Mushroom Risotto
A deeply savory Italian classic: arborio rice simmered slowly in porcini-infused broth until each grain is creamy outside and just al dente at the center. Searing the fresh mushrooms separately first, instead of steaming them in the rice, keeps them browned and meaty, while the porcini soaking liquid gives the whole pot layers of woodsy flavor. A final off-heat swirl of butter and Parmigiano brings it all together into a glossy, spoonable risotto.
Steep 15 g dried porcini in 1.2 L hot vegetable broth, then keep the broth barely simmering on a back burner. Sear 450 g sliced fresh mushrooms in olive oil over high heat until browned; season and set aside. In the same wide pan, soften chopped shallots and garlic in butter, toast 300 g arborio rice for 2 minutes until the edges turn translucent, then deglaze with 120 ml dry white wine. Add the warm broth one ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed, about 18-20 minutes total. When the rice is al dente, fold in the seared mushrooms and chopped porcini, then pull the pan off the heat and beat in cold butter and 60 g grated Parmigiano until glossy. Rest 3 minutes, loosen with a splash of broth if needed, and serve immediately.
- Keep the broth hot the whole time — cold liquid shocks the rice, stalls the starch release, and makes the risotto gluey instead of creamy.
- Brown the mushrooms separately over high heat and add them back at the end; cooked in the rice they turn gray and rubbery.
- Aim for all'onda: the finished risotto should slowly spread when you shake the pan, not hold its shape in a mound — add one last splash of broth before serving.
Equipment
- Wide heavy-bottomed sauté pan or Dutch oven (about 28 cm / 11 in)
- Medium saucepan for keeping broth hot
- Ladle
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Fine-mesh sieve (for straining porcini liquid)
- Microplane or box grater
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Mushrooms and broth
- 15 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 1.2 L low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if needed
- 450 g mixed fresh mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, oyster), stemmed and sliced 6 mm / 1/4 in thick
- 30 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- fresh thyme sprigs, or 1 tsp leaves
Risotto
- 60 g unsalted butter, divided; keep half cold for finishing
- shallots, finely chopped (about 80 g / 1/2 cup)
- garlic cloves, minced
- 300 g arborio or carnaroli rice, do not rinse
- 120 ml dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio; see FAQ for a swap
- 3 g fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 g freshly ground black pepper
To finish
- 60 g Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra shavings for serving
- 8 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
วิธีทำ
- ขั้น01
Bring the vegetable broth to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Ladle about 240 ml (1 cup) of the hot broth over the dried porcini in a small bowl and let them soak until soft, about 15 minutes. Lift the porcini out, chop them roughly, and pour their soaking liquid back into the broth pot through a fine-mesh sieve to catch any grit. Keep the broth at the lowest simmer on a back burner.
- ขั้น02
While the porcini soak, heat the olive oil in your wide pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sliced fresh mushrooms and thyme in an even layer and cook, stirring only every couple of minutes, until their liquid has evaporated and they are deeply browned at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt at the end (not the start, so they brown instead of steam), then scrape them into a bowl. Discard the thyme stems.
- ขั้น03
Reduce the heat to medium and melt half the butter (30 g / 2 tbsp) in the same pan. Add the shallots with the 1/2 tsp salt and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes; stir in the garlic for the last 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir constantly for about 2 minutes, until the grains are coated in fat, smell faintly nutty, and look translucent at the edges with a white dot at the center.
- ขั้น04
Pour in the wine and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the mushrooms. Let it bubble until the pan smells mellow rather than sharp and the liquid is almost fully absorbed, about 2 minutes.
- ขั้น05
Add a ladleful (about 180 ml / 3/4 cup) of the hot broth and adjust the heat so the rice simmers gently. Stir often — every 30 seconds or so, not necessarily nonstop — and add the next ladle only when a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a brief clear trail. Continue for 16 to 18 minutes, tasting from around 14 minutes. Stir in the chopped porcini with the final ladle. You may not need every drop of broth; stop when the grains are tender with a slight bite at the very center.
- ขั้น06
Stir the seared mushrooms (and any juices in the bowl) back into the rice and cook for 2 more minutes so everything is hot and the flavors merge. The risotto should be loose and wavy — looser than seems right, since it thickens fast off the heat. Add a splash of broth if it looks stiff. Grind in the black pepper.
- ขั้น07
Pull the pan off the burner. Add the remaining 30 g (2 tbsp) cold butter and the Parmigiano and beat vigorously with the spoon for about 30 seconds — this emulsifies the fat and starch into that signature creamy sheen. Cover and rest 3 minutes, then taste for salt and stir in one last splash of hot broth so it flows. Serve straight away in warmed shallow bowls, topped with parsley and Parmigiano shavings.
Make ahead
Restaurant-style par-cooking works well at home: cook the risotto through step 5 but stop about 6 minutes early, while the rice is still firm, then spread it on a sheet pan to cool quickly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To serve, return it to the pan with hot broth and finish cooking, folding in the mushrooms and doing the butter-and-cheese finish as written. The seared mushrooms and strained porcini broth can each be made a day ahead and refrigerated separately.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within an hour of cooking and eat within 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan with a generous splash of broth or water, stirring until loose and steaming hot — the microwave works too, in short bursts with added liquid. Freezing is not recommended; the rice turns mushy and the texture never fully recovers.
Variations
Vegan mushroom risotto
Swap the butter for 45 ml (3 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil (use the best you have for the finish) and replace the Parmigiano with 3 tbsp nutritional yeast plus 1 tsp white miso whisked into the last ladle of broth. The miso restores the savory depth the cheese would provide, and vigorous beating at the end still produces a creamy emulsion. Note for strict vegetarians: traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano contains animal rennet, so this variation (or a rennet-free hard cheese) is the way to go.
Wild mushroom and truffle
Use chanterelles, maitake, or fresh porcini in place of the mixed mushrooms, and finish each bowl with a few drops of truffle oil or a light shaving of fresh black truffle. Skip the thyme so the truffle aroma stands alone.
Baked hands-off version
After deglazing with wine, stir in 1 L (4 1/4 cups) of the hot porcini broth all at once, cover, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms plus the remaining broth and return to the stovetop for 2 to 3 minutes before the butter-and-cheese finish. Slightly less silky than the stirred method, but reliable when you cannot babysit the pan.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
คำถามพบบ่อย
What kind of rice is best for mushroom risotto?
Use a high-starch Italian short-grain variety: arborio is the easiest to find, while carnaroli is more forgiving because it holds its bite longer and releases starch more evenly. Vialone nano also works beautifully. Do not rinse the rice — the surface starch is exactly what makes mushroom risotto creamy — and do not substitute long-grain or basmati rice, which cannot release enough starch.
Do I really have to stir constantly?
No. Stirring frequently — a few passes every 30 seconds or so — is enough to keep the rice from sticking and to coax starch off the grains. What matters more is keeping the broth hot, adding it gradually, and maintaining a steady gentle simmer. Save your energy for the final mantecatura, where vigorous beating with the butter and cheese does the most for texture.
Can I make mushroom risotto without wine?
Yes. Replace the wine with an equal amount of broth plus 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar stirred in at the end. The acid is the point of the wine — without it the risotto tastes flat and heavy — so do not skip the substitute entirely.
Why did my risotto turn out gluey or stiff instead of creamy?
The usual culprits are adding cold broth (which shocks the rice and breaks the starch emulsion), simmering too hard, or letting it sit too long before serving. Risotto keeps absorbing liquid off the heat, so finish it looser than seems right — it should slump and spread when you shake the pan — and plate it immediately. If it stiffens, a splash of hot broth beaten in brings it back.
Can I use only fresh mushrooms and skip the dried porcini?
You can, but the porcini and their strained soaking liquid carry a big share of the flavor in this mushroom risotto, so compensate: use 550 g (about 1 1/4 lb) fresh mushrooms, brown them thoroughly, and consider a teaspoon of soy sauce or porcini powder in the broth for depth. (If gluten-free matters, use tamari.)
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