Vegan Risotto is a delicious and easy to make risotto that is FULL of flavor! You are doing to love the flavor that the red peppers bring to this dish! We recently reworked this recipe and the photos to go along with it.
Why I Love Vegan Risotto
If you’ve been following me for a while, it’s no surprise that I consider myself a bit of a “foodie”. As long as I can make recipes that adhere to our lifestyle, and ones that taste good, I’m down to make and try anything! And my family typically is, too!
Before cooking Risotto, I’d never really had it...It was one of those dishes that I’d heard about or read on a menu a million times, but never actually ordered because I was “unsure” of the taste and flavor.
Looking back now, I missed out on some really great Risotto dishes! But, that’s okay...because I’m making up for that lost time now. (Spoiler Alert: There’s a ton of other great Risotto recipes at the end of this post!)
A Vegan Risotto That's a Meal On Its Own
I’m crazy about this Red Pepper Risotto recipe because it’s hearty, delicious and truly flavorful. I can eat it as a side dish or honestly, as a meal on its own. And the true winner? My kiddos love it, too! Our entire family is head over heels for the awesome flavor of Risotto.
Truth be told, this recipe was actually my very first guest post ever! This is a fun recipe that I created for a guest post over at Reduce Footprints! You can see my original post here.
I seriously love risotto! It's a fun dish that you can individualize with different veggies! And if you want to get even more creative, you can add other food items as well. When you make this at home, the options are truly endless!
Is your mouth watering right now? We literally cook this recipe a TON in our house, but seeing this picture is making me geared up and ready to make it again! With the cooler weather approaching, there's nothing better than eating homemade risotto.
How to make Vegan Risotto:
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First, you will need to roast the red pepper. Wash, de-seed and slice the pepper into halves. Lightly mist the pepper halves with oil and place on a baking sheet under the boiler. Soon the peppers skin will begin to blacken. When the pepper is covered in darkened patches, remove from the broiler. Place in a paper sack to cool. (Or in a covered bowl) This will allow the moisture to stay in to help loosen the skin as the peppers cool. Once the peppers cool, peel back the skin with your fingers. Once peeled, puree the peeled peppers and set aside.
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Splash the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a pan. Heat the pan to a medium heat, saute the chopped onions. Once onions are cooked, add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.
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Next, add your wine to the pan. Let the liquid cook down for about 1 minute. Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is gone and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes.
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Finally, stir in your roasted red pepper puree, vegan cheese, season with salt and pepper, then ENJOY!
What other food items can you add to Roasted Pepper Risotto?
Don’t get me wrong...I love Red Pepper Risotto in its true and pure form, but if you have the veggies to add to it, why not?
The great thing about adding vegetables to Risotto is that almost any veggie will work! Mushrooms, peppers, onions...you name it! Whatever vegetable you have in your house that you love or just need to get eaten up, you can add it and the flavor will be delicious!
While we use vegetable broth because we choose to, you also have the option to add chicken broth or other options such as that as well.
And if you need a few other ideas about ways to cook this rice dish, here are some great recipes to check out as well!
Gluten-Free Rice
While we typically use a gluten-free rice for our red pepper risotto, it is possible to use other types of rice as well. Rice is naturally gluten-free, but we look for companies who clean and package it in facilities that do not contain wheat. It is possible to use long-grain rice, but there is a chance that the end result may not be as creamy as if you used Arborio rice.
Brown Rice
Brown rice is also an option but the cooking times will vary for the rice. Anytime you use a different rice than listed on the recipe, you always need to check your cooking times because different kinds of rice take different amounts of time to cook!
Bottom line...if you have rice in your cabinets that you're wanting to use in your risotto, you can totally use it as a substitute. Just know that the texture may come out differently depending on the type of rice that you use.
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Here's the delicious pepper risotto recipe that you've all been waiting for! Make it a fun, family night and create this amazing dish together!
Roasted Red Pepper Risotto –
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 3 tablespoons vegan "butter" VEGAN
- ½ cup of your favorite Vegan White Wine VEGAN
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cups arborio rice
- ½ c parmesan cheese VEGAN
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First, you will need to roast the red pepper. Wash, de-seed and slice the pepper into halves. Lightly mist the pepper halves with oil and place on a baking sheet under the boiler. Soon the peppers skin will begin to blacken. When the pepper is covered in darkened patches, remove from the broiler. Place in a paper sack to cool. (Or in a covered bowl) This will allow the moisture to stay in to help loosen the skin as the peppers cool. Once the peppers cool, peel back the skin with your fingers. Once peeled, puree the peeled peppers and set aside.
- Splash the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a pan. Heat the pan to a medium heat, saute the chopped onions. Once onions are cooked, add dry rice and saute for 1 minute.
- Next, add your wine to the pan. Let the liquid cook down for about 1 minute. Next, add 2 cups of veggie broth. Let the broth cook down while you continually stir to avoid any burning. Once the liquid has been cooked down, add 2 more cups. Continue with this process until all your liquid is gone and your rice is soft. This process should take about 20 minutes.
- Finally, stir in your roasted red pepper puree, cheese, season with salt and pepper, then ENJOY!
Nutrition
All though this website attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, the information should only be considered an estimate. Varying factors such as different product types, different brands, etc. can change nutritional information. It is your responsibility as a consumer to read all labels to make sure the ingredients fit your dietary needs as well as calculate your own nutritional information as a double check.
Question: Do you love risotto? I'd love to hear from you about what you add to your risotto recipe to make it your "own"!
Original picture!
Hmmm I normally don't have patience for risotto, but this looks particularly tasty!
This one is worth it! I promise!
Oh my! I am making risotto today too!! But I am making mushroom risotto!! your variation of the roasted red pepper one looks absolutely delicious!
Enjoy your mushroom risotto! I love that kind too!
This looks fabulous and you made it sound so easy! Will be giving it a try soon!
Enjoy!
Risotto and roasted red peppers are such a delicious combination!! And what an incredible meal to be able to offer for gluten-free and vegan guests in my home .. all the benefits of true comfort food with none of the stuff they need to avoid! Love it so much 🙂
Thank you Monica!
Your risotto looks really enticing -- and can I say "thank you" for not making it in an Instant Pot? This traditional method is always the best!
Ha! Yes, this traditional method works great and really doesn't take that long!
I couldnt agree more with risotto being a catch all for all the veggies and this one sounds so delicious - it looks gloriously creamy too! Thanks so much for this!
Thank you Shashi!