This Asparagus Risotto recipe is a delicious celebration of spring! It is vibrant, lemony, and creamy, made with fresh asparagus, lemon, leeks, and basil. Video.
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James Hollis
Oh, hello, new favorite vegetarian dinner! Last weekend, we made this Asparagus Risotto for Easter and topped it with mushrooms, and then last night, we had it again, just on its own- both were delicious!
Leeks, basil, and lemon give this Asparagus Risotto its flavor here, and we make it “creamy” by blending up some of the asparagus and basil into a puree that is folded in into risotto before serving— giving it a burst of color and flavor.
Why You’ll Love This!
- Fresh spring flavor (and color)! Leeks, asparagus, and basil give this dish vibrant spring flavor and brilliant green color.
- Deliciously creamy and satisfying. An indulgent, rich creamy texture.
- Very adaptable. Serve as a vegetarian dinner, or top with fish, seafood, or mushrooms. Vegan and gluten-free adaptable.
Asparagus Risotto Ingredients
- Asparagus bunch: You’ll need just under a pound. Look for fresh tips, and if size is an option, smaller spears work best here.
- Arborio rice: An Italian short-grain rice that is a must for making creamy risotto!
- Garlic and Leek: Add savory flavor and depth.
- Extra Virgin Olive oil: for added richness.
- Dry white wine: Optional, but adds acidity and is great for deglazing the pan.
- Vegetable Broth: Store-bought or make your own. Feel free to sub chicken broth.
- Fresh Herbs: Basil, or sub fresh flat leaf parsley or dill.
- Fresh Lemon: Both lemon zest and lemon juice for zesty flavor!
- Garnish: Lemon zest, basil ribbons, pecorino or parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts (or other nuts or seeds), chili flakes for a little bite (Urfa biber is nice), leek oil, or a drizzle of olive oil.
Asparagus Risotto Instructions
Step 1: Prep the asparagus. Bring a small saucepan of water to boil. Cut the fibrous ends off the asparagus spears and discard. (You can tell where this is by breaking an end off with your fingers.) Cut pretty tips off (about 1 1/2 inches) and set these aside.
Cut the “middles” into 1-inch pieces. Take 1 1/2 cups of “middles” and set aside for blanching. Add any remaining middles to the pile with pretty tips.
Step 2: Blanch and blend. Blanch 1 1/2 cups of asparagus “middles” in a pot of boiling salted water until tender and vibrant, about 3-5 minutes, depending on their size. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.
Step 3. Make the asparagus puree– the key to the vibrant color! Blend the blanched asparagus with the cooking liquid, olive oil, and basil leaves until silky smooth, using an immersion blender or high speed blender. Set this asparagus puree aside. You’ll add this to the risotto at the very end.
Step 4: Make the risotto (do this at the same time as the puree). Slice leeks into thin half-moons and rinse away any dirt using a strainer. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium. Add leeks, sautéing until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes until fragrant.
Step 5: Add rice. Add arborio rice and stir one minute. Deglaze with white wine (if using) and cook the wine off. Add 1 cup of hot broth (a ladle works great for this), scraping up browned bits. Bring to simmer over medium-low, stirring occasionally. Let the rice absorb all of the broth.
Step 6: Continue adding broth. Add 1 cup of hot broth at a time, letting the rice absorb it slowly each time. Stir often. When you add the last half cup of broth, add the pile of asparagus tips, letting them cook for 3 minutes. Rice should be creamy, yet slightly al dente.
Step 7: Add the puree. Stir in blended asparagus “puree,” along with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Step 8. Taste and adjust. Add pecorino here if desired for more depth of flavor. Heat gently over low to thicken if you like, but be careful not to cook too long or you’ll lose that vibrant color.
Serve! Serve in bowls with pecorino cheese, lemon zest, and chili flakes, or a drizzle of optional leek oil. Garnish with fresh herbs like basil and parsley.
Serving suggestions
- Serve on its own as a healthy vegetarian or vegan main!
- Top it with fish or seafood like salmon, halibut, sautéed shrimp, or scallops.
- Serve with sautéed mushrooms like you see above!
- Serve with warm sourdough bread!
- Add a side of spring greens!
FAQs
Yes, you can make asparagus risotto in an Instant Pot, reducing the stock to two cups. Blanch the asparagus separately on the stove, make the creamy sauce, adding both to the instant pot AFTER pressure cooking.
Yes, you could easily keep Asparagus Risotto vegan, leaving out the cheese, or subbing a vegan cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil or make the leek oil!
A high-starch, short-grain rice used for risotto. There are not too many substitutes that can replace the rice in the recipe! Calrose rice can be subbed.
Health Benefits of Asparagus
As one of the quintessential vegetables of spring, asparagus is not only delicious but also packed with health benefits!
- Rich in nutrients: Asparagus is a nutrient-dense food that is high in several important vitamins and minerals. It is an excellent source of fiber, folate, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K, calcium, as well as chromium.
- Antioxidant properties: The vibrant green spears contain a variety of antioxidant compounds such as glutathione, flavonoids, and polyphenols. These antioxidants help neutralize cell-damaging free radicals, which plays a role in aging and many diseases.
- Heart health: Asparagus is particularly rich in folate, a B vitamin that can help regulate the level of the amino acid homocysteine in the blood. High levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
- Digestive health: Thanks to its high fiber content, asparagus promotes good digestive health. Fiber also provides nourishment for beneficial gut bacteria, which may boost your immune system.
- Great for pregnancy: Folate is essential for women who are planning on getting pregnant or who are currently pregnant because it can help protect against neural tube defects in the fetus. Asparagus provides a good source of folate for expectant mothers.
- Potential anti-cancer properties: Asparagus, like many other vegetables, contains high levels of antioxidants which may help lower the risk of certain forms of cancer. The glutathione found in asparagus is particularly noteworthy for its potential cancer-fighting properties.
Next time you’re at the market, grab a bunch of asparagus and savor its flavor as well as its boost to your health!
Hope you enjoy the Asparagus Risotto recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments, and don’t forget to rate the recipe.
xoxo
More Favorite spring Recipes
- Instant Pot Risotto!
- Summer Tomato Risotto with Saffron
- Seared Black Cod with Meyer Lemon Risotto and Gremolata
- Creamy Asparagus Soup
- Lemony Roasted Asparagus
- Fennel Crusted Halibut with Asparagus Sauce
Asparagus Risotto video
Asparagus Risotto Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: vegetarian, main,
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This Asparagus Risotto recipe is a delicious celebration of spring! It is vibrant, lemony, and creamy, made with fresh asparagus, lemon, leeks, and basil.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 large leek (or white onion, diced)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup white wine, optional- or skip it
- 3 1/2 cups hot vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup basil leaves (or sub flat leaf parsley)
- 1 lemon, zest and juice to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Optional Garnish: lemon zest, basil ribbons, pecorino cheese, optional toasted pinenuts (or other nuts or seeds), chili flakes (Urfa biber is nice) Leek oil (optional) or a drizzle of olive oil.
Instructions
Read the directions all the way through so you get a general idea of things here. 🙂
- Bring a small pot of salted water to boil on the stove to blanch asparagus.
- Prep the asparagus: Cut the fibrous ends off the asparagus and discard. (You can tell where this is by breaking an end off with your fingers, usually about an inch from bottom- and using this as a guide, cut the rest to match. Toss all the fibrous ends.) Cut the pretty tips off (about 1 1/2 inches) and set them aside. Cut the “middles” into 1-inch pieces. Take 1 1/2 cups of the “middles” and set aside (to blanch and blend into a creamy asparagus sauce) which we will stir into the risotto at the end to give it it’s beautiful vibrant color and creamy texture. Add any remaining “middles” to the tips pile and keep these set-aside. So you’ll have two piles of asparagus, 1 1/2 cups of the “middles” and one with the tips and leftover middles. Ha!
- Make the asparagus puree: In the small pot of boiling water, blanch the 1 1/2 cups of asparagus “middles” (without the tips) until tender and vibrant, about 5 minutes, depending on size. Drain, and reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Place both in the blender. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and basil leaves and blend until silky smooth. (Alternatively, use an immersion blender.) Set this aside to add to the risotto at the end.
- Start Risotto: Thinly slice leeks into half-moons, and rinsing away any dirt, strain. (Rinsing will also help prevent them form scorching.) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add leeks and garlic and saute until softened and fragrant.
- Add arborio rice and stir to coat, one minute. Deglaze with white wine (if using) and cook the wine off. Add 1 cup hot veggie broth, scraping up any browned bits, bring to a gentle simmer, over med-low heat stirring occasionally, letting the rice absorb the all the broth.
- Continue adding the hot broth 1 cup at a time, letting the rice absorb it slowly, each time, stirring often. ***At the same time that you add the last 1/2 cup of broth, add the fresh asparagus tips, letting them cook in the risotto 3 minutes or so. At this point, rice should be creamy yet slightly al dente.
- Combine: Stir in blended asparagus “puree”, add the salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice and taste. Adjust salt, pepper and lemon to taste. (Pecorino will add more depth and flavor here.) Heat gently over low heat letting it thicken a bit if you like, but taking care not to cook too long here, or you’ll lose the vibrant color.
- Divide among bowls, garnish with pecorino cheese, lemon zest and chili flakes or a drizzle of the optional leek oil.
Notes
To make this go faster, start the risotto and asparagus blanching at the same time- great for multitaskers! 😉
If you’d like to add a protein, add 1 cup peas or edamame to the risotto, or top the risotto with fish or seafood- scallops, shrimp, salmon, chicken or halibut, etc.
Sauteed mushrooms are nice here too, along with a drizzle of truffle oil. ;). Photos include Maitake Mushrooms.
Feel free to add toasted nuts or seeds.
Yes, you can make asparagus risotto in an Instant Pot, reducing the stock to two cups. Blanch the asparagus separately on the stove, make the creamy sauce, adding both to the instant pot AFTER pressure cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 2/3 cups with 1 tablespoon Romano cheese
- Calories: 357
- Sugar: 7.2 g
- Sodium: 1268.9 mg
- Fat: 21.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.5 g
- Fiber: 3.8 g
- Protein: 8.4 g
- Cholesterol: 9.8 mg
Heel lekker 😀
This is EXCEPTIONAL. I made it in stages – starting with the rice day before and cooked ¾ of the way. Also prepped asparagus day before. Really worth the effort. So DELICIOUS. Thank You ; )
That makes it easier! Glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely delicious. So creamy. Looking forward to making it again.
Great to hear this Rose!
I have to agree with Amy. If I had added all of the asparagus purée it would have been very soupy. I thought I had made an error. Fortunately I held back, and only used ~ 1/3. Next time I will use less water which I imagine will make the green more vibrant than mine was. All said and done, still tasted great. Thanks for another tasty dish!
Hi Paula- yes, depending on the level of heat on the stove, the recipe can vary quite a bit. I would cut back on the risotto broth, not the puree- as that is where the flavor is! And yes, if you can get the blender going with less water, feel free to do that instead!
Just delicious! I assume that, in step 6, you add both the asparagus tips and the remaining “asparagus middles” – at least that’s what I did. Also, I added some salt when cooking the first batch of asparagus middles, to ensure more bright green color. Outstanding!
So glad you enjoyed this Elizabeth!
The flavor was great. Unfortunately, we found that adding 1 cup of cooking liquid to the asparagus puree was way too much. We had to cook the risotto down too dry it out and the rice and asparagus were pretty mushy.
Oh shoot Amy- were all your other measurements pretty spot on?
Could this be made a day ahead? If so, how to store and reheat?
Hi Anne- I think flavor wise it would be fine but I worry about the color- may not be quite as virant green. I would undercook it slightly, store in the fridge in an airtight container, reheat gently on the stovetop adding a little broth.
The best risotto I’ve ever made! Thanks!
Love it!
The asparagus puree was bursting with flavor. It was so good that I chose to make the puree a little drier and not fully incorporate into the cooked risotto. This left ribbons and marbling of the puree. I had no basil so mine had a lovley, pure asparagus flavor and it was excellent that way. This is a wonderful springtime recipe to showcase the asparagus which my neighbors share from their garden
Sounds perfect Lynne! And garden fresh asparagus is such a treat!
Everything is 5 Star recipe on Sylvia’s site and this recipe is no exception. I especially like the asparagus purée which maintains the loose consistency needed for a proper risotto.
Thank you Sylvia.
We so appreciate you Mary❤️
Can I user orzo? Thank you!
Hi Dani, Orzo doesn not cook the same way as rice here.
Could you please include some more instructions for making this in the instant pot? Multitasking, tired mom here needing some explicit directions on how long to pressure cook, how much liquid, etc 🙂 thank you!
Hi Tanya! I would have to recipe test this for specific instructions. You could follow our Instant pot Risotto recipe, then add the puree and asparagus at the end.
Great recipe, easy and delicious
This is my go-to site never have I been disappointed. The vegan and vegetarian recipies are excellent.
Appreciate hearing this Vicki!
Excellent recipe! Will make again and again.