Tomato Basil Instant Pot Risotto
The easiest way to make creamy risotto. This Instant Pot risotto recipe flavored with tomatoes and basil is a quick and easy vegetarian dinner recipe.
I am a risotto-obsessive. I have many variations on my blog but this is a particularly exciting one. Dumping everything into the pot and allowing to cook for a few minutes? Uh, yes please! I used juicy cherry tomatoes and basil because I wanted the taste of summer. Finished with a generous grating of Parmesan or Pecorino, this is the kind of dinner dreams are made of.
Ingredients
- Arborio rice. I used Arborio rice but any short grain rice will work.
- Onion.
- Fresh garlic cloves.
- Olive oil + Butter.
- Tomato passata. You can use tomato puree or crushed tomatoes too.
- Cherry tomatoes.
- Vegetable stock/broth. Chicken broth can also be used. I only use broth but you can add dry white wine too, if you want. Sauvignon blanc will work well with the tomatoes and basil.
- Fresh basil.
- Parmesan / Pecorino. Use a vegetarian alternative if preferred.
- Salt and black pepper.
How to make Instant Pot risotto
- Start the risotto: Set the Instant Pot to the sauté function. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil then add the onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the rice, passata, cherry tomatoes and stock. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cook in the Instant Pot: Close the Instant Pot lid and set to the Pressure Cook function. Set to cook on high pressure then allow to cook for 6 minutes. Once finished, quick release the pressure valve.
- Finish the risotto: Stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese and basil then season to taste. If the risotto is very thick, you can add a little stock to loosen. Serve with extra basil and cheese.
Can I make this ahead?
Risotto really is best eaten as soon as it has finished cooking. The beauty of the Instant Pot is that it has a delay start function which means you can throw everything in, set it to delay start and it will only cook when you are ready for it to. If you’re making this without an Instant Pot, I would suggest cooking the risotto half-way and letting it stand until you’re ready to finish cooking with the remaining stock before serving. Any leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Serving Suggestions
Although we love this risotto on it own as an easy meal, it’s delicious served with air fryer garlic bread or a big zesty salad as side dishes. It also makes a delicious side dish to roasted chicken or pork chops.
Easy Instant Pot recipes
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- 4 cups stock
- ½ cup Tomato Passata
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup grated Parmesan / Pecorino
- large handful fresh basil roughly chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to the saute function. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil then add the onion and garlic.
- Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the rice, passata, cherry tomatoes and stock. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
- Close the Instant Pot and set to the Pressure Cook function.
- Set the timer to 6 minutes then allow to come to pressure and cook. Once finished, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in the butter, Parmesan and basil then season to taste. If the risotto is very thick, you can add a little stock to loosen. Serve with extra basil and cheese.
Instructions without Instant Pot
- Heat a few teaspoons of oil in a large, deep pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the Arborio rice and stir to combine with the onions.
- Add the tomatoes and Passata and stir in. Ladle in the stock, a little at a time, stirring and allowing to cook and absorb before adding in the rest. Continue doing this until the rice is creamy and cooked through.
- Add the butter, cheese and basil and stir in. Season to taste and serve.
This was amazing! Great use of summer tomatoes. Only modification I made was using a little white wine when adding the rice and tomato passate.
Could you sub chopped Roma tomatoes instead of the cherry tomatoes?
Yes, you can!
Can I double the recipe, or will I need to adjust the cooking time?
It would need to be cooked a little longer, yes. I would add only a few minutes (maybe 2-3) to the cooking time and taste then cook for longer if necessary.
Made with vegan butter & vegan parm.
So delicious!! I’ve always been intimidated by risotto, but it was super easy on the instant pot..