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Home > Vegan Recipes

Vegan Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach and Fresh Thyme (Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

9/29/20 by Nicole Stevens | 2 Comments

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5 from 4 votes. Leave your review!

Vegan pumpkin risotto is a delicious recipe that creates a flavorful, rich and creamy dinner! With added spinach and fresh thyme, this is a beautiful dish from the color contrast of orange and greens.

Skill: Intermediate | Time: 50 min | Servings: 4

Two plates of vegan pumpkin risotto with the plate in front resting on small wooden board with a spoon in the risotto; springs of thyme between the bowls to the right

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How to Cook Risotto

Risotto is a recipe that is notoriously difficult to make. The process isn’t overly complicated, although it does take some time and a lot of stirring.

The basic process for cooking risotto is:

  • Start with oil and aromatics to build flavor. This recipe uses onion and garlic to start.
  • Toast the rice. Before adding liquid, toss the rice with the oil and cook for a minute to build flavor into the rice.
  • Add flavor at the beginning (or use a flavorful liquid). Many risotto recipes use herbs or spices at the end. While some herbs or spices benefit from being added last, hearty herbs and spices can be added at the start so the flavors have time to come together!
  • Don’t stop stirring. Seriously, apart from the few seconds it takes to scoop your next measure of liquid, keep that rice moving around the pot the whole time. This is key for a creamy risotto with rice that’s thoroughly and evenly cooked.
  • Use warm liquid. Cold or even room temperature liquid slows the process and can prevent the rice from cooking properly. I keep vegetable broth in a separate pot over very low heat when making risotto (and add wine at room temperature rather than a chilled white wine).
  • Additional flavor can be added at the end! Don’t hold back on finishing touches to the risotto at the end of the cooking process.

My best risotto tip is to not make risotto after an arm/ upper body workout haha! All jokes aside, stirring continuously is key!

Hand holding spoon and scooping bite of creamy pumpkin risotto from a white plate resting on grey towel set upon marble counter

Spinach and Pumpkin Risotto

Pumpkin risotto is delicious, but most recipes can benefit from a touch of green! Not only does spinach add contrasting color, it also provides a boost of nutrition which is a fabulous bonus.

Spinach and pumpkin risotto is flavorful and packed with nutrition. Pumpkin is high in fiber, vitamin K, vitamin C, potassium and vitamin A whereas spinach provides folate, magnesium, calcium, iron along with extra potassium and vitamin A!

I find this risotto recipe quite filling and consider it a hearty meal. However, it’s lower in protein compared to what I typically aim for. While a lower protein meal is fine every once in a while, it’s good to add a good source of plant-based protein to most meals!

Close view of heaping plate of spinach and pumpkin risotto; white plate resting on small wooden board on top of marble background

How to Serve Risotto

This risotto is so delicious it can be served as is! However, if you’re looking to create a more well-rounded meal, why not try serving this with:

  • Herbed focaccia bread
  • With vegan goat cheese crumbles on top
  • Alongside some seitan for a protein boost

I consider risotto to be a “fancy” meal and sometimes I like to go all-out and make a full 3-4 course meal just for fun. If you’re looking to do something like that, you can make spiralized beet salad for an appetizer, or keep things classic with a vegan Caesar salad. Radicchio cups or cucumber rolls are also beautiful appetizer options!

Make focaccia bread or garlic bread as a side follow by some delicious vegan raspberry cheesecake or carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for dessert.

Top view of white plate filled with spinach pumpkin risotto with thyme spring garnish on top

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.

More Deliciously Filling Vegan Dinner Recipes

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Two bowls of sweet potato lentil curry served from a slow cooker. Each bowl contains brown rice, curry and cilantro, while the second (back) bowl also contains two lime wedges

Sweet Potato Lentil Curry

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Seitan Ham

Top view of a plate of bright orange risotto with spinach throughout.

Vegan Pumpkin Risotto with Spinach and Thyme

Enjoy this delicious recipe for vegan pumpkin risotto using a classic risotto preparation. With added fresh thyme and spinach, this is a healthy and flavorful recipe that happens to be gluten free and dairy free!
5 from 4 votes. Leave your review!
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 362 kcal
Cuisine American-inspired, Italian-inspired, Vegan

Equipment

  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Large pot

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup onion , finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste , white type
  • 2 teaspoon fresh thyme , stems removed (about 6 large sprigs)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground sage
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¾ cup white wine (dry wine preferable)
  • 3 cup vegetable broth (low sodium/ no salt added preferable)
  • 1 ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 2 cup fresh spinach
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (juice of about ¼ of a lemon)
  • salt (to taste)
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Warm vegetable broth in a small pot over low heat. It doesn’t need to simmer, but should be warm to the touch/ above room temperature.
    3 cup vegetable broth
  • Add olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Stir in diced onion and minced garlic. Cook until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
    3 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup onion, 2 cloves garlic
  • Next, stir in Arborio rice and toss to coat the rice in oil. Allow the rice to “toast” for 1 minute.
    1 cup Arborio rice
  • Stir in miso paste, fresh thyme leaves, ground sage, ground nutmeg and black pepper. Add white wine and stir continuously until the wine is mostly absorbed into the rice.
    1 tablespoon miso paste, 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, ¼ teaspoon ground sage, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, ¾ cup white wine
  • Once most of the liquid is absorbed, begin adding in the vegetable broth in ½ C increments. Stir continuously until most of the liquid is absorbed before adding in the next ½ C of broth. The liquid is ready to be added when you scrape your spoon across the bottom and there’s no liquid pooling behind the spoon (see video for visual).
    3 cup vegetable broth
  • Continue adding the vegetable broth ½ C at a time, stirring continuously until all the vegetable broth is absorbed. This process takes about 30 minutes.
  • Then stir in canned pumpkin puree, fresh spinach and fresh lemon juice. Stir until the spinach wilts down. At this point, taste the risotto and add salt if needed (often depends on how salty the vegetable broth is).
    1 ½ cup canned pumpkin puree, 2 cup fresh spinach, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, salt
  • Serve!

Video

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.
Nutrition information based on using low-sodium vegetable broth.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving (¼ of recipe)Calories: 362 kcalCarbohydrates: 53 gProtein: 7 gFat: 11 gSaturated Fat: 2 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 7 gSodium: 359 mgPotassium: 396 mgFiber: 6 gSugar: 6 gVitamin A: 16127 IUVitamin C: 13 mgCalcium: 62 mgIron: 2 mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Filed Under: Vegan Dinner Recipes, Vegan Recipes Tagged With: Arborio rice, Black pepper, Dinner, Intermediate, Italian-inspired, Leafy greens, Lemon, Miso, Nut free, Nutmeg, Olive oil, Onion, Pumpkin, Rice, Sage, Spinach, Thyme, Vegetable broth, Wine

About Nicole Stevens

Nicole is a vegan Registered Dietitian (RD) and founder of Lettuce Veg Out. She provides vegans with balanced meals and easy-to-understand nutrition science. As a trusted source of nutrition information, she educates others about vegan diets and how to thrive as a vegan.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. RiaSunflower

    December 08, 2021 at 7:15 am

    This recipe is delicious, different to the usual squash risotto. I used roasted butternut squash and frozen spinach.

    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Nicole Stevens

      December 08, 2021 at 9:52 am

      So happy you enjoyed!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Nicole! As a vegan Registered Dietitian, I empower vegans to live a balanced life and gain confidence in the kitchen.

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