Vegan Risotto with Corn and Roasted Shallots
Jun 30, 2021 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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This rich vegan risotto is full of bold summer flavour thanks to sweet corn and melt-in-your-mouth roasted shallots. It comes together in 1 pan (and some foil) and makes for a hearty lunch or dinner. It’s dairy-free risotto with fresh, summery notes.
What is Vegan Risotto?
Risotto is a classic Italian rice dish that is popular at restaurants and home cooking. This Vegan risotto is a plant-based version that relies on vegan and dairy-free alternatives to achieve flavour and creaminess without any animal products!
Arborio rice (and all rice in general) is naturally gluten-free, so this recipe is not only vegan, it’s also gluten-free! Risotto is versatile and can be flavoured with different spices and vegetables that suit your taste.
Today, I’m making a Vegan Corn Risotto with delicious, rich flavour, texture, and the creaminess we love without any dairy!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Arborio rice is short-grain rice that is naturally high in starch. Corn, which is also high in natural starch, is the perfect complement making this vegan risotto super creamy without the need for any dairy at all!
This delicious recipe is vegan, gluten-free, and so simple to make. It has under 10 ingredients and comes together quite quickly. Serve as an elevated date night meal, or even just a weeknight! You’ll love this dish!
How to Make This Vegan Risotto Recipe
Making vegan risotto is a lot easier than you think! It requires a little hands-on time but is straightforward and simple. The corn’s natural starch adds to the creaminess of this vegan risotto without the need for any added dairy, while nutritional yeast gives it a slight “cheesy” flavour.
All you need is a shallow pan and a piece of foil!
Ingredient Notes
- Arborio rice: This is a short-grain rice mostly used for risotto. It’s easy to find in most local grocery stores.
- Sweet corn: You’ll need 3 ears of corn for this recipe. I recommend using fresh corn, but canned or frozen will also work in a pinch.
- Shallots: Shallots are a type of onion that is known for its mild and sweet flavor.
- Garlic cloves
- Vegetable broth
- Nutritional yeast: This gives cheesy, nutty flavor without any dairy!
- Vegan butter
- Salt and black pepper
- Chives
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and prepare your shallots by quartering them and placing them on a piece of foil. Lift the sides and crimp to create a small bowl, then drizzle with 2 tsp oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with another piece of foil to seal. Roast for 15-30 minutes or until nice and caramelized.
- In a small pot, bring veggie broth to a boil.
- In another pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, corn and season with salt and pepper, and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next, scrape the cob of the corn with a knife to extract any remaining juice, add to the pan along with the rice, and cook for another few minutes until the rice is translucent.
- Start adding the veggie broth to the rice in 1/2 cup intervals, stirring each time until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat until broth is all incorporated and rice is tender and creamy.
- When the shallot is cooked through, stir it into the risotto along with nutritional yeast and vegan butter if using. Season to taste and enjoy.
Making the Best Roasted Shallots
We are roasting shallots in the oven so they can cook down while we prepare the risotto. I find this method to be the most time efficient, so you can start to work on adding broth to the risotto while it roasts, and it’s also the most hands-off!
Simply quarter your shallots, toss with oil, season with salt and pepper, and let roast covered in foil until nice, soft, and aromatic. The flavours you’ll unlock are to die for.
Serving Tips
Get creative and consider layering on the flavour! Mix in some umami or acidity into the vegan risotto, serve with meaty mushrooms, or garnish with some bright summer flavours.
- chives to garnish
- white miso paste can be added to the rice for extra umami
- a grating of vegan parmesan cheese to top
- grilled mushrooms
- fresh lemon juice
- parsley, and other fresh herbs, to taste
Storage Tips
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat the vegan risotto over the stovetop with a little olive oil or vegan butter to break up any clumps. You can also reheat it in the microwave if desired.
Recipe FAQs
Vegan risotto is made with the same arborio rice (or carnaroli rice) as traditional risotto. The rest of the ingredients are vegan alternatives like vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, vegan butter, etc.
Typically, yes it contains dairy. The regular version is typically made with parmesan cheese, butter, and cream. This vegan version is just as good, but has no dairy at all!
Rice! Some people confuse arborio rice with pasta, but it is in fact a short-grain rice product.
There are really so many options because risotto is quite versatile. You can make vegan mushroom risotto, asparagus risotto, saffron risotto, and more!
More Favorite Corn Recipes
20 Vegan Corn Recipes to Make This Summer
Corn, Kale, and Zucchini Fritters
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a star rating and comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Vegan Corn Risotto with Roasted Shallots (gluten free, nut free)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup arborio rice
- 3 ears sweet corn
- 4 shallots quartered
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp vegan butter optional
- salt and pepper to taste
- chives to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F and prepare your shallots by quartering them and placing on a piece of foil. Lift the sides and crimp to create a small bowl, then drizzle with 2 tsp oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover with another piece of foil to seal. Roast for 15-30 minutes or until nice and caramelized.
- In a small pot, bring veggie broth to a boil.
- In another pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic, corn and season with salt and pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Next scrape the cob of the corn with a knife to extract any remaining juice and add to the pan along with rice and cook for another few minutes until rice is translucent.
- Start adding the veggie broth to the rice in 1/2 cup intervals, stirring each time until rice has absorbed the liquid. Repeat until broth is all incorporated and rice is tender and creamy.
- When the shallot is cooked through, stir it into the risotto along with nutritional yeast and vegan butter if using. Season to taste and enjoy.
Video
@veggiekins Can corn szn last forever please 🤠🌽✨ #vegan #asmrsounds #asmrcooking #veganrecipes #glutenfreerecipes #tiktokrecipes #foodtiktok #gfdf
♬ love letters - Burbank
Notes
Making the Best Roasted Shallots
We are roasting shallots in the oven so they can cook down while we prepare the risotto. I find this method to be the most time efficient, so you can start to work on adding broth to the risotto while it roasts, and it's also the most hands-off! Simply quarter your shallots, toss with oil, season with salt and pepper, and let roast covered in foil until nice, soft, and aromatic. The flavours you'll unlock are to die for.Serving Tips
Get creative and consider layering on the flavour! Mix in some umami or acidity into the risotto, serve with meaty mushrooms, or garnish with some bright summer flavours.-
- chives to garnish
-
- white miso paste can be added to the rice for extra umami
-
- a grating of vegan parmesan cheese to top
-
- grilled mushrooms
-
- fresh lemon juice
-
- parsley, and other fresh herbs, to taste
Storage Tips
-
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat over the stovetop with a little olive oil or vegan butter to break up any clumps. You can also reheat in the microwave if desired.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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