Beet Risotto

This vegan beet risotto recipe is a delightful blend of elements of Slavic borscht and Italian risotto. It’s flavorful and delicious. And while beauty is never a high priority, I cannot deny how lovely magenta vegan beetroot risotto looks!

As I’ve mentioned in other vegan risotto recipes, making risotto takes time and vigilance. It’s not the type of thing you can leave alone to simmer with a lid on. You have to hover over it the entire time. You have to stir, ladle in broth, stir, ladle in broth and stir.

You’ll also need to use rice with a high starch content. As you stir, the rice grains will pass by one another and release their starch. This creates the creaminess!

This vegan recipe for beet risotto uses arborio rice. In the U.S., it is a very common high starch content rice, and is carried at most major U.S. grocery stores. Other rices you could use include baldo, carnaroli, maratelli, padano, roma, or vialone nano.

Basically, your forearm is in for a workout, but there’s a delicious reward at the end 😊

A few more things…

• ・For best results, select a Sauvignon Blanc that’s fruity. I used a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2021, which possessed a “ripe, tropical fruit favor” and citrus. Stay away from oaky wines.

• ・Use finely shredded beets. They’ll cook through quickly and integrate well with the rice. To prep, you can shred them manually with a grater or use a food processor.

• ・Fresh dill is best.

Depending on whether you serve this vegan beetroot risotto recipe as a meal or side dish, it makes ~4-8 servings. To serve, you might consider adding a small dollop of vegan sour cream on top.

Don’t miss other delicious UVK recipes, like Fennel Risotto with Orange Zest, Vegan Stuffed Zucchini with Italian Herb Risotto, Golden Beetroot and Couscous Salad with Slivered Almonds and Currants, Vegan Italian Herb Risotto, Carrot and Beet Salad with Fresh Dill and Roasted Pistachios and more.

As always, thanks so much for being here. Now, let’s go make some beet risotto 💚

Beet Risotto with Leeks, Fennel and Fresh Dill

6 cups fake chicken broth (I used 6 cups of water + 3 Edward & Sons Not-Chick’n Bouillon Cubes)

6 garlic cloves, finely chopped

⅓ cup finely chopped leek (white-part only; thoroughly cleaned)

½ cup finely chopped fennel bulb

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups arborio rice (see notes above)

1 ¼ cups Sauvignon Blanc wine (see notes above)

1 cup finely shredded beets (see notes above)

½ cup finely chopped fresh dill

1-2 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt, to taste (I added ¼ tsp)

1. Add the broth to a large pot. Cover with a lid and bring to boil. Once it’s boiling, turn off the heat on the burner, but keep the lid on. You will use the hot broth later in the recipe.

2. Next, you’ll sauté the aromatics for the beet risotto. In a second large pot, add the garlic, leeks, fennel bulb and olive oil. Sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.

3. Add the arborio rice to the pot with the sauteéd garlic, leeks, etc. Stir constantly for 3 minutes over low heat.

4. Add the wine to the pot with the rice and turn up the heat to medium. Continue stirring until the rice absorbs the wine.

5. Add 2 ladles of hot broth into the pot with the rice. Stir constantly until 75% of the broth is absorbed by the rice. Then, add another 2 ladles of hot broth. Again, stir constantly until 75% of the broth is absorbed by the rice. Continue with this process until you get to the last 2 ladles of broth.

6. Before adding the final 2 ladles of broth, add the finely shredded beets to the pot with the risotto rice. Then, add the final ladles of broth and continue stirring until the rice is very creamy, but not soupy.

7. Remove the pot from the stove. Stir in the fresh dill and lemon juice.

8. Taste the vegan beetroot risotto, and adjust flavors, if necessary (more salt or lemon juice?). Top with additional chopped dill. Serve.