I’ve always loved risotto but we only ever seem to have brown rice in the house – it’s traditionally made with a particularly starchy rice, arborio – so I make it with brown rice instead. Brown rice risotto is less creamy but it’s equally delicious and even a little more flavourful thanks to the whole grain.
It is possible to get brown arborio rice, which would be ideal here, but it’s not widely available and I’ve never tried it. Plain long or short grain brown rice works perfectly and makes a truly delicious meal. Please note that it does take a little longer to cook than white rice.
For more brown rice recipes, try brown rice pudding made with leftover rice, vegetarian stuffed pumpkins, or meal-in-a-bowl rice, lentil, and butternut squash soup.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Rice: short or long grain brown rice can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
- White wine: choose a dry white wine. While it’s usually possible to substitute for vinegar, I don’t recommend omitting the wine here.
- Peas: use frozen or fresh peas. Other vegetables can be added too.
- Greens: pictured is wild garlic, as it’s in season, but any hardier green could be used. Spinach, chard, beet greens, anything like that – or if you want to use some other wild foods, garlic mustard, sorrel, and blanched nettle are also excellent.
- Broth: use a good vegetable broth for this, homemade if you can swing it. It will be a major flavour point. Mushroom stock is excellent if you want a more savoury dish with a stronger taste.
- Add-ins: since it’s currently springtime, the risotto pictured has some wild garlic pesto stirred in. At other times of year you could use another pesto (it’s optional) like parsley pesto or even carrot top pesto. Of course you can also add some grated hard cheese before serving. To make it more of a main, stir in some giant white beans with the peas.
Step by Step
Step 1: fry the onions until softened and lightly golden.
Step 2: add the rice and fry for a couple of minutes, then add the wine.
Step 3: pour in the first round of broth.
Step 4: cook, stirring frequently, until the broth is absorbed.
Step 5: add more broth, stirring until it’s absorbed.
Step 6: keep adding broth, cooking between each round.
Step 7: once all of the broth has been absorbed, the rice will be fully cooked.
Step 8: add the frozen peas and greens and serve.
Recipe Notes
Risotto is time consuming, that’s simply how it is. If you want a less hands-on rice dish, or once that takes less time, then you shouldn’t make risotto. Consider it a weekend project.
It can be slightly tricky to season risotto because all vegetable broths will have different levels of saltiness. With the broth and the salt outlined in the recipe card, it will be pretty good, and you can add more salt after if needed. Don’t forget to add it while cooking, though, or the rice will be bland.
How to Store
Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Reheat on the stove top with a splash of water or broth.
Freezing: transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating as usual.
Expert Tips
- Use the lid: to give yourself a break from stirring constantly, you can pop the lid on the pot every once in a while. It still needs to be stirred a lot, but this cuts down the cooking time a bit if you’re getting tired.
- Thin if needed: if served immediately, it will be the perfect texture. If the risotto is stored for a day or two, it thickens up a bit and should be loosened up with a little water (or preferably more broth, if you have it) to reach the desired consistency.
- Don’t rinse the rice: while it is usually advisable to rinse rice before cooking, you want all the starch to be available for risotto. It would ruin the dish to rinse it.
More Vegetarian Sides
Carrot Parsnip Soup
Vegetarian Herb Stuffing
Swiss Chard Salad
Garlic Green Beans
If you make this Vegan Brown Rice Risotto recipe or any other vegetarian side dishes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Brown Rice Risotto
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 250 grams brown rice
- 150 ml dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 1 litre vegetable broth warm, divided
- 100 grams frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice about half a lemon
- Zest of a lemon
- Large handful spinach or other greens
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large heavy-bottom pot and heat over low-medium. Once hot, add the onion. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 medium onion, 1 clove garlic
- Add the rice and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the wine (it will immediately boil) then stir in the salt and pepper.250 grams brown rice, 150 ml dry white wine, 1 teaspoon sea salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add 250 ml (1 cup) of the broth and cook, stirring often, until the rice has absorbed all of the broth. This first round of broth will take the longest to absorb. Be patient.1 litre vegetable broth
- Once absorbed, add another 250 ml (1 cup) of broth. Repeat the process until all of the broth has been absorbed by the rice, continuing to stir often. It will take 50-60 minutes.
- Once the rice is fully cooked, stir in the frozen peas, lemon juice and zest, and the greens. Cover for a couple of minutes to thaw the peas, then season to taste and serve immediately.100 grams frozen peas, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, Zest of a lemon, Large handful spinach or other greens
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
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