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Vegan Pumpkin Risotto

5 from 1 vote

Here is a savory, creamy, and delicious pumpkin vegan risotto recipe that even meat eaters will love!

The recipe says “date night” but I like to serve it on Sundays after football… Recipe from @choccoveredkt… easy to make, one-bowl meal. Full recipe: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/10/12/vegan-risotto-recipe-pumpkin/
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While this vegan risotto would be a good dinner choice for date night, it’s also great for quiet nights in with friends or family.

I find it goes over especially well on Sundays after watching football all day.

The first time I ever had pumpkin risotto, I was on a date.

Except, I didn’t actually know if it was a date.

The recipe says “date night” but I like to serve it on Sundays after football… Recipe from @choccoveredkt… easy to make, one-bowl meal. Full recipe: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/10/12/vegan-risotto-recipe-pumpkin/

But back to that in a minute.

The plant based pumpkin risotto recipe I’m posting today is something I’ve been working on for the past few months, adjusting proportions of the ingredients between trials to finally achieve the perfect rich pumpkin flavor and creamy texture in each and every comforting spoonful.

Use a shallow pan if you have one, which helps the rice to cook more evenly so parts of it don’t overcook before the rest is done. And if you’re pressed for time, canned pumpkin or sweet potato can be subbed for the roasted pumpkin.

It’s also fantastic with butternut squash!

While another rice can be substituted if you wish, Arborio is the rice of choice for traditional risotto recipes. Using Arborio rice in this dairy free vegan risotto recipe will yield the absolute softest and creamiest risotto.

The recipe says “date night” but I like to serve it on Sundays after football… Pumpkin risotto recipe from @choccoveredkt… easy to make, one-bowl meal. Full recipe: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/10/12/vegan-risotto-recipe-pumpkin/

So about the date…

We’d already been friends for two and a half months at the time, and many of my friends are guys. I never want to assume someone likes me if I’m not completely sure, even if it might be obvious to everyone else.

Our conversations were often about recipes, so when he mentioned making pumpkin risotto and I said I wanted to try it someday and he replied, “Okay, when?” I wasn’t going to miss that chance.

Suddenly the hypothetical I should make this for you someday became I’ll be over at five this Friday to make you a fancy dinner you will never forget.

vegan risotto recipe

And I never will forget it; not the risotto nor the night when I finally told him how I felt.

I’m a big proponent of girls making the first move… mostly because I am curious, impatient, and hate mysteries.

Not knowing what he was thinking was driving me crazy.

The recipe says “date night” but I like to serve it on Sundays after football… Recipe from @choccoveredkt… easy to make, one-bowl meal. Full recipe: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2015/10/12/vegan-risotto-recipe-pumpkin/
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Vegan Pumpkin Risotto

Try this savory, creamy, and delicious pumpkin vegan risotto recipe for a healthy plant based dinner.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Yield 4 – 5 servings
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 1/2 medium butternut squash or pie pumpkin, or 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup Arborio rice (brown rice can work; texture and cooking time will differ)
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 3 1/2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • For the pumpkin or squash: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Slice the squash or pumpkin in half, place on a baking sheet, and bake 40 minutes or until the flesh is soft and tender. (Note: The risotto can be prepared while you’re waiting for the pumpkin to bake.) Scoop the flesh into a bowl, removing and discarding the seeds, and mash with a fork. If you’d prefer a little texture, you can peel and dice 1/4 of the squash/pumpkin instead of mashing it.
    For the risotto:  Heat the oil over medium heat in a shallow saucepan or skillet. Add the onion and cook until it begins to brown. Add all of the rice, and stir for about a minute. Add the wine, and continue cooking over medium heat (stirring often) until the rice absorbs the wine and the pan is mostly dry. Pour in 1 cup of the vegetable broth, and cook until the rice has absorbed the broth, stirring often. Repeat with another cup of stock until the liquid is absorbed. Continue this way until the rice is fluffy and creamy—sometimes not all of the stock will be used before the rice looks creamy, so don’t worry if you haven’t used it all. Lower to a simmer, stir in the squash or pumpkin, then stir in the nutritional yeast. Add salt to taste. Traditional recipes suggest letting risotto sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
    View Nutrition Facts

Notes

Want more pumpkin? Try this Crustless Pumpkin Pie.
 

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Published on October 12, 2015

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42 Comments

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  1. Miss Polkadot says

    What a sweet story to accompany a delicious-sounding recipe! I really like to hear tidbits from your life and – stereotypical girl 😉 – love stories are obviously the sweetest. I’m assuming yours here had a happy ending …?

  2. Lauren says

    Mmm this sounds delicious!
    Agreed, I never liked not knowing what the other party was thinking. I asked my now husband out and he said it was surprising I made the first move. Worked out though 😉

  3. Rebecca says

    Hey, you can’t just NOT finish the story! You are going to make me go crazy…This is all I am going to think about all day. And with three kids to wrangle, that is not a good thing. 😉

  4. Samantha says

    “I’m a big proponent of girls making the first move” OK. That totally made me laugh. In a world that still pushes the man taking the lead I loved that you said that. How fun. Life is short anyway. Might as well know where you stand and have fun with the guy you are into if he is too!

  5. Cindy says

    WHAT?!!! You can’t write a post like that and leave us all sitting on the edge of our seat waiting for the end of the romantic chick flick I was just reading. Please tell me you fell in love and are getting married. <3 I've read your blog/recipes for quite a while now, but never commented. I guess that makes me a lurker? Is that why you wrote this…to draw out the lurkers?!! If so, it worked 🙂 Oh please write the end of that story. You're so beautiful and talented and as cute as Sandra Bullock. I did pin the recipe too, as I intend to make it. It looks delicious. But really, I just want the end of that story!! Hugs. Cindy

  6. Erin says

    I don’t know about date night, but I think it will be perfect for breakfast… or is it? 😀
    What do you have on top of the dish? I’ve never seen a herb like this.

  7. Elizabeth says

    I made this yesterday for dinner and it was absolutly deliucoius! I omited the wine and used water and apple cider vinegar instead. I also used half the amount of risotto rice and added 1/2 cup brown rice. Yummie! Thanks for this amazing reccipe. I will sure have it again soon 🙂

  8. Liv says

    Hi 🙂 I would love to try this! Unfortunately I do t want to cook with wine (or other alcohol), is there anything I can use as a substitute for risotto? Thank you!

  9. Kathryn says

    Made this for dinner. It was delicious! I think it definitely could use some garlic- I’m a garlic fiend- my husband felt it could use some nutmeg and cloves (I think he was wanting something akin to pie, lol). I didn’t have white wine, so I did apple cider vinegar and water, too. I used Arborio rice. I wanted to make it as close to your recipe as possible, and I was not disappointed!

  10. Becca says

    My boyfriend and I got together in a very similar way (friends for a few months, followed by several “is this a date?” non-dates before finally making it official). Funnily enough, the night we had our first kiss he was making risotto–he kept having to jump up to stir it so it wouldn’t be ruined! Next month is our two year anniversary and I just might have to make this for him…

  11. Urvashi says

    I got my mum to make this risotto for me. It tasted delicious!!!
    Thank you for existing, Katie. Honestly, when 2 years back I turned vegetarian, neither me nor my parents thought that I’d stick with it. Everyone thought that I’d feel so “deprived” that I’d just switch back. And then I discovered your blog. It was love atfirst siight/bite!!!

  12. Margaret says

    This recipe looks amazing; I’m making this for an autumny pot luck tomorrow. Heads up that vegan white wines are harder to find than reds (barnivore is invaluable for the search).

  13. Tammie Wilson says

    Just tried it and it was yummy! My daughter follows your site and requested I try this. I am so glad I did! Made it exactly as directed. No need to change a thing…

  14. Mandy Bailey says

    Thank you! I’d never cooked this type of rice, nor in this way before. I added a squeeze-and-cook-with-it lime because awesome Misfits Market sent limes this week. My awesome husband made up a put-a-lime-in-the-pumpkin-rice song… Yum to all of the above!

  15. Belle Plummer says

    I use an old cookbook, still available on line, Microwave Gourmet, by Barbara’s Kafka, which has some real time saving recipes for base recipes Iike polenta and risotto. No standing and stirring. I like your recipes but am always looking to minimize preparation.

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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