Vegan risotto with pumpkin, chestnuts and cranberries

This delicious and creamy vegan risotto, made with  pumpkin, chestnuts and cranberries is a wonderful hearty vegan meal. 

I have to admit to not being convinced that a vegan risotto could ever be as good as a traditional one packed full of cheese – until now.

This risotto with pumpkin, chestnuts and cranberries is amazing. It is creamy, delicious, full of nutritious ingredients and even better – it’s vegan. There’s no need to replace the cheese with vegan cheese – the pumpkin does a brilliant job of breaking down to create the perfect risotto texture. I’ve added a little nutritional yeast for some extra nutrients and nutty taste – but this is optional so don’t worry if you don’t have any.

What’s your favourite type of risotto? Let me know in the comments below.

How to make a great vegan risotto

You might think that the things that make risotto so wonderful – white wine and plenty of Parmesan cheese – are off limits for vegans. But don’t worry – you can still make a great risotto. There are plenty of vegan white wines out there (in case you’re wondering why wine wouldn’t be vegan it’s often clarified with egg or filtered with isinglass – a fish’s swim bladder) which work wonderfully in risotto. There are also vegan Parmesan cheese alternatives but I prefer to use nutritional yeast, which has a lovely nutty flavour and is packed full of nutrients.

The pumpkin or butternut squash breaks down once roasted and makes this a deliciously creamy pumpkin risotto. The chestnuts and cranberries make it taste spectacular. I promise you won’t be disappointed if you give this a try!

How to make vegan risotto with pumpkin, chestnuts and cranberries

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Vegan risotto with pumpkin, chestnuts and cranberries

A delicious and creamy vegan risotto, made with pumpkin, chestnuts and cranberries that makes a wonderful hearty vegan meal.

Course Main Course

Cuisine International

Keyword vegan risotto

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 2

Author Cook Veggielicious

Ingredients

• 500 g pumpkin or butternut squash peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic crushed
• 150 ml arborio risotto rice
• 150 ml vegan white wine optional
• 800 ml hot vegetable stock
• 100 g cooked chestnuts crumbled
• 75 g dried cranberries
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast optional
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
2. Place the butternut squash or pumpkin into a roasting tin with the sage and 2 tbsp olive oil. Stir and roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway, until cooked. When done, set aside.
3. Meanwhile heat the remaining olive oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion and cook over a low-medium heat for 10 minutes until soft.
4. Add the garlic, cook for a further minute, then stir in the risotto rice.
5. Add the white wine if using - if not you may need a little more vegetable stock. Stir until it’s all been absorbed into the rice
6. Next add a ladleful of vegetable stock and stir until absorbed. Repeat this adding and stirring for around 20 minutes until the rice is almost cooked through.
7. Now add the pumpkin and stir through with a final ladleful of stock. The pumpkin will begin to break down but that’s ok - this is what’s going to give this risotto its delicious creaminess.
8. Finally add the crumbled chestnuts, dried cranberries and nutritional yeast, stir through to warm up, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Looking for more vegan recipes? Check out my recipe index or take a look at these 31 vegan dinner recipes that I put together for Veganuary 2019.

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