Instant Pot Farro Risotto with Mushrooms
This creamy risotto is made with farro instead of traditional arborio rice, for a heartier, healthier risotto made in an Instant Pot. Mushrooms and Parmesan cheese give this vegetarian risotto a delicious, salty flavor!
Risotto is one of my favorite comfort food recipes. But traditional risotto recipes require you to stand by the stove, tediously stirring broth into the arborio rice. Instead of standing by the stove all evening, I decided to turn to my pressure cooker for a little help! And since I was changing things up anyway, I decided to use farro instead of arborio rice. It has a chewier texture but it still gives you a thick and creamy risotto. Plus, it’s a hearty whole grain!
If you have leftover mushrooms, try my vegetarian mushroom soup or this tasty mushroom pasta!
What is Farro?
Farro is an ancient grain, full of protein, fiber, and other nutrients! The taste is heartier and chewier than brown rice and is sometimes confused with spelt. Because it is a type of wheat, it is not gluten-free. There are a few different types of farro:
- Pearled Farro: This is the most common type of farro and it’s the type that we’ll use in this recipe. It’s a bit less nutritious because it’s had the bran removed, but it has the shortest cook time.
- Semi-pearled farro: As the name suggests, this type of farro has had part of the bran removed. It takes a bit longer to cook than pearled farro and it has more of a nutty flavor.
- Whole farro: This type of farro includes the whole wheat bran, which makes it the most nutritious but it also takes the longest to cook. This type of farro typically needs to be soaked overnight before cooking.
Because farro doesn’t have as much starch as arborio rice, it helps to break down the farro a bit before cooking. Add the pearled farro to a blender or food processor and pulse 8-10 times. This will create a better texture for the risotto.
How to Make Farro Risotto
After 13 minutes, quick release the pressure.
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Instant Pot Farro Risotto with Mushrooms
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Risotto
Description
This creamy risotto is made with farro instead of traditional arborio rice, for a heartier, healthier risotto. Mushrooms and Parmesan cheese give this vegetarian risotto a delicious, salty flavor!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pearled farro
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, minced
- 8 oz baby bella or button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups broth
- 2 oz parmesan cheese (about ¾ cup shredded)
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, add the farro and pulse 8-10 times to break down the grains.
- Set the pressure cooker to saute.
- Add the butter and saute until melted.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 3 minutes, stirring to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable broth and farro and stir.
- Set the pressure cooker to manual for 13 minutes.
- After 13 minutes, quick release the pressure.
- Stir in parmesan and add salt to taste. Add additional broth, if needed.
I like to top each bowl with a little extra sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
How to Reheat Farro Risotto
You can reheat this in the microwave for a quick meal. I recommend heating in 1-minute intervals, stirring frequently. You may want to add a splash of broth or water to loosen the risotto and bring back the creamy texture. You can also reheat on the stove. Add a splash of water to a small pot. Add the risotto and stir while heating until heated through. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers.
What to Serve with Farro Risotto
I love serving this dish with a green vegetable or salad. Try pairing this risotto with my Spicy Kale Salad or pair it with these Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts. If you’re short on time, these 10 Minute Green Beans make a great quick and easy side dish. Or you can make these Easy Sauteed Brussels Sprouts on the stovetop!
Other Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker Recipes
Here are a few of my favorites!
Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below!
Can you make this with 10 minute farro?
I made this with Shitake mushrooms and added fresh sprigs of sage, thyme and rosemary to the pot. Topped with Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. Delicious! Will definitely be saving this recipe 🙏🏻🥰
I’ve made this twice now. The first time I changed absolutely nothing, except the cook time. I tried pulsing my farro in my food processor AND blender, but neither did anything to it. Either I have some stale farro, crappy equipment, or the harder version you talked about. I just added 4 minutes to the time under pressure, and it turned out great. Flavor and texture was incredible.
Tonight I made some changes – also incredible.
Small changes I made:
-I added about half an oz of dried mushrooms (soak in boiling water, then drain [preserving the liquid], chop, and add during the garlic stage), just because I’ve had them for a while and thought this would be a good chance to use them.
-Also added a little fresh marjoram and thyme at the garlic stage, because I like fresh herbs with mushrooms.
-For the cooking liquid, I mixed 1.5 c vegetable broth and 1.5 c of the liquid I soaked the mushrooms in.
-Fresh chopped parsley to garnish.
Soooo inceedibly good. My husband and 4 year old destroyed it both times! Thank you so much for recipe.
Thank you for sharing those changes!! I’m glad to hear it! Pulsing the grains should help release the starch and make it a bit creamier but adding a little extra time instead is a great idea!
I haven’t had farro in a while but I do appreciate the taste of it. I’ll have to try making this because I’ve been in a mushroom mood lately. (which typing out sounds funny ha ha).
Now, that’s what called Perfection. Keep up!!