This Easy Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash is flavorful, delicious, and cooks entirely in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker! Made with sweet cubes of butternut squash, fresh sage, and shredded parmesan, everyone will love this ultra-smooth and creamy risotto recipe.
Easy Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is my favorite part of the fall and winter seasons. Delicious added to soup, muffins, salad, and tacos, butternut squash recipes are in constant rotation at my house year-round.
Risotto, on the other hand, has always remained one of those love-to-eat, hate-to-make recipes. Not because making risotto is hard. Quite the opposite, in fact. Making stovetop risotto is pretty simple. However, the constant stirring and attention to get it just right makes this much-loved Italian rice dish a rare treat in my home.
Until now.
Holy smokes, you guys! If you love risotto but never have the time to give it the proper attention it deserves, you have to try making it in your pressure cooker. Insanely easy to make, deliciously creamy, and almost zero mixing required. A perfect weeknight meal.
RELATED: Creamy Parmesan Risotto Recipe with Shrimp
Ingredients + Frequently Asked Questions
- Olive oil and Butter
- Shallots
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh sage
- White wine
- Arborio rice
- Butternut squash
- Vegetable broth (or chicken stock)
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh lemon juice
Recommended additions:
- Fresh lemon juice always.
- Extra Parmesan cheese.
- Crispy prosciutto or bacon – because salty pork and creamy risotto were basically made for each other.
How can I make this risotto recipe vegan?
It’s very easy to make this recipe vegan. Simply omit the parmesan cheese and butter and use additional olive oil or a plant-based butter alternative. Some kind of fat is needed to sauté the shallots and garlic before adding the rice.
What can I substitute for the dry white wine?
If you prefer not to cook with wine, substitute with additional vegetable or chicken broth.
I can’t find fresh sage, now what?
Fresh sage and butternut squash work so well together! Especially when mixed with a little parm. If you can’t find any fresh sage, substitute with 1 tsp dried. A little fresh thyme is also fantastic.
Will any other types of squash work in place of the butternut squash?
Yes. But not all (like spaghetti squash). My top picks ar acorn squash or pumpkin for results, both in taste and texture, most similar to butternut squash.
You may also include other veggies like peas, carrots, mushrooms, kale, and onion.
What is Arborio Rice?
Arborio rice is an Italian short-grain rice that is oval in shape. The grains are approximately a quarter of an inch long and typically pearly white in color. Much starchier than other rice varieties (approximately 50 grams per cup), arborio rice has the ability to absorb more water when compared to other types of rice without becoming mushy. This is what makes risotto so creamy and delicious!
Aside from risotto, arborio is also used to make rice pudding, paella, and arancini.
Click here to learn all about arborio rice including its nutrition, uses, where it comes from, and different cooking methods.
How to make Instant Pot Risotto
Full printable recipe with instructions below.
To make this creamy butternut squash and parmesan risotto using your Instant Pot, you will need, yes, an Instant Pot (or electric pressure cooker). You will be using both the saute function and manual (or pressure cook) mode.
The total cooking time is only 6 minutes, but factor in an additional 8 minutes or so for your pressure cooker to reach full pressure.
1. Set your Instant Pot to sauté mode (medium heat).
2. Melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add the shallots and stir to coat in the olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons butter. Cook until soft and translucent (approximately 4-6 minutes), then add the garlic and sage, mixing well. Cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
3. Pour in the white wine (or chicken broth) and scrape off any brown bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pot. Allow the wine to come to a simmer.
4. Stir in the arborio rice. Stir continuously until most of the liquid is absorbed.
5. Add the broth and butternut squash. Mix well to combine and season with approximately 1 teaspoon salt.
6. Turn off the sautéing function.
7. Switch to manual function HIGH pressure and set the timer for 6 minutes. Close and securely lock the lid. Allow the risotto to come to full pressure then cook for 6 minutes before manually switching the pressure valve to the venting position for a quick release (manual pressure release).
8. Remove the lid. Sir in freshly the grated parmesan cheese and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.
How to Serve Butternut Squash Risotto
This yummy Instant Pot Risotto Recipe with Butternut can be enjoyed as an easy side dish or as the main course. However, keep in mind that while it may not be filled with heavy creams or sauces, risotto is higher in starch when compared to regular rice.
I often serve this risotto with a light balsamic tomato salad or easy spinach salad. If salad isn’t your thing, there’s always room for roasted Brussels sprouts, asparagus, or delicious cooked beets.
Whenever I serve this as a side, a few of my favorite protein options include:
- Garlic Butter Steak Bites
- Roast Chicken Recipe
- Easy Baked Chicken Breasts
- Garlic Herb Lamb Chops
- Garlic Butter Pork Chops
More Instant Pot Recipes,
How to Cook Perfect Instant Pot Rice
Instant Pot Chicken with Potatoes Recipe
How to Make Instant Pot Bone Broth
Instant Pot Chickpeas (No Soaking Required)
If you try making this Easy Instant Pot Risotto Recipe with Butternut Squash, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Easy Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 4 shallots (minced)
- 8 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp fresh sage (plus more for serving)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 3 cups butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and chopped into small cubes)
- 4 ½ cups vegetable broth (or low-sodium chicken broth)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated, plus more for serving)
- freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh lemon juice (for serving)
Instructions
- Sauté the shallots and garlic - Set Instant Pot to sauté mode (medium). Add the olive oil and butter to the bowl of your Instant pot and add the shallots, mixing well to combine. Cook the shallots, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent (approximately 4-6 minutes). Add the garlic and sage, mixing well to combine. Continue to cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
- Add the white wine - Add the white wine, scraping off any brown bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pot. Allow the wine to come to a simmer.
- Sauté the arborio rice - Mix the arborio rice into the shallot and white wine mixture. Allow the rice and wine to cook, stirring continuously until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the broth and butternut squash - Stir in the vegetable broth (or broth of choice) and butternut squash cubes. Mix well to combine and season with salt. Turn off sauté mode.
- Cook - Set Instant Pot to Manual HIGH pressure for 6 minutes. Close and securely lock the lid. Allow the risotto to come to full pressure then cook for 6 minutes before manually releasing the pressure. Once the pressure has been released, remove the lid (see notes).
- Garnish and serve - Sir in the freshly grated parmesan cheese and season with additional salt and pepper, to taste. I like to serve my risotto with fresh lemon juice (optional).
Jessica's Notes
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Can I add air fried butternut squash into the risotto? So should I airfry and add it into instant pot? Any suggestions?
Hi Sumi, pre-cooked butternut squash in an air fryer may work, but the butternut squash will end up being super mushy – so as long as you are ok with that 🙂
When do you add the sage in? Thanks!
You first add the sage in step 1 of the recipe card at the bottom of the post, Jodie, and you can also garnish with a bit as well if desired 🙂 :
1. Sauté the shallots and garlic – Set Instant Pot to sauté mode (medium). Add the olive oil and butter to the bowl of your Instant pot and add the shallots, mixing well to combine. Cook the shallots, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent (approximately 4-6 minutes). Add the garlic and sage, mixing well to combine. Continue to cook until fragrant, approximately 1 minute.
A great recipe – I substituted a small white onion & a leek for the shallots, & added some spinach at the end. Very delicious 😋
Thank you for the very delicious feedback, Karen 🙂
Can I use frozen cubed butternut squash ?
While I have not tried that Maureen, I do not see why not 🙂
Just tried the recipe using frozen, cubed butternut squash. The only difference is it will take the instapot longer to come to full pressure, but otherwise it works perfectly. I found the flavour of the squash to be a bit low intensity, so I plan on increasing the amount of squash next time I make this (by about 20’% or so) hoping to increase the squash flavour to a more detectable level. It’s very possible that the milder flavour could be a result of my squash cubes being frozen (as opposed to fresh)…so I wouldnt hold it against an otherwise excellent recipe. Also, for my particular tastes, I prefer my risotto a tad less el dente…so I will go 7 mins next time. Other’s should know that the cooking time (as stated @6 mims) will produce a classic risotto with a perfect traditional texture…so if that is your preference, go with the times as stated in the recipe.
All in all, a great recipe and one easily adjusted to taste. Bravo!
I appreciate the great feedback Steve 😀
could you freeze this?
Freezing Risotto can be a bit risky, as sometimes it gets grainy and hard.
Can I cut recipe in half including the liquid?
Yes you can Michelle 🙂
So I have had my insta pot for over 3 yrs and never used it. Had a huge vegetable garden this summer and planted butternut squash for 1st time. Already had butternut squash cut up and in the freezer waiting to be used. So I did it super easy. I added an egg yolk when the wine was almost absorbed by the rice. Yes use fresh lemon juice👍 Super yummy and easy. Will be using the insta pot now.
Thanks for the kind feedback Stacy, I am happy to hear that my recipe helped you break in your instant pot in a Super Yummy way 🙂
This was absolutely fantastic. Risotto was always a family fave but now with butternut squash…it warmed me up. I added spinach at the end. So yummy.
Thank you for the yummy comment, Kristine 🙂