Pumpkin Risotto

Pumpkin Risotto is one of our favoirte savory pumpkin recipes. Creamy and comforting risotto with a hint of sweetness from the pumpkin. We love a fresh parmesan topping, some fresh thyme leaves, chilli flakes and it’s ready to devour! Delicious and perfect for the season.

We absolutely love pumpkin recipes, and we love them sweet or savory. Well, maybe a touch more on the sweet. Like when we first tried the Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Latte, we knew we had to make it at home! And our HIT recipe, the Pumpkin Spice Latte Donuts (baked) along with Pumpkin Donuts With Cinnamon Sugar are serious crowd pleasers–even for non pumpkin lovers.

Some recipes are truly SO DIVINE that even non pumpkin lovers approve. Long time ago we had a Chia Pumpkin Pudding sample at a health exhibition and it blew our mind. So we made our version of it with the help of our popular Instant Chia Chocolate Pudding.

Now for some savory deliciousness, try the Fall Baked Pasta with Roasted Pumpkin or Pumpkin Alfredo Pasta. And for now let’s dive into pumpkin risotto!

What is Risotto?

A traditional Italian dish where arborio or short grain rice is cooked in broth on low heat until creamy. You may even finish off the dish with cream for an extra luscious texture, or add some milk alongside the stock as we did today for a silky risotto. 

It’s believed that the city of Milan was the first city to make risotto in Italy. Risotto alla Milanese was made with simple flavors of butter, onions, garlic, rice, stock, parmesan and white wine. Now you’ll find endless variations of risotto that make it a staple dish.

Why You’ll Love Pumpkin Risotto

• It’s warm, cozy, comforting, elegant and tasty.
• 30 mins meal start to finish.
• Pairs beautifully with many proteins.
• Makes a great vegetarian dish on its own.
• Sweet and savory because of the pumpkin.
• So easy to make, no special tools required.
• Perfect way to enjoy seasonal local produce!

Ingredients 

• Pumpkin. We use fresh pumpkin for this recipe as it’s seasonal and makes a huge difference in the final taste. If for any reason you can’t access it, then you may use canned.
• Arborio Rice. Short grain rice is ideal for this recipe because of it’s higher starch content which contributes to creamier thicker risotto.
• Butter. You may use oil instead, butter is mainly for flavor.
• Onions. For flavor.
• Garlic. Also for flavor.
• Stock. To cook rice in, you can use vegetable or chicken stock, or broth.
• Milk. Adds an extra creamy luscious feel to the risotto
• Parmesan cheese. Optional but recommended for taste and texture.
• Seasoning. Salt and pepper mainly, and fresh thyme or sage if you’d lilke.

How to Make Pumpkin Risotto

1. Start by sautéing the onions in butter or oil. Make sure not to rush this step as you want the sweet onion taste rather than the astringent one which overpowers the flavor of pumpkin.
   
2. When ready, you’re going to add in the minced garlic and cook for just 1 minutes until the garlic turns opaque.
   
3. Now goes the pumpkin. You’ll need to peel and remove seeds from the pumpkin, and then dice it into 1 inch or less chunks. Cook the pumpkin for 2 minutes.
   
4. The stock goes in next. You won’t be adding the entire amount of stock to the recipe one go. This is just enough stock to cook the pumpkin and soften it. The stock is always added gradually in risotto.
   
5. Once the pumpkin is soft and tender, take a potato masher and mash it down. You don’t really want chunks here, you want a smooth creamy puree of pumpkin as this is the sauce for the risotto recipe.
   
6. You’ll bring the rice to a boil and every 15 minutes, add in the hot stock while stirring constantly until the stock has absorbed. Then you’ll add in the milk.
   
7. The risotto is ready when the rice is s tender and coated in a luscious creamy sauce. This is not your fluffy rice recipe–it’s rather a saucy, cozy, luscious saucey rice.
   
8. You can serve the risotto recipe right away now as is. We love garnishing it with parmesan cheese, some fresh thyme, extra chilli flakes for a spice kick and just dig in right away.
   

How to Serve Pumpkin Risotto

• Serve with steak like Best NY Strip Steak or Ribeye Steak or Steak Bites with Parmesan Cheese.
• If you ask me, I  would also serve it with Lamb! Something like Lamb Steaks or Braised Lamb Shanks or Lamb Sausage. OMG seriously SO SO GOOD!
• Chicken is a great main dish too here, so Chicken Scallopini, Chicken Caprese or Air Fryer Chicken Breast. 
• Fish is tricky as certain types of fish only would be great with this risotto recipe. A buttery Chilean Sea Bass is my first choice, followed by Lobster Tail and Scallops.
• You can also make this entirely vegetarian and serve it with a filling salad. Something like Panzanella Salad, Halloumi Cheese Salad, Burrata Salad.

Risotto Recipe Tips and FAQ

1. Use fresh pumpkin when seasonal for a deeper flavor to your risotto recipe.
2. When adding the stock to the recipe, make sure you add in hot stock to cook the rice well.
3. The type of rice ideally is arborio or short grain rice used here. This is because of the high starch content.
4. You can add cream instead of milk for a richer risotto, however milk is really enough to add a creamy rich taste.
5. Try other types of squash in this recipe–they work great. Try Honeynut Squash, Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash.
6. Make sure to keep an eye on the pot and stir frequently, adding extra stock if needed. 
7. Remember the risotto is not a fluffy rice dish, you need sauce. 
8. The recipe is ready when the rice is tender to the touch.
9. Storing Risotto: You can store leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge.
10. How to reheat risotto? You can microwave or heat it in the pan. Both ways you’ll need to add 3-4 tablespoons of liquid (water, stock or milk) to the rice and a tablespoon of butter. You’ll also need constant stirring while reheating.
11. Can you Freeze Risotto? While you can, we feel that the texture changes dramatically so we don’t recommend that. 

What Pumpkin is best to use?

When choosing the pumpkin, make sure to avoid the large pumpkins which are used for jack-o-lanters as they lack flavor. Smaller pumpkin pie pumpkins are ideal. Even squash make a great alternative. Honeynut Squash, Acorn Squash or Butternut Squash  are great.

What rice is best for risotto?

Arborio or short grain rice is the best to make any risotto recipe. It has a higher starch content and hence contributes to a creamier sauce and softer rice texture. 

How to make risotto creamy?

The texture of risotto is truly what makes it comforting and unique, and you actually don’t need cream for it. You start with arborio rice, and adding a higher amount of liquid than needed for fluffy rice, along with constant stirring of the rice. You can add some milk along with the stock as we did for a richer tasting dish, and you may even finish it with a knob of butter. 

Can you make risotto without wine?

We made it today without the wine. That’s because it’s all about the amount of liquid versus amount of rice, so yes you can.

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5 from 5 votes

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Pumpkin Risotto

Pumpkin Risotto is one of our favoirte savory pumpkin recipes. Creamy and comforting risotto with a hint of sweetness from the pumpkin.

Course rice, side, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword pumpkin, pumpkin recipes, pumpkin risotto, risotto, risotto recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 425 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Risotto

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 pumpkin peeled, cored and diced into 1 inch or less cubes. About 3 cups.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt and peper
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 2 1/2 cups stock chicken or vegetable, you may need 1/4c-1/2 cup extra
• 1 cup milk

Garnish

• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 1 tabelspoon butter
• 4 teaspons thyme leaves fresh, or use sage
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes optional

Instructions

1. In a 5 quart pot, ad the butter and onions and sautee the onions until they're soft and slightly golden. This can take between 8-10 minutes. Don't rush this step.

   

2. Next add int he garlic and sautee for just 1 minutes until it turns opaque.

   

3. Add in the cubed pumpkins and cook in the onion mixture to slightly caramlize--about 3-4 minutes.

   

4. Add in 1 cup of the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Now cover the post and let the pumpkin cook on medium low heat until softened. This takes about 15 minutes.

   

5. Use a potato masher and mash the cooked tender pumpkin into a puree.

   

6. Now add in the rice and mix well.

   

7. Add in the stock and bring to a boil. Then drop the heat to low and cover the pot. make sure to check on the rice ever 10 minutes, adding more stock as needed to preserve the sauce, while stirring continuously.

8. After 20 minutes, add in the milk and cover the post and continue cooking until the rice has softened entirely. Make sure to stir every 5-8 minutes.

   

9. When the risotto is ready, it will look like this. Creamy saucy with tender rice cooked in the sauce.

   

10. Now garnish with your favorite items. Serve and enjoy.

    

Recipe Notes

Risotto Recipe Tips and FAQ

1. Use fresh pumpkin when seasonal for a deeper flavor to your risotto recipe.
2. When adding the stock to the recipe, make sure you add in hot stock to cook the rice well.
3. The type of rice ideally is arborio or short grain rice used here. This is because of the high starch content.
4. You can add cream instead of milk for a richer risotto, however milk is really enough to add a creamy rich taste.
5. Try other types of squash in this recipe--they work great. Try Honeynut Squash, Butternut Squash or Acorn Squash.
6. Make sure to keep an eye on the pot and stir frequently, adding extra stock if needed. 
7. Remember the risotto is not a fluffy rice dish, you need sauce. 
8. The recipe is ready when the rice is tender to the touch.
9. Storing Risotto: You can store leftovers for up to 3 days in the fridge.
10. How to reheat risotto? You can microwave or heat it in the pan. Both ways you'll need to add 3-4 tablespoons of liquid (water, stock or milk) to the rice and a tablespoon of butter. You'll also need constant stirring while reheating.
11. Can you Freeze Risotto? While you can, we feel that the texture changes dramatically so we don't recommend that. 

What Pumpkin is best to use?

When choosing the pumpkin, make sure to avoid the large pumpkins which are used for jack-o-lanters as they lack flavor. Smaller pumpkin pie pumpkins are ideal. Even squash make a great alternative. Honeynut Squash, Acorn Squash or Butternut Squash  are great.

What rice is best for risotto?

Arborio or short grain rice is the best to make any risotto recipe. It has a higher starch content and hence contributes to a creamier sauce and softer rice texture. 

How to make risotto creamy?

The texture of risotto is truly what makes it comforting and unique, and you actually don't need cream for it. You start with arborio rice, and adding a higher amount of liquid than needed for fluffy rice, along with constant stirring of the rice. You can add some milk along with the stock as we did for a richer tasting dish, and you may even finish it with a knob of butter. 

Can you make risotto without wine?

We made it today without the wine. That's because it's all about the amount of liquid versus amount of rice, so yes you can.

Nutrition Facts

Pumpkin Risotto

Amount Per Serving

Calories 425 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Trans Fat 0.2g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5g

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 31mg10%

Sodium 1038mg45%

Potassium 1353mg39%

Carbohydrates 70g23%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 29657IU593%

Vitamin C 35mg42%

Calcium 311mg31%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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