Risotto is one of my favorite foods. Standing over the stove for an hour adding a little bit of broth and constantly stirring is not, however, one of my favorite things to do. So when I realized I could make Instant Pot Lemon Risotto, my dinner game changed for the better. Who doesn’t want creamy risotto in a fraction of the time and with minimal effort? I know I sure do!
There are so many different ways to serve this dish. Instant Pot Lemon Risotto is a very versatile side dish that goes with just about everything, but especially “lighter” meats like chicken and fish. Give it a try. You’ll never make risotto the same way again!
Ingredients:
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- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large shallots, minced or grated (try using this mandoline to grate!)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced, pressed, or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 3 cups chicken stock or chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- parsley, lemon zest, and black pepper for garnish
How to make Instant Pot Lemon Risotto:
- Add the oil to the inner pot of an Instant Pot. Technically, you’re supposed to let the pot heat up until the display says “hot” before putting the oil in, but I’m too impatient to wait so I just put it in there and give it a good swirl before I turn it on. It will work either way for you as long as the oil heats up before the ingredients are dropped in.
- Set the electric pressure cooker to the Sauté function.
- When the oil is hot add the shallots, garlic, and salt and stir them around.
- Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes until the shallots, garlic, and salt are tender.Â
- Add the rice and continue to cook on the saute setting, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to toast the grains. I know I said there would be no constant stirring, but this is the only part. This is actually another step that can be skipped if you’re short on time, but it does add to the flavor of the Instant Pot risotto recipe if you toast them first.
- Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. The chicken stock can be substituted for beef or vegetable stock if that’s what you have, though your flavor profile will be different. You can adapt my Instant Pot beef bone broth to accommodate chicken if you’d like.
- Stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. If you want to get fancy, this part is called deglazing. It’s pretty important that you get all of them, or you may get the dreaded burn notice.
- Set the Instant Pot for 8 minutes on high pressure and cook.
- Quick release the pressure. Be super careful doing this because the starches may spray out of the vent. I like to do a controlled release, releasing just a little bit of pressure at a time until the pin goes down. You may be tempted to put a towel over the vent to keep the starches from spraying everywhere, but that is not a safe way to release the pressure.
- Stir in the butter until melted.
- Bring the risotto to a simmer on the saute setting and cook for 1-3 minutes more to thicken it as needed.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Stir in the Parmesan cheese. You can use the kind in the jar here but I prefer to use the freshly grated kind. It definitely melts better. Side note: Did you know that the stuff in the jar contains a substance similar to sawdust to keep it from caking together? Gross. I say grate your own. If you use a nice box grater, it makes short work of the task.
- Sprinkle with parsley, lemon zest, and freshly ground black pepper to serve.
And there you have it! Perfect Instant Pot Lemon risotto with very little effort! Scroll down for the printable recipe card.
Tools Needed:
Instant Pot
wooden spoon
measuring cups
measuring spoons
What to Serve Instant Pot Lemon Risotto With:
I have two Instant Pots, so I usually use both when I make this meal. In the other one, I make Instant Pot Swedish Meatballs or Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs. For dessert, I like Apple Pie Rolls or Quick Instant Pot Apple Crisp.
Questions People Ask:
The instructions are for a 6 quart Instant Pot. You can try it in an 8, but you may have to adjust the timing a bit.
I don’t suggest making this dish more than one day in advance. It may get too thick and sticky. It comes together quickly enough that you should be able to have it for an easy weeknight dinner.
I suggest storing the leftover risotto in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. To reheat, you may need to add a little more chicken broth to thin it out.
This dish is actually pretty versatile. You can do all sorts of things to make it a main dish, but the most common would be to add cooked chicken, shrimp, or asparagus to the finished product and stir it in. Heat through and serve.
No, you don’t need to rinse the rice. The starches are what helps it to thicken up and give it that creamy texture.
Cleaning out the Instant Pot is easy. If you don’t have a nonstick inner pot, you can simply soak it for a few minutes and the leftover risotto bits will come right off. I personally put the inner pot in the bottom rack of my dishwasher and put the top on the top rack. It takes up a lot of room, but it comes out clean every time and the instant pot sealing ring doesn’t retain any smells.
Easy Instant Pot Lemon Risotto
This light, creamy risotto dish will make you rethink how you make risotto. Feel like you're in an upscale restaurant while at your kitchen table!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large shallots, minced or grated (try using this mandoline to grate!)
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced, pressed, or grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- parsley and black pepper for garnish
Instructions
- Add the oil to the inner bowl of an Instant Pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to the Sauté setting.
- When the oil is hot add the shallots, garlic, and salt.
- Cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until tender.
- Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to toast the grains.
- Add the broth and lemon juice.
- Stir to scrape up and dissolve any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Set for 8 minutes on high pressure and cook.
- Quick-release the pressure.
- Stir in the butter until melted.
- Bring the risotto to a simmer on the saute setting and cook for 1-3 minutes more to thicken as needed.
- Turn the Instant Pot off. Stir in the Parmesan.
- Sprinkle with parsley and freshly ground black pepper to serve.
Notes
See the blog post for hints and tips!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 970mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g
Nutritional information may not be accurate
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