This beetroot risotto, made with cooked beets and Arborio rice, is a perfect blend of sweet, savory, and earthy flavors with a velvety creamy texture. This stunning, comforting meal is perfect for any occasion and a great way to add beets to your weekly menu.
If you are a fan of traditional risotto, this beetroot risotto is a great way to have a restaurant-quality meal at home. It is very easy to make and looks visually stunning on a table, making it a great choice for parties, Valentine’s Day dinners, or a date night. Pair it with a fresh salad or serve it as a side dish with roasted chicken, duck, lamb, or baked salmon.
My beetroot recipes have always been a hit and have become famous among my friends and family. Over the years, I have mastered how to prepare them in so many different ways (boiling, roasting, air-frying, or pickling) and pair them with bold flavors like goat cheese (just like in this arugula, goat cheese and beet salad), and warm spices (roasted golden beets), fish (herring under a coat salad) to create flavorful dishes.
Many forget about this root vegetable, but not me - I grew up in a family that grew them in their garden every year. Now, they’re a key ingredient in my kitchen.
If you look in my fridge, I always have them fresh or cooked, ready to use. Once a week, I boil or roast whole beets, and use them throughout the week in different recipes.
My family's recent favorites have been pasta with beet sauce, beetroot hummus, and sweet beetroot waffles. Beets are one of my favorite vegetables because they are absolutely delicious and can add a beautiful color to any dish.
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Ingredients
You can find ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Risotto rice: Arborio is the most common type of rice used for risotto and it is easy to find. Carnaroli is the next best option.
- Broth: I used chicken broth as it adds a nice savory flavor to the dish. Vegetable stock is also a great option.
- White wine: whine is optional and you can simply skip it.
- Yellow onion or shallot: both are good for making risotto. Shallot has a milder taste.
- Garlic: fresh garlic or garlic powder, in case if you do not have a fresh one on hand.
- Fresh beets: you will need one medium red beet.
- Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled: you can also use any other blue cheese instead. If you do not like blue cheese, try it with the goat cheese instead
Step-by-step recipe instructions
Boil whole beets for about 30-50 minutes until tender.
Blend the beets in a blender or food processor with about ½ cup of broth or water. Set the beet puree aside for now.
In a small pot, pour in the broth and keep it hot over low heat throughout the whole cooking process.
In a large high-sided pan or deep skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and butter. Add diced onion, and minced garlic and saute over medium until translucent and fragrant for 2-3 minutes.
Add measured Arborio rice to the pan and stir to coat the grains of rice coated with oil and butter. Toast the rice for a couple of minutes over low-medium heat until fragrant.
Pour in the white wine (if using) and let it cook over medium heat, stirring it frequently, until the wine evaporates.
Add one ladleful of hot chicken broth to the rice. Stir continuously until mostly absorbed, keeping the heat on medium-high. Add more broth and repeat the process 5-6 times or until the rice is creamy but still slightly al dente in the middle.
After you add the last ladle with broth, pour the beetroot puree. Continue stirring until the rice the most of the liquid is absorbed. The risotto will become pink.Add cheese and butter. Now, stir in crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (if using), grated Parmesan, and the remaining butter.
Taste the risotto and add more salt (if needed) and black pepper to taste. You can finish the risotto with a little bit of lemon juice and lemon zest.
Recipe tips
- You can cook the beetroot the day before and keep it in the fridge for up too 3 days.
- Make sure to keep the broth hot during the whole cooking process.
- Properly cooked risotto should remain al dente (with a slight bite in the middle).
- If you do not have a blender, you can cut the beets into small cubes or grate it using the large holes of a box grater.
- Turn risotto leftovers into fun arancini or suppli croquettes.
How to store and reheat
You probably already know that risotto tastes best when fresh and right off the stove. But if you happen to have some leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The best way to reheat the risotto is in a small saucepan, by adding a splash of water or broth to loosen the texture, and gently warming it over low heat while stirring it frequently to preserve its creamy consistency.
Frequently asked questions
While you can use canned beets to make this dish, using fresh ones add better flavor and a brighter pink color to the dish. If you do not have time to cook the beets, try my quick microwave method for cooking whole beetroots or you can buy vacuum-sealed "ready-to-eat" cooked beets at the grocery store.
Yes, use a plant-based butter and vegetable broth instead of butter and chicken broth, replace parmesan with nutritional yeast. You can also stir in some plant-based milk at the end to make the risotto creamy.
You can use boiled or roasted beet to make this risotto. Both will provide flavor and add pink color to the dish. I prefer using boiled beets, as they blend better and get mixed into the risotto seamlessly. But roasted beets, on the other hand, have a deeper flavor. If you plan to use diced beet to the dish, roasted one is a better option.
📖 Recipe
Beetroot Risotto
Equipment
- 1 small pot
- 1 large skillet or pot
- 1 blender or food processor
- 1 ladle
Ingredients
- 1 medium beet, cooked and peeled
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion or shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups Arborio rice
- ½ cup (optional) dry white wine
- 5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium
- 4-5 tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled or more too taste
- ½ cups grated Parmesan
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a blender or a food processor, add 1 medium beet, cooked and peeled and about ¼ cup of water or broth. Blend it until once consistency. Set beet puree aside.
- Add 5-6 cups chicken or vegetable broth, low sodium to the saucepan. Heat it over medium heat and keep it on low heat during the whole cooking process.
- In a large skillet or a pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small onion or shallot, diced and 2 garlic cloves, minced. Saute over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add 2 cups Arborio rice to the skillet and stir it for 2-3 minutes to lightly toast the grains over medium heat, sure they are well coated with the oil.
- Pour in½ cup (optional) dry white wine (if using) and cook it for 2-3 minutes until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Slowly start adding the hot broth to the rice, one full ladle at a time. Stir the rice continuously, allowing each portion of broth to be absorbed before adding the next one. Continue the process of adding broth and stirring for about 18-23 minutes or until the rice becomes creamy but remains al dente in the middle.
- Pour blended puree and stir into the cooked risotto.
- Take the risotto off the heat. Add 4-5 tablespoons Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled , ½ cups grated Parmesan and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Gently stir it until incorporated into the rice.
- Give risotto a taste and add some salt (if needed) and black pepper to taste. You can add some lemon juice and lemon zest before serving. Garnish with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley and serve!
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