I’m really starting to get into fall recipes over here. I love late September weather because we usually get warm days and chilly evenings and it’s my favourite. Cue this dreamy Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto. Roasted butternut squash puree, thyme, and nutritional yeast take this simple rice dish to the next level. The Picky Husband loves this gluten free risotto, and I have a feeling this is going to be our new staple dinner this fall. Although the cooking time is not short, most of that time will be you stirring the butternut risotto on the stovetop with one hand and a glass of wine in the other hand!
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto
- OK. This butternut risotto is UBER CREAMY. And I mean it. There is no cheese in this risotto recipe and you’ll be confused how it is this level of creaminess. But you can thank the butternut squash because you won’t be missing ANY cheese in this dish.
- This vegan butternut squash risotto is rich and flavourful. It’s such a good recipe for a vegan thanksgiving. It has all the flare and classiness that a main holiday dish needs without having to fuss too much over it. Although the cook time is a little lengthy, it’s actually quite a simple recipe to make.
- The smell of roasted butternut squash, fresh thyme and garlic will erupt in your kitchen while you stir this vegan butternut squash risotto. This recipe unleashes such delicious fall flavours that it will be hard to not sneak a few spoonfuls while it’s still cooking.
How to Make Vegan Risotto
Making this vegan butternut squash risotto is EASY. I feel like I say that about a lot of my recipes so maybe I’m biased. But literally, this gluten free risotto just takes patience. Patience while the butternut squash is roasting. And patience while the rice simmers before adding more veggie broth. Like I said, patience is key.
Once the squash is roasted, you need to prepare a pan (I used my cast iron) with a little oil. Sauté some onion and garlic and then add 1 cup of arborio rice to the pan. It’s important to let the rice sit in the pan just to toast a little. But this shouldn’t take long (like 30 seconds- 1 minute). Then you add that splash of white wine. A splash for the pan and the rest for you! It’s important to have your veggie broth ready to go because once the liquid from the wine has disappeared, the veggie broth goes in! Stir the rice around and then let it simmer until most of the broth has disappeared. Then you add the second round of broth and do the same thing until your vegan butternut squash risotto is cooked and creamy. You continue to add a little bit of broth at a time. Let the rice get covered by the broth and simmer while stirring often so it doesn’t stick on the bottom.
Don’t forget to add the thyme, squash puree, and nooch to this gluten free risotto. That is what makes it so creamy and flavourful. You’re about to find out just how dreamy vegan risotto can be!
Things to Know About This Butternut Squash Recipe
- Nutritional yeast is one of my staples. I put it in a lot of my dishes because it mimics that cheesy flavour that we vegans still love! People might be concerned when you mention a dairy free risotto. Risotto without cheese?! Don’t worry, it’s not a big deal in this vegan butternut squash risotto because of the delicious nutritional yeast and squash combo. Nutritional yeast is also a complete protein which is just an added bonus!
- This vegan butternut squash risotto is delcious as leftovers but I would suggest reheating it because cold risotto shouldn’t go into anybody’s mouth in my opinion. The flavours stay rich and creamy overnight in the fridge.
- You will have some leftover puree but you can easily throw into a soup or make a double batch of this vegan butternut squash risotto. I love sneaking leftover vegetables into other dishes too. It would probably make a vegan mac and cheese sauce extra creamy and orange!
Still on the lookout for more vegan fall recipes? Try these!
- Nacho Mac and Cheese
- Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
- Vegan Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic
- Vegan Mushroom Soup
I’m actually making this vegan butternut squash risotto tonight for dinner and I can’t wait. This vegan risotto screams fall comfort food. And I would be brave enough to call this healthy and it doesn’t skimp on flavour or goodness! It’s truly a dream recipe. Risotto is typically very rich because of all the cheese. Now I wouldn’t go as far as calling this dairy free risotto light, it definitely has a lighter feel to it than the traditional recipe and I’m all for it. So let’s embrace this first week of fall with this comfort dish. Let’s hope the end of 2020 is a little more positive than the rest of the year has been and if it isn’t at least we have this butternut risotto.
vegan butternut squash risotto
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butternut squash puree (roughly 1/2 of a small butternut squash)
- 2 tsp oil of choice
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp brown rice miso paste
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme (removed from the stems)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut the butternut squash in half (from the top of the stem and down). Remove the seeds from the middle and lightly brush a little bit of oil on the inside of both halves. Place the butternut squash halves face down on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a knife can go through it with ease. Set it aside and let it cool.
- Once your butternut squash is cooked, heat a large cast iron pan (or pan of choice) over medium heat. Add 2 tsp of oil to it. Once heated, add the chopped onion and garlic to it.
- After a few minutes, add the rice to the pan. Stir the rice around the pan for roughly 1 minute. Then add the white wine. Let this combo simmer together. Once the white wine has mostly been absorbed add 1 cup of the vegetable broth to the rice. Stir, and let this simmer on medium heat. Once that cup of vegetable broth has been absorbed, add another cup of the vegetable broth and stir and simmer. Continue to do the same for the next 2 cups of vegetable broth.
- Before adding the last cup of vegetable broth. Remove the butternut squash from its skin and process in a food processor until it’s smooth and a puree has formed. Measure out 1/2 cup and set aside. USe the rest of the butternut squash in another recipe (perhaps in a cozy soup!)
- Add the miso paste, thyme, salt and pepper to the rice mixture and then add the last cup of vegetable broth. In the end you want the consistency of the risotto to be thick, and creamy. But don’t let all the broth get absorb this last round through. When it is a little more runny then you would like, add the nutritional yeast, and the butternut squash puree into the rice. Stir to incorporate an then let it simmer for a little longer.
- Serve immediately.
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