This vegan risotto with asparagus and mushrooms is the perfect comfort food! It’s super creamy, cheesy, wine-infused, lightly decadent, and packed with flavor!
We had this vegan risotto so many times last spring and I was really looking forward to making it with fresh green asparagus from the market last weekend. You can literally just taste spring in this vegan risotto…
Risotto seriously is the synonym for Italian comfort food. I mean cheesy and creamy, what can be more comforting, right?! But wait. Cheesy? How can it be cheesy when it’s vegan? Absolutely no problem! While risotto traditionally calls for butter and Parmesan cheese for flavor, it can easily be made vegan by substituting cheese and butter with white miso paste and nutritional yeast.
What You Need For This Vegan Risotto:
The best thing is that this spring risotto is super easy to make. All you need is risotto rice, green asparagus, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, garlic, an onion, white wine, miso paste, and nutritional yeast. Oh and of course, salt and pepper.
I seriously LOVE miso paste and I often use it for dishes that call for vegan cheese like my vegan mac and cheese with mushrooms and peas (I know that rhymes! Haha!), cashews cheese in general, or my vegan cheese fondue. For those of you who have never heard of miso paste: Miso is the Japanese term for fermented soybean paste. It’s a staple in Japan that is commonly used to make soups, sauces, and dips. While it’s relatively high in salt, it’s also rich in protein and B vitamins. I usually buy it at our local Asian market, but you can also find it online.
We enjoyed this vegan risotto as an entrée with a green salad, but it would also make a great side. For a long time, I thought making risotto was pretty complicated and wouldn’t always turn out right, so I didn’t even give it a try until about two years ago I think. I found an easy recipe for risotto without cheese or actually a recipe for vegetable risotto in one of my cookbooks and over the years I added more and more ingredients until I was completely satisfied with its creamy and cheesy taste.
How to Make Vegan Risotto:
And it really isn’t that complicated! To give it a stronger asparagus taste I added both, asparagus broth (this means the water you cooked the asparagus in) as well as vegetable broth. It’s really important that you turn down the heat to a simmer and slowly keep adding the asparagus broth and the vegetable broth, allowing each amount to be absorbed before you add the next. For me this took about 15-20 minutes, but it depends a little bit on the rice you use. If needed you can add more vegetable broth and adjust the cooking time.
If you give this vegan risotto with asparagus and mushrooms a try, let me know how you liked it! As always, I love hearing from you guys and I just love seeing your Vegan Heaven creations on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me with _veganheaven_ :-)
You might also like my vegan quiche with asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes.
Talk to you soon!
Vegan Risotto with Asparagus and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 8 oz green asparagus
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 cups mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic, miced
- 1 cup risotto rice
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1 3/4 cup asparagus broth (the water you cooked the asparagus in)
- 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 10-15 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon white miso paste
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons soy cuisine/ vegan cream (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the asparagus into 2-inch-long pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the asparagus for about 6-8 minutes depending on their size. When draining the asparagus, keep 1 3/4 cups of the water you cooked it in, as you will need it later on.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until it's translucent. Stir in the mushrooms and the garlic and stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Then add the rice and sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Deglaze with white wine and allow the wine to evaporate. Once the wine has cooked into the rice, add half of the asparagus broth. Turn down the heat to a simmer and slowly keep adding the rest of the asparagus broth and the vegetable broth, allowing each amount to be absorbed before you add the next. This will take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the rice you use. If needed add more vegetable broth.
- Stir in the asparagus, the cherry tomatoes, the nutritional yeast, the white miso paste and (if using) the vegan soy cream.
- Cook for a few more minutes, or until heated through. If necessary add more vegetable broth.
- Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
I haven’t made risotto in ages but you’ve totally inspired me. Love all the colourful veggies in this!
Glad you like it, Becca! :-)
This risotto looks delicious and I love all the beautiful pictures.
Thanks, Nayna! :-)
This bowl is SO full of delicious SPRING flavors!!! Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies and I’m so happy when it comes in season!
Same here, Ceara! Asparagus is just AMAZING!
I adore risotto, and asparagus. This is the ultimate comfort food. Arborio rice is so creamy on it’s own you don’t need to add cheese. I love this recipe, Sina.
So glad you like it, Linda! :-) I just can’t get enough of asparagus right now!
I love to add miso paste with nutritional yeast too :) Gives the perfect cheesy flavour! This looks wonderful. Perfect spring supper!
Thanks, Aimee! Glad you like it. :-) Miso paste and nutritional yeast does an amazing job!
Yum! I love a good risotto. And I’m obsessed with asparagus right now. Looks delicious!!
Me too, Sophia! It’s my favorite time of year right now! :-)
There really isn’t a better match for risotto than asparagus and it’s so genius of you to use the asparagus cooking water as the broth.
Thanks, Alisa! It gives it some extra flavor. :-)
I love risotto and this looks so delicious. A great Spring recipe.
Thanks, Mel! :-)
Oh my goodness, what a great way to use some of spring’s asparagus bounty!
Glad you like it, Becky!
Spring perfection! It looks so yummy <3 I love risotto!
Thanks, Rebecca! Me too. :-)
I’m so happy it’s asparagus season again! And it pairs so well with mushrooms. This creamy risotto looks so delicious!! The perfect spring meal!
Thanks, Jenn! Me too! I just LOVE asparagus! :-)
I love miso in savory things. It has this magical ability to take a dish from ‘Yummy!’ to ‘Gah I want to eat this everyday and never stop because it’s so darn flavorful!’ Which is how I’m feeling right now! Mushrooms are so perfect for risotto, but tomatoes are a delicious addition I’d never thought of! This is spring comfort food at its best :)
Totally agree, Natalie! Miso is so delicious and makes such a cheesy flavor. :-)