Rich and creamy vegan mushroom risotto with pumpkin, fried sage and a pinch of nutmeg, is healthy comfort food at its best. Mushrooms create deep savory flavor, and the pumpkin and onions add a slight touch of sweetness. It's an easy, hearty, and healthy fall recipe that's ready in just 35 minutes!
If this creamy vegan mushroom risotto is the last pumpkin dish I make till next September, I definitely ended things on a glorious high note.
This easy vegan risotto is, dare I say, the ultimate healthy comfort food. If you’ve never made risotto, or never even tried it, this is an easy recipe to start with.
Garlic and fried sage create depth to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin and onions, and the pinch of nutmeg rounds out the dish beautifully.
For more vegan comfort food recipes, try creamy tahini pasta, impossible burger meatballs, and sourdough discard focaccia with rosemary.
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⭐️ Why This Risotto Is The Best
- Savory, umami, and slightly sweet
- Rich and creamy mushroom risotto without wine
- Healthy and nutritious; high in fiber; vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free
- Easy weeknight meal that's ready in 35 minutes
- Dairy free mushroom risotto made with simple ingredients
- Freezer-friendly
🍄 Ingredient Notes
- Fresh sage leaves - Adds fresh herby and woodsy notes to our vegan risotto. Try sage in this easy vegetarian mushroom stuffing.
- Arborio rice - an Italian short-grain rice that's naturally gluten-free and traditionally used to make risotto.
- Mushrooms. Use your favorite variety of mushrooms here. For more mushroom recipes, try vegetarian sloppy joes and veggie fajita tacos.
- Pumpkin puree - Make sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. For more pumpkin recipes, try fudgy vegan pumpkin brownies and vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
- Ground nutmeg - Adds a touch of warm spice that complements the mushrooms.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Oil. Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or vegan butter can be used in place of olive oil.
- Dried sage. Substitute 1 ½ teaspoons dried sage if necessary, although the flavor won't be as fresh and bright.
- Roasted pumpkin. If you have roasted pumpkin/squash cubes leftover from another dish, you can purée them in a food processor, and they will work great.
- Hazelnuts. Add ½ cup of chopped toasted hazelnuts before serving for a nutty crunch.
- Onion. Substitute red onion or 2 large shallots for the yellow onion.
- Garlic. Jarred garlic or garlic powder can be used but the garlic flavor will be a bit more muted.
🔪 How To Make This Risotto
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sage and cook for around 1 minute. Transfer sage to a paper towel to drain.
In the same skillet, add onion and cook until softened, around 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Stir in rice, salt, and pepper, and cook rice until it has become toasted and golden, around 5 minutes.
In a small saucepan, whisk together vegetable broth, pumpkin puree, and nutmeg. Bring mixture to a simmer over moderate heat and keep at a light simmer.
Pour in 1 cup of warm pumpkin broth into the rice and simmer, stirring constantly, until the stock is absorbed.
Continue simmering, adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 15-20 minutes total. Remove from heat and stir in fried sage leaves.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips
- Stir continuously. A key part of making risotto is to keep stirring when incorporating the stock into the rice.
- Keep your vegetable stock/pumpkin mixture at a low simmer. You always want to add warm liquid when making risotto.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
- How to serve: Serve accompanied with vegan roasted brussels sprouts or roasted carrots and green beans.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
While Arborio rice is traditionally used to make risotto, you can use any short-grain rice in its place for similar results.
Traditional risotto is made with butter and Parmesan cheese, but it can easily be made plant-based by using olive oil and creamy mushrooms. For a cheesy flavor, nutritional yeast works very well.
Creamy vegan risotto is achieved by cooking the rice in vegetable broth, using olive oil, and adding creamy mushrooms.
🍽 Related Recipes
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Vegan Mushroom Risotto with Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3-5 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
- ½ yellow onion, finely chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, washed and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sage and cook for around 1 minute. Transfer sage to a paper towel to drain.
- In the same skillet, add onion and cook until softened, around 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute for another 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Stir in rice, salt, and pepper, and cook rice until it has become toasted and golden, around 5 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together vegetable broth, pumpkin puree, and nutmeg. Bring mixture to a simmer over moderate heat and keep at a light simmer.
- Pour in 1 cup of warm pumpkin broth into the rice and simmer, stirring constantly, until the stock is absorbed.
- Continue simmering, adding broth ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is tender and creamy-looking but still al dente, about 15-20 minutes total.
- Remove from heat and stir in fried sage leaves. Cover to keep warm.
Notes
- Stir continuously. A key part of making risotto is to keep stirring when incorporating the stock into the rice.
- Keep your vegetable stock/pumpkin mixture at a low simmer. You always want to add warm liquid when making risotto.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling for this recipe.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Transfer to a freezer-safe container and store in freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the refrigerator overnight.
Jackie
I can't get over how creamy this risotto is without any dairy! It's only my second time making risotto, and this was a very easy recipe to follow. A very comforting and satisfying meal!
Gastronotherapy
So glad you enjoyed this risotto, Jackie! It is very creamy, indeed, even with no dairy in the recipe. That's the beauty of risotto! Thanks for stopping by my site!