Dairy-Free Vegetable Risotto Recipe

Add this creamy, comforting, flavorful vegetable risotto to your kitchen repertoire – It’s the perfect way to use up all those leftovers hanging out in your fridge for a romantic dish to serve.

In this version, savory mushrooms, bright bell peppers, and sweet green peas pair together extremely well – but feel free to use whatever vegetables are available and in season.

Made in 30 minutes or less, you can easily throw it together for a quick weeknight dinner or last-minute side dish. For an even more well-rounded meal, serve your risotto with some extra plant-based proteins like tofu, tempeh, or chickpeas.

While not exactly a traditional recipe (no butter or parmesan cheese here), this plant-based version of risotto contains zero cholesterol or saturated fats. Plus, it’s loaded with vegetables that are high in vitamins and minerals essential to a healthy diet!

Want to make this meal more budget-friendly?

Replace ½ of the vegetable broth with water.
Use vegetables that are in season.
Skip the olive oil and use water instead.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes

Cost: $3.72 recipe | $0.93 serving

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Vegan Mixed Vegetable Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil ($0.22)
125 grams of brown mushrooms, sliced ($0.25)
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced ($0.23)
2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.08)
1 teaspoon thyme ($0.01)
1 ½ cups arborio rice ($2.43)
6 cups vegetable broth ($0.18)
1 cup green peas ($0.21)
1 tablespoon lemon juice ($0.09)
Salt & pepper to taste ($0.02)
Fresh parsley (optional)
Vegan parmesan (optional)

Instructions

Heat vegetable broth in a saucepan over medium until simmering, then reduce heat to low to keep warm.
In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium and sauté mushrooms and bell pepper for 3-4 minutes, or until tender. Add in garlic and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Season with 1 teaspoon thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.
Mix in arborio rice and cook for 60 seconds, stirring frequently. Pour in ½ cup vegetable broth and continue stirring for another 60-90 seconds until the liquid absorbs.
While continuing to stir, add heated vegetable broth ½ cup at a time. Note: Make sure to keep the risotto at a simmer (not a boil).
Continue this process with ½ cup of vegetable broth at a time until the rice is “al dente” — about 20-22 minutes. Add green peas to the risotto with the last ladleful of broth.
Cook for another few minutes, or until heated through.
Add lemon juice and 3-4 tablespoons of vegan parmesan (optional). Taste and season with more salt and pepper to your liking.
Serve immediately with a sprinkle of extra vegan parmesan, fresh parsley, and lemon zest. Enjoy!

Notes:

You can replace ½ cup vegetable broth with dry white wine (check that it’s vegan-friendly).
To avoid any pauses in the cooking process, make sure to use heated vegetable broth.
Make your own vegan parmesan by blending nutritional yeast, cashews, salt, and garlic powder.
For a less hands-on approach, add all of the broth at the same time. Just make sure to stir the rice fairly frequently to avoid sticking.