Smoky herbs like sage go beautifully with sweet vegetables like butternut squash, and you can taste their incredible chemistry in a bowl of this vegan butternut squash risotto. The recipe needs just eight ingredients but it is big on flavor!
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Vegan butternut squash risotto
If you love cozy winter squash recipes like butternut squash curry and butternut squash soup, here's the perfect food for the season: a warm, gooey, DELICIOUS vegan Butternut Squash Risotto scented with the woodsy fragrance of sage.
One thing I look forward to as fall takes over the northern hemisphere is the riot of winter squashes in the market. Yellow butternut, orange acorn, versatile pumpkin, striped delicata, deep green kabocha, quirky turban, sweet dumpling, stringy spaghetti and bumpy hubbard. There they sit, showing off their cutely plump shapes and screaming: "Just buy me already! I promise not to spoil. And I'm delicious."
But their looks, resilience and addictive flavor are not the only thing that's wonderful about them. Winter squashes and their coral flesh pack in huge quantities of vitamins A, B and C, fiber and iron, which makes them one of the healthiest veggies you can eat.
This risotto is as simple and delicious as it gets. It has all the cheesiness of a non-vegan risotto thanks to nutritional yeast, and it couldn't be easier to make. I often just buy precut butternut squash, which makes the job even easier (no shame in it, life's busy enough so let's take help where we can get it).
If you like doing things from scratch, however, or are growing your own winter squash, I have some tips for you on how to prep winter squash below.
Recipe card
Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup arborio rice (or other medium-grain rice. You need a starchy rice for risotto)
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 butternut squash , peeled and cut into a ½-inch dice (mine yielded 4 cups of diced squash)
- 5-6 cups vegetable stock (hot. You could use water, but a stock is far preferred for better flavor)
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1-2 tablespoons sage (divided. Chop the sage. If using dry, use 1-2 teaspoons)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Make cashew "cheese" by blending together the raw cashews and nutritional yeast with salt, black pepper and ½ cup vegetable stock in a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the butternut squash, a pinch of salt, and some ground black pepper. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes or until the squash starts to soften and caramelize.
- Turn down the heat to medium. Add the rice and stir it with the squash. Season again with salt and pepper. Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until the wine's almost evaporated.
- Add ½ cup of vegetable stock and stir it in. Once the stock has almost evaporated, add another ½ cup. Repeat until the rice is cooked. This should take 25-30 minutes. The end result you are looking for is a creamy consistency with the rice grains tender and soft but slightly al dente. The rice should not be lumpy or gloppy.
- Stir in the cashew cheese, then immediately add the sage and mix. Turn off the heat.
Notes
- If you decide to skip the white wine, add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar instead to deglaze the pan and add flavor.
- I like lots of sage in this recipe, but I understand it's a powerful herb. So start with one tablespoon or fresh sage or one teaspoon of dry, and use more if you want more sagey flavor.
- If you want to make the recipe nut-free, use raw pumpkin seeds to make the vegan cheese.
Nutrition Information
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Tips for cutting winter squash
Even intrepid cooks are sometimes put off by winter squashes because of their hard skins. How do I peel a winter squash, is a question I often hear from readers. But there is really no need to be afraid of that skin. It's what keeps your squash fresh and well-preserved on the countertop even as less armored veggies are spoiling by the minute inside the refrigerator. While peeling winter squash is more labor-intensive than, say, peeling a banana, that doesn't mean it's difficult. Especially not with a sharp knife. Here's what I do.
- Stab the squash a couple of times with the knife and microwave it for a couple of minutes. Stabbing the squash ensures that it won't blow up in the microwave, although a couple of minutes is probably too short for it to do so anyway. Still, no harm in being cautious. And the microwaving softens the skin just that little bit so your knife goes through it more readily.
- Next lop off the top and the bottom so the squash sits firmly on the chopping board. Run a knife down the middle to cut it into halves. Scoop out the seeds and then halve each half, and so on. Once you have the squash in manageable-sized pieces, place a flat side firmly on the chopping board, take a thin, sharp knife, and carefully run it as close to the skin as possible along the length of the squash to peel it. I've heard that serrated peelers do a good job of this but I don't have one so I don't know that for a fact.
- Once the squash is peeled, cut it up into a dice or whatever shape you desire.
How to make vegan butternut squash risotto
- Make vegan "cheese" by blending together the raw cashews (or pumpkin seeds) and nutritional yeast with salt, black pepper and ½ cup vegetable stock until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the butternut squash, a pinch of salt, ground black pepper and half the sage. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the squash starts to soften and caramelize. Add the rice and stir it in.
- Add the white wine and cook, stirring, until the wine's almost evaporated. Next add ½ cup of hot vegetable stock and stir it in. Once the stock has almost evaporated, add another ½ cup. Repeat until the rice is cooked--it should take around 30 minutes. You might need more or less stock. The end result you are looking for is a creamy consistency with the rice grains tender and soft but slightly al dente (The Kitchn has a handy primer for how to tell your risotto is done). The rice should not be lumpy or gloppy.
- Add the cashew "cheese" and stir it in. Immediately add the remaining sage and mix. Check seasoning and add more salt and peper if needed. Turn off the heat. Serve hot or warm.
Serving suggestions
- Serve this dish with a warm, bold-flavored stew, like my vegan mushroom stew, for a meal that you will not only enjoy but that will do your body a world of good.
- You can also serve it with a hearty vegan Irish chili or this Instant Pot vegan chili.
Storage instructions
The risotto will remain creamy and delicious in the refrigerator for about three days. For longer storage, cool the risotto and freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw and reheat before serving.
crazylilvegan says
I made a slightly altered version of this and it was so yummy!
Popped it up on my blog after I made it 🙂
Amberly says
I just made this and it is super delicious! The sage adds that little something special to it. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Vaishali says
Amberly, glad you tried it! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Vaishali Honawar says
A.E.B., that's wonderful. Thanks for the feedback!
A.E.B. says
I made it- it was delicious. I added some white beans for the last 15-20 min. of cooking time.
Miri says
I love love love risotto - and this one with squash seems extra delicious!
Rashmi says
The risotto looks really creamy and beautiful.
AMA's AnythingVegetarian says
Vibrant looks.I have never tried risotto ,yours not very complicated.
Arch says
This looks really creamy and delicious...love the idea of the cashew cheese !!
Rachana says
I love the sage and squash combination. The risotto looks fabulous!
Vaishali says
Manju, thanks. Your couscous risotto sounds delicious.
Richa, yes, gifting animals at holidays -- or anytime-- is a dumb custom. Animals are a responsibility, and whoever adopts one has to be 100 percent ready to accept one in their family. I don't understand why people gift animals. You wouldn't gift a baby to someone, would you?
Priya, Divya, Anu, FoodFeud, Thanks.
Mrs. FancyPanties says
I made it in an IP, mostly as written but just added 4 cups stock, set pressure to high 6 minutes-then released. I wanted to make it a meal, so I added the cashew cheese at the end, together with caramelized red onion and roasted green beans (done together in the oven on a sheet pan). Topped with fried sage and walnuts (3 Tbls olive oil, 3/4 cup sage, 3/4 cup chopped walnuts on stove) and mixed in some lemon zest. Yeah… it was really good!!
Vaishali says
Sounds really delicious. Great idea to add fried sage and walnuts as a topping. Yum.
foodfeud says
This looks gorgeous and I'm sure it was so delicious! I love when squash gets so tender it just melts into a dish.
ANU says
yum yum...very creamy...
divya says
wow...iam drooling here so tempting....
Priya says
Colour of this risotto itself tempts me a lot.
Richa says
thats a beautiful color! you are cooking up a storm this month:) love that goan feijoada. i havent heard of it before.. so its a definite on the must try list.
so true about the shelters. any and every small donation helps. plus they will see an increase in dumped animals and higher kill rates end of the month.. i hope people stop giving live puppies and kittens as gifts:(
Manju says
love any squash..especially squash sage combo. I made a butternut squash couscous risotto a few weeks ago, recipe is there on the blog as well. If you love the regular risotto and also love couscous, you should try that! 🙂