Baked Vegan Mushroom Risotto
Creamy, buttery, flavoursome… and vegan! This vegan mushroom risotto with a crispy, herby pangrattato is comfort food at it’s best.
This scrummy, low effort, baked vegan mushroom risotto comes together in only 1 hour! No stirring on the stove for this dish- all the work happens in the oven. A hearty dish, the richness of the creamy sauce and crunch from the herby crumb will melt in your mouth. And if you’re not following a vegan diet, you can simply opt for normal butter and cream cheese instead.
You might be wondering, how can I achieve a lush and creamy risotto when it’s vegan and missing all that cheese? The combination of vegan cream cheese, cashew cream, and nutritional yeast are the stars here. Firstly the nutritional yeast will give your risotto a lovely cheesy notes, as well as a hearty helping of B vitamins and zinc. Creaminess and tang is achieved with a combination of cashew cream and vegan cream cheese.
If you can’t find vegan cream cheese, then double the cashew quantity, and substitute it for more cashew cream. Similarly, you can sub the cashew cream out for more vegan cream cheese if you prefer. We do however suggest using the two together as it adds both creaminess and a cheesy tang.
The herby crispy breadcrumbs are what elevate this vegan mushroom risotto recipe. You’ll even want to use this crumb on other dishes – try adding the pangrattato on top of your next casserole, as a stuffing, or even to thicken a stew. Although it is optional for this recipe, we recommend using it! The freshness from the herbs, and the crunch from the toasted bread will bright brightness and textural contrast to the final dish.
Finally, if you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. Watch the full video here.
And if you’re feeling adventurous, then give this Quick Barley Risotto with Mushrooms, Herbs and Rocket Pesto recipe a try. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this with dairy?
You can indeed! As per the recipe notes, simply substitute in dairy-based ingredients where the plant-based ingredients are called for.
I can’t find vegan cream cheese?
Don’t stress. Simply double the quantity of raw cashews and use more cashew cream to achieve the creamy lush texture.
What can I use to replace the wine?
The cooking method here means all of the alcohol will be cooked off the wine. However, if you still wish to avoid using wine, use an alcohol-free wine, verjuice, or more vegetable stock.
What can I use to replace the nuts?
Oat cream can be used in place of the cashew cream we make in this recipe. Or you can cut out the cashew cream altogether and double up on the cream cheese instead.
Vegan Mushroom Risotto
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Creamy, buttery, flavoursome… and vegan! This vegan mushroom risotto with a crispy, herby pangrattato is comfort food at it’s best.
Ingredients
For the risotto:
- 300g Brown Mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 3 sprigs (2g) of Fresh Thyme, picked from stems
- 60 Raw cashews*
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio risotto rice
- 1/2 Onion, finely diced (brown, white, or yellow)
- 2 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 125ml White wine – Optional, alternatively add more stock
- 4 cups hot veg stock
- 30g / 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/4 cup (15g) Nutritional yeast
- 100g Vegan cream cheese* * If you can’t find vegan cream cheese double the quantity of cashews and make more cashew cream. If you are allergic to nuts see your FAQs on nut replacements.
For the garlic and herb bread crumb topper:
- 2 Slices sourdough
- Garlic clove
- 10g / small handful of Parsley (plus more for the risotto if you like)
- Oil, salt and pepper as needed
Instructions
- Before you begin, preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Place the raw cashews into a bowl or glass jug and cover completely in boiling water. Set aside to soak until soft, about 20-30 minutes.
- In a casserole, over a medium-high heat, fry the mushrooms in half the butter and a drizzle of oil until golden. About 5-8 minutes. Once cooked, remove the mushrooms from the pan and wipe clean.
- Add more oil to the pan and add the onions. Cook, covered, on a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are soft and translucent add the garlic and risotto rice.
- Toast the rice on medium for about two minutes, then add the white wine. Cook out the liquid and turn off the stove/burner. Pour all the stock into the risotto, cover it with the lid and place the casserole in the oven. Cook, covered, for 10-15 minutes or until the rice is almost cooked, but still has a bite to it (it will finish cooking with the residual heat when out of the oven).
- For the Garlic and Herb Bread crumb topper, drizzle the sourdough with a little oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Add the sourdough slices into the oven with the risotto and cook until nicely toasted and dried out (about 4-6 minutes). Once nicely toasted and crouton like, remove from the oven and rub with a clove of garlic to lightly perfume it with garlic.
- Break the sourdough into pieces with the parsley and blitz to a chunky crumb in a blender or use the mini food processor attachment on your stick blender.
- While the risotto bakes make the cashew cream by blending the cashews and water together with a stick blender until very smooth.
- Remove the risotto from the oven, then stir in the cream cheese, cashew cream, nutritional yeast, remaining butter and cooked mushrooms. Stir then set aside with the lid on for 4 minutes.
- Spoon the finished risotto into bowls, and finish with the herby crispy breadcrumbs.
Notes
You can substitute vegan cream cheese for more cashew cream (double the quantity) or sub the cashew cream for more vegan cream cheese, however the two together adds both creaminess and a cheesy tang.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Quick and Easy
- Cuisine: Mains
