How to Make Risotto in an Instant Pot
Risotto is a creamy, tender rice dish that calls for very basic ingredients. Cooking risotto in your Instant Pot is much quicker than on the stovetop, with the same great tasting results.

Risotto is an amazing, creamy rice dish. Traditionally, it can be served as a side dish or a main dish. We generally serve it as a side dish, since its flavor complements other mains.
Risotto is normally a labor-intensive dish; as you cook it on the stovetop, you need to stay nearby and slowly stir in hot broth a little at a time as the rice absorbs it.
However, with a pressure cooker, you get the same creamy texture without babysitting a cooking pot. You’ll saute the veggies and rice, then it’s all hands off while the risotto pressure cooks.
Risotto is a fabulous Instant Pot side dish. It goes well with almost any protein you roast, grill, or smoke. At our house, we like to pair it with a Spiral Ham and Roasted Green Beans with Almonds to round out the perfect fancy menu.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED to Make Instant Pot Risotto
Other than the Arborio rice, risotto is made of the most basic kitchen ingredients:
- Arborio rice: Arborio rice, or risotto rice, is an absolute must for this recipe. It holds its shape better, isn’t lumpy, and the starches add creaminess to the finished dish. Do not rinse this rice before cooking.
- Butter: Some risotto recipes use a combination of olive oil and butter; however, we prefer the pure butter flavor here.
- Onion: This is one recipe where we’ll take the extra time to really finely dice the onion so it blends better into the finished risotto.
- Garlic: We generally use a large clove or two small cloves.
- White wine: We like to use a chardonnay, but any dry white wine can work. We’re not really wine drinkers, so we like to buy mini bottles for cooking to reduce waste. (It’s not sold in the stores where we live, so we stock up when we visit Las Vegas.)
- Chicken broth: Like most of our recipes, we typically use reduced-sodium broth, which allows us to have greater control over how much salt is in the finished dish.
How to Make Risotto in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
Start by softening the onion and garlic in butter until translucent. Then, we deglaze the pan with white wine and reduce, then toast your grains for a few minutes.
Add the chicken broth, lock your lid in place, and set the cook time for 5 to 6 minutes!
Use a quick pressure release, and finish with a little more chicken broth, butter, and parsley for garnish. It’s just that easy!
Risotto is best enjoyed straight away. As it sits, the risotto rice will absorb more liquid and your dish will become tighter and stickier. If this happens before you sit down to eat, you can always stir in more broth—you want it slightly thinner than your ideal consistency because it will cool once it hits the plate.
Frequently Asked Questions about Risotto
Our favorite sub is ¼ cup water or broth mixed with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Since it’s less volume than the wine, you won’t have to wait as long for the liquid to reduce.
As we mentioned earlier, using arborio makes a big difference in the texture and creaminess of the finished dish. Using another rice will make your finished dish risotto-adjacent. It would also change the timing. If you’re in a pinch, I would follow the instructions in our Creamy Lemon Rice recipe, which is the creamiest white rice we’ve made.
Refrigerate leftover rice for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Just know that the rice will continue absorbing liquid as it cools, and it will likely not be as creamy when you reheat it, even if you add extra broth or water.
Additional Risotto Recipes
If you love risotto as much as we do, here are a few additional recipes from Pressure Cooking Today and from some of our other blogging friends.
- Roasted Cauliflower Barley Risotto is a new approach to Instant Pot risotto with nutty barley instead of risotto rice.
- Pressure Cooker Risotto Bolognese is a one-pot dinner with meaty pork sausage, bacon, and tomato.
- Instant Pot Saffron Risotto has a gorgeous golden color and crunchy almonds for an easy variation on this classic.
- Thai Green Coconut Curry, Pork and Lime Risotto from InstaFresh Meals is a total flavor punch with South Asian flair and protein all in one bowl.
- Spinach and Goat Cheese Risotto in the Pressure Cooker is delicate and tangy with fresh goat cheese.
- Instant Pot Risotto with Shrimp from Two Sleevers adds big flavor and adds shrimp to make this classic Italian dish.
- Apple Cherry Breakfast Risotto is a sweeter version of your favorite rice dish perfect to start your day.
More basic grain recipes you can make in an Instant Pot
We love our Instant Pot cooking grains, because once you’ve found the cook time for your brand and elevation, you get consistent results that come out perfectly every time. Check out our How to Guides for Making
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Classic Risotto in an Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic minced or pressed
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
- 3 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth divided, plus more as needed
- 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese plus more for serving, if desired
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves optional for serving
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Before you start, make sure all ingredients are prepped and measured. The cooking process can go quickly and having things measured in advance can help you avoid scorching.
- Select Saute to preheat the cooking pot. When hot, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pressure cooking pot to melt. Add the onion. Saute until tender (about 3 minutes), then add the garlic and cook 1 minute more, until tender.
- Add the white wine and stir. Cook until the wine is reduced by at least half.
- Stir in the arborio rice and saute the rice for 1 to 2 minutes.*
- Add 3 1/4 cups chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure no browned bits remain.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 6 minutes** cook time.
- When the cook time ends, use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid. Select Saute and adjust to medium/low.
- Slowly stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cancel Saute. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Let the risotto rest for 3-5 minutes to thicken. The risotto will continue to thicken as it cools. Add more broth, if needed, to achieve your desired consistency.
- Serve immediately, topped with additional parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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In step 9, where it is “resting” , is Saute med low still supposed to be On…..or is it turned off at dome point?
Hi Melissa – yes, cancel the saute function after you’ve stirred in the remaining ingredients. Enjoy!