Risotto Recipes: 6 Risotto Dishes to Try at Home

Risotto is a creamy Italian rice dish. It traditionally calls for Arborio rice—a rounded, short-grain white rice with a high starch content—though you can substitute carnaroli rice or other grains for an oat or barley risotto.

The key to risotto is the cooking method: sautéing the starch and then cooking it on low heat as you add ladles of broth. This allows the rice to release its starches gradually, yielding a perfectly al dente result in a creamy sauce. Other common ingredients in classic risotto include butter, sautéed shallots, Parmesan cheese, dry white wine, garlic cloves, and seasonal vegetables.

Rice made its way to Italy in the fifteenth century. When Italian farmers discovered that Italy’s humid, Mediterranean climate was perfect for growing rice, it became a popular staple starch and spread throughout the country. Chefs in Milan were the first to sauté rice in butter and broth for a creamier, starchier sauce, and the modern-day risotto was born.

Risotto is a perfect weeknight dinner for a home cook. Here are some risotto recipes to try:

1. 1. Arborio risotto recipe: At its most traditional, creamy risotto is a simple dish of arborio rice, butter, chicken broth, white wine, and flavorings like garlic and onion. Optional garnishes for a Parmesan risotto like this include black pepper, chives, or fresh parsley. Try this basic risotto recipe for a creamy, classic risotto.
2. 2. Asparagus risotto: Asparagus risotto is a vegetable-packed twist on traditional risotto, in which you blanch asparagus and then add it to your traditional risotto at the end for a vegetable crunch in each bite.
3. 3. Pumpkin risotto: Chef Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, takes the traditional risotto technique and transforms it with his pumpkin risotto recipe. He eschews white wine and cheese for the pure flavor of roasted, puréed pumpkin sweetened with orange juice, ground with toasted almonds, and brightened with small pieces of sweet-and-spicy mostarda (preserved candied fruit). You can swap out the pumpkin for other squashes for a butternut squash risotto or summer squash risotto.
4. 4. Vegan oatmeal risotto: Chef Wolfgang Puck’s vegan oatmeal risotto proves that the best risotto isn’t about traditional ingredients, but the cooking principles. For this recipe, the chef uses oats instead of risotto rice and opts for extra-virgin olive oil over butter for a vegan result. With fresh spring peas and morel mushrooms, this vegan oatmeal risotto makes a perfect risotto appetizer or a main dish.
5. 5. Porcini mushroom risotto: A heartier, earthier take on traditional Italian risotto, this recipe opts for beef broth over chicken stock or vegetable broth and adds in dried porcini mushrooms. This porcini mushroom risotto includes a citrusy bite from lemon juice and zest for a well-balanced and creamy mushroom risotto.
6. 6. Risotto Milanese: This is a savory, saffron-infused variety of risotto from Milan in northern Italy. This risotto Milanese recipe uses the same hot stock technique as simple risotto, but the saffron adds an earthy flavor to the dish.

Become a better chef with the MasterClass Annual Membership. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Massimo Bottura, Gabriela Cámara, Niki Nakayama, Chef Thomas Keller, Yotam Ottolenghi, Dominique Ansel, Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters, and more.