If you’ve never made instant pot risotto before, you won’t believe how easy it is! All you need is a handful of ingredients and in under 30 minutes, you have from scratch risotto ready to enjoy!

instant pot risotto in speckled green bowl with spoon

I didn’t think it could be done.

But making risotto in the instant pot is a breeze! All you need is a handful of ingredients. And the best thing is once you sauté the aromatics and the rice, you add the liquid all at once and walk away.

If you’ve made homemade risotto from scratch before, you know you want to shout from the rooftops that THIS IS THE EASIEST RISOTTO RECIPE EVER.

Gone are the days when you need to warm the stock in a saucepan and add it in ladle by ladle as you stir the pot continuously.

prepared risotto in ochre speckled bowl on white marble

What is Risotto?

Risotto is a dish that is commonly made in Northern Italy. It’s short-grain rice that is cooked with broth that is added a little bit at a time until the starch from the rice and the broth combine and make a creamy rice pudding-like mixture. Common ingredients you’ll find in risotto are grated cheese, butter, and onions.

close up of dry arborio rice

What do you need to make instant pot risotto?

  • Butter: is used to saute the aromatics and the rice before you pressure cook everything in the same pot.
  • Chopped onions: chopped onions give the risotto plenty of flavor
  • Chopped mushrooms: If you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, you can leave them out and add steamed asparagus spears or blanched peas at the end when we fold in the parmesan cheese
  • Minced garlic: this one is pretty self-explanatory!
  • Seasonings: just a dash of dried thyme and fresh cracked pepper is all you need
  • Arborio rice: is an Italian short-grain rice that is ideal for making risotto.
  • Chicken broth: Chicken broth can be replaced with vegetable broth if you’d like to make this recipe vegetarian-friendly.
  • Grated parmesan cheese: adds a delicious nutty flavor that works really well with the other flavors we’ve used
hand cracking pepper in mill over bowl of risotto

How to make the easiest instant pot risotto:

  1. Heat the broth. I know it’s an extra step, but it will help bring your instant pot to pressure quicker, which will then cook the risotto to that perfect doneness. If you don’t mind the risotto being a little more done, feel free to skip this step. I just add the broth to a microwave-safe measuring cup and heat it till it’s steaming hot.
  2. Saute the aromatics. Hit the saute setting on the pressure cooker and add the butter. Once melted, add the onions and mushrooms and saute them for 5 minutes. You want them to be soft and tender. Then, add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and cracked pepper. Allow the seasonings 30 seconds to bloom then add the rice and toast it for 2 minutes, frequently stirring so that nothing sticks or burns.
  3. Set it and forget it. Once the rice is done, add the stock, cover the pot, and cook on manual high pressure for 6 minutes. When the timer goes off, you want to do a quick release and stir in the parmesan. This would be when you fold in peas or asparagus that’s been blanched/steamed. Taste and adjust with additional salt if desired.
side shot of prepared risotto

FAQs about making risotto:

  1. Do I have to use Arborio rice? Arborio rice does work best for this recipe. If you cannot find arborio rice, you can use another type of short-grain rice. Keep in mind that your results might be a little different as this recipe was formulated to be made with arborio rice. You can purchase arborio rice here.
  2. Do I have to use the mushrooms? Nope! You don’t have to. You can leave them out when pressure cooking and fold it blanched peas, or steamed asparagus spears when you add the parmesan cheese.
  3. Why do you heat up the broth? Heating up the broth in the microwave cuts down on the amount of time the pressure cooker needs to heat up the content. This way it will come to pressure quicker, giving you homemade risotto faster.
  4. Can I make this recipe on the stovetop?  Unfortunately, I’m not sure. This recipe was specifically formulated to be made in the instant pot. If you’d like to make this recipe on the stovetop, please note that you might need additional broth to cook the same amount of rice into a risotto.

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close up shot of bowl with risotto and spoon
Yield: serves 4-5

Easiest Weeknight Instant Pot Risotto

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

If you’ve never made instant pot risotto before, you won’t believe how easy it is! All you need is a handful of ingredients and in under 30 minutes you have from scratch risotto ready to enjoy!

Easiest Weeknight Instant Pot Risotto

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • ¾ cup chopped onions
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped (optional)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme AND freshly cracked pepper
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
  • ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan

Instructions

    1. BROTH: Add the chicken broth to a 4 cup measuring cup and heat it in the microwave until it’s hot. You could also do this on the stove in a saucepan if you’d like.
    2. SAUTE: Hit the saute setting on the pressure cooker, add the butter, and let it melt. Add the onions and mushrooms (if using) and saute them for 5 minutes or until they soften. Then add the minced garlic, thyme, and the cracked pepper. Give them 30 seconds to bloom before adding in the rice. Toast and saute the rice for 2 minutes.
    3. PRESSURE COOK: Add all of the heated stock to the instant pot. Cover the pot, set the instant pot to manual, high pressure, and set the time for 6 minutes. When the timer goes off, do a quick release. Stir in the parmesan, taste, and adjust with additional salt as needed. Serve immediately!

Have you made this recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below. You can also share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #LITTLESPICEJAR, I'd love to see what you made!