Mushroom Risotto

Velvety, deeply savory Italian risotto made with earthy mushrooms, white wine, and loads of Parmesan.

By Cressio Rinaldi

Risotto has a reputation as a difficult dish, but it is really just a matter of patience. The technique is always the same: toast the rice, add wine, then add hot broth a ladle at a time, stirring, until the rice is creamy and tender with a little bite at the center. There is no cream in a risotto. The creaminess comes from the starch that the rice releases as you stir.

This one is built around mushrooms. They are browned first, in a hot pan, until golden, then set aside, so they stay meaty and don’t steam into the rice. Shallot, garlic and thyme are cooked in the same pan, so they pick up the mushroom flavor, and then the rice goes in.

It serves four, takes about 40 minutes, and needs your attention for most of it. Pour yourself a glass of the wine you are cooking with and enjoy the process.

Read this first

1. Keep the broth warm. Cold broth stops the cooking.
2. Add broth gradually, and stir often. This releases the starch.
3. Serve immediately. Risotto sets as it sits.

Prep time: 10 mins · Cook time: 30 mins · Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups Arborio rice
• 2 cups Mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake), sliced
• 5 cups Vegetable or chicken broth, warm
• 1/2 cup Dry white wine
• 1 large Shallot, finely diced
• 3 Garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tbsp Butter
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 sprigs Fresh thyme
• to taste Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat broth in a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Look for: A pot of steaming broth at a very gentle simmer.
2. In a large, wide pan, heat olive oil and 1 tbsp butter over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Look for: Golden, caramelized mushrooms with crisp edges, and no liquid left in the pan.
3. In the same pan, add remaining butter and sauté shallot until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, cook 1 minute more. Look for: Translucent shallot and fragrant garlic, with no browning.
4. Add Arborio rice and toast, stirring, for 2 minutes until the edges turn translucent. Look for: Grains that look glossy and slightly translucent at the edges, with a white center.
5. Pour in the white wine and stir until absorbed. Look for: A wet, shiny pan with no wine left, and a smell of white wine.
6. Add warm broth one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding the next. Continue for about 18-20 minutes until rice is creamy and al dente. Look for: Creamy rice that flows slowly, with a slight bite at the center of each grain.
7. Stir in cooked mushrooms and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Remove thyme sprigs. Serve immediately. Look for: A glossy, creamy risotto with browned mushrooms and melted parmesan.

Nutrition

Amount per serving. Nutritional values are estimates calculated from the ingredients above and can vary.

• Calories: 560
• Fat: 23g
• Saturated Fat: 10g
• Carbohydrates: 66g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 4g
• Protein: 18g
• Sodium: 1350mg
• Cholesterol: 40mg

Notes

• Best Fresh: Risotto is best served the moment it's done — it firms up and loses its creamy texture as it sits.
• Storage: Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2 days; reheat gently with a splash of warm broth to loosen it back up.
• Patience Pays Off: Adding the broth gradually and waiting for each addition to absorb builds the creamy texture — rushing it with all the broth at once cooks the rice unevenly.

Cook It With Me

Warm the broth

Pour the 5 cups of broth into a saucepan and keep it warm over low heat. Having it hot means the rice cooks evenly.

Brown the mushrooms

In a large, wide pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and cook until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Don’t crowd the pan, and don’t stir too much, so they brown. Move them to a plate.

Shallot, garlic and thyme

In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook the finely diced shallot until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the 3 minced garlic cloves and the 3 thyme sprigs and cook for 1 minute more.

Toast the rice

Add the 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice and stir for 2 minutes, until the edges of the grains turn translucent. The rice should smell slightly nutty.

Add the wine

Pour in the 1/2 cup of white wine and stir until it has been fully absorbed. This adds acidity and depth.

Add the broth

Add the warm broth one ladleful at a time, stirring often. Wait until each addition is mostly absorbed before adding the next. Keep the heat at a lively simmer. This takes 18 to 20 minutes. The risotto is ready when the rice is creamy and tender, with a slight bite, and the texture is like a loose porridge that flows when you tilt the pan.

Finish

Stir in the cooked mushrooms and the 3/4 cup of grated parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the thyme sprigs. Serve immediately in warm bowls.

The Ingredients, One by One

Arborio rice

A short-grain rice with a lot of starch. Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are also excellent. Don’t rinse it. The starch is what makes the creaminess.

Mixed mushrooms

Cremini give a deep, earthy flavor, and shiitake add a meaty note. Slice them thick.

Vegetable or chicken broth

Five cups, kept hot. Low-sodium broth is best, because the broth reduces and the parmesan adds salt.

Dry white wine

Choose a dry white you would drink, such as Pinot Grigio. It adds acidity to balance the richness.

Shallot and garlic

The shallot is milder and sweeter than onion. It melts into the rice.

Butter and olive oil

The oil helps the mushrooms brown, and the butter adds richness.

Parmesan and thyme

Parmesan adds salt and savory depth. Grate it fresh. The thyme sprigs infuse the rice.

The Technique Behind It

Why add broth gradually

Adding a little liquid at a time keeps the rice moving and rubbing against itself, which releases starch and makes it creamy.

Why warm broth

Cold broth lowers the temperature of the pot and slows the cooking. It can also make the rice gummy.

Why toast the rice

It coats each grain in fat and gives it a slightly nutty flavor, and it helps the grains hold their shape.

Mistakes That Cost You the Dish

• Cold broth The rice cooks unevenly.
• Adding all the broth at once The rice boils and doesn’t release its starch.
• Crowding the mushrooms They steam and turn gray.
• Overcooking The rice turns mushy.
• Letting it sit It turns thick and gluey.

Fix It: If This Happens, Do This

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Risotto is crunchy	Not enough broth	Keep adding broth and cooking.
Risotto is gluey	Overcooked	Serve it right away and stir in a splash of hot broth.
Risotto is dry	Not enough liquid	Stir in warm broth until loose.
Risotto is bland	Needs salt and acid	Add salt, parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.
Mushrooms are soggy	Crowded pan	Brown them in batches.

What Each Ingredient Does (and What You Can Swap)

Ingredient	Its job	Swap, and what changes
Arborio rice	Creamy base	Carnaroli works.
Mixed mushrooms	Meaty flavor	Porcini or portobello work.
Dry white wine	Acid	Extra broth with a squeeze of lemon works.
Shallot	Sweetness	Onion works.
Parmesan	Salty richness	Pecorino works.
Butter	Richness	Olive oil works.

Plan Ahead

• Make ahead: Best served at once.
• Fridge: Up to 3 days.
• Reheat: With a splash of broth.
• Leftovers: Form into balls and fry for arancini.

What to Serve With It

Serve in warm shallow bowls with extra parmesan and a few fresh thyme leaves. A simple arugula salad on the side cuts the richness.

Questions People Ask

About the Author

Cressio Rinaldi

Cressio Rinaldi is the recipe developer behind Cressio Recipes. He cooks, tests, and writes every recipe on the site himself — refining each one until it's simple enough for a weeknight and good enough to make again. He's not a trained chef, just someone who cooks constantly and pays close attention to what actually makes a recipe work.