Indulge in the creamy and satisfying flavors of this healthy, dairy-free lemon asparagus risotto, the perfect comfort food for those chilly winter days. Not only will it warm you up, but it also won’t leave you feeling guilty, as it’s a guilt-free version of the classic dish.
Living in California, we are fortunate to experience mild weather most of the year. However, when cold weather hits, it can be a shock to our systems. This weekend, many parts of California experienced extremely cold weather conditions, including a rare sprinkling of snow. The chilly weather had us craving something warm, creamy, and filling. This healthy, dairy-free, and vegan lemon asparagus risotto is the perfect comfort food for any chilly day.
The Secret to Creamy Vegan Risotto
Traditionally, risotto recipes use butter and cheese to make the dish creamy. However, the creamy consistency of risotto comes from the type of rice used, not from dairy products. Arborio rice, a short-grain Italian-grown rice, has a high starch content, which makes it perfect for making a luscious and creamy risotto. This dairy-free lemon asparagus risotto uses organic arborio rice from Italy to get a delicious, creamy texture that will please even your most finicky eaters.
Ingredients for Vegan Lemon Asparagus Risotto
To make this delicious and healthy dairy-free lemon asparagus risotto, you will need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough recommended)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas, partially or fully thawed
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Turn your Instant Pot onto the sauté mode, and heat the avocado oil. Add the asparagus and sauté for 1-2 minutes until they are barely cooked. Remove the asparagus from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pot, add the diced onion and minced garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion is translucent.
- Add the arborio rice to the pot and stir to coat the rice with the oil and onion mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the rice is lightly toasted.
- Add the white wine to the pot and stir until the wine is absorbed by the rice.
- Slowly add the vegetable broth to the pot and stir to incorporate thoroughly. To ensure proper cooking, be sure to scrape off any rice grains stuck to the sides of the instant pot and incorporate them into the liquid.
- Secure your instant pot lid, cancel the sauté setting, choose the pressure cook setting, and set the timer to 6 minutes on high.
- After the Instant Pot cycle finishes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 1-2 minutes before releasing any remaining steam carefully. Once you open the lid, give the rice a thorough stir to ensure that any excess liquid is fully absorbed.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the pot and stir.
- Add the partially or fully thawed frozen peas to the pot and stir gently.
- Add the sautéed asparagus back into the pot and stir just to incorporate. Do not over-stir as you do not want to crush the asparagus or the peas.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with additional lemon zest and chopped flat-leaf parsley if desired.
If you would like to make this recipe in a
Cooking Tips for the Creamiest Risotto
- Use organic lemons when using lemon zest to avoid pesticides on the peel.
- Use Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough for a unique aroma and taste that pairs well with rich dishes like this risotto.
- Use “Better than Bouillon” vegetable broth base to get a more concentrated flavor and reduce waste.
- This risotto will store nicely in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
I hope you savor every bite of this vegan lemon asparagus risotto recipe. For more comfort food recipes like this one, be sure to check out the vegan shiitake mushroom stroganoff recipe. It’s another creamy and delicious dish that’s perfect for a cold night like we’ve been having these past few days! Enjoy and follow us ok TikTok, Instagram, & Pinterest @ConsciouslyChicLiving
Healthy, Dairy-Free Lemon Asparagus Risotto
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup Organic Asparagus trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1 medium Organic Onion diced
- 4 cloves Organic garlic pressed or minced
- 1.5 cups Organic Arborio rice
- 1/2 cup Sauvignon Blanc or any dry white wine I like the Sauvignon Blancs from Marlborough
- 4 cups Organic vegetable broth I like "Better than Bouillon"
- 1 cup Frozen or fresh peas
- 1.4 cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Organic lemon zest
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot onto the "sauté" mode and let it heat up for about 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp of the avocado oil, then add the asparagus and sauté until just barely tender about 1-3 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the instant pot and reserve for later.
- Add another tbsp of the avocado oil and add the diced onions and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the arborio rice to the pot and stir for about a minute until the rice is lightly toasted and coated with the onion mixture.
- Add the white wine to the pot and stir until incorporated
- Add the vegetable broth, making sure that all of the rice grains that have become stuck to the side of the pot are pushed down into the liquid for even cooking. Turn off the sauté mode.
- Secure the lid onto your Instant Pot and set the function to "pressure cook" on high for 6 minutes.
- After the Instant Pot cycle finishes, allow the pressure to release naturally for 1-2 minutes before releasing any remaining steam carefully. Once you open the lid, give the rice a thorough stir to ensure that any excess liquid is fully absorbed.
- Add the lemon juice and lemon zest to the pot and stir. Add the partially or fully thawed frozen peas to the pot and stir gently.
- Add the sautéed asparagus back into the pot and stir just to incorporate. Do not over-stir as you do not want to crush the asparagus or the peas.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with additional lemon zest and chopped flat-leaf parsley if desired.
Stove-Top Instructions
- If you'd like to make this recipe, but do not have an Instant Pot, you can use a deep sauté pan or dutch oven to make this dish!
- Follow the exact same instructions up until step #4, except you will be adding the ingredients into a pan or dutch oven as opposed to an Instant Pot.
- When adding the vegetable broth, you cannot add it all at once as we did in the Instant Pot. Instead, slowly add the broth to the pan one ladleful at a time, stirring constantly until each ladleful of broth is completely absorbed by the rice. Continue this process until all of the broth has been added and the rice is cooked through.
- After the step above is complete, please follow along with the original recipe from here.
