Instant Pot Pesto Risotto Recipe
This Instant Pot Pesto Risotto recipe is an easy & flavorful weeknight meal in the pressure cooker! Loaded with fresh vegetables, homemade pesto, and rice, this one-pot meal makes a fantastic side dish.
Start by sautéing onions and garlic in your Instant Pot, then adding in arborio rice, fresh pesto, and vegetable stock. The Instant Pot does all the work, and you have a delicious, creamy, and thick risotto!
Want more easy pesto recipes? Try our creamy pesto gnocchi, slightly sweet honey pesto, and our favorite mustard green pesto!
I am a huge fan of Easy Weeknight Meals, and therefore, also a huge fan of my Instant Pot. I love making quick, hearty, simple dishes in under an hour, and this risotto is perfect.
Traditional risottos are a true labor of love, and I only used to make them on special occasions when I had a ton of time to cook and stir and stir and stir. But with the below recipe, this no-stir risotto is a game changer for us! You get bright bold herby flavors without the salt!
Another thing I used to love was adding tons of parmesan cheese to my risotto – but this pvegan version works wonders! The fresh herbs give it a ton of flavor, the garlic brings heat, and the walnuts add a wonderful, rich consistency.
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s fresh, flavorful, and full of bright pesto flavor.
- This pressure cooker recipe is ready in less than 30 minutes, making it a great shortcut.
- A one-pot meal that is easy to clean up.
- You can add or swap ingredients in this versatile dish.
- Cooks of any skill level can make this by following our step-by-step directions below.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
The base of this dish is arborio rice. Arborio rice is a short-grain rice that absorbs any liquid it’s cooked in, giving it a thick and creamy texture as it cooks. It’s the traditional rice to use in risottos.
I also use onions and garlic in this recipe and saute them in the Instant Pot before I add the rice. This gives the risotto a nice savory flavorand a little more depth to the dish. I also use thyme and vegetable stock to add more flavor to the risotto along with sea salt and black pepper.
I also make a homemade pesto with basil, parsley, walnuts, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil. It’s simple and so flavorful, and gets stirred into the rice at the end of the dish.
Additions and Substitutions
You could use a store-bought pesto instead of homemade if you prefer. You could also use one of our delicious pesto recipes instead:
Almond Pesto Sauce
Red Pepper Pesto Sauce Recipe
Avocado Parsley Pesto
Turnip Greens Pesto
Lemon Balm Pesto
Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving for added flavor (or use a vegan Parmesan for a plant-based version).
Add 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes for extra heat and spicy flavor.
How To Make This Recipe
- Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode. Add the olive oil, garlic, and onions and sauté on low for 6-8 minutes until the vegetables become translucent.
- Add the rice and continue to sauté for 2-3 additional minutes until the rice begins to brown.
- Add the thyme, salt, pepper, and vegetable stock to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook for 7 minutes. Once it has cooked, allow the pressure to release manually for 15 minutes. After then, do a quick release of the rest of the steam.
- While the risotto is cooking, add all the pesto ingredients to a blender: basil, parsley, walnuts, garlic, and olive oil. Blend to a smooth consistency, adding more olive oil if desired.
- To serve, scoop risotto into a bowl, and add a dollop of pesto on top. Stir the pesto into the risotto and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Use the ‘Pressure Cook’ or ‘Manual’ setting on high pressure (this will vary depending on the model you have).
You can use any broth that you have on hand. I used vegetable broth because I wanted to make this a vegan/vegetarian version, but you could use chicken broth or beef broth if you had those instead.
Store any leftover risotto in an airtight container, refrigerate, and enjoy within 4 days.
Expert Tips
- When chopping the onions, make them roughly the same size. You want the pieces small enough to be bite-sized and consistent in your risotto.
- For a luxurious risotto, drizzle a little extra olive oil right before serving.
- Garnish with a scoop of fresh pesto for extra flavor and color.
More Easy Pesto Recipes
- Pesto Orzo Recipe with Mozzarella & Cherry Tomatoes
- Pesto Vinaigrette Salad Dressing Recipe
- Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta Sauce Recipe
- Pesto Marinated Mozzarella Balls Recipe
- Thai Basil Pesto Ramen Noodles Soup
Let’s connect on social!
If you made this recipe, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you!
Our cookbook One Ingredient, Five Ways has tasty no-waste plant-based recipes for everyone
Instant Pot Risotto with Pesto
Ingredients
For the Risotto
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1.5 cups arborio rice
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 4 cups Vegetable Stock or water
- 1 teaspoon each Sea Salt and Black Pepper
For the Pesto
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lemons juiced
- 1/4 extra virgin olive oil more depending on consistency desired
Instructions
- Set the instant pot to Sauté mode. Add the olive oil, garlic, and onions and sauté on low for 6-8 minutes until the vegetables become translucent.
- Add the rice and continue to sauté for 2-3 additional minutes until the rice begins to brown.
- Add the thyme, salt, pepper, and vegetable stock to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Set the Instant Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook for 7 minutes. Once it has cooked, allow the pressure to release manually for 15 minutes. After then, do a quick release of the rest of the steam.
- While the risotto is cooking, add all the pesto ingredients to a blender: basil, parsley, walnuts, garlic, and olive oil. Blend to a smooth consistency, adding more olive oil if desired.
- To serve, scoop risotto into a bowl, and add a dollop of pesto on top. Stir the pesto into the risotto and enjoy!
Notes
Almond Pesto Sauce
Red Pepper Pesto Sauce Recipe
Avocado Parsley Pesto
Turnip Greens Pesto
Lemon Balm Pesto Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving for added flavor (or use a vegan Parmesan for a plant-based version). Add 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes for extra heat and spicy flavor.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn from qualifying purchases from affiliate programs, at no additional cost to you. Please read our privacy policy for more information.
I want to make this recipe tonight but I don’t have an Arborio and I have lots of other grains. Would Pearl barley, orzo, jasmine rice or nishiki sushi rice work? I’m sure you can see why I am not running out to get a new grain!
Hi Cat, great question! I haven’t tried it with other grains/rices, however I’d start by trying the nishiki sushi rice first. It’s similar to arborio in that it’s a short grain which should give you a lot of the creaminess that arborio has. Let me know how it turns out!
such a good idea to use pesto in a risotto