Few meals are as comforting and impressive as a creamy bowl of risotto. It looks fancy, tastes incredible and somehow makes any dinner feel a little more special. Risotto recipes are loved for their rich texture, comforting flavours and endless ingredient combinations that work for every season. Whether you love mushrooms, chicken, seafood or roasted vegetables, there is a risotto recipe for every craving and occasion.
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Few dishes feel as comforting and luxurious as a creamy risotto. Rich, silky and packed with flavour, risotto has become a favourite for everything from cosy family dinners to elegant entertaining. The beauty of risotto lies in its versatility. It can be earthy and hearty, light and fresh or deeply indulgent depending on the ingredients and flavours you choose. Unlike many rice dishes, risotto is all about texture. A perfectly made risotto should feel creamy and smooth while still holding a little bite. That balance is what keeps people coming back to it again and again.
The perfect risotto
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 100 g butter, plus 1 T
- 2 baby leeks, finely chopped
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 250 g risotto rice
- 1 cup white wine
- 3 cups good-quality chicken or vegetable stock, warmed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated, plus extra for serving
Method
- Place a large, heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Add the olive oil and 100 g butter.
- When the butter has melted, add the leeks, shallots and garlic. Gently fry until soft and fragrant, then add the rice and stir until the grains are thoroughly coated.
- Add a little wine and stir until absorbed. Continue until the wine is finished, then do the same with the warm stock, adding 1 ladle at a time and stirring frequently to make sure the liquid is absorbed before each new addition. It should take 15 to 20 minutes for the grains to take on a slightly nutty bite and a rich, creamy texture.
- Remove from the heat and season to taste. Fold through the Parmesan and remaining butter (the mantecatura), then let it stand for a few minutes.
- Serve warm with extra Parmesan, if desired.
The secret: Be patient and attentive. Risotto should not stand up in a solid mound on your plate; it should be silken, fluid and the grains separate.
SOURCE: WOOLWORTHS TASTE
Seafood risotto
Ingredients
- 400g mixed cherry tomatoes on the vine
- 2 cloves of garlic
- ½ a bunch of fresh rosemary (15g)
- olive oil
- 6 raw langoustines or large king prawns, shell on, from sustainable sources
- 300g mussels, scrubbed, debearded, from sustainable sources
- 500g clams, scrubbed, from sustainable sources
- 4 medium squid, cleaned, gutted (300g total), from sustainable sources
- 300g cooked white crab meat, from sustainable sources
- 1 pinch of saffron
- 1 large onion
- 1 heart of celery
- 1 bulb of fennel
- 400g risotto rice
- ½ a glass of white or rosé wine
- 1.6 litres quality fish stock (see tip)
- 1 knob of butter (30g)
- 30g Parmesan cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/gas 3.
- Blanch the tomatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice-cold water and peel the skins. Tip into a medium roasting tray.
- Peel and slice the garlic, pick the rosemary leaves and scatter over the tomatoes. Drizzle over a little oil, then toss to coat and space them out in a single layer. Roast for 40 minutes, or until golden.
- Remove the heads and tails from the langoustines, then peel the skin and roughly chop the sweet meat. Check the mussels and sort through the clams, giving any that aren’t tightly closed a tap. If they don’t close, discard them. Finely slice the squid and reserve for later. Pick through the crab meat, removing any shell.
- Put the saffron in a small bowl, cover with 50ml of freshly boiled water and leave to infuse.
- For the risotto, peel and finely chop the onion, celery and fennel, reserving any nice leaves and herby tops for garnish, then place in a large, high-sided pan on a medium heat with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally, then stir in the rice to toast for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the wine, and stir until absorbed. Add a ladleful of stock and wait until it’s been fully absorbed before adding another, stirring for around 10 seconds every minute and continuing to add ladlefuls of stock until the rice is soft and a pleasure to eat, but retains its shape and a tiny bit of bite. It will need 16 to 18 minutes.
- Add the saffron and its soaking liquid, then stir in the mussels and clams.
- When the mussels are just starting to open up, go in with the squid, crab and langoustine.
- Beat in the butter, finely grate and beat in the Parmesan, then season to perfection and turn the heat off. Cover the pan and leave to relax for 1 to 2 minutes so the risotto becomes creamy and oozy. Beat again, adding a little extra stock if necessary.
- Carefully pour the risotto onto a large platter and discard any mussels or clams that remain closed. Dot over the roasted tomatoes, scatter over the reserved celery leaves and herby fennel tops, then drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Dish up and enjoy!
SOURCE: JAMIEOLIVER.CO.ZA
Oxtail Risotto Recipe
Ingredients:
- 60g salted butter
- 60ml sunflower oil
- 210g chopped onions
- 3 garlic, 10g, cloves
- 240g risotto rice
- 300ml red wine
- 1.5l good-quality homemade stock
- About 480g flaked oxtail to taste
Method:
- Heat a heavy-based pot. Add butter and oil. Then add onion and garlic and sauté well.
- Add rice and stir to allow each grain to be coated with the oil.
- Add the heated wine and stir.
- Once the wine has been completely absorbed, start adding the simmering stock. Add one ladle at a time, stirring continuously so the grains are evenly cooked. (Chef’s note: the amount of liquid is only a guideline) When ¾ of the way, add the shredded oxtail.
- At this stage you could always cook it fully or stop at ¾ of the way and then complete cooking just before serving by reheating and adding the last of the hot liquid. Either way is fine but must result in a slightly-textured, creamy risotto – not stodgy or dense.
- Serve with tomato and onion bredie and pecorino or Parmesan shavings.
SOURCE: JACKIE CAMERON
Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 pk Royco® Chicken A La King Dry Cook in Sauce
- 2 chicken breast fillets, cut into cubes
- 1 ml salt and pepper
- 60 ml butter or margarine
- 1 onion, chopped
- 250g mushrooms, sliced
- 180 ml dry white wine (optional)
- 500 ml Arborio rice
- ½ lemon
- 60 ml parsley or thyme, chopped (10 ml if dried)
- 1750 ml water
Vegetarian
Make this a veggie risotto by adding frozen peas instead of chicken. No need to fry the peas upfront, just add later on in the recipe along with the Royco® mixture.
Family Friendly
Rice dishes are always a hit amongst the young ones at the dinner table. Once you master risotto, make it your own with your kids’ favourite flavours.
Method
- Mix the contents of the packet of ROYCO® Chicken A La King with 125ml water; set aside.
- Fry the chicken cubes in a little butter or margarine, season and set aside.
- Then fry the onions and mushrooms in the rest of the butter/margarine.
- Add the Arborio rice and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the white wine and stir on a medium to low heat until the wine has almost all been absorbed.
- Measure 1750 ml (7 cups) water, add 125 ml at a time, stirring continuously until each addition has been absorbed, before adding the next 125 ml. This should take 20 minutes.
- Once all the water has been added, the rice should be just cooked.
- Add the Royco® Chicken A La King mixture and the chicken cubes, stir for 1 minute.
- Adjust seasoning with a squeeze of lemon juice and add the parsley. Serve immediately and enjoy your creamy chicken and mushroom risotto.
** The best risotto takes at least 20 minutes to cook. It should have a creamy texture with a slight bite. If the risotto is cooked on too high heat, you will need to use more water.
SOURCE: ROYCO.CO.ZA
Risotto with Biltong and Peppers Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
- 250 g pouch SPAR Freshline butternut (‘Veg For Two’ range)
- 15 ml SPAR olive oil
- 15 ml SPAR butter
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 250 g risotto (Arborio) rice
- 75 ml white wine
- 500 ml hot vegetable stock
- 125 ml SPAR milk
- 50 g shaved biltong, chopped
- 4 piquanté peppers, chopped
Recipe Method
- Cook the butternut according to the microwave instructions on the packet.
- Heat the oil and butter together in a medium-sized pot. Fry the onion gently until translucent. Stir in the rice to ensure each grain is coated.
- Pour in the wine and cook it off briefly.
- Slowly begin stirring in the hot stock, 100 ml at a time, stirring continuously to a creamy mixture for 20 minutes, or until all the stock has been added, and the rice grains are just tender. Stir in the milk and cook 5 minutes more.
- Add in the biltong, piquanté peppers, and cooked butternut. Heat through and serve immediately as a main course in flat bowls, or as a rice side-dish firmly packed into greased ramekin dishes, then abruptly turning them upside down onto the plate and lifting the dish away.
Hints & Tips
The secret to a successful risotto is continual stirring with the slow addition of hot stock. Do not rush this process.
SOURCE: SPAR.CO.ZA
Artichoke risotto (Risotto ai carciofi)
Ingredients
- 6 small or violet artichokes
- 1 lemon
- 1 x risotto bianco
- ½ a bunch of fresh mint (15g)
- extra virgin olive oil
- Parmesan cheese, for grating
Method
- Peel the artichokes back to their pale, light leaves, then halve them and remove the hairy chokes with a teaspoon. Immerse the artichokes in water with half the lemon juice, with a heavy lid or heat-resistant dish placed on top of them to keep them immersed and stop them discolouring.
- Start your and when you begin stage 3, drop 6 of your prepared artichoke halves into the simmering stock. Continue cooking the risotto, adding the stock a ladleful at a time until the rice is half-cooked.
- Slice the remaining artichoke halves very finely and stir into the risotto. Continue stirring the stock into the rice. At stage 4, when the rice is cooked and you have added the butter and Parmesan, stir in the rest of the lemon juice. Take the pan off the heat and check the seasoning.
- Pick and tear up the mint leaves. Remove the cooked artichokes from the stock pan and toss with most of the lemon zest, the torn-up mint leaves and a splash of olive oil.
- Spoon the risotto onto 4 plates and place the dressed artichokes on top. Drizzle with any remaining dressing from the bowl and serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan and the rest of the lemon zest.
SOURCE: JAMIEOLIVER.CO.ZA
Mushroom risotto
Ingredients
- 25g dried porcini
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, quartered
- 25g butter
- 3 shallotsfinely chopped
- 1 clove garlic crushed
- 150g arborio rice
- 1 glass white wine
- 100g spinach, chopped
- 50g pecorino (or veggie alternative) finely grated, plus a little extra to serve, if you like
- 1 lemon zested
Method
Put the porcini in a small bowl, pour over 300ml boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into a jug and top up with boiling water to 600ml. Crumble in the stock cube or stir in 1 tsp of stock powder or liquid. Roughly chop the porcini.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide, shallow, non-stick pan and add the chestnut mushrooms. Fry, keeping the heat fairly high, until the mushrooms have turned golden and shrunk a little (this will help concentrate the flavour). Scrape the mushrooms out of the pan into a bowl and give the pan a wipe.
Add 1 tbsp of oil and the butter to the pan, and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Add the porcini and risotto rice, and stir until coated. Tip in the wine and simmer until it’s all absorbed. Gradually add the porcini stock liquid, stirring until the rice is almost tender, then add the chestnut mushrooms. Add the last of the stock along with the spinach, pecorino and lemon zest. Take off the heat, put on a lid and sit for 5 minutes before serving in bowls with extra cheese, if you like.
SOURCE: OLIVEMAGAZINE.CO.ZA
What Makes Risotto So Creamy?
The creamy texture of risotto comes from slowly cooking the rice while gradually adding liquid. As the rice cooks, it releases starches that naturally create a silky consistency without needing excessive cream. A good risotto should never feel dry or stiff. Instead, it should gently spread across the plate with a smooth, glossy texture. The best risottos balance richness with freshness, ensuring the dish feels comforting without becoming overly heavy.
Easy Ways to Elevate Risotto
Simple finishing touches can completely transform a risotto. Fresh herbs, citrus zest, quality cheese or roasted vegetables add flavour, texture and visual appeal. Presentation also matters more than many people realise. Risotto looks best served immediately while glossy and creamy, often finished with a garnish that adds colour and freshness. Because risotto is naturally rich, lighter sides such as salads or roasted vegetables help create balance across the meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
What rice is best for risotto?
Short-grain rice varieties are best because they release starch slowly, creating the creamy texture risotto is known for.
Should risotto contain cream?
Traditional risotto gets its creamy texture from the rice itself rather than large amounts of cream.
Can risotto be reheated?
Yes. Adding a splash of stock or water while reheating helps restore the creamy consistency.
Is risotto difficult to make?
Risotto requires patience more than advanced cooking skills. The key is gradual cooking and regular stirring.
What can be served with risotto?
Fresh salads, roasted vegetables, grilled chicken, seafood or garlic bread all pair beautifully with risotto.
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Final Thoughts
Creamy risotto remains one of the most comforting and versatile meals you can make. Whether you prefer earthy mushrooms, sweet roasted vegetables, bright lemon flavours or elegant seafood combinations, there’s a risotto style for every mood and occasion. Its rich texture, endless flavour possibilities and restaurant-quality feel are exactly why risotto continues to be a dish people crave again and again.
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