Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto
by Chungah
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
I read this a couple of times and don’t see when to add the peas??
Please refer to step #4.
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.
Can I make this using the small 3-Q Instant Pot? I’m assuming the cook time would have to be adjusted? I didn’t realize when I purchased mine that most IP recipes are for the 6Q size.
When using a 3qt or “mini” Instant Pot, the general rule of thumb is to divide the recipe in half with the same cook time. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Awesome recipe!! Turned out perfect! Thank-you! 🙂
This is great and the best risotto I’ve ever made (InstaPOT, seriously where have you been all my life)! I used Portobello mushrooms, added a tad of white wine, Italian parsley-at the end, chicken, and had to use Asiago as it was what I had on hand-damn delicious nonetheless!
Measurements were perfect (I doubled for my large family) and it still worked out great.
*Chungah, I made the InstantPot ribs the other night-so good, your recipe was perfect!
Awesome! Thanks!
I have to admit it, I had low expectations as to how this recipe would turn out. After all, risotto that you don’t have to fuss over, c’mon how good could that be. I am happy to report that I couldn’t have been more wrong. Despite making a couple of changes out of necessity (didn’t want to go to the grocery store and couldn’t wait to try my new IP) , it was fabulous. I used fresh thyme, 1/3 cup of parm, and left out the peas and spinach. I will definitely make it as the recipe indicates next time, just to see what I’m missing.
Great to hear! Thanks, Karen!
Is it possible to double this recipe in IP? What would I do with water and time?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Made this the other night and definitely adding it to our weekly rotation. My kids (2 years old, 10 monts old) both loved it!!! It was so creamy. I’m going to add some more veggies next time though – maybe corn and carrots?
Yes, that sounds amazing!
Hi, I have never had Risotto because it is not made with Jasmine rice. Does the type of rice really make a difference?
Yes, it is important to use arborio rice for this recipe, not jasmine rice. 🙂
I have substituted arborio rice with short-grain Asian rice and quinoa before to good results. My wife normally hates quinoa, but she enjoyed the quinoa risotto. I want to try using brown rice next time. I might need to double or triple the cooking time. I’ll post my results.
Hi Scott! I only have medium-grain white rice. Did you find that you needed to change the time or was the 6 minutes good when you used the short-grain rice? Thanks!
made this tonight. added chopped, cooked chicken with the peas. it.was.delicious.
It sounds delicious!
Do you know if there is any difference at all when using the 8 qt size? I wouldn’t think so, but just got mine and am wondering?
Thanks!
The 8qt Instant Pot will take longer to come to pressure but cooking time should stay relatively the same.
I have an IP Ultra, and recently made a similar risotto recipe. My husband loved it and while out to dinner the other night, he ordered a rock fish mushroom risotto dish. If I add rock fish (since I have a freezer full at the moment), should I add it when the risotto is finished and cook for another minute or two? I would really like to add the fish since we have so much right now.
Thanks Chungah and Team, we love your recipes!!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I made this tonight and it was fantastic! I added some chickpeas for protein. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Great!
Tried this tonight because the idea of making risotto on the stove didn’t blow my hair back. I have an 8 qt and did 1.5 rice with 3 stock. Turned out great!! Nice texture on the rice, not gummy at all. Cooked it for 6 min.
That’s great! Thanks for sharing.
I love that I can finally make risotto now that I have an instant pot. It was so yummy and I forgot to add the cheese!
It’ll be even better with cheese next time!
Has anyone tried to substitute with jasmine rice?
Thanks for posting this – I needed the liquid to rice ratio, as well as the time and pressure setting. Both were perfect!
Glad to hear it!
I made this last night and couldn’t believe how easy it was! Can’t believe it only needed 6 minutes in the Instant Pot (after reaching pressure). It definitely did not taste like a “cheat” risotto – it was absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to make other risottos in the IP in the future. The only thing I changed – I accidentally added 4 tablespoons of butter in the beginning (instead of 2), but I still ended up adding the tablespoon of butter with the spinach. So overall, I did 5 tablespoons of butter. I also at least doubled (probably tripled) the parmesan cheese. So happy with the end result – thank you so much for this recipe!
It’s the best! Happy you liked it!
We just purchased an instant pot and this recipe is absolutely delicious. We can’t wait to try other recipes.
Let us know how it goes!
Made this tonight in my Mealthy Multipot and it was fantastic. Used baby Bella mushrooms sliced in half “matchstick” size. When I first opened it after it cooked, stirred it, and tasted it, it was slightly underdone. Added final ingredients and put the top back on loosely for a few minutes, it ended up perfect. My husband was impressed. Thank you for the recipe!
That’s great!
This is the easiest risotto!! So easy to make and delicious! I added chicken and used bok choy instead of spinach. Topped with tomatoes after cooking 🙂
Yum, great addition.
I would like to add chicken as well. Can you let me know how you did this? Did you sautee it with the onion before you added everything else?