Vegan Mushroom Risotto
Want to add a delicious vegetarian Italian meal to your weeknight plant-based dinner rotation? This vegan mushroom risotto is the perfect dish to batch-cook and enjoy all week long! Creamy, comforting, and bursting with flavor, mushroom risotto is a classic Italian comfort food perfect for enjoying alongside a glass of wine and a simple salad.
Beloved for its creamy consistency, it’s also one of the easiest Italian dishes to prepare! All you need are a few simple ingredients and about a half hour before you’re in vegan Italian comfort food heaven. Naturally gluten-free and very easily soy-free, this vegan comfort dish is quite the crowd-pleaser.
If you’re a true mushroom lover, you’ll also love this vegan cream of mushroom soup, vegan stroganoff with mushrooms, and this savory mushroom bourguignon.
Why You’ll Love This Quick and Easy Risotto Dinner
Any one-pot vegan recipe with very few ingredients is a great one in our book! This vegan mushroom risotto is one of those. Rice, onions, garlic, oil, mushrooms, soup stock and butter, one pan, and a lot of stirring. Here are why you’re going to love it:
- Wild Mushrooms Add Big Flavor. Wild mushrooms bring bold, earthy, and sometimes nutty flavors that regular mushrooms just can’t match. They turn a simple risotto into something special and super savory. Think pink oyster, chanterelles, porcini, or morels—each one adds a unique taste and texture.
- Creamy Without the Cream. You don’t need dairy to make risotto creamy—just stir, let the starch from the rice do its magic, and add a bit of vegan butter at the end. The result is a rich, silky texture that feels indulgent but stays plant-based. It’s comfort food at its best, no cheese needed.
- Perfect for a Cozy Night In. This dish is warm, filling, and great for when you want something cozy and satisfying. It’s the kind of meal that feels fancy but still gives off those stay-at-home-in-sweats vibes. Light a candle, pour a glass of vegan wine, and dig in.
- Impressive but Easy. Risotto sounds fancy, but it’s actually super simple to make. All it takes is some stirring, a good homemade vegetable broth, and a bit of patience. Serve it to guests, and they’ll think you’re a total kitchen pro.
- Great Way to Show Off Seasonal Ingredients. Wild mushrooms are often best when they’re in season, so this dish is a fun way to highlight fresh, local finds. You can even mix in other seasonal veggies like sheet roasted peas or roasted squash to make it extra special. It’s like a celebration of what’s growing right now.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
This risotto gets its creamy texture from arborio rice and big flavor from wild mushrooms, garlic, and veggie broth. If you’re missing something, no worries—it’s a pretty basic risotto recipe, which means you can easily switch it up!
- Mushrooms – Add both flavor and texture, making each bite interesting. Mix different types like shiitake, chanterelle, and porcini for a layered taste. Use cremini or baby bella mushrooms if wild ones aren’t available, or add a splash of mushroom powder for extra depth.
- Arborio Rice – Releases starch as it cooks, giving risotto its signature creamy texture without dairy. Stir often to release more starch for extra creaminess. Use sushi rice in a pinch (though the texture will be slightly different).
- Vegetable Stock – Infuses the rice with savory flavor as it cooks. Warm your stock before adding it to keep the cooking even. Use mushroom broth for an even richer taste, or dissolve veggie bouillon cubes in hot water if stock isn’t handy.
- Vegan Butter – Makes the risotto velvety and indulgent. Stir it in off the heat to keep the texture smooth. Use olive oil for a lighter finish, or cashew cream for an extra-rich and nutty note.
- Garlic and Onion – Create the savory base that gives risotto depth and warmth. Sauté them until soft and fragrant before adding other ingredients. Shallots work great for a milder sweetness, or add a pinch of garlic powder and onion powder if you’re short on fresh.
Vegetable Stock Suggestions
The vegan vegetable broth you choose makes a big difference in flavor. You can go with ready-made vegan bouillon (like vegetable bouillon cubes mixed with hot water or Better Than Bouillon) or pick from plenty of store-bought broth options. Or, get creative and prepare your own veggie broth from scratch using leftover veggie scraps. It’s tasty, budget-friendly, and a zero-waste win!
How to Make Vegan Risotto with Mushrooms
Making vegan mushroom risotto is easier than it sounds and super satisfying. With just a little stirring and a few simple ingredients, you’ll end up with a creamy, comforting dish full of rich, savory flavor.
Step 1: Sauté the Veggies – Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the garlic, onion, and celery, and cook for about 3 minutes until softened.
Step 2: Cook the Mushrooms – Toss in the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 more minutes until they release their juices and start to brown.
Then, Step 3: Add the Rice and Broth – Stir in the rice, then slowly add the vegetable stock (or vegetable bouillon mixed with water) a little at a time, stirring often. Let the rice absorb the liquid gradually to get that creamy risotto texture.
Step 4: Finish and Serve – Once the rice is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed, stir in the dairy-free butter. Remove from heat, serve it up, and enjoy the creamy goodness!
Serving Tips and Swaps
You can enjoy many delicious dishes right alongside a warm bowl of mushroom risotto! From a simple green salad to roasted veggies, here are just a few ideas of what to serve up:
- Top with Crispy Mushrooms – Save a few mushrooms to pan-fry until golden and crispy, then sprinkle them on top before serving. It adds a tasty crunch and makes the dish look extra fancy.
- Add a Drizzle of Truffle Oil – A little truffle oil goes a long way and brings out the deep, earthy mushroom flavor. Just a small drizzle before serving makes it feel restaurant-worthy.
- Go with Garlicky Greens – Pair your risotto with sautéed kale, spinach, or Swiss chard. The garlicky greens add color, nutrients, and a nice contrast to the creamy rice.
- Add a Crunchy Topping – Try sprinkling toasted pine nuts, toasted walnuts, or crisp breadcrumbs on top. It adds texture and a toasty flavor that pairs perfectly with creamy risotto.
- Serve with a Side Salad – Serve up some seriously tasty salad alongside your dairy-free risotto such as our delicata squash harvest salad or simply make your own with whatever is on hand!
FAQs
While button mushrooms are some of the most common and affordable, you’re welcome to use other varieties as well! Other mushroom varieties worth considering for this vegan risotto recipe are morels, portobellos, oyster mushrooms of all types, and porcini mushrooms. Some varieties take longer than others to cook so just do your research before deciding which mushrooms to use.
All of these veggies work well in a vegan risotto: Asparagus, broccoli, butternut squash, carrots, green beans, kale, peas, sweet potatoes, and zucchini.
Depending on the vegetable(s) you decide to add, you may need to cook them separately before adding them to the risotto. Vegetables such as zucchini and kale will both cook quickly once added to this vegan risotto but carrots and butternut squash will require a bit more prep.
Pre-cooked rice won’t work for risotto since it gets its deep, earthy flavor by being cooked with the stock and mushrooms.
More Inspiring Vegan Italian Recipes
Listen while you cook! Tune into my podcast, The Plant Powered People Podcast, while you’re cooking, folding laundry, or taking a bath. It may just change your life!
Vegan Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil, like olive or sunflower
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ white onion, finely diced
- 1 rib of celery, diced
- 1 cup wild mushrooms, sliced to your desired size
- 1 cup arborio rice, Italian short-grain white rice
- 3 cups vegetable stock, or an equivalent amount of bouillon and water
- ½ tablespoon vegan butter
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large saute pan, add the oil and allow to heat. Add the garlic, onion and celery and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the uncooked rice and mix it in.
- Start gradually adding the vegetable stock (or bouillon and water) to the pan, a little at a time. This step will make the rice release all of its starch, which makes the sauce thicker.
- When you’ve finished adding the stock, check that the rice is almost fully cooked but still al dente (not completely soft).
- Now add the vegan butter and remove from the heat.
- Your risotto should now be creamy and delicious! Enjoy!
Nutrition
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FYI, I know it’s just a plug and your recipe calls for whatever soup stock you want, but Better Than Boullion has soy in the ingredients. I used to use it because it really does have such a great flavor (especially the Garlic one), but soy is an inflammatory for a lot of people, including me. Bummer. :/
Thank you for the heads up! Feel free to use any vegetable stock brand that suits you — there are plenty of soy-free options out there. Happy cooking 🙂
Yeeesss!! Just made this tonight and it’s deeeelicious! My 16 month old twins loved it as well! I did undercook the rice a bit but still turned out yummy! Definitely making this again. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Awww, thanks for trying the recipe, Edith!! Big hugs to you and the littles! 🙂
This is HIGH up on my list of recipes to try! Yummm!
I made this recipe for my omnivore husband, my (somewhat picky, self-proclaimed vegan) 4-year old daughter and myself (vegetarian transitioning to a vegan diet), and all 3 of us loved it and ate every bite! It was the easiest and tastiest risotto recipe I’ve ever made, and it’s going in my regular rotation now! I ended up using a mix of cremini and white mushrooms because that’s what I had on hand, and I warmed up the stock slightly in a saucepan before adding it to the rice. Otherwise, I made the recipe as printed. I definitely recommend not leaving out the step with the vegan butter – it added a beautiful creaminess to the dish. Thank you for the awesome addition to my recipe collection!
I don’t usually like anything with mushrooms, but I have to say that this recipe blew me away. So savory, so creamy and you’d never know that it’s vegan. My husband gobbled it up in no time and asked for more! Really perfect on a cool evening when you want something warm and satisfying!
This mushroom risotto is out fo this world amazing! So full of flavor and so easy to prepare, it would be an awesome dish to serve at a small dinner party 🙂
When I went to Spain there was Risotto everywhere, but it was so hard to find vegan! Love that now I can make my own.
We love mushrooms…delicious and filling!