Updated on September 24th, 2025
With the cooler weather just around the corner, I am looking forward to having more cozy dishes, and one dish I like to make is risotto. In this post, I am excited to share 4 ways you can make vegetarian risotto.
What is Risotto?
Risotto is an Italian rice dish that uses short-grain rice that is cooked in a broth until it is creamy. A classic risotto is made with onion, garlic, vegetable, beef, or chicken broth, butter, olive oil, and parmesan cheese. Risotto can be made with other vegetables, meats, or fish, but the following 4 recipes are all vegetarian and do not contain meat or fish.
I especially love making risotto because it is often made in one pot, and it usually takes around 30 minutes to make from start to finish. You can have risotto for lunch, dinner, or as an appetizer or side, and I often have leftovers for the next day.
#1 Tomato Risotto
This tomato risotto is based on a recipe from Spis Bedre, which is a monthly Danish magazine with healthy recipes.
Tomato Risotto
4
servings25
minutesIngredients
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 and a half cups of risotto rice
3 cups of water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Fresh basil
Directions
- Chop the red onion
- Peel and mince the garlic
- Add the red onion, garlic, butter, and olive oil to a pot that has a lid
- Heat the red onion and garlic on medium heat and fry for 3-4 minutes
- Add the risotto rice to the pot and fry for 1 minute
- Add the water and vegetable bouillon cube to the pot
- Cover the pot and cook the risotto for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally
- Add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 3-4 more minutes
- Season the risotto with salt and pepper
- Add the parmesan cheese and stir well
- Serve the risotto with fresh mozzarella and fresh basil
My Thoughts
I have seen various tomato risotto recipes that use canned tomatoes and a combination of fresh and canned tomatoes. However, since I only used fresh tomatoes, I did not get the reddish color of other tomato risotto, but the risotto was still delicious. Also, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil are always a good combination of flavors. I made this risotto for my lunch and I had leftovers for the next day.
Rating: 8/10
#2 Broccoli and Green Bean Risotto
This broccoli and green bean risotto is based on a recipe in the Vegan Food and Living magazine, but I used regular parmesan cheese instead of a vegan alternative.
Broccoli and Green Bean Risotto
4
servings28
minutesIngredients
1 onion
1 head of broccoli
1 and a half cups of risotto rice
1 bag of fresh green beans (you could also use a can of green beans)
3 cups of water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
Thyme
1/3 cup of parmesan cheese (you can use a vegan alternative instead)
Salt
Pepper
Oil for frying
Directions
- Chop the onion
- Add the onion to a pot with olive oil
- Fry the onion on medium heat for 3-4 minutes
- While the onion is frying, cut off and discard the ends of the green beans and chop the rest of the green beans into small pieces. If you are using canned green beans, you can skip this step.
- Add the green beans and thyme to the pot with the onion and fry for another 3-4 minutes
- Add the risotto rice, water, and vegetable bouillon cube to the pot
- Cover the pot and cook the risotto for 15 minutes, and stir occasionally
- Add the broccoli to the pot and cook until the broccoli is soft. This step took about 5 minutes for me
- Add the parmesan cheese to the pot
- Season with salt and pepper and stir well
My Thoughts
The risotto did have a good flavor with the vegetables and thyme. However, the recipe said to add the broccoli near the end, but I would recommend adding the broccoli at the same time as you add the green beans because it makes the cooking time even longer and the risotto is already done cooking at this point so you do risk burning it. I ate this risotto as a side with halloumi, and was it delicious. My partner and our daughter had cordon bleu, and both of them liked the risotto too. Even with the 3 of us eating the risotto, I had leftovers for lunch the next day.
Rating: 9/10
#3 Spinach and Asparagus Risotto
This spinach and asparagus risotto recipe is based on one from Spis Bedre, but I have made some changes to the preparation as I did not want to blend the spinach with the broth before adding it to the pot.
Spinach and Asparagus Risotto
4
servings22
minutesIngredients
1 banana shallot (if you cannot find banana shallots, you can use a regular shallot or an onion)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of risotto rice
3 cups of water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1 bag of fresh spinach (you can use frozen spinach as well)
1 bunch of asparagus
1 tablespoon of butter
1/4 cup of parmesan
Salt
Pepper
Directions
- Chop the banana shallot
- Peel and mince the garlic
- Place the banana shallot and garlic in a pot with the olive oil
- Fry the shallot and garlic on medium heat for 3-4 minutes
- Rinse the spinach
- Add the risotto rice, water, vegetable bouillon cube, and spinach to the pot
- Cover the pot and cook the risotto for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally
- While the risotto is cooking, break off or cut off and discard the ends of the asparagus, and chop the asparagus into small pieces
- After the risotto has cooked for 15 minutes, add the asparagus and cook for an additional 3 minutes
- Add the parmesan to the risotto
- Season with salt and pepper and stir well
My Thoughts
I liked the spinach and asparagus recipe, and the dish turned out well even without blending the spinach beforehand. Also, the asparagus still had some crunch, which was a nice contrast from the creaminess of the spinach risotto. The combination of spinach, asparagus, and parmesan was delicious, and I have not used banana shallots before, so I enjoyed trying them in a recipe. I made this risotto for my lunch, and I had plenty of leftovers for the next day.
Rating: 8/10
#4 Pumpkin Risotto
The last dish is a pumpkin risotto, which is based on a recipe from Vegan Food and Living. Pumpkins are a classic flavor and symbol of fall, and I was excited to try it in a risotto recipe. However, the original recipe was rather vague, and I added more detail to the steps including how to prep and roast the pumpkin.
Pumpkin Risotto
4
servings49
minutesIngredients
Half of a pumpkin (I used Hokkaido pumpkin as it is readily available in Denmark)
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil
1 and a half cups of risotto rice
3 cups of water
1 vegetable bouillon cube
1/4 cup of peas (you can use fresh, canned, or frozen)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme (you can also use dried thyme)
1 spring of fresh rosemary (you can use dried rosemary instead)
Salt
Pepper
Directions
- Roast the pumpkin. For the pumpkin, I first cut it in half, then scooped out the seeds from the pumpkin halves. Since the recipe only requires half of the pumpkin, I saved the other half for another recipe in the fridge. Peel the outer skin of the pumpkin, then carefully slice the pumpkin into wedges and chop the wedges into bite-sized pieces. You can roast the pumpkin in an air fryer at 180° C / 355° F for 20 minutes or in the oven at 220° C / 425° F for around 30 minutes
- Chop the onion
- Peel and mince the garlic
- Fry the onion and garlic in a pot with olive oil on medium heat for 3-4 minutes
- Add the risotto rice, water, and vegetable bouillon cube to the pot and cook covered for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally
- Add the roasted pumpkin, peas, thyme, and rosemary, and cook for an additional 5 minutes
- Season with salt and pepper
My Thoughts
The pumpkin risotto recipe required the most time and effort out of these recipes because you have to roast the pumpkin before adding it to the risotto. However, I did think the risotto tasted good, and I liked the combination of pumpkin and peas. I made the risotto as a side for dinner, and my partner liked the risotto, but my daughter did not care for it. I did have leftovers for lunch the next day, but since this risotto did require a lot of effort, I will most likely not make it again.
Rating: 7/10
Final Thoughts
These 4 vegetarian risotto recipes were actually good! Before trying these recipes, I had only made risotto with asparagus or mushrooms, and I enjoyed trying new flavors. Out of these recipes, the Broccoli and Green Bean Risotto was a family favorite, and I will definitely have to make it again. However, the Pumpkin Risotto was my least favorite because even though it tasted good, it takes a lot of time to prep and roast the pumpkin. I liked the combination of flavors of the Tomato Risotto as well as the Spinach and Asparagus Risotto, and I would make both of them again.
This looks gorgeous and I bet it tastes even better. Sadly, I have to stick to soft foods at the moment because of my wisdom teeth (who knew they could still come in at 31?), and this would be perfect!
Thank you! I had no idea wisdom teeth could come in so late! Risotto is a great soft food because the broth does make it soft.
These all sound so delicious! As a vegetarian, I am always looking for new recipes to try so thank you for sharing this!
https://melissakacar.com
That’s awesome you’re vegetarian too! I would definitely all of these risotto, but the pumpkin one does take more prep work.
Ooo this looks and sounds super good. I am so ready for fall weather and the comfort food that goes along with it!
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Thank you! Fall is my favorite season, and I love comfort food too.
I love risotto and am always happy to have some new recipes to try. Thanks for sharing these!
You’re welcome! I love risotto too!
These all look so delicious. I’m always looking for new, easy recipes to try out, and plan to give the Tomato and the Spinach & Asparagus Risotto recipes a try. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! Both of those are delicious, and I hope you do give them a try and enjoy them!
All of these sound delicious! I love a risotto though! It’s one of my faves. I’m very much a throw everything in kind of gal though – I think that’s part of the reason why I like them so much. Spinach and asparagus would be my first choice from the list.
Claire.X
http://www.clairemac.co.uk
The broccoli and green bean risotto is the one I would most likely eat – it looks delicious! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
It was delicious and one of the easier risottos to make!
As a vegetarian, this makes me so happy to see as risotto is something I really love (although I can’t eat it too much because of the carbs). I tend to have a bit of risotto as a side dish and it always makes want I’m eating special. Thanks for sharing these recipe ideas!
That’s awesome you’re vegetarian too! Yea I don’t make risotto all the time either, but it is a nice treat to have it for lunch or as a side.
You’re welcome!
I’d have every single one of these, I love risotto! It’s hard to find a really good one when you go out to eat, the texture has to be just right.
That’s fantastic you love risotto too! It is easy pretty easy to make and maybe better than what you can get from a restaurant!
Ooh these all look amazing! My sister loves cooking so I’m definitely going to pass these on to her. I’ve never actually tried risotto before but I’d really like to try the brocolli and green bean one. The pumpkin one looks perfect for fall too – although I do admit the longer cook time would put me off! Thank you so much for sharing x
Thank you! You should definitely try risotto! The texture isn’t for everyone, but I do like and I like that you can include a variety of ingredients. Yes the pumpkin one was good, but the prep time is too long!
These sound amazing! I’d love to give these easy risotto recipes a try. I’m glad you enjoyed the pumpkin risotto, even though it took longer to prepare. I’d love to try that at least once during the fall season. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you! The pumpkin risotto is delicious even though it did take a while to prep the pumpkin. I definitely recommend trying one of these during the fall season!
Love these risotto recipes, I have not thought about putting pumpkin in before – intriguing! I enjoy risotto with green veg so the green bean or asparagus ones both sound delicious x
Thanks! The pumpkin risotto was delicious, but it does take a lot of prep work. The green bean and asparagus risotto would be great!
I love the look of the first 3 recipes, but not the last one as I detest the flavour of pumpkin, unfortunately! I also hadn’t realised how relatively simple risotto is to make, so thank you for sharing your tips, very helpful 🙂
Pumpkin is definitely not for everyone, but at least you can try the other recipes! Risotto is very easy to make and I highly recommend it!
I’m not a big fan of risotto and mainly in restaurants. I like the sound of several of these recipes so I may just give it a go on my own. Thanks for sharing.
You should try making it yourself to see if you do like it or not. You can use ingredients you like too.
I’ve actually never made risotto before, but these sound like such simple and good recipes. The pumpkin option makes me curious to try it but I don’t know that I’m that adventurous haha. But I’m going to look for some risotto rice to give the broccoli and green bean option a try!
You should definitely try risotto! It is easy to make especially everything goes in the same pot.
Yes the pumpkin risotto was good, but it does require you to be adventerous and roast your own pumpkin haha
I hope you like the broccoli and green bean risotto!