This creamy pesto risotto is topped with toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and fresh basil! It's the perfect summer lunch time meal or side-dish that comes together in about 30 minutes!
Risotto is a classic Italian dish of rice cooked with broth until it reaches a super creamy consistency. It falsely has a reputation of difficult or time consuming to make, but it's actually super simple! It can be a tad annoying because you do have to stir it pretty regularly, but that's it!
Risotto is one of my favorite things to make when I want to impress but also but in minimal effort! It’s incredibly easy to make, has amazing depth of flavor, and just seems fancier than other side options. It's also extremely versatile! You might also like this roasted tomato risotto or this zucchini risotto!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make this creamy pesto risotto!
Arborio Rice - This recipe is best if you use rice that’s specifically for risotto! Risotto is traditionally made with short grain rice that has a high starch content. This is what gives risotto that super creamy, luxurious texture! Arborio rice is most common but I’ve also made this recipe with loto rice and paella rice and they work great! But always double check the cooking instructions for your rice. This recipe uses a 1:4 rice to liquid ratio but if your rice uses a 1:3 ratio, you’ll want to reduce the liquid by 1 cup.
White Cooking Wine - This is optional but adds some great flavor to your risotto! I always keep cheap, dry white wine on hand that I use for cooking. It’s amazing how much flavor a $3 bottle of sauvignon blanc can add to a dish!
Vegetable Stock - I always use my homemade vegetable stock when I make risotto for the best flavor!! You can also use store bought vegetable stock, chicken stock, or even water.
Shallot - The mild flavor of shallots are perfect for this summery risotto. But you could also use half a yellow onion instead.
Pine Nuts - Pine nuts have a soft, almost buttery flavor that makes them a perfect addition to this creamy pesto risotto! I just love the extra texture they add to the dish, but you can leave them out if desired.
Fresh Pesto - I love using my homemade fresh basil pesto for this risotto because it adds even more creaminess to the rice! But my fresh spinach pesto is also a great choice! However, if you have a different fresh pesto recipe you prefer, feel free to use that instead! I generally don't recommend using store-bought pesto if you can avoid it. That said, Trader Joe's vegan kale and cashew pesto is really good and a great option!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Risotto
In a small dry skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
In a large skillet or stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the shallots, and garlic for about 5 minutes or until soft and fragrant.
Add in the rice and toast, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Then add in the white wine to de-glaze the pan and make sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
Add in ½ cup of the warmed vegetable stock, and stir the risotto until completely absorbed, then add in another ½ cup and repeat. Continue to add in the stock ½ cup at a time until it's all absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted and fully combined.
Then remove from the heat and stir in the pesto. Then taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Garnish the pesto risotto with the toasted pine nuts, shredded parmesan cheese, and fresh basil!
Recipe FAQ's
Store risotto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Fresh homemade pesto is best but you can use your favorite fresh store-bought pesto instead (Trader Joe's vegan pesto is a great choice!)
Yes! This pesto risotto is already vegetarian, but you can easily make it vegan by swapping out the parmesan cheese for your favorite vegan option!
Yes, but it won't be as flavorful. If using water, I recommend also using some sort of bullion to enhance the flavor. You can also use chicken broth if you prefer!
Technically yes, but I don't recommend it. Long grain rice will take a little longer to cook and won’t be quite as creamy. Follow the same instructions as below but use 3 cups of water instead. You can also add in ¼ cup of heavy cream towards the end to make the risotto extra creamy if desired.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Pesto Risotto with Toasted Pine Nuts
Special Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- ½ cup white cooking wine, optional
- 4 cups vegetable stock, substitute chicken stock or water
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup pesto*
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
- In a small dry skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- In a medium pot, heat your vegetable stock over medium heat until simmering (you can also use a microwave if you're lazy like me). Remove from the heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet or stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the shallots, and garlic for about 5 minutes or until soft and fragrant.
- Add in the rice and toast, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes. Then add in the white wine to de-glaze the pan and make sure to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
- Add in ½ cup of the warmed vegetable stock, and stir the risotto until completely absorbed, then add in another ½ cup and repeat. Continue to add in the stock ½ cup at a time until it's all absorbed and the rice is fully cooked.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese until melted and fully combined.
- Then remove from the heat and stir in the pesto. Then taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Garnish the pesto risotto with the toasted pine nuts, shredded parmesan cheese, and fresh basil!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Merilyn says
The rice dish was a total hit at our dinner party. We used a combination of chicken stock and vegetable stock.