Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto

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This creamy vegan butternut squash risotto recipe is a great fall comfort dish – made with deliciously roasted butternut squash!

Table of Contents

• Other Squash & Pumpkins That Work
• Risotto Rules
• Ingredients
• Visual Step-by-Step Instructions
• Storage Instructions
• More Butternut Squash Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Butternut Squash Risotto is a classic, popular, and widely served dish during pumpkin season. It’s easy to cook and makes an excellent lunch or dinner for the whole family, or even a romantic meal for two.

Click here for more Pumpkin Recipe Ideas!

To make the risotto, roast the butternut squash with extra virgin olive oil, thyme, nutmeg, a pinch of salt and pepper in the oven. This provides very aromatic roasted notes and gives the butternut squash more flavor than if it is just steamed or simmered in a pot of boiling water.

Once roasted, blend it together into a freshly homemade butternut squash puree. This will be added as the last step in the risotto recipe.

The risotto has a very creamy consistency. If you love a few chunkier bites of butternut squash in your risotto, set a few cubes aside before blending the rest into a purée and stir them at the end into the risotto.

If you like, you can jazz up this risotto recipe with some cheese. A plant-based cheese alternative works great and makes the risotto even creamier. Nutritional yeast also works to season vegan risotto. Non-vegans are also welcome to use grated Parmesan cheese.

Use sliced toasted almonds, fresh herbs, or chopped nuts for a flavorful garnish.

Other Squash & Pumpkins That Work

I like to prepare this creamy pumpkin risotto recipe with butternut squash. This has a particularly nutty note, which I personally like very much. 

But you can also use a red kuri squash or muscat squash. In the end, it tastes best with your favorite one! 

If you are in a hurry, use store-bought or premade pumpkin puree to turn this recipe into a quick pumpkin risotto.

Risotto Rules

What’s important when making risotto:

• Always add only as much vegetable broth(~1 cup) until the rice is covered! Wait until fully absorbed before adding more.
• Once you added the dairy-free butter, and cheese (optional), take the risotto from the heat, pop on the lid, and let it sit for 2-5 minutes. Never serve it straight away! Makes a huge difference!

Ingredients

See recipe card for quantities.

Butternut Squash Puree

• Butternut Squash → It is best to use organic quality. For a shortcut, use premade pumpkin puree.
• Thyme → Fresh or dried! Harmonizes wonderfully with the butternut squash. Also works well with dried or fresh sage leaves.
• Nutmeg→ A pinch of ground nutmeg brings out the flavor even better.
• Olive Oil, Salt, Black Pepper

Risotto

• Risotto Rice → I recommend Arborio Rice or Carnaroli Rice.
• Onion & Garlic → A must for more flavor. Instead of onion, use one or two shallots. If you don’t like garlic, leave it out.
• White Wine → To deglaze the risotto rice. Can also be substituted with martini, this makes the risotto a bit sweeter. Make sure to choose a vegan wine label.
• Vegetable Broth→ This is what the risotto rice is cooked in! The higher quality the vegetable broth, the better the dish will taste 😉.
• Vegan Butter → For more flavor. Vegetarians can also use butter.

Visual Step-by-Step Instructions

This visual step-by-step instruction will help you along the way – definitely recommended if you’re a cooking beginner! 😉

• Butternut Squash Puree: Preheat oven to 395°F (200°C).
• Wash, peel, and cut the butternut squash in half. Scrape out seeds using a spoon and roughly chop the flesh into cubes. Place them together with the oil, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper on a with parchment paper lined baking sheet and toss well.
• Roast in preheated oven for 30 minutes until fork tender, turning every 10 minutes.
• Place it with ¼ cup of water in a high-speed blender and blend until creamy. → If you like, you can set aside a few roasted butternut squash cubes before blending the rest of it into a creamy texture. Just add them at the last step of the recipe. 

• Risotto: Heat a large pot with one tablespoon of olive oil. Add minced onion and garlic, sauté for 3 minutes until fragrant and translucent. Add risotto rice and sauté for another minute while constantly stirring.
• Deglaze with white wine and wait until fully absorbed. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

• Add one cup of hot vegetable broth and let it simmer on medium heat until fully absorbed, stirring occasionally. Repeat until you have used up all vegetable broth (20-25min) – always wait until the vegetable broth has been fully absorbed before adding more.

• Stir the butternut squash puree and dairy-free butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Take it from the heat, close the lid, and let it sit for 2-5 minutes before serving.

Storage Instructions

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Good for 3 days.

Reheat leftovers in a microwave, a pot (add some water), or in the oven.

More Butternut Squash Recipes

• Butternut Squash Ravioli
• Butternut Squash Curry
• Butternut Squash & Coconut Milk Soup
• Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

📖 Recipe