Vegan Mushroom Risotto | With Chickpeas - Elavegan (2024)

By Ela on 8. April, 2020 | 135 Comments. This post may contain affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Creamy and delicious vegan mushroom risotto. This risotto is dairy-free, gluten-free and contains healthy plant-based protein from chickpeas. It’s a flavorful and easy to make weeknight dinner recipe.

I am probably the biggest fan of mushrooms, I always loved them, even as a child. I add them to almost all of my favorite savory dishes, like pasta, rice, pizza, omelet, even mashed potatoes. The flavor and texture of mushrooms are incredible, and they are furthermore healthy. So let’s make this delicious creamy mushroom risotto.

What Is Risotto?

Risotto is a traditional Italian dish made from starchy short-grained rice, for example, Arborio rice. Making risotto involves stirring warm broth (typically chicken broth) into the rice ladle after ladle. Once the liquid has been absorbed, more broth is added. This cooking method makes the rice release its starch, and therefore, results in a creamy risotto dish.

Of course, I didn’t use chicken broth, instead, I used vegetable broth. A classic risotto often also contains butter and cheese. I prefer the healthier version without butter, but with the addition of mushrooms and chickpeas. It’s actually fairly easy to make a healthy risotto which still turns out creamy, and delicious. If you love cheesy risotto, check out my Vegan Broccoli and “Cheese” Risotto.

How To Make Mushroom Risotto?

This vegan mushroom risotto is a perfect comfort meal and it’s ready in about 35 minutes. This recipe requires only a few steps that aren’t complicated at all. Check the step-by-step photos for easy visual instructions. All ingredients with measurements and nutrition facts are in the printable recipe card below.

1. Dice the onion and prepare the other ingredients.
2. Heat coconut oil in a skillet/pan, stir in half of the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté for a few minutes over medium heat, then add risotto rice, stir for about 1 minute until the rice is opaque.
3. Pour in the wine, keep stirring constantly until the wine is absorbed.
4. Add 1/2 cup vegetable broth to the rice, and cook on low heat until the broth is absorbed. Stir frequently and add more broth, 1/4 cup at a time until the liquid is absorbed and the risotto is al dente and creamy (about 15 minutes).
5. Chop the mushrooms. You can use white button mushrooms or any other mushrooms of choice.
6. In a different skillet/pan heat the remaining coconut oil, add the other half of the diced onion and minced garlic and sauté for a few minutes over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and chickpeas, sauté for 3-5 minutes, then stir in balsamic vinegar, and soy sauce.
7. Also, add coconut milk and let simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Season with black pepper, red pepper flakes, salt to taste and fresh parsley.

Finally, combine the mushroom/chickpea mixture with the risotto rice, stir in the nutritional yeast flakes and enjoy!

Questions & Tips:

Why is stirring important?Risotto should be stirred frequently. You don’t need to stir it all the time, but stirring every few minutes is quite important. Also adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time is a must for the rice to release the starches.

Can I use normal rice? I recommend that you make this delicious dish with risotto rice (for example Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone, Nano or Baldo) and it will turn out very creamy. However, if you don’t have risotto rice at home then you can also use regular white rice (I tried both). The vegan mushroom risotto will still turn out delicious and creamy because of the coconut milk but it’s not traditional to use regular rice for risotto.

Can I use different milk? Sure! You can use any other plant-based milk of choice like almond milk, oat milk, cashew milk, etc. However, the mushroom risotto will be less creamy because canned coconut milk is higher in fat.

How to store? Store leftover mushroom risotto in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Can I freeze risotto? I don’t recommend freezing risotto as it will change the texture once you reheat it.

Mushroom risotto with peas: You can add green peas to make mushroom and pea risotto. Simply leave out the chickpeas and use peas instead (either canned or thawed from frozen).

Vegan Parmesan: As mentioned before, most mushroom risotto recipes contain cheese/Parmesan but you can simply add nutritional yeast flakes to make this dish even more flavorful, delicious, and of course, vegan. Or check out my Vegan Parmesan Recipe.

This Mushroom Risotto Is:

• Vegan (dairy-free)
• Creamy
• Rich
• Flavorful
• Comforting
• Protein-rich
• Gluten-free
• Easy to make

Should you try out this vegan mushroom risotto recipe, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.

Do you love veganrice recipes? Then make sure to also check out my other simple veganrecipes:

• Vegan Broccoli and “Cheese” Risotto.
• Turmeric Rice
• Vegan Chickpea Curry with Rice
• Sweet Potato Curry With Rice
• Rice And Bean Casserole

If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo: