Carrot Risotto

Love risotto? Then you have to try this lovely carrot risotto ~ with a swirl of Parmesan cheese, it’s the ultimate cheery comfort food, and a perfect side dish! 

Why we love this recipe

Sometimes you come home from work, and all you want is a nice hot bowl of something comforting.   And at the same time, you don’t want your supper to be, well, boring.  And those are the nights that call for risotto.

In this case, a creamy, dreamy risotto that is laced with tender shredded carrots and just enough butter and Parmesan cheese to give it a silky, creamy taste and texture.

It’s the perfect light main dish, and it’s a lovely side dish as well.

What is risotto?

Risotto is a classic Italian dish made from short-grain rice…Arborio rice is the type that is used most often. Broth is slowly added to the rice, and as the rice absorbs the liquid it releases its starches. This creates a lovely creamy texture…with no cream!

Don’t be intimidated by all those recipes that tell you that you MUST stir risotto constantly for 30 minutes or until your stirring arm falls off, whichever comes first, because I am here to tell you that is NOT true.

Not.

True.

You can make perfectly heavenly risotto by only stirring it here and there, I promise you.

Ingredients you need

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Carrots: I usually grate mine by running them through the food processor with the grating attachment on. You could also just chop them finely with the chopping blade.
• Rice: We always use Arborio rice for the creamiest texture – you can find it with the other varieties of rice in your supermarket.
• Chicken Broth: We recommend the kind in the box for the freshest flavor.
• Parmesan Cheese: Get the most finely grated cheese you can for maximum meltiness!

How to make this recipe

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.

STEP 1: Start with a base of shredded carrots that you sauté for a few minutes in just the teeniest amount of butter.

STEP 2: Now toss some rice into your carrot mixture…ideally you want to be using one and a quarter cups arborio rice, because that is the kind that will give you the creamiest texture.

STEP 3: Pour in some chicken broth a cup at a time, bring it to a simmer and stir every five minutes or so and you will be just fine.

(Here’s my trick: I put in my AirPods and stir at the end of every song…that’s about 3-5 minutes depending on your playlist. Yes, this risotto owes it all to my playlist of James Taylor songs, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.)

STEP 5: At the very end, when the rice is al dente tender and the carrots have almost melted into it, you toss in a teeny bit more butter and a handful of grated parmesan cheese to give it just a bit of cheesy flavor.

STEP 6: Spoon it into your favorite dish and grind enough black pepper on top to give it just the right amount of sassy taste. That’s all there is to it.  (Unless you want to scatter a little chopped parsley on top as a pretty garnish.  

Recipe FAQs

In the fall this makes a great Thanksgiving side dish, and in the summer it would would be great with just about anything you cook on the grill…Buttermilk Chicken, for example.

And on those early spring days that are still just chilly enough to make you want a bowl of something warm and comfy…it doesn’t get too much better than this.

Equipment we used for this recipe

These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!

• Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
• Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
• Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
• Cheese Grater: My dad found this one after testing millions of them, and it is the best grater we’ve ever used.
• Food Processor: This all-star kitchen appliance is one of the very few that gets to live on our countertop 24/7.
• Vegetable Peeler: This is our go-to peeler for carrots, potatoes, sweet and otherwise and anything else that needs peeling.

What to serve with this recipe

This risotto is a lovely light main dish, but it’s also an excellent side dish with grilled steak or chicken and roasted seafood!

Other risotto recipes we love!

We want to know what you think! 🤔

If you try this recipe we would love to know how it turned out! You can tell us what you think in the Comments section under the recipe card…thank you!

Carrot Risotto

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Love risotto? Then you have to try this lovely carrot risotto ~ it’s the ultimate springtime comfort food, and a perfect side dish! 

• Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 carrots, grated
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 1/4 cups arborio rice 
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 4 cups chicken broth 
• 2 cups of water
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Instructions

1. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium pot over medium high heat. Add carrots and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Stir in rice. Add wine and stir it around until the wine is almost gone, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add 2 cups of broth and 1 cup of water and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid is almost gone, 10 to 12 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Continue to add broth and water about 1/2 cup at a time, waiting until the liquid is almost gone before adding more and stirring about once a minute.
4. Repeat until rice is creamy and just tender, about 20 minutes (you may not need all the broth).
5. Stir in Parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter, and season with salt and pepper. Serve at once.

Notes

Rice: Arborio rice is the very best rice for risotto, and is pretty easy to find with the other rice varieties in your grocery store.  But I have also used basmati rice in a pinch and it works just fine!

Protein: Want to add a little protein to this dish?  Add some cooked shredded chicken or some cooked little shrimp at the end to round out this comfort food supper.

Parmesan Cheese: If you can grate it fresh for this recipe that is the best!  If not, go for the pre-grated cheese in the fancy cheese section of your supermarket.