This post may contain paid links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
My Creamy Mushroom Risotto is both easy to make and delicious. It takes just 35 minutes to make mushroom risotto. I guarantee you'll want to serve it as a side dish for everything from steak and chicken to full-course holiday meals!
Jump to:
Mushroom Risotto Ingredients
- Chicken stock
- Olive oil
- Arborio rice
- White mushrooms
- Sea Salt
- Black pepper
- Unsalted butter
- White wine
- Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Parsley, fresh, chopped
How to Make Mushroom Risotto
- Add chicken stock to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow it to come to a simmer, and keep it warmed on the stove until ready to use.
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add the rice and allow it to lightly toast in the pan.
- Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook until the rice and mushrooms begin to brown.
- Increase the heat to high. Add wine and stir, cooking on high for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Then, reduce the heat to medium-high.
- Gradually add the warmed chicken stock using a large spoon or ladle while stirring. As it cooks, the rice will begin to absorb the liquid; keep slowly adding the stock until it's all mixed through. For a creamy risotto, make sure to stir frequently (once every 30 seconds).
- Continue to cook for about 20 minutes or until the stock is fully absorbed, stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add butter and Parmesan cheese, and mix through until melted.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with chopped parsley and additional Parmesan. Enjoy!
Making Creamy Mushroom Risotto Tips
- Make sure to stir frequently, about once every 30 seconds, when you're cooking risotto. It's important to keep stirring so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and reaches the creamy texture a risotto should have.
- Don't over-stir, though! It's easy to worry yourself into thinking you have to stir non-stop, but you won't get the right texture that way, either.
- Do not skip warming the stock. This is an important factor in whether your risotto cooks evenly! Cold stock will cool the dish down and ruin the texture of the risotto. So, keep the stock warm!
- Add the stock gradually. Don't pour it in all at once, or you'll never get that creamy consistency you're looking for.
- Serve it right away. Risotto does not keep well, and will become mushy if you store it. It should be served and enjoyed right away, so make sure you make only the quantity you need for your meal.
Make-Ahead Risotto
Contrary to popular belief, you can make risotto ahead of time if you know the secret all restaurants use for quick risotto.
- To make risotto ahead of time, follow the instructions up to step 6 (before adding any dairy).
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the risotto out into a single layer onto the sheet pan. Let it cool the refrigerator to stop the rice from cooking further.
- Once the rice cools completely, transfer it to an airtight container. Store it for up to 3 days.
- When you're ready to finish and serve your risotto, bring the rice to room temperature and heat a pan over medium heat. Add the rice to the pan and warmed chicken stock (you won't need as much as you used when first preparing the rice, so just add it gradually to reach the texture you want), stirring as you add the stock.
- Once the stock is absorbed, add butter and Parmesan, stirring through until combined. For a creamier risotto, add a bit of heavy cream.
TIP: Before storing the rice in step 2, taste test it so you can be sure it's cooked exactly how you like.
What is Risotto?
To put it simply, Risotto is a traditional Italian side dish consisting of creamy rice and cheese. You make it by cooking the rice very slowly, gradually adding liquid over time to create a smooth and rich sauce while leaving the rice with somewhat of a chew (slightly al dente).
It's a versatile dish you can use as a base for other recipes, like fried risotto balls (arancini), or as the perfect bed of creamy rice to serve under everything from steak to seafood.
Chances are, if you've watched any popular cooking competition on TV, you've seen someone try to make risotto. That alone might have given you the impression risotto is hard to make!
What Rice to use for Risotto
Use medium to short grain rice with a high starch content for risotto. Arborio is the most common type of rice to use, and will work the best. However, if you can find carnaroli rice, use it.
If you're in a pinch, any rice that fits this criteria (short to medium-grain) can be used.
Mushroom Risotto Variations
- If you like garlic, you can saute a bit of fresh garlic before the rice, or add a pinch of garlic powder to the dish.
- The same goes for onions: feel free to saute garlic and onion together as a base for your mushroom risotto.
- Fresh herbs are a great finishing touch to risotto. I use parsley, but you can also use other herbs, like thyme.
Creamy Mushroom Risotto FAQ
There are a few tricks to making good, creamy risotto. First: make sure you use stock warmed on the stove; cold stock will ruin your risotto. Second: stir every 30 seconds, but don't over-stir; it's easy to make yourself think you need to stir more than you actually do. Third: don't add the stock all at once, or your rice won't absorb it properly; add it gradually in ladle-fulls while stirring. Fourth: use high-quality ingredients, like good Parmesan cheese and quality drinking wine.
The trick to cooking risotto quickly is to par-cook it. This means partially cooking the risotto before adding the full amount of chicken stock, and leaving out the butter and cheese. See above for my tips on making risotto ahead of time to learn the secret.
You can use water instead of chicken broth and still achieve a delicious mushroom risotto with plenty of flavor, but you may want to add more seasonings if you do.
What to Serve with Risotto
- Crock Pot Chicken Legs: One of my favorite main course dishes to serve over a bed of creamy risotto, and beyond easy.
- Grilled Pork Steak: Thinly sliced pork steak is delicious over this risotto recipe.
- Air Fryer Meatballs: I love serving meatballs over risotto for an almost Italian Wedding-style meal.
- Wagyu Steak: A meal doesn't get more luscious than wagyu steak with truffle butter over creamy mushroom risotto.
- Truffle Butter Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 32 oz chicken stock
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 1 cup sliced white mushrooms
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- ¼ cup white wine - dry or semi-dry
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh parsley - chopped - optional
Instructions
- Add chicken stock to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Allow it to come to a simmer, and keep it warmed on the stove until ready to use.32 oz chicken stock
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Add the rice and allow it to lightly toast in the pan.2 tablespoon olive oil,1 cup Arborio rice
- Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cook until the rice and mushrooms begin to brown.1 cup sliced white mushrooms,¼ teaspoon salt,¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- Increase the heat to high. Add wine and stir, cooking on high for 2-3 minutes while stirring. Then, reduce the heat to medium-high.¼ cup white wine
- Gradually add the warmed chicken stock using a large spoon or ladle while stirring. As it cooks, the rice will begin to absorb the liquid; keep slowly adding the stock until it's all mixed through. For a creamy risotto, make sure to stir frequently (once every 30 seconds).
- Continue to cook for about 20 minutes or until the stock is fully absorbed, stirring frequently (once every 30 seconds).
- Reduce the heat to low. Add butter and Parmesan cheese, and mix through until melted.2 tablespoon unsalted butter,¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Transfer to a serving bowl and top with chopped parsley and additional Parmesan. Enjoy!fresh parsley - chopped
Notes
- Make sure to stir frequently, about once every 30 seconds, when you're cooking risotto. It's important to keep stirring so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and reaches the creamy texture a risotto should have.
- Don't over-stir, though! It's easy to worry yourself into thinking you have to stir non-stop, but you won't get the right texture that way, either.
- Do not skip warming the stock. This is an important factor in whether your risotto cooks evenly! Cold stock will cool the dish down and ruin the texture of the risotto. So, keep the stock warm!
- Add the stock gradually. Don't pour it in all at once, or you'll never get that creamy consistency you're looking for.
- Serve it right away. Risotto does not keep well, and will become mushy if you store it. It should be served and enjoyed right away, so make sure you make only the quantity you need for your meal.
Jill Hancock says
Lovin your site and have to try the mushroom risotto as soon as
possible. Await your e book👏
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Jill, thank you so much! If you sign up for my newsletter, you'll have my e-books sent directly to you to download. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions, too. Take care!