priceless recipe exists???? Move over Gordon Ramsay. Danielle is in the HOUSE! Thanks so much! xoxo
Annie
Hi! Do you use unsalted or salted butter for this recipe?
Danielle
You can use either, but if you are salt-sensitive, I’d stick with unsalted and then season to taste after adding the cheese.
Sheri
So easy and SO GOOD! I’d only ever eaten risotto in restaurants because I has heard how time consuming it was to make it. Not anymore. I’ll be making this A LOT.
Danielle
Yay! So glad we can help you recreate a restaurant favorite at home!