Marry Me Risotto (Instant Pot + Stovetop)
Creamy, dreamy, ridiculously delicious risotto without standing over the stove stirring like your life depends on it. This Marry Me Risotto takes all the saucy, garlicky, sun-dried tomato goodness from my famous Marry Me Tofu and Marry Me Chickpeas and turns it into one seriously cozy bowl of risotto.
And yes, you can make it in the Instant Pot! No slowly adding broth, constant stirring or risotto babysitting. Just sauté your veggies, dump in the rice and broth, pressure cook, and finish it off with a creamy cashew sauce, nutritional yeast, vegan Parmesan, spinach, and beans.
17g of protein and 9g of fibre per serving? I do!
Watch how to make Marry Me Risotto over on my YouTube channel! And don’t forget to subscribe while you’re at it 😉
Inspiration & Ingredients
If you’ve made my Marry Me Tofu or Marry Me Chickpeas, you already know where this flavour is headed. We’re talking sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, Italian herbs, chili flakes, and a creamy, cheesy sauce that is basically impossible to resist.
But instead of smothering tofu or chickpeas in that sauce, we’re folding all those flavours into creamy arborio rice. And because I can’t just leave well enough alone, we’re adding white beans for extra protein and creaminess, plus nutritional yeast and vegan Parmesan for maximum savoury, cheesy deliciousness.
The result is rich and comforting without being ridiculously heavy. You also don’t have to spend half an hour standing at the stove stirring and adding broth one tiny ladle at a time, which I think is pretty great.
Here’s what you need:
Risotto
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1½ cups finely chopped mushrooms
- ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1½ cups arborio rice
- 3½ cups vegan chicken broth
- ⅓ cup vegan Parmesan
- 1–2 cups spinach
- 1 19-oz can cooked white beans, optional
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Fresh basil, for serving
Cashew Cream Sauce
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
Why You’ll love Marry Me Risotto
- Instant Pot friendly — pressure cooking does the hard work for you.
- No constant stirring — because ain’t nobody got time for that.
- Creamy and cheesy without dairy
- Packed with savoury sun-dried tomato flavour
- Well-balanced meal with protein, carbs, fat and fibre
- Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner
- Includes a stovetop option if you don’t have an Instant Pot
How to Make Marry Me Risotto
Instructions
- Make the cashew cream: First, blend the raw cashews with the water until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside. If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak your cashews in hot water for 15–20 minutes first. Drain before blending.
- Sauté the veggies: Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and add the olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms, and red bell pepper and sauté for several minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the mushrooms release some of their moisture.
- Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, basil, and chili flakes. Cook for another minute or so, stirring frequently.
- Add the rice: Add the dry arborio rice and stir for about a minute, coating the grains in all those gorgeous tomatoey flavours. Pour in a little of the vegan chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot thoroughly to make sure nothing is stuck. Add the remaining broth and season with salt and pepper.
- Pressure cook: Secure the lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 5 minutes. When the cooking time is up, carefully do a quick release. Open the lid and give the risotto a stir.
- Make it creamy: Stir in the beans, cashew cream, spinach, lemon juice and vegan Parmesan. Let the risotto sit for about 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens up and the spinach wilts. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Top with fresh basil, more lemon juice, a dash of chili flakes, and extra vegan Parmesan and enjoy!
Stovetop Instructions
- No Instant Pot? No problem. Follow the recipe through sautéing the vegetables and adding the rice.
- Add the vegan chicken broth, stir well, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and simmer for approximately 18–22 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- For the stovetop method, you may need a little more broth than the Instant Pot version—start with the amount listed in the recipe, then add extra broth, about ¼ cup at a time, if the rice becomes dry before it is tender. You may need to give it a stir once or twice, but you do not need to stand there constantly stirring and adding broth like traditional risotto.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and stir in the cashew cream, vegan Parmesan, spinach, lemon juice and cooked white beans.
- Cover and let it sit for 3–5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil, more lemon juice, a dash of chili flakes, and extra vegan Parmesan and enjoy!
tips for the Best Risotto
- Don’t skip the sauté. Could you technically dump everything into the Instant Pot? Sure. But sautéing the vegetables and tomato paste first adds so much more flavour, and it only takes a few extra minutes.
- Add the beans at the end. We’re using already-cooked beans, so there’s no reason to pressure cook them. Adding them after the rice is cooked keeps them intact instead of turning them into bean mush.
- Don’t pressure cook the cashew cream. The cashew cream goes in after cooking. This gives you much more control over the final consistency and keeps the finished risotto luxuriously creamy.
- Let it sit. Freshly opened Instant Pot risotto can look a little loose. Give it a few minutes after adding the finishing ingredients and it will thicken beautifully.
- Want it extra saucy? Keep a splash of warm vegan chicken broth handy. If the risotto gets thicker than you’d like, stir in a little broth until it reaches your perfect creamy consistency.
Nutrition
Per serving (serves 4):
390 calories • 17g protein • 57g carbs • 12g fat • 9g fibre
Nutrition information is approximate and will vary depending on the ingredients used.
Say ‘I Do’ to Comfort Food
Traditional risotto has a reputation for being fussy. Constant stirring! Slowly adding broth! Don’t you dare walk away from the pot!
NOT THIS GIRL.
This Marry Me Risotto gives you all the creamy, luxurious comfort of risotto with a fraction of the effort. The sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and chili flakes bring all the sexy Marry Me flavour, while cashew cream and vegan Parmesan make it gloriously creamy and cheesy.
Serve it with a big green salad or some roasted veggies, pour yourself a glass of something delicious, and enjoy. You deserve it, baby!
Love this recipe? I’d really appreciate if you gave me a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below!
Lastly, if you made any of these recipes and decide to share them on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @SteamyVegan and use hashtag #SteamyVegan! I seriously love seeing what you’re cooking up! Plus make sure to check me out on YouTube — I have HUNDREDS of recipe videos to give you limitless plant-based inspiration!
Marry Me Risotto
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Make the cashew cream: First, blend the raw cashews with the water until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside. If you don't have a high-powered blender, soak your cashews in hot water for 15–20 minutes first. Drain before blending.
- Sauté the veggies: Turn your Instant Pot to Sauté and add the olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms, and red bell pepper and sauté for several minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften and the mushrooms release some of their moisture.
- Add the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, basil, salt, pepper and chili flakes. Cook for another minute or so, stirring frequently.This little sauté step is worth it. It gives the vegetables a chance to develop more flavour and lets the tomato paste caramelize slightly, which makes the finished risotto taste much more delicious than simply throwing everything into the pot raw.
- Add the rice: Add the dry arborio rice and stir for about a minute, coating the grains in all those gorgeous tomatoey flavours. Pour in a little of the vegan chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot thoroughly to make sure nothing is stuck. Stir in the remaining broth.
- Pressure cook: Secure the lid and cook on HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. When the cooking time is up, carefully do a quick release. Open the lid and give the risotto a stir.Don't panic if it looks a little looser than you expected at first. We're about to add the creamy goodness, and the rice will continue absorbing liquid as it sits.
- Make it creamy: Stir in the beans, cashew cream, spinach, lemon juice and vegan Parmesan. Let the risotto sit for about 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens up and the spinach wilts. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Top with fresh basil, more lemon juice, a dash of chili flakes, and extra vegan Parmesan and enjoy!
- No Instant Pot? No problem. Follow the recipe through sautéing the vegetables and adding the rice.
- Add the vegan chicken broth, stir well, and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly with a lid, and simmer for approximately 18–22 minutes, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- For the stovetop method, you may need a little more broth than the Instant Pot version—start with the amount listed in the recipe, then add extra broth, about ¼ cup at a time, if the rice becomes dry before it is tender. You may need to give it a stir once or twice, but you do not need to stand there constantly stirring and adding broth like traditional risotto.
- Once the rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and stir in the cashew cream, vegan Parmesan, spinach, lemon juice and cooked white beans.
- Cover and let it sit for 3–5 minutes before serving. Top with fresh basil, more lemon juice, a dash of chili flakes, and extra vegan Parmesan and enjoy!
