Creamy Dairy Free Risotto (Versatile Recipe)
Creamy dairy free risotto is the ultra comfort food. This classic Italian dish is the perfect risotto base recipe. The best part? You can customize it depending on what's in season, personal preference, or what you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 ½ - 3 cups vegetables of choice, cut into uniformly small pieces ideas in blog post
- seasonings of choice, to taste ideas in blog post
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ medium yellow or white onion diced
- 1 ½ cups arborio rice
- 5 cups bone broth or stock chicken, beef, or vegetable
- 1-2 tablespoons dairy free butter
- cooked protein of choice
- squeeze of lemon juice or splash of white wine vinegar to taste
- flaky salt for serving
Optional Add-ins:
- cashew cream
- grated vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat with olive oil.
- Cook the vegetables until fork tender, stirring often. Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and herbs or spices of choice. Once tender, remove them from the pan. Set aside to keep warm.
- Add the other tablespoon of olive oil and the diced onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir the dry rice into the sauteed onion. Let it lightly toast to develop flavor for just about a minute.
- Reduce to medium-low heat and add 1 cup of warm broth. Stir frequently until the rice has absorbed nearly all the broth, then add another cup of warm broth. Continue with this process until you've used all the broth and the risotto is al dente.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add the cooked vegetables back in, along with the dairy free butter, your cooked protein of choice (if using), and a splash of acid. Mix to combine.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Then add any additional stir-ins such as cashew cream or vegan parmesan cheese. Serve with flaky salt and enjoy!
Notes
If using scallops, serve them on top of the risotto instead of mixing them in since they're fragile and could fall apart.
See the 'Choose Your Flavors' section of the blog post for a variety of ideas regarding vegetables, seasonings, flavorings, and proteins.
See the blog post for helpful tips, storage, and recipe FAQs.