Smooth and creamy Instant Pot Lemon Risotto is filled with fresh, green spring vegetables. This is the kind of meal dreams are made of right here!
This risotto holds so many memories of when my kids were babies. Kind of funny, I remember so little of the 3-kids -2-and-under stage, yet I remember as clear as day eating this Spring-y Lemon Risotto. That's the power of food people!
Two memories really stand out, first is one of me sitting on the floor eating my bowl of risotto while my 1-year-old daughter made laps around the kitchen in her walker like a crazy baby, making stops by me every few minutes for another bite of this risotto. Then she'd take off again saying, Mmmmmm Num.
The other strong memory is of me sitting at the stovetop, stirring and stirring this risotto crossing my fingers that my nearly 2-year-old twin boys weren't going to destroy something while I was stuck at the stove stirring the risotto.
No big surprise, I found them flushing diapers in the toilet and my daughter standing nearby saying, “I told them not to do it.” My husband spent the next few days ripping the toilet out of the floor and digging diapers out of the drain. Oh boy, that was a rough week.
Now my memories of this Spring Risotto are of my sister, Cami, and I teaching Instant Pot classes and feeding everyone this incredible risotto. This dish (and the Mac and Cheese) are always the first to get licked up. People go crazy for this risotto!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE PRESSURE COOKER RISOTTO
- As we discussed in the Basic Risotto Recipe, Instant Pot Risotto is E-A-S-Y. Two minutes of stirring vs the 30 minutes you would do at the stovetop.
- Spring Risotto is bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors! Asparagus, peas, leeks, and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice make this dish a total knock out.
- I'm going to go out on a limb here and promise this will be The Best Risotto You Have Ever Had! Just try and prove me wrong!
HOW TO MAKE INSTANT POT SPRING RISOTTO
- Add leeks and onions to the pot
- Saute until soft
- Add the rice and stir to toast until it's slightly opaque
- Add broth and lemon juice, pressure cook for 5 minutes
- Add extra broth and stir vigorously until thick and creamy
- Add cheese, lemon zest, and vegetables; stir to combine
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
Hellooooooo beautiful bowl of starch, cheese, and veggies. You are a wonder to behold indeed.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE RISOTTO
- Store: Cool risotto and store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Reheated risotto won't be quite as creamy as fresh, but it is still delicious. Add a splash of broth or water and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freeze: Freezing risotto can make it slightly grainy, but not to the point where it's too unpleasant to enjoy. Freeze flat in a ziptop bag for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as directed above.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH RISOTTO
- Grilled Chicken – use the marinade from this Lemon Garlic Chicken recipe – AMAZING!
- Instant Pot Caprese Chicken
- Instant Pot Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Instant Pot Tofu
I am so excited for you guys to try this one! It has been my favorite risotto recipe since my kids were babies and I make it every spring.
Enjoy!
EXTRA TIDBITS
HOW TO CUT LEEKS
- Trim the light/dark green and the root end off
- Slice the leek in half
- Cut into thin half moons
- The thinner the better!
- Repeat with the other half
- Place leeks in a colander and place the colander inside a larger bowl. Fill with water and agitate the water to release the dirt from the leeks. The dirt will fall to the bottom. Pat dry. Done!
BENEFITS OF GREEN VEGETABLES
Green veggies pack a serious nutritious punch. Knowing that has not convinced my children that they aren't poisonous, but until they decide to love them with me, I'll just keep stuffing their smoothies full of spinach.
Green veggies like kale, spinach, broccoli, peas, asparagus, peppers, celery, etc are a great source of fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants that help boost our immune system, improve gut health, and add a tremendous variety of flavor and texture to our diet.
They are high in phytonutrients, low in calories, and help stabilize glucose levels. Best of all they are easy to incorporate into our daily diet in the form of salads, smoothies, and steamed or roasted veggies. And if we're all lucky, one day our kids will stop being scared of every green fleck in their food.
Here is a list of other Green Superfoods to get in your life!
MORE SPRING RECIPES
Take advantage of the beautiful Spring Veggies with these Instant Pot Spring Recipes
- Instant Pot Spring Minestrone
- Instant Pot Chicken Ricotta Meatballs on Green Rice
- Instant Pot Poached Egg, Asparagus, and Waffle Stack
- Use up any leftover spring veggies in an Instant Pot Egg Bite
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT LEMON RISOTTO
- Instant Pot
- Arborio Rice
- Risotto Spoon Not a must, but kind of nice to have
Instant Pot Lemon Risotto with Asparagus and Peas
Fresh spring flavors wrapped up in the most glorious creamy Instant Pot risotto
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian American
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ small onion, chopped
- 2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced in half then into thin half moons (about 1 heaping cup)
- 1 ½ cups Arborio rice
- 4 cups chicken broth (reserve 1 cup)
- juice of 1 lemon (zest it first and set aside)
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces, discard tough ends (may substitute with broccoli)
- 1 ½ cups frozen peas
- zest of 1 medium sized lemon
- ⅓ cup whipped cream cheese
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh, minced chives
Instructions
- Preheat the pressure cooker, by selecting sauté. Add the butter and olive oil. When butter is melted and slightly bubbling, add onions and leeks, sauté 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add the rice to the pot and stir for 1-2 minutes until opaque.
- Add 3 cups of chicken broth, lemon juice, salt and pepper; stir.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place asparagus in a microwave safe bowl, cover with hot water and microwave for 3-4 minutes until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse with cold water, to stop the cooking.
- When pressure cooking is complete, use a quick release.
- Select sauté and add 1/2 -1 cup of chicken broth; stir for 2 minutes.
- Add peas and asparagus; stir 30 – 60 seconds to heat them through.
- Unplug pressure cooker, add lemon zest, cream cheese, parmesan cheese and chives; stir until well incorporated.
- Serve immediately with an extra sprinkle of parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
- Saute twice as many leeks and onions and freeze half for another day. The risotto will come together in no time with this trick!
Keywords: instant pot risotto, lemon risotto, spring food
Could this recipe be doubled? Would that change the pressure cooker time? (I have an 8 qt)
★★★★★
Adele, Yes, I’ve doubled it in an 8 quart for a class I taught. Keep the cook time the same. Are you making it for a crowd?
Yes, Currently my daughter, her husband and there seven children are visiting for a few weeks. They are all enthusiastic eaters. So every meal has a crowd but add to that all the other relatives who stop by to see my daughter and her family – yep you could say I’m cooking for a crowd!
★★★★★
This was absolutely delicious and easy to make! I followed the recipe exactly except that I had to sub regular cream cheese for the whipped. The only downside was that it made an enormous quantity. The recipe says it serves 6, but I would say more like 12. We’ll see how well it reheats tomorrow! Thanks for a fantastic recipe, Marci!
★★★★★
Lisa, haha, perhaps I eat enough for 3 on my own :). I love it reheated and I’ve even frozen it successfully before.
Delicious. One of my favorite instapot recipes.
This came out wonderfully. I tweaked it a bit: didn’t have leeks so used a little bit more onion. I’d prefer leeks over the onion next time. I added 3 cloves of chopped garlic with the rice. I didn’t have asparagus, but used fresh haricot verts chopped into 1 inch bits. I mistakenly used all of the broth in the beginning but it worked out well anyway. The cream cheese gives it an even silkier texture. I was pleasantly surprised how tender the rice came out. I will definitely make this again.
★★★★
Mia, You sound like a pro! I love all the tweaks you made and will be grabbing a bundle of haricot verts to try this! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Marci. I agree, I’m not usually super particular about how much onion or onion family ingredients I use in dishes either, but this risotto is likely to have a delicate flavor and I don’t want the leeks or any ingredient to dominate it. I want a nice balanced flavor. Describing the leek quantity as 1 heaping cup is MUCH more helpful – saying “2 large leeks (approximately 1 heaping cup)” is perfect. It would also be helpful when using lemon or lime as ingredients in any recipe to give at least an approximate measurement as well. Both lemon and lime can vary considerably in size.
I plan to make the risotto today so I’ll come back and report on my success :-).
Sigrid, thank you so much, what great insight! I hope you love the risotto! Let me know how it goes 🙂
I’m eager to try this risotto. It sounds fabulous. It calls for two large leeks. As you know leek size can vary enormously. Would you please tell us the approximate diameter of leeks you consider large? Thanks.
Razzy, honestly I’m not super particular about it, I probably end up with a heaping 1 cup of sliced leeks. Maybe an inch to inch and a half.