Slow Cooker Mushroom Risotto

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This slow cooker mushroom risotto is a rich and creamy one-pot meal that is simple to make, but big on flavour. Creamy arborio rice, savoury mushrooms and parmesan cheese come together easily in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, without the need for constant stirring over a hot stove.

a bowl of risotto on a table, topped with sliced mushrooms and herbs.

Why you’ll love this recipe

So simple to make – risotto usually requires endless stirring over a hot stove. But this version is designed to ‘set and forget’ in your slow cooker or pressure cooker, with simple ingredients and minimal effort from you.
Versatile – this one-pot meal can be served as an entrée, main or as part of a larger, Italian-style feast. It makes a fantastic side dish when served alongside grilled steak, seared scallops or chicken.
It is simple enough for an easy weeknight meal, but impressive enough to serve for a romantic date night or dinner party.
A restaurant-quality dish that you can easily make at home.
Customisable – add a splash or green with frozen peas, baby spinach or fresh herbs, or throw in your favourite veggies. This recipe uses common, easy-to-find mushrooms for convenience, but there are instructions below for how to use porcini mushrooms too, if desired.
Slow cooker and pressure cooker – cook it low and slow in a slow cooker, or make a perfect risotto in your pressure cooker in no time at all. Methods for both can be found below.

Ingredients you will need

** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. This photo is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!

all ingredients for slow cooker risotto, laid out on a table.

Mushrooms – keep it simple with regular mushrooms like Swiss Brown, white button, Portobello or other common field mushroom varieties. Or, use a mixture of basic field mushrooms alongside some shiitake, enoki or oyster mushrooms for a variety of flavours and textures.

Dried mushrooms like Porcini can also be added for a more intense mushroom flavour, but are optional. See my notes below to learn how to add them.
Arborio rice – arborio rice is a type of white, short-grain rice that is commonly used in Italian cooking. Its high starch content makes it perfect for risotto, as it absorbs liquid and develops a creamy texture when cooked. Arborio rice can be substituted for other high-starch rices, like Carnaroli or Vialone Nano. I don’t recommend swapping for regular white rice, as it will become too mushy. Arborio rice is available in supermarkets and specialty food stores.
Chicken stock – homemade chicken stock will give the best flavour, but you can use a good quality store-bought chicken stock for convenience. You can substitute the chicken stock for vegetable stock to make it vegetarian.
White wine – wine provides flavour and acidity to the risotto, which helps to balance the richness. Choose a crisp, dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio and make sure that it’s not a sweet wine. If you want to avoid wine in the dish, swap for equal quantities of chicken stock.
Butter – a few tablespoons of butter add richness and creaminess to the risotto. Real butter is best and I recommend using unsalted, as it is easier to control the salt content when seasoning at the end.
Parmesan cheese – adds loads of savoury flavour and works to thicken the sauce. I don’t recommend skipping the cheese. A good quality, extra sharp parmesan cheese is recommended and use freshly grated cheese, rather than the pre-packaged stuff. Fresh parmesan tastes so much better than pre-grated cheese and it will melt into the risotto more easily. While parmesan is a classic, similar cheeses like Asiago or Pecorino Romano would also taste amazing. 1 cup is used in the risotto and you will need more, to serve.

For this recipe, a slow cooker, pressure cooker or multi-cooker is required. If your cooker does not have a sear/sauté function, you will also need a frying pan.

Step by step guide

Full ingredient notes and quantities can be found in the detailed recipe card below. But here is a brief overview of what you can expect;

Slow Cooker or pressure cooker? Whichever method you choose, the end result is almost identical. The most obvious difference is the time that it takes for the risotto to be ready. The pressure cooker method takes around 12-14 minutes to cook (plus the time it takes for the cooker to build pressure) and the slow cooker takes a little over 1 hour on a high setting.

Step 1 – Cook the onion and garlic;

If your cooker has a sauté function, set it to high heat and cook the olive oil, onion, and garlic together until soft.

**If you don’t have a sauté function, these ingredients can be sauteed in a frying pan and then added to the slow cooker pot.

Step 2 – Brown the mushrooms; add the mushrooms to the pot (or pan) and cook until browned.

onion and garlic sauteeing in a slow cooker pot.

Step 3 – Cook;

Once the mushrooms have browned, simply add all of the remaining ingredients into the slow or pressure cooker pot and cook according to the instructions in the recipe card below.

If using a pressure cooker, carefully vent and remove the lid once the pressure has released. The liquid will be sitting on top, so stir until combined.

Step 4 – Add the parmesan cheese;

Once the risotto has been cooked to al dente and stirred, add the freshly grated parmesan cheese and stir. Test the flavour and season with salt (around ½ – 1 teaspoon) and pepper, to taste.

all ingredients for mushroom risotto in a slow cooker pot.

finished risotto in a slow cooker pot, with grated parmesan cheese.

The risotto will appear a little runny, but the rice will continue to thicken within a couple of minutes.

Serving suggestion: It is optional, but I highly recommend serving this risotto topped with additional fried mushrooms, extra grated parmesan and chopped parsley or fresh herbs.

Adding porcini mushrooms

Want even more mushroom flavour? Follow all of the steps in the recipe below, but add 20-30 grams of dried porcini mushrooms.

Porcini mushrooms are brown-capped mushrooms with thick, white stalks that are cultivated in Europe, North America and parts of Asia. Sold both fresh and dried, they are a staple ingredient in Italian cuisine. Porcini mushrooms are often used to enhance the flavour of a number of dishes like stews, sauces, soups and risottos, thanks to their intense savoury flavour and high umami.

What do they taste like? Dried porcini mushrooms have a rich, nutty and earthy flavour similar to common mushrooms, but with a stronger, more intense flavour. When rehydrated, they have a meaty, slightly chewy texture.

How to prepare dried porcini mushrooms;

Dried porcini mushrooms need to be rehydrated in water before use. Soaking them in water makes them soft and tender and also produces a flavourful soaking liquid.

Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and soften them in water for at least 15 minutes. Room temperature water is fine and actually helps the mushrooms to retain their flavour.

a bowl of porcini mushrooms soaking in water.

To use, drain the mushrooms in a strainer lined with paper towel, before slicing and adding them to the slow cooker pot when it is time to add the rice and other ingredients.

Tip: For even more mushroom flavour, you can keep the flavour-packed soaking liquid and use some of it to flavour the risotto (simply swap a quantity of the chicken stock for a quantity of the porcini soaking liquid in a 1:1 swap).

porcini mushrooms in a strainer lined with paper towel.

sliced porcini mushrooms on a wooden board.

While the risotto tastes amazing without them, porcini mushrooms will increase the mushroom flavour and umami. Dried mushrooms can be expensive, but even a small amount will add loads of extra flavour to a dish.

Dried porcini mushrooms are readily available in supermarkets and specialty food stores. Their quality, flavour and grit can vary, so choose a good quality version. If your mushrooms are gritty after soaking, rinse the grit before use.

Expert tips

Slow Cooker or pressure cooker? Whichever method you choose, the end result is almost identical. Timewise, the pressure cooker method takes around 12-14 minutes (plus the time it takes for the cooker to build pressure) and the slow cooker takes a little over 1 hour on a high setting.
If using a pressure cooker, don’t forget to account for the time that it takes the cooker to build pressure before starting.
Don’t cook any longer than specified. If the risotto is left in the pot past the specified cooking times, it will continue to cook, becoming mushy and stodgy. Start to check it at the specified cooking time and only cook further if the rice isn’t ready.
Serve immediately. Risotto is time sensitive and is best enjoyed as soon as it’s ready, while it’s still hot and creamy. It will continue to cook and thicken as it sits, even when it’s off the heat. So be prepared to dish it up and serve it immediately.
Check the rice by biting into it. It should be slightly al dente (a slight resistance when bitten, but not hard in the centre).
For extra veggies, add 2 cups of frozen peas. Baby spinach, grilled or steamed asparagus or sauteed green beans also make great additions. To keep their vibrant green colour, they can be cooked separately and stirred through at the end.
Serve it with some grilled chicken, seared scallops or grilled steak if you prefer to add meat. You can also add a smoky touch by frying some bacon or pancetta and sprinkling it over the top before serving.
A drizzle of truffle oil makes a fabulous addition.
Add fresh herbs. Elevate the flavours by adding fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary or sage. Finely chopped herbs can be added to the slow cooker and they can be sprinkled over the top when serving.
Don’t skip the seasoning! When the risotto is ready, taste and then add salt, pepper and more parmesan cheese, to taste. This step is important, to ensure the absolute best flavour.
Make arancini balls with leftovers. Leftover mushroom risotto will thicken and hold together when refrigerated. Form the cold, thickened risotto into balls, coat them with breadcrumbs and fry in oil until golden, crispy and steaming hot all the way through. They are perfect as a main or starter with your favourite dipping sauce!

FAQs

How to store it?

Store leftover risotto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Can I reheat it?

Leftover risotto will start to thicken in the fridge. So additional chicken stock should be added when reheating (about ¼ cup stock to every cup of risotto) to loosen the sauce and return the risotto to its original consistency. Reheat risotto on the stovetop, stirring over medium-low heat, until steaming hot all the way through. It can also be reheated in the microwave with a splash of additional stock.

Can I freeze it?

While risotto can be frozen, I don’t recommend freezing it. The texture of the rice will become mushy and break apart in the freezer. Arborio rice is also very starchy and freezing can make it grainy. It’s best eaten immediately after it has been cooked, or stored in the fridge and consumed within 3 days.

a bowl of risotto, topped with cheese, mushrooms and herbs.

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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2019, but was re-published with new information and photos in June 2023.