How to make mushroom risotto

Mushroom risotto
(Image credit: Future)

This delicious, easy recipe is so simple to make with our step-by-step guide. With a creamy, rich flavour throughout, this dish is perfect as a special mid-week meal or weekend treat for the whole family.

Risotto rice is cooked with stock, which should be added in stages. It’s usually a medium- or short-grain rice with a high starch content that absorbs liquid and releases starch to give a creaminess.

This recipe uses dried porcini mushrooms which have to be soaked first so they're extra soft and tender in the risotto. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

Triple tested in the Woman's Weekly kitchen, this recipe is foolproof and will make one delicious, thick and rich-in-flavour risotto over and over again.

Fancy trying out our traditional easy mushroom risotto recipe?

Ingredients

  • 30g packet dried porcini mushrooms
  • 50g butter
  • 1tbsp light olive oil
  • 1 onion, peeled and cut into thin wedges
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 250g risotto rice, eg, Arborio
  • 100ml white wine
  • Approx. 750ml hot vegetable stock
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving
  • Black pepper

Step 1

Step 1

Pour 150ml boiling water over the dried mushrooms and leave them to soak for about 15 minutes.

Step 2

Step 2

Melt half the butter in a large, wide pan with the oil. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the chestnut mushrooms and garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened.

Step 3

Step 3

Tip the rice into the pan and cook it for about 1 minute, stirring continuously.

Step 4

Step 4

Pour the wine into the pan and stir well. Cook the rice over a low heat until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Step 5

Step 5

Spoon the soaked dried mushrooms into the pan and slowly pour in most of the soaking liquid, leaving the gritty dregs in the jug. Stir well and simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add a quarter of the hot stock and simmer until most of it is absorbed, stirring regularly. Keep repeating the process. Regular stirring will help make it creamy.

Step 6

Mushroom risotto

(Image credit: Future)

Add enough stock, so that the rice is almost tender, but take care not to overcook it or it will become stodgy. Remove from the heat, stir in the reserved butter and season to taste. Leave for a few minutes before serving. Serve with grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 12 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies