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    Home » Main dishes

    Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms & sausage

    Published: Jan 14, 2019 · Modified: May 7, 2023 by Cadry Nelson
    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Text: Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms and sausage. Vegan risotto in bowl with mushrooms and seitan sausage by a red napkin.

    Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms and sausage isn’t difficult to make. But it does take a bit of babying.

    The effort is totally worth it – bite after luxurious bite.

    Creamy vegan risotto in bowl with mushrooms and seitan sausage.

    Thank you to Herbivorous Butcher for sponsoring today’s post! The contents, photos, and opinions expressed are fully my own.

    This time of year, it’s hard to fight against the pull of cozy.

    A warm home, thick slippers, and a couple of purring cats are endlessly persuasive when the air is biting and gray.

    So what’s a person to do on special occasions or when you’d like a romantic date night but can’t bear to fight the cold?

    Bring the fun of going out to the comfort of your own kitchen with creamy vegan risotto.

    This vegan risotto recipe features mushrooms, cashew cream, and seitan sausage from The Herbivorous Butcher.

    Arborio rice & cashew cream adds extra creaminess

    Risotto has “special occasion” written all over it, because it does take a little more attention than your standard weeknight rice dish.

    (Perfect for vegan Christmas dinner or Easter!)

    However, it’s not complicated to make.

    It just means that you have to focus on the one thing you’re doing.

    For this risotto, I used Arborio rice.

    It is a plump grain that holds its shape, and has a starchiness that lends itself to risotto.

    But this vegan risotto is not just creamy from the rice alone.

    I also finish it with cashew cream. It’s almost like vegan risotto meets mushroom alfredo.

    It makes for a really indulgent, full-bodied dish that feels downright decadent.

    Step by step instructions

    Herbivorous Butcher garlic sausage in skillet.

    Start by browning bite-sized pieces of seitan sausage in a large skillet.

    Then move them to a plate for later.

    Sauteed mushrooms, onions, and garlic in skillet.

    Then sauté mushrooms in the skillet until they release their juices and brown.

    Push them to one side of the skillet, and add onions and garlic.

    Sauté until fragrant.

    Add the Arborio rice, thyme, rosemary, and pepper.

    Get everything fully coated.

    Then it’s time to start slowly adding in vegetable broth – one or two ladles at a time from a pot of warm vegetable broth on the stove.

    Skillet with Arborio rice, mushrooms, and spices.

    With each ladling of broth, allow the rice to fully soak it up before adding another.

    Keep stirring.

    As it cooks, the risotto will start to thicken.

    Keep adding ladle after ladle of broth until you run out.

    This will take about 25 minutes. By the time you finish, the rice should be al dente.

    Add cashew cream to the pan (made with raw cashews and water).

    Also add the seitan sausage back into the pan.

    Combine everything and let it cook for about a minute more.

    The risotto should be creamy and luxurious, but not overly wet.

    Vegan risotto on plate with seitan steak and steamed broccoli.

    Serve this creamy vegan risotto with seitan filet mignon, and a green vegetable like steamed broccoli or grilled asparagus.

    Have leftovers?

    Repurpose your risotto into vegan arancini.

    Leftovers have never been better.

    Close up vegan risotto with mushrooms, seitan sausage, and thyme.

    📖 Recipe

    Vegan risotto with mushrooms and seitan sausage.

    Creamy vegan risotto with mushrooms & sausage

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    4.86 from 7 votes
    This full-bodied risotto is extra creamy by way of cashew cream. It’s a vegan main or side dish that really feels like an indulgence. It’s loaded with mushrooms and seitan sausage. Worthy of a date night! Makes about 3 ½ cups of risotto.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 38 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 48 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: dairy free, rice, vegan, vegetarian
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cashews*
    • ½ cup water
    • 3 ½ cups vegetable broth**
    • 2 teaspoons organic canola oil or other neutral-flavored high heat oil, divided
    • 1 cup 6 ounces chopped seitan sausage (I used Herbivorous Butcher garlic sausage), small to medium bite-sized pieces
    • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
    • Pinch of salt
    • ½ cup chopped yellow onions
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 cup Arborio rice
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
    • Pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Make the cashew cream. Put the raw cashews into a high speed blender with ½ cup of water. Blend until it is completely smooth, a thick cashew cream. Set aside.
    • Bring a small pot of vegetable broth to a low heat on the stove. You’ll come back to it in a bit.
    • Bring a large non-stick skillet to a medium heat with one teaspoon of oil. Brown the seitan sausage pieces in the skillet to give them some color on both sides. This should just take a couple of minutes. Remove the sausage pieces from the skillet, and transfer them to a plate for later.
    • Add a half teaspoon of oil to the skillet, as well as the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Allow the mushrooms to release their liquid and brown in the skillet. Once the mushrooms are brown on one side, flip them. (Moving the mushrooms too often will slow their browning.)
    • Once the mushrooms have some nice color, push them to one side of the skillet. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of oil to the empty side of the skillet, along with chopped onions & garlic. Saute the onions and garlic for a couple minutes, until fragrant. Then stir them together with the mushrooms.
    • Add Arborio rice, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and a grind of black pepper to the skillet. Use a spatula to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Cook for a minute or so.
    • Now it’s time to start incorporating the warm broth. Add one or two ladles of warm broth to the skillet. Stir the Arborio rice mixture almost constantly. The ingredients in the skillet should be at a low simmer. You don’t want everything to boil off quickly, but you also don’t want the heat so low that it takes forever to cook.
    • Once the rice has fully absorbed the first round of broth, add another ladleful and allow that to be absorbed, continuing to stir often. Keep going in this manner – ladle by ladle – until all of the broth is used. (Once the broth is gone out of the small pot, remember to turn off the heat.) As it cooks, the risotto will start to thicken. It should take about 25 minutes for all of the broth to be absorbed into the rice. Take a bite. The rice should be perfectly al dente. (It’s unlikely, but if it still feels too hard, you can add a splash more of water to the rice until it reaches the right texture.)
    • Now it’s time to add the cashew cream. Pour the cashew cream into the skillet, and fully combine. Add the browned sausage to the skillet as well. Allow the risotto to cook for a minute or so longer, and for the sausage to warm up again. The risotto should be velvety and rich. Taste for salt & pepper, and add more if necessary. Serve right away.

    Video

    Notes

    *If you aren’t using a high speed blender, you’ll need to soak the raw cashews in additional water for several hours to soften and then drain before continuing with the recipe. Or grind the dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder until they are fine like a flour. Then add them to your standard blender with the water. If you’re using a high speed blender, you can skip this step.
    **If you’d prefer, instead of vegetable broth you can use 3 ½ cups of water + 1 Tablespoon Better Than Bouillon in the no-chicken base. Just stir the Better Than Bouillon into the warm water until it dissolves.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 6g | Sodium: 986mg | Potassium: 374mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 3.5mg
    Recipe video music: https://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

    Originally posted January 2019. Content updated October 2019 to remove Valentine’s Day pack information, since it’s not currently available. 

    This is a sponsored post with a brand that I use in my own home. Posts like these help me keep fresh recipes coming your way!

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, photographer, and recipe creator behind Cadry’s Kitchen, a vegan food & lifestyle blog started in 2009. Through approachable recipes, vegan travel guides, and down-to-earth discussions on the social aspects of being vegan, Cadry shows that living a vegan lifestyle is deliciously uncomplicated. Cadry has been featured on NBC News, Mashable, Today, Reader's Digest, Yahoo, Delish, Shape, and Huffington Post.

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    1. Rene

      November 16, 2021 at 9:15 am

      5 stars
      I made this risotto last night and suffice to say it was a big hit. This was my first time making risotto and it was pretty easy, just a little time consuming, but well worth it. The cashew cream takes this recipe to another level. I will say if you like I doubled the mushrooms required in the recipe and it could of used more, ( I like mushrooms) but everything else was spot on. Thank you for this delicious recipe. I was wondering if you post a rice pudding recipe,

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        December 02, 2021 at 1:27 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Rene! That’s a great suggestion for mushroom lovers. I don’t currently have a rice pudding recipe on my site, but I’ll think about adding one!

        Reply
    2. D'arne

      June 14, 2021 at 3:59 am

      4 stars
      Great recipe, Thank you so much 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        June 14, 2021 at 12:58 pm

        You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply
    3. Stephanie

      February 18, 2019 at 6:39 pm

      5 stars
      Cadry’s risotto was great! Very easy to make, but so delicious and creamy!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        February 19, 2019 at 9:52 am

        I’m so glad to hear it! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know.

        Reply
    4. Amber

      February 18, 2019 at 9:20 am

      5 stars
      Such a delicious recipe and you made it so easy for a newbie like me! 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        February 18, 2019 at 9:23 am

        I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Amber! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Shell

      January 14, 2019 at 12:25 pm

      So true! That is probably why I haven’t been to one since. I would only be disappointed!

      Reply
    6. Shell

      January 14, 2019 at 11:33 am

      This meal looks cozy, romantic and delicious! I’ve only been to a fondue restaurant once…best birthday party ever! 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 14, 2019 at 11:43 am

        Thanks, Shell! Your expectations for fondue restaurants must be astronomically high now. You got a husband and two kids out of it!

        Reply
    7. Dianne

      January 14, 2019 at 10:19 am

      5 stars
      This meal looks so divine, I think I need to order it! I really prefer staying home on Valentine’s Day to avoid the crowds and high price tags on meals. That risotto you made looks amazing, so I may not wait until February 14th to make it!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 16, 2019 at 10:22 am

        I feel the same way about going to restaurants on Valentine’s Day. It’s always a lot more crowded, expensive, and LESS romantic than any other day of the year. Nothing like sitting & waiting for a table to make a night feel special… I much prefer to dine at home on Valentine’s Day. I can’t wait to hear what you think of the risotto!

        Reply
    8. becky

      January 14, 2019 at 9:11 am

      5 stars
      CADRY! This risotto looks like creamy perfection, and I NEED that Valentine’s Day spread! I’m sending a link to my Valentine right now!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 16, 2019 at 10:21 am

        It’s super creamy! Definitely give the risotto a whirl when you get the chance, and I hope your Valentine picks up the hint you’re dropping!

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cadry!

    I’m a longtime vegan. (16 years!) But I grew up eating a Standard American Diet. I know that all of us crave foods that are familiar, comforting, and delicious.

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