Vegan Mushroom Risotto with Peas

Are you looking for a delicious and easy vegan recipe that is sure to impress your guests? Look no further than this vegan mushroom risotto with peas!

You'll love how the creamy risotto pairs wonderfully with the earthy mushrooms and sweet peas. It's perfect for date night or whenever!

Jump to:

• What kind of rice is best?
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Variations
• Substitutions
• Equipment
• Storage
• Tips
• FAQ
• More recipes
• Recipe

This recipe was inspired by my other mushroom risotto recipe. I wanted to make a risotto recipe combining mushrooms and peas.

It's no secret that I love cooking with mushrooms, as you can see in these recipes: Wild Mushroom and Leek Risotto, Vegan Polenta with Roasted Mushrooms, Asparagus Mushroom Pasta, and this Mushroom Tofu Scramble.

Peas add a slight sweetness with pair nicely with the earthy mushrooms. You can make this dish with fresh peas in the spring, but I used frozen peas which are available year-round. Try my Creamy Vegan Pasta with Peas!

What kind of rice is best?

It is best to use short-grain rice specified for risotto such as Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone Nano, and Baldo. Carnaroli is high-starch rice that is plumper and larger than arborio rice, making a very creamy risotto.

Arborio rice is the most popular short-grain rice for making risotto and is the rice I used to make this recipe. It's readily available at grocery stores or online.

These types of risotto rice have the perfect amount of starch needed to create a creamy texture for risotto, although they differ in length, texture, and starch content. The creaminess comes from the rice as the starches are released through the cooking process.

Regular short-grain rice or long-grain rice will not yield the same result; it will lack the characteristic creaminess of risotto.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this incredibly tasty vegan mushroom risotto with peas:

• Dried mushrooms - You can use edible dried mushrooms of your choice, I order them online or get them at the grocery store. I used dried wood ear mushrooms, which are soaking in water in the photo above. They add a concentrated mushroom flavor, plus the liquid gets added to the broth which adds depth of flavor. Strain the broth to get any grittiness out, especially if using porcini mushrooms.
• Vegetable stock or mushroom stock - Use a flavorful stock of your preference. Homemade is the best, but I always keep storebought options such as vegan organic vegetable base such as Better Than Bouillon in the fridge for convenience.
• Arborio rice - This high-starch short-grain rice is the most popular for making risotto, which is what I used. I've cooked with Lundbery Family Farms Arborio rice over the years with great results.
• Dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
• Fresh Mushrooms - I recommend a mix of wild mushrooms and cremini mushrooms or baby bellas.
• Fresh thyme - Stir it in at the end.
• Frozen peas - There is no need to thaw them. You can use fresh peas as well.
• Vegan butter - Stir in at the end for extra creaminess.
• White miso paste - This adds umami flavor and more dimension to this dish.
• Chopped fresh parsley to stir in at the end for extra color and flavor, optional
• Fresh lemon juice - Stir it in at the end, if desired, for additional acidity, especially if you are not adding white wine. The lemon juice is not pictured.
• Grated vegan Parmesan cheese - I love Violife's vegan Just Like Parmesan (not sponsored, I really like this product!).

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

Instructions

If this is your first time making risotto, this restaurant-worthy dish can seem intimidating. Actually, it's easy to make, it just takes a bit of time and attention. Here's how to make this delicious vegan mushroom risotto with peas:

Prepare the dried mushrooms

• If you are pressed for time, you can skip the dried mushrooms. If you have the time, however, this step is worth it for adding more flavor to the broth.
• Soak dried wild mushrooms in 1 ½ cups of hot water for one hour. Strain and reserve the mushroom liquid and keep it next to the vegetable broth.
• Clean the mushrooms by brushing any dirt off. Small and delicate mushrooms should be left whole, and mushrooms like maitake can just be separated into small pieces. Chop the dried mushrooms and set aside.

Heat the vegetable stock

• Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a saucepan, and keep a ladle nearby. Stir in the white miso paste, making sure it is dissolved. Taste to check that the broth is well seasoned. Depending on the stock you use, you may not need to any salt since the miso paste is salty.
• Keep the stock simmering on the stove at low heat while you make the risotto. You will be gradually adding the hot broth to the risotto in increments. Add the mushroom water to the saucepan to heat it with the vegetable stock when you have room in your saucepan.

Cook the fresh mushrooms

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat to medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Add oil; once it is shimmering, add the fresh mushrooms and saute until they are softened and browning at the edges, around 7 to 10 minutes. The mushrooms will "squeak" as you stir them in the pan as they start to release water.
• Stir in the garlic once the mushrooms are browning at the edges, for 30 seconds. I usually do not add salt because the broth has enough salt. Set aside.
• Tip: You can cook the mushrooms while you are cooking the risotto to save time.

Make the risotto

• Heat a risotto pan or saucier pan on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add olive oil and when it shimmers, add the shallot and saute for 5 minutes, until it is softened.
• Then you can add the arborio rice and stir constantly for 3 minutes. Add the white wine (or vegetable broth in its place) and stir occasionally on medium to medium-low heat until it has absorbed.

• Now you can add a ladleful of simmering stock. Stir often, but not constantly, approximately every 30 seconds or so, until the broth is almost absorbed, until your spoon makes a clear track in the rice.
• Be sure to stir the bottom of the pan so the rice does not stick. Taste every few minutes, noticing how the texture of the rice changes, and adjust the salt if needed.
• Repeat and continue adding another ladle of broth, stirring often and adding more broth when rice is almost dry. Repeat this for at least 15 minutes. Feel free to add the mushroom water to the vegetable stock to heat it.
• Keep an eye on the broth to make sure it's not bubbling furiously or not bubbling enough!

Add the dried mushrooms

• Now you can add the rehydrated dried mushrooms, and stir for another 5 to 10 minutes, adding more stock like before, until the rice is cooked. The rice should be tender all the way through but still al dente and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Add the peas and cooked mushrooms

• Stir in frozen peas and cooked and the cooked mushrooms you set aside earlier.
• Add another ladle of broth to rice, plus the butter. Stir in thyme and parsley, if desired, as well as ¼ cup of vegan Parmesan. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Hint: For risotto with more liquid, add a little extra water or broth at the end until it reaches your preferred consistency. I prefer my risotto to be less loose and a bit thicker.

Serve

If you've never made risotto before, you may be wondering about how the final texture should be. The finished risotto should be creamy and rich, with the grains of rice having a slight bite (al dente).

• Serve immediately. Top with additional vegan Parmesan if desired.

Hint: Save any leftover stock, and keep it separate from the leftover risotto. Add it when reheating the risotto.

Variations

Deluxe: Add a small drizzle of truffle oil on top of the risotto before serving. Or for a change, try this carnaroli rice to make the risotto.

Kid-friendly: Skip the white wine and use vegetable stock instead. Be sure to stir in lemon juice at the end.

Short on time: Skip soaking the dried mushrooms and save them for another night when you have more time!

Substitutions

• Shallot - You can use finely chopped yellow onion or white onion instead.

• Wild mushrooms - You can use any type of fresh mushrooms you like, a variety of mushrooms is a great way to enjoy this recipe: shiitake mushrooms, portobello, or crimini mushrooms, which are also known as Baby Bella. Regular white button mushrooms will work as well.

• Dried wild mushrooms - If you don't have them or if you don't have the time to soak them, it's fine to skip them.

• Peas - If you don't have peas, you can skip them, or add grilled asparagus as a side. You can add one cup of fresh asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces, during the last five minutes of cooking.

• White wine - You can use vegetable stock instead.

• Vegan Parmesan - If you don't have this, you can skip it or stir in a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast. The risotto will be delicious and creamy whether you add this or not.

Equipment

• Medium to large skillet (10-inch to 12-inch) for cooking the mushrooms. I love my All-Clad 12-inch stainless steel skillet.
• Small saucepan to keep the broth simmering
• Risotto pan or saucier to cook the risotto
• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Fine metal sieve - for straining the liquid from the dried mushrooms

Storage

Refrigerate for two to three days in an airtight glass container.

Reheat leftovers on the stovetop, adding leftover stock or water to loosen the risotto.

Risotto does not stand up well to freezing.

Tips

Do not rinse the arborio or carnaroli rice before adding it to the pot, you don’t want to rinse the starches off. The starches in the rice make the risotto creamy.

Simmer the risotto slowly on medium to low-medium heat, stirring often. If you turn up the heat to hurry things up, it will affect the flavor and texture. You want to be sure the liquid isn't cooking too slowly or too quickly.

If you have the time, make a homemade mushroom or vegetable stock. It does make a difference! That said, I usually purchase stock for convenience. Choose a tasty broth because it makes all the difference in risotto! The broth should taste good by itself.

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