Instant Pot Lemon Saffron Risotto
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This delicious Lemon Saffron Risotto can be ready in just 35 minutes!
The first time I ever had Risotto was at a lovely Italian restaurant. I was decided to venture outside of my comfort zone and order something other than pasta for a change. I ordered a simple white wine risotto and was immediately hooked. Risotto is hearty, creamy, flavourful and satisfying. It checks many of the same boxes as a delicious pasta dish and goes beautifully with seafood, chicken, and beef. It also makes an amazing vegetarian meal when served alongside grilled or sauteed veggies.
This Lemon Saffron Risotto is everything you want from a risotto, without the necessity of standing over it at the stove top. It’s smooth, creamy and flavourful. The sauteed garlic and onion creates a beautiful flavour base for this risotto, while the saffron adds an earthy complexity that complimented by the creamy rice, sharp parmesan, and tangy lemon. It’s a delicious meal on it’s own, or served as a side to meat or seafood of your choice. I promise that once you try this recipe it will change the way you think about rice! Best of all, in the Instant Pot this delicious meal can be on your table in 35 minutes!
TOTAL TIME
- Preparation Time – 5 minutes
- Cooking Time – 30 minutes
- Total Time – 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS FOR LEMON SAFFRON RISOTTO
All the ingredients for this risotto are easy to source from any local grocer.
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Large onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 1 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/4 cup White Wine
- 4 cups Chicken Broth, preferably homemade
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
- Lemon Zest, if desired
WHAT IS ARBORIO RICE?
Arborio rice is a short grain Italian rice that is often used for risotto. It has a high starch content and absorbs less liquid, resulting in a sticky, compact, creamy risotto.
WHAT IS SAFFRON?
Saffron is a spice harvested from the stamen of the Saffron Crocus. It is harvested by hand in the fall when the flower blooms. It adds an amazing depth to this dish. More information about this beautiful spice can be found here.
CAN I USE OLD WINE IN MY LEMON SAFFRON RISOTTO?
Often I hear people comment that they have an open bottle that’s starting to go off, so they’ll just use it for cooking. I don’t understand this. White wine imparts beautiful flavour to this meal, so why would you use a bottle that’s starting to sour? You wouldn’t! Although this risotto only uses a quarter cup of wine, the flavour is still integral to the dish. That said, you certainly don’t need to buy an expensive bottle specifically for this meal. Simply use something you enjoy the taste of, because that is the flavour that will be imparted to your dish.
CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?
Absolutely! Simply use vegetable stock in place of chicken broth in a one to one substitution. As long as you use a flavourful broth, the results will still be delicious.
SHOULD I RINSE MY RICE BEFORE COOKING?
Unlike regular cooked rice, you should never ever rinse your rice before cooking risotto! Rinsing rice reduces it’s starch content and prevents it from sticking together. Risotto rice needs to maintain it’s sticky consistency as it’s key to creating a a creamy risotto.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF RICE?
Carnaroli is an excellent substitute for Arborio rice. It is also a short grained Italian rice with a high starch content that doesn’t absorb too much liquid and keeps it’s shape well in the risotto.
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHEESE?
This beautiful dish works best with a salty, hard cheese. Pecorino and Grana Padano would both work as substitutes for Parmesan.
CAN I USE PREPACKAGED LEMON JUICE INSTEAD OF FRESH LEMON?
Prepackaged lemon juice can be used in some meals without any ill effect: this is not one of those meals. Lemon juice is the one of the stars of this beautiful risotto, so you absolutely need to use freshly squeezed lemon in this pasta.
CAN I SUBSTITUTE A DIFFERENT SPICE FOR SAFFRON?
Some people believe that Turmeric can be substituted for Saffron as it will add a similar yellow colour to your rice. Turmeric will colour your rice like Saffron, but it will not add the earthy bitterness imparted by this beautiful spice. Don’t use a substitution.
EQUIPMENT FOR INSTANT POT LEMON SAFFRON RISOTTO
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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make Lemon Saffron Risotto:
- Instant Pot – I find the Instant Pot to be a wonderful tool for the preparation of risotto. It allows me to walk away while it’s cooking without concern, and it reduces the cooking time exponentially while still producing a creamy risotto . I highly recommend purchasing this tool if you like to make risotto.
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mortar and Pestle
COOKING DIRECTIONS
If you follow a few simple rules, this delicious Instant Pot Saffron Risotto will turn out perfectly the first time!
- Keep an eye on your onion and garlic to ensure it doesn’t burn.
- Use real saffron in your risotto.
- Never ever rinse your rice!
MAKE AHEAD STORAGE
None of the ingredients for this Saffron Rice Risotto can be made in advance.
You can refrigerate and keep this delicious dish for up to three days. It will reheat well, just drizzle a bit of olive oil on it first.
FINISHED DISH
Enjoy your amazing Instant Pot Lemon Saffron Risotto!
OTHER DISHES WITH SAFFRON
Black Bean Enchiladas with Saffron Rice
OTHER DISHES WITH LEMON
Chickpea Feta Salad with Tahini Lemon Dressing
Shrimp and Scallop Pasta with Lemon
The Fluffiest Lemon Raspberry Scone Recipe
Orecchiette Pasta with Peas and Pancetta
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.
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Instant Pot Lemon Saffron Risotto
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted butter divided
- 1 Large onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 pinch Saffron
- 1 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
- 1/4 cup White wine
- 4 cups Chicken broth preferably homemade
- 1/2 cup Grated parmesan
- Lemon zest optional
Instructions
- On the sautee function of your instant pot melt 1 tablespoon of butter and the olive oil.
- Finely chop the onion and add it to the pot.
- Sautee for 5 minutes until the onion has softened and started to brown.
- Finely grate the garlic into the pot and mix, then cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the rice and salt and cook while stirring for 5 minutes.
- Grind the saffron with a mortar and pestle.
- Pour the saffron into the pot, then put the wine in the mortar and pour it into the pot as well.
- Stir and cook for 1 minute until the wine has been absorbed.
- Add the broth and lemon juice, stir and close the Instant Pot.
- Cook for 6 minutes on high pressure, then release the pressure manually.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sautee and add the second tablespoon of butter and grated parmesan, cook for 5 minutes.
- Serve with lemon zest and more parmesan if desired.
This dish sounds amazing! I make rice often but I haven’t had risotto in years. The white wine, lemon, saffron combination sounds too good to resist. Thank you for sharing your recipe and for including tips/substitutions for those who want to experiment.
This looks delicious and super easy to make using the Instant Pot.. I have never had lemon saffron risotto before but it looks like something I would enjoy. I will have to give this a try sometime.
What lovely photos! I enjoy eating risotto, but I haven’t made it in awhile. Thanks for the inspiration!
Perfect for dinner tonight! You just reminded me that I haven’t made a risotto in a while; it’s time!:))