Instant Pot Basic Risotto Recipe

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I think that simple risotto might be one of our favorite things to come out of the Instant Pot. It's rich and creamy, and none of that standing over the stove stirring forever nonsense. Just set it and let it go. Like magic! I've got a basic risotto recipe for you, and then some suggestions for how you can customize it and make it your own. I'd love to hear about some of your variations that you love as well!

It's worth it to keep Arborio rice on hand for risotto. We buy regular rice in 25 lbs bags at Costco, but I also keep this on hand as well. I can't make any promises if you use other ris

Basic Risotto Recipe

The above is the most basic risotto recipe. You can add all sorts of things and make changes, as long as you keep certain things in mind.

• You can skip onions, or use shallots instead.
• Instead of vermouth, use a dry white wine, or even beer! Aim for a well-flavored liquid (Stronger flavor than the broth)
•  You can use any broth you have; chicken, beef, or vegetable.
• Hard cheeses can go in before pressure; a handful of parmesan makes a delicious addition.
• Add softer cheese, like cheddar, after cooking and stir it in before serving.
• When adding veggies, you need to take the water content into consideration. Here's a good way to do that: Put your veg in a measuring container, and then add your broth to the cup of veggies. The displacement of the vegetables will help cancel out the water content. This only applies to veg that will be cooked under pressure, so keep that in mind, and only use hardier things to cook under pressure. We've done frozen corn and fresh asparagus, but peas and broccoli get stirred in after pressure cooking and the residual heat cooks them all down enough.
• The 8 minutes under pressure is enough time to cook chicken! Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and toss it in when you add the brother and you'll get an all-in-one entree!

This is a Chicken, Bacon, Ranch Risotto with Peas: I sprinkled a packet of Ranch dressing powder over the rice before I added the broth, and stirred in the peas and bacon bits at the end just before serving.

Bacon, Corn and Cheddar Risotto: One of our first experiments, and delicious. We also used beer for liquid, along with chicken broth, and found it added a really rich flavor that went well with these classic flavors.

Cheesy Broccoli Risotto (with Bacon. Sensing a theme here? LOL) It's a mix of parmesan that was cooked under pressure and then a handful of shredded cheddar at the end to up the gooey cheese factor. The broccoli was stirred in at the end, so it wouldn't overcook and still had a nice crunch to it.