Mushroom Risotto

By
Danilo Alfaro
Danlio Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 08/24/23
Tested by
Diana Rattray
Diana Rattray
Tested by Diana Rattray
Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Yield: 4 cups

This deeply flavorful, creamy mushroom risotto is simply made with sautéed mushrooms, shallots, a touch of white wine, and arborio rice with some fresh Parmesan cheese. It's one of the most delicious variations on basic risotto you can make. It's easy, too—all you need is 40 minutes, plus your undivided attention as you ladle and stir your way to risotto perfection.

The Best Mushrooms for Risotto

You can use any type of mushroom you like for this recipe, including regular button mushrooms, cremini, portobellos, shiitakes, and wild mushrooms such as chanterelles and porcini. The mushrooms are sautéed, which intensifies their flavor, so even the mildest mushrooms will taste wonderful in this dish.

The Best Rice for Risotto

Arborio rice is a classic—and wonderful—choice for risotto, and it is readily available in stores and online. This medium-grain, high-starch rice becomes wonderfully creamy when cooked, so it's perfect for risotto.

Two excellent Arborio rice substitutes are carnaroli and Vialone Nano, which are both high-starch varieties often used in Italian kitchens for this dish. Avoid long-grain rice varieties like basmati and jasmine as these will not result in a creamy risotto.

The Secret Ingredient for the Best Mushroom Risotto

The real magic in this recipe comes from using mushroom stock, although vegetable stock can be substituted. Mushroom stock is full of umami, and it infuses the whole dish with mushroomy goodness. You can find mushroom stock base in the supermarket or online.

You can also make homemade mushroom stock by simmering button mushrooms or other mushrooms, with or without celery, carrot, and onion, for about 15 minutes to extract their flavor. (Strain the mushrooms and aromatics out and feel free to use them for other dishes.) You can add a few dried porcini or other dried mushrooms for an even more intense mushroom flavor.

The Trick to Making Good Risotto

Patience is the key to making great risotto. The risotto method is a technique that involves stirring hot stock into the uncooked rice, a ladleful at a time, and cooking slowly as the stock is absorbed. This releases the rice's starches, making a creamy, velvety dish without using any cream. Be sure to keep an eye on the risotto and keep stirring because the starchy rice can burn easily. Making risotto is a time-intensive process, but done right, you will be richly rewarded with a wonderful dish.

What to Serve with Mushroom Risotto

Risotto is typically served as a first course, but you can also serve it as a side. This mushroom risotto is the perfect accompaniment for baked or roast chicken, pork roast, shrimp, or pan-fried fish.  Add a simple salad if you want something green as well. Or, make it into a complete one-dish meal by jazzing up your risotto with some of the variations we've listed below the recipe. 

Tips for Making Mushroom Risotto

  • Don't wait—Risotto turns glutinous if held for too long, so you should serve it right away. A properly cooked risotto should form a soft, creamy mound on a dinner plate. It shouldn't run across the plate, nor should it be stiff or gluey.
  • The rice really matters—It is really crucial to use Arborio rice for the best risotto due to its unique starch composition and grain size.
  • Making mushroom stock—To make a quick mushroom stock, roast 1 pound cremini mushrooms at 425 F until browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Then transfer them to a pot and add 1 carrot, chopped, 1 celery stalk, chopped, and 1 onion, chopped. If you have dried porcinis, add an ounce of them as well. A bay leaf and some thyme sprigs are also welcome. Cover with water and simmer for 45 minutes, then strain. Violà! Mushroom stock.
A bowl of mushroom risotto topped with parmesan cheese and parsley

The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

"The risotto recipe worked perfectly. I used mushroom stock, which made it darker, but the flavor was great. It was creamy and the rice had excellent texture. Though prep time’s short, the risotto has to be stirred constantly, so plan on 30 to 40 minutes active time." —Diana Rattray

Mushroom Risotto Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 quart mushroom stock (or vegetable stock or chicken stock)

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

  • 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (cremini or wild mushrooms)

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • 1 medium shallot (or small onion), chopped (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

  • 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped

  • Fine salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make mushroom risotto

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  2. Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock stays hot.

    A saucepan of stock

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  3. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and sauté the sliced mushrooms until they're soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a small bowl and set aside.

    A pan of sautéed mushroom, cooking in butter

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  4. In the same saucepan you cooked the mushrooms in, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot. Sauté until it is slightly translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes.

    A pan with chopped shallots

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  5. Add the rice to the pot and stir it briskly with a wooden spoon so that the grains are coated with the oil and melted butter. Sauté for another minute or so, until there is a slightly nutty aroma, but don't let the rice turn brown.

    A pan with chopped shallots and arborio rice cooking in butter and oil

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  6. Add the wine and cook while stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed.

    A wooden spoon stirring arborio rice and chopped shallots with white wine in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  7. Add a ladle of hot stock to the rice and stir until the liquid is fully absorbed. When the rice appears almost dry, add another ladle of stock and repeat the process.

    Note: It's important to stir constantly to prevent scorching, especially while the hot stock gets absorbed, and to add the next ladle as soon as the rice is almost dry.

    A wooden spoon stirring the arborio rice-mixture with hot stock in a pan

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  8. Continue adding ladles of hot stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, you'll see that the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches.

    A wooden spoon stirring hot stock into the aborio rice-mixture, as the rice breaks down

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  9. Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20 to 30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. When you're down to your last few ladles of stock, add the cooked mushrooms.

    If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn't done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until it's absorbed.

    A pan of creamy risotto with sautéed mushrooms being folded in with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

  10. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the Parmesan cheese, and the parsley and season to taste with salt.

    A pan of mushroom risotto, topped with parsley

    The Spruce Eats / Cara Cormack

How To Store

  • Refrigerate leftover risotto in a covered container for up to 3 days.
  • Mushroom Risotto can also be frozen for later use. Make sure to completely cool the risotto and place it in a freezer-safe container before putting it in the freezer. Then, when you get the craving for risotto, just defrost it overnight in the fridge, and reheat.

How To Reheat Leftover Risotto

In a saucepan over medium heat, add about 1/4 cup of broth or water for each cup of risotto you will be reheating. Bring the broth or water to a boil. Add the risotto and cook, stirring, until the rice is hot. If it is too dry, add a little more broth or water.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

  • Vegetable risotto: Add steamed vegetables to the risotto just before serving, such as 1 cup of steamed peas or chopped steamed asparagus, or diced cooked carrots.
  • Risotto with meat or seafood: Add some cooked shrimp, shredded or chopped cooked chicken, or diced ham when adding the mushrooms.
  • Herby risotto: Add about 1/4 cup of mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, and marjoram or oregano.

Helpful Links

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
156 Calories
9g Fat
15g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 156
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 21%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 472mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 15g 5%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 39mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 156mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)