Creamy Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil

This Creamy Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil brings restaurant-quality into your home kitchen by utilizing small ingredients that bring A LOT of flavors. And it all comes down to two more high-end and powerful ingredients: truffles and porcini mushrooms.

This gourmet dish is among the most requested dinners from my husband, making it a go-to for date night and one of our favorite delicious one-pot dinner ideas!

And although homemade risotto is notoriously a labor of love, the fact that it can all be made in one pot, making clean up easier, makes this intimidating dish totally do-able! (Just like this Seared Scallop Risotto—check it out next!).

And as a mom managing her time with a passion for gourmet flavors, I really do appreciate a meal of this caliber that requires less clean up!

This seriously creamy and delicious truffle mushroom risotto features dried porcini mushrooms and is finished with truffle oil. Gourmet and umami, this one-pot risotto dinner is the perfect, decadent vegetarian meal.

Creamy Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil Ingredients

Here’s everything you’ll need:

• Olive oil. To fry your shallots and mushrooms in.
• Shallot & Garlic. To add extra savory flavor.
• Salt & pepper. To season and elevate all the other natural flavors.
• Baby Bella mushrooms. Or white button mushrooms. To add “meaty” texture and heartiness to your dish.
• White wine. Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio is preferred, but any white wine that’s on the dryer side will work.
• Porcini mushrooms. The best way to infuse deep umami flavor.
• Arborio rice. The best rice for any risotto!
• Vegetable broth. Buy it or make your own vegetable broth.
• Unsalted butter. This will be added at the end to add extra creaminess and buttery flavor.
• Parmesan cheese. For extra salt and that classic cheesiness.
• Truffle oil. It’s important to know that truffle oil is a finishing oil not a frying oil. Heating the truffle oil too much will make it lose it’s distinct taste.

Truffle Mushroom Risotto Tips and Tricks

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Start with Your Mushrooms and Shallot

The first step is frying up your mushrooms and shallots to release excess juice from the mushrooms and getting as much flavor out of the shallots as possible.

Slice your mushrooms and peel and dice your shallots and add them to a large frying pan with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sautee over medium heat until the juices release from the mushrooms and the shallots are nice and fragrant (about 5 minutes).

Rehydrate those Porcinis

Just like truffle oil, the flavor of dried porcini is so strong, that just a little bit goes a long way. With just 1/2 an ounce of them in this truffle risotto, you’ll get that earthy taste we are after for this dish.

Since your porcini mushrooms are dried, we will need to rehydrate them first. This just means you’ll add them in with the garlic and wine, before the rice.

This will allow the dried mushrooms to absorb the white wine with heat and rehydrate. Add them to the pan with the mushrooms and shallots and continue to simmer over medium heat until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.

Slow and Steady

Here’s the thing about risotto. You just gotta keep stirring.

Strap on your most comfortable shoes. Crank up the music. Pour yourself a drink (may I suggest this Vodka Sour? The bright citrus pairs well with this risotto!). Because this isn’t a dump it and leave it kind of meal.

It’s an enjoy the ride, taste as you go, get a good arm workout from continuous stirring kind of meal.

And it’s WORTH. EVERY. SECOND.

Once the porcinis are rehydrated, add your arborio rice and stir to coat in the olive oil and to distribute the shallots, mushrooms, and salt and pepper. Then, it’s time to start adding your vegetable broth.

You’ll be adding your vegetable broth about 1/2 cup at a time and stirring continuously until it’s absorbed. Each time your rice absorbs the liquid, you’ll add more broth, until you use up all three cups.

Test Your Rice

Remember when I said it’s a taste-as-you-go kinda meal? Well, I meant it.

Depending on your heat, the rice may need a little more or a little less liquid to reach the perfect consistency.

In my experience with making this dish over medium heat and continuously stirring, 3 cups of vegetable broth is just right. But you may find that your rice is ready with just under 3 cups.

You may also find that your rice isn’t quite ready after 3 cups. In this case, just add a little bit of water (about 1/4 cup at a time) and continue to stir.

Add the Butter and Parmesan

Let’s face it, butter is outrageously delicious. So how do we get that buttery taste with just 2 tablespoons of the stuff?

By adding it last of course!

Once your rice is perfect, remove your risotto with dried porcini from the heat before adding your butter and Parmesan.

Adding the butter and Parm after you remove it from heat not only gives it the most butter-forward flavor, it also gives it the creamiest texture.

Don’t Let This Recipe Truffle Your Feathers

Truffle mushrooms are incredibly expensive and hard to find. They’re rare and take a long time to cultivate. But don’t fret!

Truffle oil, though still on the pricey side, can generally be found in your local grocery store. It gives you that truffle essence with just a few drops. A tiny $12 bottle lasts me a year (and I make this risotto with truffle oil A LOT).

It’s used as a finishing oil, so you won’t actually be cooking with it, just drizzling it on top! Heating it too much will make it completely lose its flavor.

In this recipe I recommend you actually add the truffle oil to each serving, to optimize its gourmet flavor.

The Best Types of Mushrooms for Risotto

Mushrooms are a great addition to any risotto. Baby Bella, white button, and chopped Portobello mushrooms can be added to any risotto recipe!

And for even more umami flavor, consider adding dried porcini mushrooms to your risotto.

The Best Type of Rice for Risotto

The best rice for risotto is arborio rice. This is mainly because it is not as starchy as other rice, which makes for a softer risotto.

Additionally, by continuously stirring in liquid for the rice to absorb as opposed to covering and letting it cook, the rice won’t expand as much as it usually does. Arborio rice is already a wider and longer grain, so this isn’t an issue.

The Secret to the Perfect Risotto

Just keep stirring!

Risotto is notoriously hands-on, and a slow and steady process. To get a great risotto you have to continuously stir. This is not a “set it and forget it” meal.

Slowly add your liquid, a little bit at a time, and continuously stir until it’s absorbed before adding more.

How to Make this Mushroom Risotto Vegan

This truffle risotto with dried porcinis can easily be made vegan by subbing in vegan butter and either leaving out the Parmesan cheese or substituting nutritional yeast.

Why You Should Make this Mushroom Risotto with Truffle Oil

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• It’s gourmet! It’s in the name! This recipe uses two gourmet ingredients to give the overall flavor an undeniably delicious finish.
• It’s a whole experience. This recipe is for when you really want to pour time, love, and care into your meal.
• That umami taste. The mushrooms and truffle oil really give this risotto an earthy, savory flavor.