This Instant Pot Risotto takes most of the work out of the classic risotto but leaves all of the creamy flavor in.
If you love risotto as much as I do, this Instant Pot recipe is going to bring a smile to your face and have you making risotto every other night. Ok, maybe not every night, but when you do crave this creamy Italian rice dish, it’ll only be 20 minutes away. And it won’t have you standing over the stove stirring incessantly.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
This recipe relies on the ingredients of a classic risotto which means you will need to make sure that you have either arborio, carnaroli or vialone nano rice. These three kinds of rice have a very high starch content which gives the risotto that creamy texture. I find that arborio is readily available in most grocery stores if you can’t find the other two.
The other ingredients that you’ll need to gather are broth, white wine, Parmesan cheese, onions, garlic, butter, and fresh thyme.
How To Make Instant Pot Risotto
The process is straight forward and very simple. The sauté function is used to melt the butter and then sweat the onions for about 2 minutes and the garlic for another minute. Then the rice is added. Many Instant Pot recipes require the rice to be rinsed, this is not one of those recipes. No rinsing required.
It’s important to stir the rice so that all of the grains are coated with the butter. When the edges of the rice are translucent and there is a small white dot in the center of each of the grains, it’s time to add the broth and the thyme.
The lid goes on and the pressure cooking time is set for 6 minutes. Yep, that’s it, 6 minutes and then a quick release which generally takes another 7 – 8 minutes depending upon the size of your electric pressure cooker. If your Instant Pot has a rice setting, please don’t use it. The pressure cook setting creates more steam, which helps release the starches from the rice.
When the time is up, I like to take the inner pot of the pressure cooker out to minimize the risk of the risotto overcooking. Do this with oven mitts or pot holders to avoid burns! Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Serving Risotto
Try serving the risotto topped with Roasted Shrimp for a quick dinner or a fried egg for a special weekend breakfast. If you have leftovers, try this recipe for easy risotto balls or arancini as my Italian friend calls them.
If you just can’t find any of the rices, or you just want a risotto-like dish to make with your pantry staples, try my Chicken Breast with Carrots and Rice dinner which uses long-grain white rice and comes out creamy and risotto-like.
Enjoy! – Christine :)
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Instant Pot Risotto
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 as an entree or 8 as a side 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Italian
DESCRIPTION
This Instant Pot Risotto takes most of the work out of the classic risotto but leaves all of the creamy flavor in.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Select Sauté to pre-heat. When the indicator says Hot, add the butter and melt. Add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute.
- Add the rice stirring until all grains are coated with butter. Cook until the edges of the rice are translucent but the center of the rice is opaque, about 2 minutes.
- Press Cancel. Add the broth and thyme. Stir being sure to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot (if anything is stuck to the bottom, you can get a Burn notice from the Instant Pot and it will stop cooking your food).
- Close and lock the lid. Make sure the steam release handle is in the sealed position. Select Pressure Cook and cook on High. Set 6 minutes of pressure cooking time.
- When time is up, do a quick release. When the valve has dropped, unlock the lid and open carefully.
- Using pot holders or oven mitts, remove the inner pot to prevent the risotto from over-cooking.
- Stir in the Parmesan, season with salt and pepper to taste, if needed, and serve immediately.
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