Mushroom Risotto Instant Pot | No Stirring!

This is the easiest mushroom risotto recipe that you’ll ever make! Designed to ‘set and forget’ in an Instant Pot (pressure or slow cooker), the result is a creamy and delicious mushroom risotto that the whole family will love. No stirring required!

 

Risotto is one of those dishes that I love to eat but lack the time or patience to make often. Due to the time and effort involved, it seems like a dish that is best ordered when out at a restaurant, instead of dining at home.  

Risotto cooked from scratch is amazing. But traditionally, it is a labour intensive dish that generally requires standing in front of the stove for at least half an hour, carefully stirring and pouring liquid to the pan.

Sometimes you might want the same, delicious risotto without all that time-consuming pouring and stirring!

This mushroom risotto recipe made in an Instant Pot is the “hands off” version! Loaded with mushrooms, cheese and fresh herbs, it is rich and creamy, without the need to add any cream. There is no stirring and no fuss. In fact, this one-pot meal is so easy, it almost feels like cheating! I’m sure you will start enjoying risotto at home more often with this easy recipe.

Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker or Slow Cooker?

Adding the risotto ingredients to an Instant Pot, pressure or slow cooker makes this easy risotto recipe a simple way to feed the whole family or a hungry crowd, with minimal effort. Both methods allow the rice to soak up the liquid and become beautifully rich and creamy, without the need to stir or hover.  

I tested this mushroom risotto in both a pressure cooker and a slow cooker. And the results were exactly the same. The only difference was that the Instant Pot/pressure cooker took only 14 minutes, where the slow cooker took little over two hours on a high setting.

The consistency of the risotto was perfect in both cases, but if the rice is left in the slow cooker for too long after cooking, it will turn mushy. Turning the slow cooker to the ‘warm’ setting will continue to cook the rice. So, if you are using a slow cooker, I recommend serving it immediately when it is ready.

If given the choice, I personally prefer the pressure cooker every time. It is so quick and easy to make a delicious meal in no time at all! It also retains vitamins and minerals due to the shorter cooking times.

How to use an Instant Pot/Pressure or slow cooker to make the best mushroom risotto

This delicious mushroom risotto recipe is made using the following ingredients;

• Mushrooms. Which mushrooms are best for risotto? This recipe makes the most out of ordinary mushrooms, rather than those that are difficult to find. Portobello, Swiss Brown or other common field mushrooms can be used alone, or depending on availability, with a mix of shiitake, enoki or oyster for their different flavours and textures. My favourite combo for maximum flavor is portobello, Swiss Brown and shiitake.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Olive oil.
• Arborio or carnaroli are the best types of rice to use for risotto. These rice varieties are pale and stubby and release more starch than other long grain rice, which thickens the liquid and makes the sauce beautifully creamy.
• Dry white wine. Chardonnay or Sav Blanc is perfect for this recipe.
• Chicken stock. Or use vegetable stock for a vegetarian mushroom risotto.
• Butter.
• Parmesan cheese. Fresh, grated cheese for the risotto, with extra grated or shaved cheese to serve.
• Salt and pepper.
• Fresh herbs. Thyme for cooking and fresh parsley to serve.

To make mushroom risotto in Instant Pot or pressure cooker;

Turn the sauté function to high heat and sauté the olive oil, brown onion and garlic together until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and browned.

Then, simply throw all of the risotto ingredients together in the pot and cook! Select the ‘risotto’ setting if your pressure cooker has this. If not, set the pressure to high/manual and cook for 12 minutes. Allow 10-15 minutes for the pressure to build. 

Carefully vent and remove the lid once the pressure has released.

The liquid will be sitting on top, so stir until combined. The risotto will appear a little runny, but the rice will continue to soak it up within a couple of minutes.

To make mushroom risotto in a slow cooker;

If your slow cooker has a sauté setting, follow the steps above to cook the onion, garlic and mushrooms. If not, gently sauté the onion, garlic and olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and browned.


Add all of the risotto ingredients and set the slow cooker to ‘high’ heat for around 2 hours, 15 minutes. **Cooking times will vary due to different brands and types of cookers. Start to check the risotto at around 2 hours.

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Extra flavours

Chicken or bacon can be added to this creamy mushroom risotto, if you want to add meat. For a vegetarian risotto, swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.

Green peas, fresh baby spinach or grilled asparagus can be added to the risotto at the end for an extra veggie hit. For maximum flavor, reserve some of the browned mushrooms to stir through the cooked risotto. Top with chopped parsley, shavings of fresh Parmesan cheese and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Other pressure and slow cooker meals to try

For some more easy weeknight meals that can be prepared in a pressure or slow cooker, give these delicious recipes a try!

• Mexican chicken and vegetable soup
• Slow cooker beef cheek ragu
• Chicken with cashews

If you try this mushroom risotto Instant Pot recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Feel free to leave a rating or comment below, or send me a message. For more food inspiration, tips and to share your own recipes and creations, head over to my Facebook Recipe Group. 

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