Instant Pot Cheddar Risotto with Fresh Sage

4 from 97 votes

Instant Pot Cheddar Risotto with Fresh Sage ~ you must try it, the flavor and texture is so luxurious, and all from a handful of common ingredients. (Did you know risotto takes 6 minutes in the Instant Pot?)

Total Time20 mins

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Sue Moran

Ingredients

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup (heaped) arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed (use veggie stock for vegetarian)
5-6 large fresh sage leaves, more for garnish
4 ounces good cheddar cheese, grated
salt and fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Plug in the Instant Pot and push sauté. Set to medium. Add the oil and butter and when they are hot, add the rice. Stir to coat the rice and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add the wine to the pot and stir until it mostly evaporates, just a minute or two. Press Cancel.
Add the stock and sage leaves to the pot and give everything a stir. Scrape down the sides of the pot if there is any rice sticking to it. Lock on the cover and set the vent to Seal. Press Pressure Cook and set for 6 minutes.
When the machine beeps wait 5 minutes, then release the pressure valve. When the pressure has come down, remove the lid.
Remove the sage leaves and stir in the cheese. Stir until it has completely melted and everything is creamy. If you like you can add a bit more hot chicken stock at this point if you like your risotto with a looser consistency.
Check the seasonings and ladle the risotto into bowls. Garnish with a fresh sage leaf or two and a grinding of black pepper.

Notes

Variations~

Sauté a finely chopped shallot in the butter before adding the rice.
Leave out the wine and use more stock if you don't want the alcohol.
Use another flavorful hard cheese like Asiago, Gruyere or Manchego if you like.
If sage isn't your thing, try fresh thyme.

No Instant Pot?

Follow the recipe up to step 2 in a Dutch oven on the stove.
You'll need to heat up double the amount of stock (maybe more) and stir it in, ladle by ladle, as you slowly cook the rice, stirring constantly, until it is tender. Taste the rice and if it isn't tender, keep adding more stock and cook longer. This might take 30 minutes or more.
Proceed with steps 5 and 6.

Nutrition