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Creamy, restaurant-quality risotto in under 30 minutes with no stirring required? Yes, it’s possible! This Spring Pea Pressure Cooker Risotto is the recipe that finally made risotto a regular weeknight dinner in our house, and I have a feeling it will do the same for you.
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
One of my kids’ favorite dishes whenever we go out to eat at an Italian restaurant is risotto. I wanted to recreate it at home, but let’s be honest, risotto has a reputation for a reason. Getting the right texture can be difficult, and the constant stirring, stirring and more stirring is just not happening on a weeknight. That’s where the electric pressure cooker comes in and completely saves the day.
You sauté the onion and rice, pour in the broth, lock the lid, and let it do its thing. No stirring required. No adding broth one ladle at a time. This risotto is ready in less than 30 minutes, no exaggeration! The result is just as creamy and rich as anything you’d order out. It pairs beautifully with a simple Lemon Herb Chicken or Air Fryer Salmon for a perfect spring weeknight dinner.
If you love what your pressure cooker can do, my Pressure Cooker Chicken Soup and Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans are two more recipes worth adding to your rotation.
The Ingredients
- Arborio rice: The only rice that works for risotto. Do not rinse it before using. You want every bit of that starch for a creamy finished dish.
- Yellow onion: Diced finely so it melts into the finished dish.
- Dry white wine: Pinot Grigio works beautifully here. The wine adds brightness and depth that makes a real difference in the final flavor.
- Low sodium chicken broth: The flavor of your broth becomes the flavor of your risotto. Low sodium gives you full control over seasoning. Vegetable broth works just as well for a vegetarian version.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated only. Pre-shredded cheese won’t melt smoothly into the dish.
- Frozen peas, defrosted: Sweet, bright, and perfectly springy. Stirred in at the end so they stay vibrant and don’t overcook.
- Olive oil and unsalted butter: Using both gives you richness without the risk of burning.
- Chives: A fresh finishing touch that pulls the whole dish together.
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it vegetarian: Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth for a delicious vegetarian risotto.
- Swap the peas: This risotto is a great base for whatever vegetables you love. Stir in 1 cup of chopped raw asparagus at the end in place of the peas, or sauté sliced mushrooms or thinly sliced leeks (white and light green parts only) with the onions at the start for a heartier variation.
- No white wine: Substitute with an equal amount of additional chicken broth and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to add the acidity the wine normally provides. I haven’t tested this exact swap but it should work well.
- Add protein: Stir in cooked shredded chicken or top with sautéed shrimp right before serving These Pesto Shrimp Skewers would be great!
How to Make Risotto in a Pressure Cooker
- Sauté the Onions. Set your electric pressure cooker to the sauté function on medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter and let the butter melt as it heats up. Add the diced onion and salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn translucent.
- Toast the Rice. Add the arborio rice and stir to coat every grain in the butter and oil mixture. Pour in the white wine and stir, letting the rice absorb the liquid for about 2 minutes.
- Pressure Cook. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine. Lock the lid and set to high pressure for 10 minutes.
- Steam release: When the cooking cycle is complete, carefully do a quick pressure release according to your cooker’s instructions. When all the steam has released, unlock and remove the lid.
- Finish and Serve: Stir in the defrosted peas and half a cup of parmesan. Season with freshly ground pepper and taste for salt. Divide between bowls and top with chives and extra parmesan. Serve immediately.
Tips and Tricks
- Don’t rinse the rice. Unlike most grains, you want to keep all the starch on arborio rice. That starch is what makes the finished dish creamy.
- Use freshly grated parmesan. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly. A fresh block and a box grater make a real difference.
- Use a good quality broth. A flavorful low sodium broth means a more flavorful risotto.
- If the risotto is too runny after cooking, switch back to the sauté function and stir for a couple of minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately. Risotto continues to thicken as it cools.
FAQs
Yes! This recipe works in any electric pressure cooker including an Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or similar appliance. Use the sauté function to cook the onions and rice, then switch to high pressure for 10 minutes and do a quick release when the cycle is done.
More Easy Spring Recipes
My kids have asked for this risotto almost every week since I first made it in the pressure cooker. When a recipe is this easy and this good, it earns a permanent spot in the rotation. Give it a try and let me know what you think by leaving a rating and review below!
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Spring Pea Pressure Cooker Risotto
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio works great)
- 4 cups (or 32 ounce box) low sodium chicken broth (you can also use vegetable stock)
- 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
Instructions
- Set your electric pressure cooker to the sauté function on medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add the diced onion and salt and sauté for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
- Add the arborio rice and stir to coat each grain in the butter and oil. Pour in the wine and stir until the rice absorbs the liquid, about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the chicken broth and stir to combine. Lock the lid and set to high pressure for 10 minutes. When the cycle is complete, do a quick pressure release according to your cooker’s instructions. When all steam has released, unlock and remove the lid.
- Stir in the peas and half a cup of parmesan. Season with pepper and taste for salt. Divide between bowls, top with chives and extra parmesan and serve immediately.
Notes
- Risotto thickens as it sits so serve immediately.
- If the risotto is too runny after cooking, switch back to the sauté function and stir for a couple of minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.
- To make vegetarian, swap chicken broth for vegetable broth.
- To add asparagus, stir in 1 cup chopped raw asparagus at the end. For mushrooms or leeks, sauté with the onions at the start.
- This recipe works in any electric pressure cooker including Instant Pot and Ninja Foodi.
Would it work to make this in an instant pot instead?
I don’t have an instant pot, but I have a good feeling it would work similarly since we’re using an electric pressure cooker. As long as it has a saute setting and a pressure cook setting it would work great. Let me know if you try it!