Deeply savoury, creamy and packed with mushroom flavour, this Porcini Mushroom Risotto is the sort of dinner that makes a handful of dried mushrooms feel remarkably luxurious. Dried porcini are soaked until tender, then both the mushrooms and their intensely flavoured soaking liquid are used to build the risotto, so none of that wonderful woodland flavour goes to waste.
Our i4C version layers the porcini with golden fresh mushrooms, Parmesan and crispy sage. Rather than loading the risotto with cream, the characteristic silky texture comes from slowly cooking the rice with hot stock before finishing with cold butter and Parmesan. A final spoonful of buttery mushrooms and crisp sage leaves gives the dish contrast, so it tastes rich without becoming heavy.
Why You'll Love This Porcini Mushroom Risotto
- Big mushroom flavour. Dried porcini brings a concentrated earthy flavour that's difficult to achieve with fresh mushrooms alone.
- Nothing is wasted. The porcini soaking liquid becomes part of the cooking stock, carrying even more mushroom flavour into the rice.
- Naturally creamy without cream. Gradually adding stock and finishing with butter and Parmesan creates the glossy, flowing consistency a good risotto should have.
- Fresh and dried mushrooms. Porcini provide depth while golden sautéed mushrooms add texture and caramelised flavour.
- Crispy sage makes the difference. Buttery sage leaves bring fragrance and crunch to an otherwise beautifully soft dish.
- Dinner in around 40 minutes. It feels special but uses straightforward techniques and largely store cupboard ingredients.
What Is Porcini Mushroom Risotto?
Porcini mushroom risotto is an Italian-style rice dish made by gradually cooking risotto rice with stock and porcini mushrooms until the grains are tender while the surrounding liquid becomes creamy.
Porcini, also known as Boletus edulis or ceps, are particularly prized for their rich, earthy and deeply savoury flavour. Dried porcini become especially concentrated and are rehydrated before cooking.
The soaking liquid is one of the best parts. It takes on much of the porcini flavour and can be strained and incorporated into the stock, effectively giving you a naturally intense mushroom broth before the risotto has even started cooking.
Porcini Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
For the Porcini Risotto
- 30g dried porcini mushrooms
- 250ml boiling water
- 1 litre good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 320g Carnaroli risotto rice
- 125ml dry white wine
- 50g Parmesan, finely grated
- 40g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- Sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
For the Mushrooms & Crispy Sage
- 250g chestnut mushrooms
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 20g butter
- 10–12 fresh sage leaves
- 1 small garlic clove, lightly crushed
- Parmesan, to finish
Method
- Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a heatproof bowl and pour over 250ml boiling water. Leave to soak for around 15 minutes until softened.
- Lift the porcini from the liquid and roughly chop them. Pass the soaking liquid through a fine sieve lined with kitchen paper or muslin to remove any grit.
- Combine the strained porcini liquid with the stock in a saucepan and keep it hot over a low heat. Avoid letting it boil vigorously.
- Meanwhile, slice the chestnut mushrooms. Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat with the olive oil. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them undisturbed initially so they have a chance to colour.
- Once deeply golden, turn the mushrooms and add the butter, crushed garlic and sage leaves. Continue cooking until the mushrooms are caramelised and the sage is crisp. Season, remove the sage leaves and set everything aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide, heavy-based saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the shallot with a small pinch of salt and cook gently for 4–5 minutes until soft and translucent without allowing it to brown.
- Add the garlic and chopped porcini and cook for another minute.
- Add the risotto rice and stir continuously for 1–2 minutes. The grains should become hot and slightly translucent around their edges while remaining white in the centre.
- Pour in the white wine and allow it to bubble until almost completely absorbed.
- Add a ladleful of the hot porcini stock and stir regularly. Once most of the liquid has been absorbed, add another ladle.
- Continue gradually adding the stock for around 16–18 minutes, allowing each addition to become mostly absorbed before adding the next. Keep tasting towards the end of cooking.
- When the rice is tender but retains a slight bite, remove the pan from the heat. The risotto should still look slightly looser than you ultimately want it – it will thicken quickly as it rests.
- Add the cold butter and Parmesan and stir vigorously until melted and emulsified into the rice. This final step gives the risotto its characteristic glossy, creamy finish.
- Fold around half of the sautéed mushrooms through the risotto. Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper.
- Spoon immediately into warm shallow bowls. Top with the remaining golden mushrooms, crispy sage, finely grated Parmesan and a little black pepper.
The Secret to Exceptional Mushroom Risotto
A great mushroom risotto isn't simply about adding more mushrooms.
Using dried porcini and fresh mushrooms differently gives the dish much more complexity. The porcini are incorporated into the rice so their flavour runs throughout the dish, while the fresh mushrooms are cooked separately at a higher temperature.
This matters because mushrooms release a considerable amount of moisture. Cooking them directly in the risotto can leave them soft and pale. Frying them separately gives you properly golden, caramelised edges before they're folded through and piled over the finished dish.
The porcini soaking water is equally important. Don't pour it down the sink. Once carefully strained, it's effectively an intensely flavoured mushroom stock.
How to Make Risotto Creamy Without Adding Cream
Despite its creamy appearance, traditional-style risotto doesn't need double cream.
Risotto rice contains plenty of starch. As the grains cook and are stirred with stock, starch is released into the surrounding liquid, gradually creating the characteristic creamy consistency.
The finishing technique is equally important. In Italian cooking, finishing risotto with butter and cheese is known as mantecatura. Remove the risotto from direct heat before vigorously stirring through cold butter and Parmesan.
You're looking for a risotto that gently spreads across a shallow plate rather than sitting in a stiff mound. If it stands upright like mashed potato, add another splash of hot stock.
Why Carnaroli Rice is Brilliant for Risotto
Both Arborio and Carnaroli are commonly used for risotto, but we'd choose Carnaroli for this recipe when available.
Carnaroli rice absorbs plenty of cooking liquid while retaining a firmer centre, making it particularly forgiving when you're trying to achieve that balance between creamy sauce and individual grains of rice with a slight bite.
At i4C, it's exactly the sort of small ingredient upgrade we enjoy because you don't need to change the recipe or complicate the method – you simply start with rice particularly well suited to what you're making.
Ingredient Swaps
- No Carnaroli rice? Arborio is a very good alternative and can be cooked using the same gradual stock method.
- No white wine? Use a little additional stock and finish with a small squeeze of lemon to provide some acidity.
- No chestnut mushrooms? Use a mixture of shiitake, oyster or other fresh mushrooms.
- No fresh sage? Fresh thyme works particularly well with porcini and mushrooms.
- Want an even deeper mushroom flavour? Add a small amount of mushroom powder to the hot stock.
What to Serve with Porcini Mushroom Risotto
Porcini risotto is rich enough to be the main event, so keep everything around it relatively simple.
A sharply dressed rocket salad provides freshness and acidity, while roasted tenderstem broccoli or green beans work well alongside it.
For a special dinner, the risotto can also be served in a smaller portion before roasted meat or alongside simply cooked chicken.
And don't underestimate a good glass of dry white wine – especially when you've already opened the bottle for the recipe.
What Else Can You Make with Dried Porcini?
Dried porcini are far too useful to buy for a single risotto.
Rehydrate them and add to mushroom pasta, creamy sauces, soups, stews and ragù. Finely ground dried porcini can also be used almost like a seasoning, adding savoury depth to sauces, gravy and mushroom dishes.
The strained soaking liquid can be added to stocks and sauces wherever you want extra mushroom flavour.
Questions and Answers
Do you need to soak dried porcini mushrooms before making risotto?
Yes. Soaking dried porcini rehydrates the mushrooms so they can be chopped and cooked while simultaneously producing a deeply flavoured liquid. Around 15–20 minutes in hot water is generally sufficient, although larger pieces may take longer.
Can you use the water from soaking porcini mushrooms?
Yes, and it's one of the best ways to add more porcini flavour to a risotto. The liquid should be carefully strained through a fine sieve lined with kitchen paper or muslin first, as dried wild mushrooms can contain small amounts of grit.
What is the best rice for mushroom risotto?
Carnaroli and Arborio are both excellent risotto varieties. Carnaroli generally retains its structure particularly well during cooking, while still releasing enough starch to produce the creamy consistency associated with risotto.
Should you wash risotto rice before cooking?
No. Washing risotto rice would remove some of the surface starch that helps create the creamy consistency of the finished dish. Add the dry rice directly to the pan and toast it briefly before beginning to add liquid.
Why does my risotto become thick and stodgy?
Risotto continues absorbing liquid after it leaves the heat. Take it off the hob while it's still slightly looser than you think it needs to be and serve promptly. If necessary, stir through another splash of hot stock immediately before serving.
Can you make porcini mushroom risotto without cream?
Absolutely. Cream isn't necessary for a creamy risotto. The combination of starch released from the rice, cooking liquid, butter and Parmesan creates the silky consistency.