Creamy Lemon Risotto
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For a creamy and decadent, gluten free side dish, make this Lemon Risotto recipe. With tender Arborio, parmesan, and fresh basil, this lemon rice tastes fantastic with any protein!
This lemon risotto has a bright, refreshing flavor, and the fresh basil and parmesan transform it into something extra special.
To make a decadent and indulgent risotto, many restaurants add a splash of cream and/or a pat of butter to the rice at the end of the cook time.
Because our focus is creating healthy recipes, this lemon risotto recipe is lower in fat and calories than traditional risotto recipes. The good news is, you can create a creamy, cheesy risotto without fat!
Don’t let the thought of making the lemon rice intimidate you, because our recipe is easy to make!
It pairs well with many different proteins, too. It’s perfect as a lighter side for chicken recipes like chicken cacciatore, and healthy chicken piccata. If pork chops, pot roast, or honey garlic shrimp are on your menu, make this easy healthy rice dish – it’s incredible with those proteins as well!
Liz’s Tips for Perfect Lemon Risotto
- Use a shallow, wide pan. The wider cooking surface area helps the rice absorb the cooking liquid more quickly.
- Cook the dish over low heat. The low heat allows the starches in the rice to thicken the dish and make a creamy cheese risotto. Using high heat will prevent this from happening!
- Be sure the broth is warm, and add it gradually. Again, so that the starches in the rice can release properly into the broth, you want to add about 1/2 cup of stock at a time.
- Wait for the rice to absorb one batch of liquid before adding the next.
- Stir continuously. Make sure to stir the rice constantly during cooking to prevent it from burning.
- Use high quality cheese, and grate it fresh. Please avoid using parmesan from the green plastic canister. Use a block of real parmesan cheese, and grate it yourself for the best cheese risotto.
If you love the flavor combination of lemon and basil, be sure to check out our recipe for Lemon Basil Vinaigrette. It’s a delicious and healthy salad dressing!
Ingredients
A citrus juicer and citrus zester will also be helpful to have!
Substitutions and recipe variations
Arborio rice: If you want to make this recipe using a short grain brown rice instead of white, you certainly can. Just be aware that brown rice requires more liquid and more time to cook than white. Arborio rice is the best rice for risotto!
Broth: Broth and stock are essentially the same thing and can be used interchangeably. Depending on what main dish you’re serving the lemon rice with, you can use beef broth, chicken broth, or vegetable broth. We typically make this dish with low sodium chicken broth.
Basil: You can substitute the basil with your favorite fresh herb. Parsley, sage, oregano, and tarragon are all delicious options! We recommend using fresh herbs for this recipe.
Add Veggies! Soft vegetables like roasted peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms would be delicious additions to this recipe. If you’re a veggie lover, you might want to make this vegetable risotto!
Gluten free risotto – The rice and all of the other ingredients in the lemon risotto recipe are generally considered to be gluten free. Just be sure to check ingredient labels to ensure that it was manufactured in a gluten-free facility.
How to Make Creamy Lemon Risotto
This is just a summary of the steps involved in making the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full instructions, or click on the Jump to Recipe button, below.
- Sauté onions and garlic. Heat olive oil in large sauté pan then add onions and garlic to olive oil. Sauté until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
- Stir in uncooked rice. Add warm chicken broth, 1/2 cup at a time. Wait until one portion of broth is absorbed before adding the next.
- When rice is tender, stir in cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in fresh basil.
risotto recipe FAQ
With cheese, basil, and fresh citrus, we think our lemon risotto recipe creates a dish with plenty of flavor! If you want to add more flavor, you could add some minced shallot, or substitute shallot for the onion.
Restaurants do a lot of par-cooking of ingredients and dishes that normally take quite a while to prepare. By preparing risotto to the point where cheese and dairy products are typically added, it can be chilled and kept in a refrigerator until it’s needed.
No, because rinsing the rice removes the starch, which is necessary for creating the creamy consistency.
storage
Refrigerator: The lemon rice will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container. However, risotto is a dish that is best eaten immediately after it is made, because it’s difficult to reheat without it becoming gummy or sticky.
Freezing: We haven’t tried freezing risotto. Because we don’t think it will freeze well, we don’t recommend it.
Reheating: If you have leftovers of lemon parmesan risotto, you can reheat them in a pan on the stove over medium heat. If the consistency is very thick and/or sticky, you can try to thin it out a bit by adding a couple of tablespoons of stock, water, or butter.
Serving suggestions
Risotto is a really versatile side dish, so it goes with almost any protein! Our favorite way to serve it is with Baked Chicken Cutlets and Roasted Carrots (pictured above)!
It’s also great with Crockpot Turkey Breast or Crockpot Whole Chicken with Roasted Brussels Sprouts!
As we mentioned earlier, this side dish pairs really well with most meat proteins. If you want to serve a plant-based dinner, the cheesy risotto is delicious with legumes like beans and lentils, either stirred in or served on the side.
Other healthy side dishes you might like
Creamy Lemon Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped onions
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1 cup arborio rice or other short grain rice
- 2 ½ cups chicken stock low or no sodium
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese freshly grated from a block
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup lemon juice juice of 1-2 lemons
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup finely chopped basil leaves
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a 4-quart (or larger) sauté or sauce pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions and garlic to olive oil. Sauté until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add in uncooked rice and ½ cup chicken broth. Stir together, cover the pan, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until liquid is almost entirely absorbed, then stir in another ½ cup broth. Repeat the process until all broth has been added and absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
- Remove pan from heat, stir in cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then stir in fresh basil.
- Serve immediately, and enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to add the liquid gradually, about 1/2 cup at a time, and cook the rice over medium-low heat.
- Stir constantly to prevent the risotto from burning.
- You can substitute the basil with your favorite fresh herb. Parsley, sage, oregano, and tarragon are all delicious options.
Incredible! Made it with a combo of fresh basil, oregano and rosemary. Used 2 lemons and served with seared scallops and grilled asparagus. Yum. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Wow, this came out as a perfect risotto for us. Well cooked, creamy and flavorful. The lemon and basil flavors transferred perfectly to the risotto. My wife loves both risotto and basil and this hit both those spots for her. Thank you.
So happy you both enjoyed it! Thank you so much!
Will try this one for the first time to make resotto
Delicious! I used limes because I had no lemons and it was as tasty. Also very easy, no fuss to make! Saving it for future dinners!