Parmesan Risotto Recipe

4.67 from 3 votes

Parmesan Risotto is a creamy and delicious comfort food made with short-grain Arborio rice that is surprisingly easy to make.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: bowls

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat.
1 tablespoon olive oil
Once heated, add in the shallot and salt.
1 shallot, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
2 cloves garlic
Stir in the rice and white wine. Continue to cook over low heat, stirring until the liquid has been absorbed.
1½ cups dry arborio rice, ½ cup white wine
Add in the ½ cup of chicken broth, and stir until absorbed. Repeat this step for the remaining chicken broth, adding ½ cup at a time and stirring until absorbed.
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Continue cooking and stirring until the rice is tender and the risotto has a creamy consistency.
Stir in the parmesan cheese and top with chopped parsley.
⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, Chopped fresh parsley

You can use butter in place of olive oil, if you prefer.
If you can't find a shallot, a small yellow onion will also work.
In place of arborio rice, you can use carnaroli or sushi rice.
In place of the white wine, you can use white cooking wine, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, or more broth.
To make this recipe vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Feel free to swap in a different cheese, such as Asiago, Pecorino Romano, Romano, or Grana Padano.
Take this risotto up a notch by stirring in some sautéed vegetables or roasted mushrooms.
Don't rinse the rice before using it. We want all of that starch to end up in the finished dish.
Keep the chicken broth warm over medium-low in a separate pan. Cold stock will slow the cooking, making the risotto take much longer to cook.
Add the broth slowly over time to avoid simply boiling the rice.
Don't stir constantly, or the risotto could end up gluey. Stir frequently instead to avoid burning.
Freshly shredded Parmesan cheese will melt better than pre-shredded.

Storage: Store Parmesan risotto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.