This instant pot pumpkin risotto recipe is creamy and luxurious. The pumpkin and the fall spices really come together in a delicate way, and the tartness of the goat cheese is a delicious little surprise in the end. The best part? You can get this pretty dish done without standing over your stove stirring and stirring and STIRRING! Oh, and the sweet roasted pumpkin garnish is totally optional, but if I’m being honest, you should definitely not skip it!

Why I love instant pot risotto

Oi Gente!

I love risotto, but I must admit I’m lazy and pretty much hate hovering over the stove pouring and stirring. I mean, there’s a time and a place for a perfect traditional risotto, yes. And to me, these days, that’s called a restaurant, so I don’t have to do any of that work lol!

I may be lazy now, but, I’ve made my fair share of stove top risottos in my private chefing days, and I’ve adapted all the tips and tricks into my pressure cooker risotto recipes.

It works, meus amigos!

This instant pot risotto recipe is one of my favorite Fall recipes! It’s perfect for an intimate meal, whether you are looking for something quick for a Fall date night in, or something a little different for a small get together. Start your soiree with a festive drink like this Winter Mai Tai, and it’ll all feel very special.

This dish is also very versatile, and you can serve it as an appetizer by itself in small portions, as a side or even as main dish.

Believe me when I say this – you need this in your life!!

Bom Apetite!

Beijinhos!! xx

What pumpkin you’ll need to make this pumpkin risotto

There are a number of types of pumpkin and winter squashes you can use in this recipe:

Butternut squash (my personal fave!!)
Acorn squash
Kabocha squash
Red Kuri (Hokkaido) squash
White pumpkin
Sugar pie and other sweet pumpkins

Basically any type of sweet, firm-fleshed pumpkin ‘slash’ squash situation will do. You get the picture, yea? You can even combine a couple of your favorite types of pumpkin and squash. It’s your dinner, amigos, do it as you please! 🙂

How to make risotto in a pressure cooker

Making risotto in the instant pot is pretty simple, we just need to layer in the ingredients the right way to make sure our risotto comes out perfectly cooked, and super delicious! The first few steps are actually the same as making risotto the traditional way. We just use the pressure cooker to do the job when it comes to hydrating the rice, but all else, is fairly similar.

Here are the easy steps to follow:

Saute the aromatics in butter.
Pearl the risotto, then add the shaved pumpkin.

4. Add the wine and cook until it evaporates.

5. Now, add the spices, the stock and a couple of sprigs of thyme and close the pan. Switch the instant pot function to manual and set to 3 mins!

Now, the secret to perfect instant pot risotto!

6. After 3 minutes, release the pressure safely. You’ll notice the risotto still has tons of liquid, like in the photo below. This is definitely more liquid than we’d want in a risotto, so, get that pan back on sauté function. We’re about 3 short minutes from the end!

We do it this way because a true risotto needs to be served creamy. As I learned in culinary school and in the kitchens I’ve worked, if the risotto “stands on it’s own”, it’s not cooked correctly. You should be able to run a spoon down the middle of your bowl or plate, and see the risotto make it’s way back to the center. The way to do that with a pressure cooker, is to add enough liquid for cooking, without cooking it all off. Then,. after the 3 minutes in high pressure, when you switch back to sauté mode, the pot is so hot that it’s only a matter of a few short minutes for us to reach the creaminess we want!

7. Remove the sprigs of thyme and the spices and discard them. Lucky you, the spices usually float to the top thanks to the starchy arborio, making it so easy to pick’em out of the pan!

8. Finally, just add some more butter, and the cheese to the pan and keep cooking until it reduces a little more. Should be just about a minute or 2.

Now your risotto should be all creamy and delicious!

The caveat is, the risotto needs be served immediately, because it’ll also “overcook” (past the al dente texture) pretty quickly at this point. This isn’t particularly an issue, it’s just something I want you to be aware of – remember, no secrets between us! 😉

You can serve your pumpkin risotto with a little more cheese sprinkled on top and yummy! Dinner is ready!!

I usually also serve this dish with a roasted pumpkin garnish, which is totally optional, but also totally worth it! The instructions are in the recipe card down below.

Bom Apetite!

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5 from 10 votes

Instant Pot Goat Cheese Pumpkin Risotto

This instant pot pumpkin risotto recipe is creamy and luxurious. The pumpkin and the fall spices really come together in a delicate way, and the tartness of the goat cheese is a delicious little surprise in the end. The best part? You can get this pretty dish done without standing over your stove stirring and stirring and STIRRING! Oh, and the sweet roasted pumpkin garnish is totally optional, but if I'm being honest, you should definitely not skip it!

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings: servings

Author: Aline Shaw

Ingredients

For the Garnish:

2 cups of diced pumpkins
about a Tbsp of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp of brown sugar
1 sprig of thyme

For the Risotto:

1 cup of arborio rice
1 shallot sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced *or 1 Tbsp of Brazilian Sofrito
1-2 cups pumpkin, peeled and grated
2 Tbsp butter plus 2 more for finishing
1 bay leaf
3 whole clove
1/4 tsp of nutmeg
1 whole star anise (optional)
a pinch of cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of white wine
3 cups of chicken stock
2 sprigs of thyme
2 Tbsp goat cheese

Instructions

For the Garnish (optional):

Preheat oven to 400F
Drizzle diced pumpkin with olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and a little bit of thyme.
Bake until pumpkins are soft – approximately 30 minutes
When the pumpkins are baked, add them to a bowl with the melted butter and the brown sugar.
Toss to coat.
Return the pumpkins to the baking sheet, then to the oven, to caramelize – approximately 10 minutes.
When the pumpkins are caramelized, remove from the oven and set aside.

For the Risotto:

Using the saute setting of your instant pot, melt 2 Tbsp of butter
Add the shallots and the garlic, and sautée until the shallots are transparent – approx 3 mins.
Add the risotto and cook a few minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the grated pumpkins, and stir for a few minutes.
Add the bayleaf, the clove, the nutmeg, the cayenne, salt and pepper and stir.
Add the wine and cook until it evaporates completely.
Add the stock and the 2 sprigs of thyme. Close the instant pot, switch setting to manual and set to 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, safely release the pressure and carefully open the pot.
Switch the setting back to saute.
Remove the sprigs of thyme and discard them.
Add some more butter, and the cheese to the pan and keep cooking until the liquid reduces a little more and the risotto is creamy – approx 3 mins.

Bom Apetite!!

Did you make this recipe? Show me how it turned out! Snap a photo and share with me on Instagram tagging @aline_shaw!

Video

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