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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.
Table of Contents
Easy Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash
Butternut squash is my favorite part of the fall and winter seasons. Butternut squash soup, sweet potato muffins, butternut squash salad, and butternut squash tacos 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 homemade 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.
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.
If you prefer not to cook with wine, substitute with additional vegetable or chicken broth.
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.
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
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, roasted 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
- Baked Chicken Breasts
- Lamb Chop Marinade
- Pork Chops Recipe
More Instant Pot Recipes,
- Instant Pot Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken with Potatoes Recipe
- Instant Pot Bone Broth
- Instant Pot Chickpeas
If you don’t have an instant pot, try my stovetop Butternut Squash Risotto.
Easy Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 shallots, minced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage, plus more for serving
- ½ 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 teaspoon salt
- ½ 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).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I saw the comment about doubling and it being too big for the 8quart IP. Do you think an 8qt one could handle a 1.5x recipe? Additionally since I’d be trying to make this on a bit of a budget, would using pre-chopped frozen onions work in place of the shallots or would the flavor not be delicate enough? (I’ve definitely subbed shallots for red onion, but not really white onion for shallots).
Great questions! A 1.5x recipe should fit comfortably in your 8-quart Instant Pot without issues. As for the onions—yes, pre-chopped frozen white onions would work just fine in place of shallots. You’ll lose a bit of the delicate sweetness that shallots provide, but the risotto will still taste delicious. Hope this helps—let me know how it turns out!
Thank you very much for this recipe. Excellent. Have a great day.
You’re so welcome—I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a kind comment. Have a wonderful day, too! 😊
Can I make this in a 6 quart instant pot?
yes 🙂
If I’m taking this to a potluck, can I prepare any part of this ahead of time before actually pressure cooking it?
You can definitely prepare some components ahead of time to make assembly quicker, especially if you’re taking it to a potluck. You can peel and dice the butternut squash and store it in the fridge. Similarly, you can measure out the broth and have your veggies and seasonings ready to go. When you’re ready to cook, just start with the sauté step in the Instant Pot and proceed with the recipe as usual. This prep work can save you valuable time and make final assembly a breeze at the event.
Made this for a Friendsgiving and it was a hit. How large does your insta pot need to be to double the recipe?
It would have to be bigger than the largest Instant Pot that Instant makes, unfortunately 🙁
I made this for a birthday get-together for my daughter’s friend’s parents. I’ve never made nor eaten Risotto before so this was a gamble. We had a backup plan in case it was a flop, but it looked like a fairly simple recipe to try something new.
EVERYONE LOVED IT! Even the picky eaters went back for seconds! I was delighted with how this recipe turned out. It was definitely a 10 out of 10, and I will make it again.
Thank you!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Patricia 🙂
If I add bacon to this recipe, when would I add it in?do I use Cooked bacon or un cooked bacon
For a delicious twist like adding bacon to your Instant Pot Risotto with Butternut Squash, I recommend using cooked bacon. This way, you can ensure it’s crispy and fully rendered, which will add a nice texture and flavor to the risotto. Start by cooking the bacon until it’s crispy, then remove it from the pot, and set aside. You can then use some of the bacon fat to sauté your onions or other aromatics before adding the rice and continuing with your recipe. Add the crispy bacon back into the pot towards the end of cooking, just before you finish with the Parmesan cheese. This will keep the bacon crispy and its flavor pronounced, complementing the creamy risotto and sweet butternut squash beautifully.
I really didn’t think I’d like this but cooked it anyway bc with so many good reviews I figured it was worth a try.
It is DELICIOUS!!!!
Definitely a keeper. I used homemade apple vinegar (it’s very weak) instead of wine. and only had a little bit of parmesan but it was a lovely dinner
I appreciate your delicious feedback and five star rating, Maia 🙂