Butternut Squash Risotto – Craving something warm and hearty this fall? This risotto is the perfect answer. Creamy, cozy, and loaded with the comforting flavors of butternut squash, it’s an easy dish that feels gourmet without needing a long list of ingredients.
Whether you’re serving it for dinner or as a holiday side, this risotto is sure to impress!
Butternut Squash Risotto
This blog is all about creating healthier, delicious meals with fresh ingredients, and this risotto is no exception.
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Risotto is an amazing one-pot meal that is great all year round and will quickly become a family favorite.
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Ingredients
- Butternut Squash - you can also use roasted winter squash or regular pumpkin of choice. If you have leftover squash use it to make this vegan casserole, stew, gratin or this holiday side dish with cranberries.
- Risotto rice - is essential to use the right rice to have the best and most authentic result.
- Butter - gives that buttery, creamy flavor to the rice.
- Warm Chicken or vegetable stock - adds texture and rich flavor. You can use store-bought or make your own vegetable broth.
- Dry White Wine - adds a boost of acidity to the dish, but feel free to go for a non-alcoholic version and just stick to the lemon juice and add a bit of broth or hot water instead.
- Season simply - salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg or cinnamon it’s all you need.
- Parmesan - salty parmesan or similar other aged cheese will help to develop the flavor and complete the dish.
Just a quick note that this is my way of making risotto! This may not be the authentic Italian Risotto served in the restaurant, but it is fulfilling, perfectly creamy, and rich flavored.
How To Make Butternut Squash Risotto
In a wide pot, a dutch oven, or skillet, melt butter.
Sautee onion, garlic until onion becomes translucent and garlic fragrant.
Add in the arborio rice and stir constantly for few minutes.
Pour in the wine and take it to a boil.
Stir in the diced butternut squash, and follow with ½ chicken broth.
Stir constantly and add the broth slowly in the pot little by little. It should take about 25 minutes for all the rice to absorb all the liquid and butternut squash to soften.
Follow with nutmeg, salt, pepper.
Add in parmesan, parsley (or add as a garnish on top later). Stir to combine.
Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and black pepper as necessary. Serve right away.
If you love squash, this holiday stuffed butternut squash will become your new family favorite.
Can you use leftover roasted butternut squash?
YES! You can skip adding the raw squash to this recipe. Cook the risotto and then stir in the cooked squash. Let it warm in the rice and serve.
Tips
- Don’t try to rush the process by adding too much chicken/vegetable broth at once. Ideally, you want to add the stock just enough to cover the rice (and in our case squash). Wait until the liquid is vaporized and then add again and again. This process will allow the rice to cook evenly. So make sure to add stock little by little so that your rice will not end up mushy.
- You’ll know when the risotto is ready, it needs to have a bit of firmness in it and the texture should be creamy. If you can pull the spoon through the risotto and it slowly oozes back in place then congrats, your risotto is ready.
- Add a bit of variety! There is plenty of customization that you can do. Simply experiment with different spices, and veggies but make sure to follow the basic rules of cooking risotto.
- If you're looking for a heavier and creamier risotto, I'd recommend using heavy cream instead of ½ of the vegetable broth. Add the cream at the end.
Storing Instructions
- To Store. Risotto is best when fresh, but if you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container. It will be good for up to five days, but if you add any meat, it is safer to consume it within three days. The rice's starch will cause it to thicken, but there are ways to revive it, as discussed below.
- To Freeze. It's advisable to avoid freezing risotto because freezing can make the rice turn hard and the risotto's texture may become somewhat grainy. To prevent these undesirable changes, it's best to store leftover risotto in the refrigerator instead.
- To Reheat. To revive leftover risotto, heat ¼ cup of the original broth (or water) for every cup of risotto, then stir until warm. Add more broth if it's too thick.
Variations
- For more flavor, try adding fresh or dried herbs such as thyme, rosemary, basil, and oregano.
- The butternut squash pairs well with mushrooms, saute them separately on a pan with some butter before adding them to the risotto in the end.
- Add protein - cook chicken strips separately on high heat for about 3-4 minutes on both sides until golden brown and stir in the risotto at the end of cooking. Alternatively, you can arrange cooked chicken strips beautifully on top of risotto once serving.
- Butternut squash - if you have more time, you could roast the butternut squash cubes or whole squash cut in half in the oven with a mix of herbs and olive oil. Then transfer the slices to risotto as guided in the recipe. If you’re looking for that orange color, puree the roasted/cooked butternut squash before adding it to the risotto. You may need to adjust the chicken broth quantity in this case.
- Top your risotto with grilled, pan-seared shrimp or scallops, bacon, pancetta, and chorizo.
- Serve the risotto with mushrooms or plain risotto as a side dish to seabass, chicken, or salmon .
- Any vegetables will work well with risotto, try peas, tomatoes, zucchini, kale, sweet potato, spinach.
A few of my other favorite risotto recipes are: Mushroom Risotto, Tomato & Basil Risotto, Asparagus Risotto and Pumpkin Risotto.
More Butternut Squash Recipes
For all recipes, please go to my Recipe Index.
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Butternut Squash Risotto (Vegetarian)
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INGREDIENTS
- 4 ½ tablespoon butter
- 1 large brown onion, finely diced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- ⅔ cup white wine
- 1 ¾ cups risotto rice, Arborio, Carnaoli
- 4 cups vegetable broth, or as needed
- 1 cup parmesan, plus more for serving, or vegan parmesan
- salt and pepper to taste
- nutmeg to taste
- 3 ½ cup diced butternut squash , or fresh sweet pumpkin
- parsley
- pumpkin seed oil for garnish, or olive oil, sesame oil
- pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a wide pot or skillet, melt butter and sautee onion, garlic until onion becomes translucent and
- Garlic fragrant. Add in the rice and stir constantly for few minutes.
- Pour in the wine and take it to almost boil. Stir in the diced butternut squash, and follow with ½ chicken broth.
- Stir constantly and add the broth slowly in the pot little by little. It should take about 25 minutes for all the rice to absorb all the liquid. Follow with parmesan, parsley (or add as a garnish on top later), nutmeg, salt, pepper. Serve right away.
VIDEO
NOTES
- Just a quick note that this is my way of making risotto! This may not be the authentic Italian Risotto served in the restaurant, but it is fulfilling, perfectly creamy, and rich flavored.
- Don’t try to rush the process by adding too much chicken/vegetable broth at once. Ideally, you want to add the stock just enough to cover the rice (and in our case squash). Wait until the liquid is vaporized and then add again and again. This process will allow the rice to cook evenly. So make sure to add stock little by little so that your rice will not end up mushy.
- You’ll know when the risotto is ready, it needs to have a bit of firmness in it and the texture should be creamy. If you can pull the spoon through the risotto and it slowly oozes back in place then congrats, your risotto is ready.
- If you're looking for a heavier and creamier risotto, I'd recommend using heavy cream instead of ½ of the vegetable broth. Add the cream at the end.
- To Store. Risotto is best when fresh, but if you have leftovers, store it in an airtight container. It will be good for up to five days, but if you add any meat, it is safer to consume it within three days. The rice's starch will cause it to thicken, but there are ways to revive it, as discussed below.
- To Reheat. To revive leftover risotto, heat ¼ cup of the original broth (or water) for every cup of risotto, then stir until warm. Add more broth if it's too thick.
- To Freeze. It's advisable to avoid freezing risotto because freezing can make the rice turn hard and the risotto's texture may become somewhat grainy. To prevent these undesirable changes, it's best to store leftover risotto in the refrigerator instead.
ADD YOUR OWN PRIVATE NOTES
NUTRITION
Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Jill
I love both butternut squash and risotto so I know I'll love this recipe. Pinned so that I can try it soon!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
It's Delicious Jill!
Tara
Such a comforting meal! This risotto looks so good with the addition of the butternut squash. Love all the variation options too.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thanks Tara!
Ned
Warm and delicious! Thank you for an amazing recipe! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of this one!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
We love it! Thanks Ned!
Kushigalu
LOve this risotto with butternut squash. So delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you Kushigalu!
Sandra
This recipe was easy to make and a hit with the whole family! Who knew butternut squash risotto was so easy to make. You made this recipe so easy to follow. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you Sandra! Glad you loved it
Sarah James
Your risotto looks delicious, I'm always looking for recipes to use up our butternut squash harvest. Looking forward to making your recipe, thanks for sharing.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Sarah!
Tracee David
So delicious! My family was a little skeptical at first, but it only took one bite and now it’s a family favorite!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Tracee, thank you so much! It means a lot to me!
Julia
A healthier spin on traditional creamy risotto!