Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
by Chungah
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Easy no-fuss restaurant-quality mushroom risotto! A fool-proof recipe with the most perfect consistency every time. So creamy, so velvety!
Featured Comment
So freaking good. made it twice, once with the veggies and one without the peas and spinach. Will forever be on the menu as a special treat! So fast with the IP also, when you forget to make a starch it’s a perfect go-to.
Why you’ll love this instant pot mushroom risotto
- Restaurant-quality and affordable. Homemade risotto is incredibly budget-friendly, yielding restaurant-quality results (if not better) with a simple push of a button on your Instant Pot®, giving you complete control of all the ingredients.
- Ridiculously easy. This recipe is unbelievably easy – we’re talking no stirring, no babysitting, no fuss of any kind. The pressure cooker does all the heavy lifting for us.
- Fool-proof. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or it’s your first time making risotto, this is a fool-proof recipe that is impossible to mess up!
- Perfect consistency. The consistency of the risotto is simply perfect every single time – creamy, velvety, and al dente with a slight bite.
- Leftovers are even better. If you are graced with any leftovers, you can repurpose the extras into arancini (fried Italian rice balls!).
How to make mushroom risotto in the instant pot
- Sauté the aromatics. First, cook the garlic and onion in a 6-qt Instant Pot® until the onions are softened and translucent.
- Brown the mushrooms. Then really brown the mushrooms until tender with golden brown edges for a deeper, richer base.
- Toast the rice. Stir in the arborio rice until toasted.
- Pressure cook. Stir in the chicken stock and thyme, pressure cooking for 6 minutes on high with an immediate quick release to avoid overcooking the risotto.
- Add the greens. Stir in the butter, spinach, peas, and Parmesan, seasoning one last time with salt and pepper.
- Serve. Serve warm, garnished with additional Parmesan.
Pro tip
Toast the arborio rice first.
This will bring out all the rich, toasty, warm, nutty flavors in the risotto.
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt Instant Pot®
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto: Frequently Asked Questions
What mushrooms are best here?
Cremini, baby bella, chanterelles, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms are all great options. You can use an assortment or just one variety.
Can I use fresh herbs instead?
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme = 1 teaspoon dried thyme.
What can I substitute for the spinach?
Arugula or shredded kale are both excellent options.
Why does my risotto look soupy?
After opening the lid, the risotto may look soupy but with a few stirs (and a little bit of rest), the residual starch will help thicken the risotto naturally to its final creaminess.
Can you halve the recipe?
Yes! I have had much success halving the recipe by halving all the ingredients except decreasing the arborio rice to 1/3 cup and decreasing the cook time to 5 minutes.
Can I make this vegetarian?
Sure! Swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
Is risotto freezer-friendly?
Risotto will not hold up very well in the freezer and can result in a grainy texture when reheated.
Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
Easy no-fuss restaurant-quality mushroom risotto! A fool-proof recipe with the most perfect consistency every time. So creamy, so velvety!
Video
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ¾ cup frozen peas, thawed
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Set a 6-qt Instant Pot® to the high saute setting. Melt 2 tablespoons butter; add garlic and onion, and cook, stirring often, until onions have become translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in arborio rice until toasted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in chicken stock and thyme. Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 6 minutes. When finished cooking, quick-release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions.
- Stir in spinach and remaining 2 tablespoons butter until the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in peas and Parmesan until heated through, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Serve immediately.
Equipment
Notes
- Use a variety of mushrooms. This recipe uses cremini mushrooms for convenience and simplicity but feel free to substitute baby bella, chanterelles, shiitake or oyster mushrooms, using an assortment or just one variety.
- Do not rinse the rice prior to using. Typically it is recommended to rinse rice under cold water to remove any excess starch. In this case, the excess starch is essential to risotto, providing its creamy consistency. Removing the starch (washing the arborio rice) can lead to gummy risotto.
- Deglaze with a splash of wine. Add a splash of dry white wine (pinot grigio or chardonnay) to deglaze the bottom of the pot. This helps prevent the dreaded burn signal while also adding deep flavor by lifting up all the browned bits (fond) and bright acidity to the risotto.
- Freshly grated Parmesan goes a long way. Pre-packaged shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that can hinder their ability to melt smoothly. Freshly grated cheese is always best, melting more smoothly and evenly, and creating a far superior creamy risotto.
- Let it rest. The risotto may look soupy initially but allow it to rest for 2-3 minutes before stirring frequently. It will thicken as it sits, transforming into restaurant-quality creaminess.
- Make it vegetarian. Vegetable stock can be used for the chicken stock.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the rice will continue to soak up the stock.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe is delicious! Rice was cooked PERFECTLY! Then again, I’ve never had a bad recipe from you, Chungah!
Hi! I am a HUGE Damn Delicious fan and just purchased my first instant pot. I do however have a question. I couldn’t find Arborio rice I did find Basmati, can this be substituted?
Yes, Savannah, you can absolutely substitute basmati rice but cooking time may vary.
I just got a 6 qt. instant pot. This recipe will be my first attempt at using it. Is the 6 quart instant pot big enough for me to double your recipe? Thanks for everything!
Tess, I worry that the 6-qt IP may not be large enough to double the recipe. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Made this tonight and it was another hit! Very easy to make. My meat eating husband even loved it!
Making this for the second time in 3 days. Hubby said it was his new favorite vegetarian recipe ever! It really is a lovely risotto and so darn simple and fast. Thank you for sharing your good food with us all!!!
Delicious and sooooo easy. I used shiitake, button and dried porcini mushrooms (which I’d soaked in warm water and used 1 1/2 cups of this as stock and added 1/2 cup white wine. This gave a deep, rich mushroom flavour. I used leeks instead of onions. Lots of freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt and tonnes of Parmesan cheese. I didn’t have any peas so just used spinach. Will use this approach again!!
I will try this risotto this weekend, but I have like normal mushrooms, not the cremini. Do you know if that can affect a lot the result? Thank you
Not at all, Cristina! 🙂
Made this for the first time tonight, and it’s so good! Creamy and delicious, and really it didn’t take much time at all. I omitted the onion and used dried onion flakes because I didn’t have any onion on hand, but it was still delicious. Even my picky 16 month old liked it.
Great and easy as advertised.
I’ve made this a couple of times now and we love it. It’s super easy and, so far, seems to be foolproof. I use a full cup of peas and slightly more than 2 cups of spinach to boost the veggie power for a main course. And I double the thyme because we like it herbs. SO good!
I’ve made this recipe several times, and it is absolutely delicious and easy! I added bite-sized pieces of three boneless, skinless chicken thighs at about the same time as the mushrooms, and everything cooked perfectly. Thank you for this great dish!
Love this recipe, I don’t usually leave reviews but this was delicious. My husband is a very picky eater and he was asking for seconds the next day. We decided to add pan seared scallops the second time we made it and it was even better.
Thanks!
So easy and delicious. Treated myself for lunch, and love how easy it was to make.
After making risotto the old way (years ago), I swore I would never make it again as its labor intensive. This is simple, I didnt add as much spinach (personal preference) and it turned out fantastic.
I just bought an instant pot and couldn’t decide which recipe to try as my first. I ended up choosing this one and made it today. It was super easy to make and turned out amazing! This is definitely a new favorite that I plan to make until I get sick of it.
Love it!
This was PERFECT. One of my favourite recipes. Leftovers were delicious heated up in a pan with butter. Yum!
That sounds delicious!
Made this as one of my first recipes in instapot and looooooved it so much. Kids were fighting for more. I’ll have to double next time!
Have you doubled or tripled this recipe yet? I have a big family and new to the IP… wondering if 6 minutes will cook 2-3 cups rice??
i doubled the rice and stock and found it cooked in about 7-8 mintes , it feed 8 with good size portions
My family loves this but I would like to double the recipe but do I change the time
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
I have an 8qt pot. If I double the recipe, do I double the time? I just got my instant pot so don’t know much about it yet.
When using an 8qt Instant Pot, the timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I more than doubled the recipe (2.5 cups of Arborio rice, 5 cups of broth), used asparagus instead of peas and cooked in the pressure cooker setting on high for 8 minutes. Turned out great!
I would love to try this recipe. One question – Can this be made in the 8 qt Instant Pot following these directions or do I need to adjust for the larger capacity?
When using an 8qt Instant Pot, the timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I reduced the broth to 1 3/4 cups and added 1/4 cup of wine. Next time I will add 1/2 cup instead. It was Delicious!
This is the exact comment I was looking for. Thanks for the tip!