Vegan Pumpkin Risotto

Name: Vegan Pumpkin Risotto
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 tbsp coconut oil ((or sub with olive oil)); 1/2 onion, finely chopped; 1 cup arborio rice; 2 cups vegetable broth or vegetable stock; 1 cup full fat coconut milk; 1 cup cooked pumpkin puree or squash puree; 1/4 cup nutritional yeast; 1/2 tsp sea salt ((or more to taste)); 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg; 1/4 tsp dried thyme

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This is the best vegan pumpkin risotto recipe! Rich and creamy with hints of pumpkin, cinnamon and sage you will love the cheesy flavour that the nutritional yeast gives it. This recipe is easy to make and is also gluten free and dairy free!

A bowl of vegan pumpkin risotto with a spoon in it and garnished with fresh parsley.

Fall means comfort food! And nothing says comfort food like a giant bowl of creamy risotto. And it's even better when that risotto includes pumpkin. It's such a healthy vegetable with such a rich flavour. I cannot wait for you to try this recipe!

Why you will love this recipe:

This vegetarian pumpkin risotto is so rich and creamy and has the most delicious flavour with hints of pumpkin, cinnamon and herbs.
It makes the perfect plant based, healthy comfort food.
This dairy free pumpkin risotto has a nice and cheesy texture and flavour from the addition of nutritional yeast, yet is completely dairy free and cheese free.
It's really easy to make and makes great leftovers so it's a great option for meal prep.
This risotto is made in one pot so the clean up is so simple.
It's made with no cream and no butter.
This vegan risotto with pumpkin is made with pantry staples like vegetable stock (or broth), canned pumpkin, onions and garlic, and canned coconut milk.

Taste and texture:

This pumpkin risotto is so rich and creamy. It has a slightly cheesy flavour with hints of pumpkin and herbs. Don't worry, if you don't like pumpkin the pumpkin flavour in this risotto isn't too strong. It's nice and subtle.

Key ingredients and substitutions:

Arborio rice - short grain rice is key for making risotto. Longer grain rice doesn't absorb the liquid as well so it doesn't get as soft and creamy as arborio rice dose.
White onion - to help give this risotto even more flavour. You can swap this for any type of onion that you like including a yellow onion or sweet onion.
Pumpkin puree - you can either cook your own pumpkin and make pumpkin puree, or you can use canned pumpkin. Cooked squash would also work to make this into vegan squash risotto.
Vegetable stock or vegetable broth - this helps add so much flavour to this easy, healthy risotto.
Full fat coconut milk - Don't try using light coconut milk, the taste won't be as rich!
Nutritional yeast - this gives it the best cheese like taste!

How to make:

Step one:

First, add the coconut oil to a large pot on medium hight heat and let it melt. Once the oil is melted add the chopped onion to the pot and cook for approximately 5 minutes, until it is translucent.

A black pot on the stove with chopped onion in it.

Step two:

Next, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir everything well to combine.

A pot full of pumpkin risotto cooking on the stovetop.

Step three:

Then reduce the heat and allow the ingredients to simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until it has the consistency that you prefer.

A pot of vegan pumpkin risotto cooking on the stovetop.

Step four:

Now turn off the heat and place the lid on the pot. Let it stand for 5 minutes to allow the rice to soften even more. Then serve and enjoy!

A bowl of pumpkin risotto with a spoon in it and fresh parsley as garnish.

Chef's tips:

Not all types of rice work for risotto, but besides Arborio you can also use other Italian short-grain rice varieties like Carnaroli, Vialone, Nano, and Baldo. Just note that I have not tested this recipe with any other type of rice so you may need to adjust the cooking time if you try a different one.
If you don't want to cook a pumpkin yourself, canned pumpkin puree works great for this recipe.
I don't recommend using brown rice to make this risotto.
Be sure to stir the risotto frequently when cooking so that you don't toast the rice or burn the rice!

Recipe variations:

Add some fresh sage to make this into vegan pumpkin sage risotto.
Add cooked mushrooms to turn it into mushroom risotto.
Instead of coconut milk you can use cashew milk.
Instead of pumpkin you could make this risotto with cooked butternut squash.

How to serve:

This risotto is best served when it's warm. It doesn't taste as good if you let it get cold. It can be served as a side dish with many different main dishes, but you could also turn it into a complete meal by adding protein to this dish such as tofu, cooked chicken, turkey or beef.

How to store:

Store any leftover risotto in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

A large bowl of pumpkin risotto garnished with fresh parsley and a blue hand towel beside it.

Frequently asked questions:

What types of rice can you use to make risotto?

The most common type of rice used is Arborio but you can also use other short grain rices including Carnaroli, Vialone, Nano, and Baldo. Short-grain rice has a high starch content and tends to absorb less liquid, resulting in a thicker, more creamy risotto.

Can I use canned pumpkin for this recipe?

Yes! I have tried this recipe with homemade cooked pumpkin and canned and both work well.

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