A delicious Mushroom Risotto is easier than you might think! It’s a classic Italian dish that everyone should learn how to make.
This recipe for Mushroom Risotto changed the course of my life.
I know – that sounds very dramatic. But if you asked my husband about the exact moment he knew he wanted to marry me, he would tell you that he knew I was “The One” when I made this exact mushroom risotto recipe for him for the very first time.
Years ago, when Jack and I first met, we used to take turns cooking dinner for each other in hopes of impressing each other with our culinary skills. We both loved to cook, and we both loved eating good food, so when we started dating it was a lot of fun to cook for an appreciative audience – or conversely, to be pampered by a delicious home cooked meal that the other had prepared. So one night when it was my turn to cook, I grilled some salmon and served this creamy mushroom risotto on the side. It was love at first bite!
And while I can’t promise that making this recipe will change the course of your life like it did mine, I can promise that it’s a delicious way to prepare Mushroom Risotto!
Like most risotto recipes, this one takes some time and attention to prepare. But otherwise, it is rice that is simply and perfectly flavored with onion, chicken stock, Parmesan and sautéed Crimini (also sometimes called baby Bella or baby Portobella) mushrooms.
Is risotto a rice or a pasta?
Risotto is a Northern Italian dish made from Arborio rice. (The name risotto is derived from the Italian word ‘riso’ which means rice.) Arborio is a rounded, Italian short grain rice that is high in starch. Because of that high starch content, as the Arborio rice is cooked in broth, it achieves a creamy texture. It can be simply flavored with cheese, or you can make different risotto variations including today’s risotto with mushrooms, seafood, or vegetables.
Some people confuse rice-shaped orzo pasta for risotto. And some risotto-style recipes are made with other grains – like this one. But risotto made with Arborio rice is the original.
Steps for Cooking Perfect Risotto
We give you step-by-step instructions in the recipe card below. But there are few tips and tricks to ensure that your Mushroom Risotto cooks up perfectly.
- When you are adding mushrooms to your risotto (or other vegetables or protein), cook them separately from your rice. Then once the risotto is cooked, stir your mushrooms in at the end just before serving. Doing so will prevent your mushrooms from overcooking, and it will allow the risotto to cook evenly.
- Saute your Arborio rice in butter and oil before you begin adding the stock. This begins the cooking process, allowing the starches in the rice to begin to develop flavor. Just be sure not to overcook the rice at this point. You don’t want to let the rice turn brown – just saute the rice long enough for it to start to turn translucent.
- Preheat your stock in a saucepan and keep it warm on the stove. Then use a ladle to add the warmed stock in half cup (or so) increments as your risotto simmers and cooks. Have extra stock on hand in the event that your risotto needs a little more cooking time. (It’s also helpful to have stock on hand if you need to reheat any risotto.)
- Don’t boil your risotto – let it gently simmer as it cooks. Stir constantly as it cooks.
- We have had the best luck cooking risotto in a smaller, deeper, heavy-bottomed sauce pan which holds the heat, versus a larger, wider pot. The smaller, cast iron allows the rice to cook in the stock, while preventing the stock from cooking off too quickly.
How can you tell when Risotto is Done?
Risotto is done when the rice is cooked ‘al dente’ or ‘firm to the bite’. It will be chewy, but shouldn’t be mushy.
One trick is to take a grain of the cooked rice (allow it to cool first, of course) and place it between your fingers. Squeeze – and if the grain breaks in the middle, it’s done.
Once the rice is cooked, stir in your pre-cooked mushrooms and some freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with some extra Parmesan sprinkled on top.
How do you reheat risotto?
We think risotto reheats the best in the microwave with a little bit of stock added. After the a minute or so, stir, then finish heating through. Just be sure that the risotto doesn’t heat up so much that it overcooks and becomes mushy.
What do I serve with Mushroom Risotto?
You may like these other risotto recipes:
- Butternut Squash Risotto
- Zucchini Corn Risotto
- Asparagus Lemon Risotto
- Three Cheese Risotto
- Sweet Potato Risotto
This post originally appeared on A Family Feast in November 2012.
PrintMushroom Risotto
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 servings
- Category: side dish
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Risotto with Crimini mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
Mushroom preparation
1 8-ounce package Crimini or baby Bella mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Rice preparation
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup dry Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 ½ cups chicken stock, home made if possible
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To prepare the mushrooms, clean the mushrooms by brushing them off (avoid washing with water) and cut into quarters (stems may be left on).
- In a medium sauté pan, melt the one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil. Add the cleaned and quartered mushrooms and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently. (Note – it’s important to sauté the mushrooms over somewhat high heat in order to get the mushrooms to release their moisture without steaming.) Once the mushrooms are lightly browned and tender and plump, sprinkle lightly with just a touch of salt and allow to sauté for another minute more – this step will release just a bit more of the moisture in the mushrooms. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and set aside.
- To prepare the rice, in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and sauté for 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
- Add the Arborio rice, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes until the rice is just starting to turn lightly golden.
- Quickly pour in the white wine and allow the liquid to boil and be absorbed into the rice. Then pour in ¼ cup of chicken stock to the rice, stirring constantly. (If necessary, adjust the heat under the pot – you want a medium simmer.) Add more stock ¼ cup at a time – adding more stock just as most but not all of the liquid has been absorbed before adding in more stock.)
- Cook the rice and stock together in this manner for approximately 25 minutes or so – until the rice is tender but not mushy. Turn the heat off when there is still some liquid remaining in the rice and stir in the Parmesan cheese and mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine completely.
- Remove from heat and cover – let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
- Note: Risotto may be reheated by adding in some additional chicken stock and stirring to incorporate into the risotto.
Keywords: mushroom risotto
This was Not enough for 3 people.
Thanks for your feedback Sue.
Made this dish last night, it was perfect! I did add a tablespoon of Better than Bullion mushroom base to up the mushroom flavor a bit and finished with a good amount of butter.
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Thanks Howard – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Yum, so good and much easier than I thought!
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Thanks Kim!
Great recipe for an easy risotto!! I added some basil to my stock and I like to drain the mushrooms as they are cooking and use that liquid as part of the stock to have a more rich earthy flavour. I used both portobello and cremini but you could really use any mushrooms you like!
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Great suggestions Dottie!
I love this recipe! It has been my go-to for years now. Easy to vary the veggies too. We love the mushroom, but it is also great with asparagus.
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Thanks Leah – you might enjoy this recipe too! https://www.afamilyfeast.com/asparagus-lemon-risotto/
DELICIOUS! Online recipes are often so disappointing and I was worried this would be bland but it was absolutely perfect as is. I highly recommend it!
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Thanks Aidan!
This mushroom risotto was delicious! Paired with your easy glazed salmon, it was an excellent meal enjoyed by all. All prepared as written.
Thanks for 2 more really great recipes!
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You’re welcome Pam – so glad you enjoyed them both!
A very good recipe for a classic dish.
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Thanks Mohit!
I’m hunkering down. I decided to try my stash of Carnaroli Risotto rice that I had ordered from Amazon. I made spring vegetable risottos twice and was very pleased with the carnaroli rice; it produced a very creamy product that reheated well with the addition of a little stock, milk, or water. Then, on to mushroom risotto! I used this recipe because I really trust the quality result that I always get from A Family Feast recipes – they concentrate on quality and taste rather than “speedy meals”, which suits me well. I followed this recipe to a T, except for adding a handful of baby spinach at the end and 1/2 tsp of dried thyme along with one of the ladles of stock. O.M.G! Home Run!! This is the delicious definition of comfort food! Thank you!
★★★★★
Wow Heather – thank you so much! So glad you enjoyed the recipe and we love the idea of adding spinach and thyme..great suggestion! Stay safe!
Risotto is so much easier to make than i expected. My family LOVED the mushroom risotto i made using this recipe. I intend to make risotto a regular part of my menus. I’m excited to try other versions.
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Thanks Cathy! So glad the recipe was a hit!
Delicious 😋
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Thank you!
So i made it today, it turned out yummy BUT i had to put maybe 4-4.5 cups of chicken stock! The rice was still hard at 2.5 cups… and because I added that much chicken stock, it was a bit salty.. (good thing i skipped adding salt). Also, the rice turned out a BIT yellowish because of the chicken stock. Other than that, it was really good. Next time i will get low sodium stock. Thanks for the recipe! (It was a lot of work 😂🥵)
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Thanks for the feedback Amira! We included some tips in the post, sharing things that we’ve learned over the years that help the risotto cook more quickly (so you can use less stock). I’m not sure if you saw those, but if not, that might be helpful for the next time!
Looks really good! Im making this tomorrow. Just one question, when cooking the mushrooms, it will release liquid. Should i add them to the risotto or disregard the liquid?
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Great question Amira! In the recipe, we suggest that you cook the mushrooms over fairly high heat, and then salt them just before cooking them a final minute or so. If you follow these steps, the mushrooms will release their liquids – then the heat from the pan should be enough so that most of the liquids simmer off. (Also be sure that your pan is large enough so the mushrooms aren’t overcrowded.) When we make this recipe – following those steps – there is a very, very small amount of liquid left and we just add that to the risotto (it’s delicious flavor!). In the event that you have a lot of liquid after cooking the mushrooms, it’s really your choice…I’d probably leave the excess liquid out. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This recipe was so helpful
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Thanks Sienna!
This was a great recipe! I am new to cooking anything beyond grilled items and this was perfect. I used beef stock as the box I thought was chicken was not. Oh well, it still was excellent. I had it as a side with grilled pork chops. My wife enjoyed it very much!
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So glad you enjoyed the recipe Thomas! (Even with the beef stock!) 🙂
Hi I’m beyond excited to make this recipe but I was wondering what type of white wine? I know there is cooking wine and then some people use actual like white wine.. just wanted to clarify. Thank you so much for your help?
Hi Teri – We actually don’t recommend the shelf-stable cooking wines because they contain so much salt and preservatives. We used a regular drinking chardonnay for this recipe. Hope that helps!
Tasted great. Kept broth on low in saucepan on back burner. Only addition to the directions. Thanks!
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Great suggestion Kelly – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
First time making Risotto and it turned out delicious. I only had button mushrooms and not as many but it worked great.
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So glad you enjoyed the recipe Cindy!
Absolutely scrumptious!! Will be making over and over again.
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Thanks Tracy!
Do you think vegetable stock would work?
Yes – using vegetable stock is fine. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! I used a combination of cremini, oyster, and baby bela fresh mushrooms, and a package of rehydrated porcini. When adding the chicken stock, I would replace it occasionally with a !/4 cup of the porcini water. So earthy and full of flavor!. I did double it and the leftovers are just as good. Be sure to moisten with more stock before reheating.
Thanks Jackie! Adding the water from rehydrating the mushrooms is a great idea!!
This will be the main course with a green salad and good, course bread for 3 adults and one child. Will there be enough or should I double the recipe?
Hi Jackie – Yes – for 3 to 4 main course portions, I would double the recipe. Enjoy!
It was AMAZING & really easy. I added thyme & garlic. Mine was quite rich because my stock was really rich so next time I might use a lighter stock or water my stock down a little.
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Glad you enjoyed the recipe Nicole!
I know this post is old, but I’m so glad it’s still near the top of the Google search for mushroom risotto recipes. My goodness this was so daggone good. It’s a bit labor intensive with all the chopping and stirring, but the actual cooking process is very straightforward. No wonder your husband said, “she’s a keeper,” after you prepared this for him. Sublime.
★★★★★
Thanks Liz! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the recipe as much as my husband did! 😉
I’ve made this recipe over and over, we never get tired of it, the risotto is creamy with a robust flavor from the wine and mushrooms.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Alexis!
Can I sub the chicken stock to milk or vegetable stock
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You can swap in vegetable stock (but not milk).
Better than what I had in Italy last week!!! Added large wild scallops and mamma mia.
★★★★★
Wow Jo!! Thank you so much – that’s a huge compliment! Grazie!! 🙂 Scallops are a great idea!!
This is a fantastic recipe and easy to make, thanks so much! Already made it three times in the last month.
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Thanks Tania! So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
YUM YUM YUM! This is a great recipe, though I also added more stock than the instructions called for. Thanks for this recipe!
Thanks Jackie! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
OMG this was really simple to do and the result was so outstanding!!!! I followed the recipe exactly and my family totally loved it. Thanks for this wonderful risotto!!!
You’re very welcome Maria! This recipe is near and dear to our hearts and we’re very glad you enjoyed it so much!
In all honesty- do you have a paypal “donation” tab?
I am finding your site to be far more useful than spending the day cookbook shopping. I can get exactly what I want and I am having so much fun looking at your offerings and reading your sweet stories! I’ve seen some blogs host a Donation Button that helps to pay for the site. So many great recipes, I’d spend $$$ easily on cookbooks to get them all.
Awww… thank you so much Jackie! No charge to visit our site or to enjoy our recipes! 🙂 We’re so glad you found us! Thanks for taking the time to write to us today!
Made this tonight in my dorm’s kitchen at school — it was fantastic! I substituted the onions for garlic, and added a *little* lemon juice at the end. Then I topped off my serving with a fried egg. Thank you so much for the recipe, this was my first risotto (and I come from a risotto family) and it was perfect.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Bayley! (Love the addition of the lemon at the end!) Thanks for taking the time to write to us!
My first Risotto and I made your Mushroom Risotto. It was delicious. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
You’re very welcome Janice! So glad you enjoyed the recipe – this recipe in particular is very near and dear to our hearts! 🙂
I had to use 4 cups of stock to get the rice to the right consistency. Did I do something wrong?
Not at all Katie! Sometimes risotto takes a little more liquid to get it the right consistency.
I made this delicious recipe tonight and what I loved was how simple it was to make, and with so few ingredients, a great one for a financial savvy meal plan. Thankyou! 🙂
Thanks Chance!
Can I substitute the white wine? What can I use for that substitution?
Yes – just replace it with chicken stock!
Looks fantastic but I am a wee bit concerned about the ratio. You have 2.5 cups of chicken stock plus wine and I’ve been following a box directions of vino plus 4 cups of chicken stock or until done.
Hi Mike! Is the 4 cups+ of stock for 1 cup of rice or more than that? Either way, if you follow our recipe and need more stock it should be fine!! Hope you enjoy the recipe! Martha
Oh, I love risotto so much! It is like adult comfort food. 🙂