Instant Pot Risotto

What is Risotto?

Risotto is one of the most common Italian rice dish, often served as a primo (first) course. Key ingredients include high-starch rice, broth, butter, white wine, and Parmesan cheese.

The traditional way of cooking risotto requires constant attention & nuturing, so many people often save this elegant dish for a gourmet meal for special occasions or dine-out treat.

But with the help of your Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker, making Risotto at home can be super easy!

We’ve done multiple tests to find the best method & cook time for arborio rice in Instant Pot that consistently yields great risotto.

And yes! You don’t have to babysit the pot & continuously stir the risotto with care, worry about temperature control, when to add how much stock, or what type of pot to use…ohhh yaasss!! 😀

What We Look for in Great Risotto?

• Evenly cooked risotto – tender but firm to the bite arborio rice; arborio rice is not mushy, gluey, sticky, watery, dry, soft, overcooked, or hard
• Smooth, rich & creamy sauce with body – satisfying & comforting to eat
• Overall risotto is flavorful with balanced flavors – cheesy, savory, umami, nutty, aromatic; not flat or bland

It’s time to impress your guests with your homemade Instant Pot Risotto! 😀

Ingredients for Cooking Risotto in Instant Pot

Rice Choice: We used Arborio Rice to develop our Instant Pot Risotto recipe because it is readily available and contains one of the highest amounts of starch. This gives our pressure cooker risotto a nice creamy texture. No need to pre-rinse the rice, or else it’ll lose the starch content needed for the risotto’s creamy consistency.

Wine Choice: Go with a bottle of dry white wine. We are using a bottle of Pinot Grigio from Italy. The wine not only enhances the flavors, but the acidity in the wine will help balance the overall risotto as well. We only used half a cup, so you will have enough leftover wine to pair with your luxurious risotto 🙂

Cheese Choice: Gotta go with Parmesan Cheese because it’s traditional, plus it adds creaminess and nutty flavor to the risotto. One of our favorite go-to is a freshly grated Parmesan cheese that has been aged for 36 months.

Oil Choice: For simplicity, you can use either unsalted butter or olive oil. If you want more complex flavors in your Parmesan risotto, go with both unsalted butter and olive oil.

Soy Sauce: Soy sauce may sound like a strange choice, but it will increase the savoriness (umami) of your pressure cooker risotto. 

Unsalted Butter & Unsalted Chicken Stock: Different brands or even different boxes of the same brand of salted chicken stock & salted butter can differ in levels of sodium, so we prefer to develop recipes using unsalted chicken stock & unsalted butter for more control & consistency on the dish’s overall flavor profile.

Time to cook Creamy Delicious Risotto in Instant Pot!

How to Make Instant Pot Risotto Step by Step Guide

Tools for Instant Pot Risotto

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Wooden Spoon
• Pyrex Measuring Cups

Saute Onions & Garlic

Heat up Instant Pot using “Sauté More” function. Wait until Instant Pot says “HOT”.

*Pro Tip: Make sure the Instant Pot is as hot as it can be in order to induce a maillard reaction.

Add 1 tbsp (14g) unsalted butter or olive oil in Instant Pot’s inner pot. Ensure the whole bottom is coated with oil. Saute diced onions and optional shallot for 2 minutes. 

Add in minced garlic, then saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Toast Arborio Rice in Instant Pot

Now make some room in the Instant Pot by pushing the onions and garlic to the side of the inner pot.

Add 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter to the empty side of the Instant Pot.

Pour 2 cups (400g) arborio rice in Instant Pot – ensure all the rice grains are coated with butter. Give it a quick stir to mix everything together.

Toast arborio rice in Instant Pot for 2 – 3 minutes to give the dish a really nice nutty flavor.

*Pro Tip: We don’t want to brown the rice. The edges of the arborio rice should become translucent, while the center remains white. 

Add Wine to Instant Pot

Pour ½ cup (125ml) dry white wine in Instant Pot, then deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot (as shown in below photo).

Let the wine simmer for roughly a minute to allow the alcohol to evaporate. 

Pressure Cook Risotto

Add 2 tbsp (30ml) regular soy sauce and 4 cups (1000ml) unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot.

*Note: Soy sauce sounds like a strange choice, but it will increase the savoriness (umami) for the overall pressure cooker risotto. 

Give it a quick mix and make sure no rice grain is sticking to the sides of the Instant Pot.

With Venting Knob in Venting Position, close the lid, then turn Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

• Pressure Cooking Methods: Pressure Cook at High Pressure 5 minutes + Quick Release

Once the pressure cooking cycle is done, release the remaining pressure by turning Venting Knob to Venting Position.

When Floating Valve drops, open the lid carefully.

Optional Fancy Step – Warm Plates: Warm serving plates in the oven (we warm our plates in a 200°F toaster oven), this helps ensure the best risotto consistency when served.

Add Green Peas & Cheese

*Note: The risotto in Instant Pot will look soupy at first. Don’t panic! It’s normal. 🙂

Add ½ cup – 1 cup (85g – 170g) green peas to the risotto. Stir to combine and form a creamy smooth consistency.

*Pro Tip: If the Instant Pot Risotto is too runny, simply stir and cook for another few minutes over medium heat (Instant Pot: press “Sauté” button).

Add 42g freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well to melt the cheese.

When the parmesan risotto in Instant Pot reaches your desired consistency, taste and season with kosher salt & black pepper (for reference: we used 2 pinches of salt for seasoning).

*Pro Tip: Taste your shredded prosciutto as they can taste mild to very salty.

Serve Instant Pot Risotto

Add parmesan risotto to a warmed plate.

Garnish with shredded prosciutto, grated Parmesan cheese and finely chopped chives.

*Pro Tip: For best tasting experience, risotto should be served hot (immediately).

Enjoy your luxuriously creamy delicious Instant Pot Risotto!~

More Instant Pot Risotto Recipes You’ll Love

Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto

Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto