Dinner/ gluten-free/ healthy living/ Instant Pot/ Vegan/ vegetarian

Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto

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Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto is one of our new fall favorite recipes. It’s vegan, it’s gluten-free, and it can be on the table in 30 minutes after only 5 minutes of prep time and then a short time in the Instant Pot! Read on for all the details.

Instant Pot Risotto with pumpkin and sage

We use pumpkin puree in many of sweet recipes–like this vegan pumpkin french toast--but haven’t tried it enough in savory dishes.  We are big fans of butternut squash and asparagus risotto, so we decided to try Instant Pot risotto with pumpkin puree.  It’s definitely a recipe we will use again.  Because it’s good and because…

Instant Pot Risotto is easy!

As a busy family, we love recipes that save us time and this risotto recipe is great since we don’t have to shop and roast anything ahead of time.  Also, the Instant Pot makes risotto sooooo easy!  No babysitting on the stove and adding a little bit of broth, stirring, adding more, stirring, repeat forever.  It’s not hard if you have the time and aren’t frazzled.  But, if you are a parent and in a hurry, risotto on the stovetop is not going to go well. But with the Instant Pot it’s a breeze.

Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto - made with arborio rice, sage, and pumpkin puree

This Instant Pot pumpkin risotto recipe is dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free.  If you aren’t worried about any dietary restrictions, feel free to use your broth and butter of choice.  We used our favorite vegetable broth (or make your own with this homemade vegetable broth recipe) and used a vegan “buttery spread” rather than actual butter.  That’s one of the reasons I like arborio rice so much, it is pretty creamy all on its own and the lack of cheese or butter really doesn’t detract from the recipe.

Instant Pot Risotto - a special pumpkin risotto made with pumpkin puree

We used sage in our pumpkin risotto recipe and basically fried it until crispy in the olive oil.  Then removed the leaves and used the flavored oil to saute the onions and garlic and then cook the risotto.  The leaves are then crispy and can be either crunched up on top of the final dish or left whole.  If you aren’t a fan of sage, I think rosemary would work as well.

instant pot pumpkin risotto

Looks good, right? We hope you’ll give it a try. And if you’re a risotto fan you might want to check out these 18 Tasty Risotto Recipes from Brit + Co and see how many of them you can convert to Instant Pot recipes.

instant pot pumpkin risotto with arborio rice, sage, and pumpkin puree

Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto

Instant Pot pumpkin risotto with sage. Vegan and gluten free.
4.84 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin, risotto
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 289kcal
Author: mywifecancook

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 sage leaves
  • 2 shallots diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp vegan buttery spread

Instructions

  • Press saute on Instant Pot and heat oil.
  • Place sage leaves in hot oil and let sizzle for 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove sage leaves and dry on a paper towel.
  • Add onions to Instant Pot and saute for 3-4 minutes.
  • Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
  • Add arborio rice and stir.  Let cook for 1-2 minutes.
  • Add broth and deglaze the pot.  
  • Add pumpkin puree, salt, and pepper.
  • Close lid, seal valve, and press manual cycle for 7 minutes.
  • Once cycle is complete, turn off Instant Pot, quick release, open and stir.  If rice is sticking, add a little more broth and deglaze bottom of pot.
  • Add vegan butter and stir.
  • Top with crushed crispy sage leaves and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 787mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5150IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 2.7mg

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28 Comments

  • Reply
    Matthew
    November 5, 2017 at 1:49 am

    Is the rice already cooked at the point that it’s put in the instant pot?

  • Reply
    Terryn
    December 30, 2017 at 11:23 am

    I’m an Instant Pot newbie. Can I double the recipe? Does that change the cooking time?

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      January 5, 2018 at 4:53 pm

      You should be able to double it without changing the cook time. Welcome to the Instant Pot club!

  • Reply
    Tracy Koslicki
    January 29, 2018 at 12:06 am

    5 stars
    I’ve been needing to get an Instant Pot for the LONGEST time but RISOTTO?! Oh my god… Now I MUST get one. I had no idea you could make risotto in one! I LOVE risotto but I don’t have the time! LOVE this recipe!!

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      January 31, 2018 at 4:47 pm

      Risotto is so easy in one! No more constant adding liquid and stirring!

  • Reply
    Dawn
    September 12, 2018 at 10:37 am

    5 stars
    Risotto is one of my all time fave dishes. Years ago hubby and I took a class about Italian culture and food and ever since then risotto has been a favourite in our home. Love the fall flavours with the pumpkin and love how quickly a delicious and impressive meal can be pulled together. So lovely for entertaining too 🙂

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      September 13, 2018 at 8:41 am

      I want to take that class! Italian food is so good!

  • Reply
    Anne|Craving Something Healthy
    September 15, 2018 at 11:03 pm

    Risotto is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods! I’ve made it with butternut squash but not pumpkin – can’t wait to try this!

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      September 24, 2018 at 8:10 am

      We love it with butternut squash also!

  • Reply
    Lisa
    October 15, 2018 at 6:38 pm

    I find that short grain brown rice makes a much better risotto — with the right amount of liquid (3 cups of broth to 1 cup rice – leaving it to soak up after a natural release) makes a perfect risotto. This recipe makes a wonderful vegetarian risotto, but if you eat meat, it would also be amazing with some organic pork italian sausage sauted along with the onions and then cooked in with the ristotto!

  • Reply
    Sara
    October 17, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    Um, when do you add the pumpkin? (Am I crazy? It actually doesn’t say in the recipe as far as I can tell…)

    • Reply
      Sara B
      October 17, 2018 at 3:12 pm

      Nevermind I finally see it. Thx!

      • Reply
        mywifecancook
        October 20, 2018 at 1:45 pm

        Oh good! I’m glad it’s in there, I double checked as well.

  • Reply
    Elena
    October 17, 2018 at 8:27 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness, this was amazing. I doubled the recipe but kept the timing the same and it was perfect. Topped with some goat cheese. Yum! Thank you for sharing!

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      October 20, 2018 at 1:45 pm

      I’m glad you enjoyed it! Good call with the goat cheese!

  • Reply
    Hannah Ranch
    October 21, 2018 at 12:54 pm

    How would you add bacon or sausage to the pot?

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      October 22, 2018 at 7:15 pm

      Bacon, I would probably cut up, saute first, remove bits, cook risotto according to directions in the bacon oil. Then top with cooked bacon when serving. Sausage, probably cut up, saute and then follow directions?

  • Reply
    Kristina Gentleman
    November 28, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    5 stars
    I was terrified of my IP, but had to try it b/c of this recipe. It was delicious! Also, I have a Crock Pot brand pressure cooker and it has a button for rice/risotto. Thanks for giving me the courage to try it.

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      December 7, 2018 at 7:34 am

      I’m so happy to hear it worked out! It took me a while to get mine out of the box and use it, now i love it!

  • Reply
    Jean
    February 16, 2019 at 12:46 am

    5 stars
    So glad I came across this recipe on my hunt for dairy and gluten free. This was absolutely delicious!! Thank you!

  • Reply
    Anna
    November 11, 2019 at 1:13 pm

    4 stars
    This was delicious but burned at the bottom. Did that only happen to me? I deglazed the pot and followed the recipe exactly. Still, we loved it. I’m just wondering if I should add the pumpkin after the risotto is under pressure

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      November 24, 2019 at 7:43 pm

      I have not had that problem, but I know different models can work differently. You can definitely try adding the pumpkin after the pressure cycle. Or add slightly more broth, make sure the pot is deglazed, and make sure the pumpkin is on the top, not mixed into the rice/broth?

  • Reply
    Koko
    October 29, 2020 at 7:59 pm

    Hello there! I am excited to try this recipe and just have a quick question. I am new to making risotto. With the 2 cups of veggie broth and deglazing. Is it safe to assume that one may NOT necessarily use all 2 cups? Just trying to see whether to expect much or all of the 2 cups to be used to ensure the rice cooks properly. THANK YOU!!!

    • Reply
      mywifecancook
      March 28, 2021 at 6:19 pm

      I think you will need to add all of it. If it ends up too watery at the end, after opening the lid of the Instant Pot, you can press the saute button and cook some of the liquid off while stirring to make sure it doesn’t burn.

  • Reply
    Diane D
    October 30, 2022 at 9:07 pm

    Do you mix in the pumpkin or leave it on top of the rice before putting to pressure?

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