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Brighten up your usual dinner routine with this summery lemon basil risotto! Creamy, comforting arborio rice is combined with the fresh zing of lemon and basil for a totally refreshing twist on a classic. (Bonus—this quick and easy dish is ready in under 30 minutes!)
save this recipe!The Risotto Recipe Of Summer
We’re big on risotto around here. Sometimes, it’s classic risotto and other times, it’s low-carb cauliflower risotto. No matter the form, we’ve perfected the formula so that it turns out creamy and indulgent…Every. Single. Time.
Today, we’ll be mixing things up with a creamy, dreamy lemon basil risotto dish that’s sure to knock you off your feet. It’s made with lots of veggies and coated with a generous layer of Parmesan. It’s basically mac ‘n’ cheese’s super cool cousin!
Reader rating
“I made this for dinner tonight, and it was amazing! I found it because I was trying to find a use for lemon basil leaves from my garden. I made it exactly as here, including the lemon juice, but I used 2 tbsp of lemon basil leaves in place of the zest (I still used the regular basil, too!). It was perfection!” —Lisa
Here’s what you’ll need
This isn’t just your average risotto. It’s a delicious blend of creamy ingredients that offer incredible flavor with a zesty touch. Jump to the recipe card for measurements and full instructions!
- Base: We’ll saute our base flavors (onion, garlic, and celery) in a bit of olive oil until soft and fragrant.
- Rice: The star of the show—arborio (a.k.a. risotto) rice! This medium-grain rice has a lot of amylopectin starch, making it ultra-creamy when cooked.
- White Wine: Wine works well in many types of dishes (this being one of them!). It adds so much depth of flavor (though you can leave it out and use extra broth if you’re avoiding alcohol).
- Broth: The rice will be cooked in veggie broth for extra oomph. Go for 4 cups of a low-sodium brand. (Or, save money by making your own vegetable broth from scraps!)
- The Fats: This is risotto, friends—no need to count calories today. Parmesan and butter take things to the next level. (Psssst: Make your risotto even fancier by replacing some butter with basil oil!)
- Mix-Ins: You can’t have lemon basil risotto without lemon and basil! We’ll use the juice and zest from ½ of a lemon, along with fresh basil.
- Salt And Pepper: Finally, add a dash of salt and pepper to taste!
Making This Risotto Is A Breeze
This tangy lemon basil risotto is made in 5 simple steps:
Step 1: Prepare The Base
Heat the oil over medium in a large pan. Add the onion, garlic, and celery, cooking until translucent and soft.
Step 2: Toast The Rice
Add the dry rice and cook, stirring frequently. Do so for about 2 minutes until the rice is slightly opaque on the outside but uncooked on the inside.
Step 3: Add The Wine
Add the wine to the pan and simmer until it has completely reduced.
Step 4: Add The Broth
Slowly add the vegetable broth to the pan, adding ½ of a cup at a time. Once it is al dente (still has a slight bite), stop adding broth (you may not need the full amount).
Step 5: Add The Flavors
Stir in the Parmesan, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and basil. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking, adding more lemon juice and zest as needed. Serve immediately for optimal tastiness!
How much rice per person?
If you’re serving your lemon basil risotto as the main dish, you’ll want to be sure to use at least 1/3 cup of uncooked rice per person (more if you’re hungry!). This recipe can easily be scaled up or down though, depending on the number of people you’re serving.
Pair This With
Wondering what to serve alongside your warm, creamy lemon basil risotto? Try one of these delicious sides! Each one is quick and easy to whip together.
- Zucchini Corn Salad: Make the most of the summer harvest with this grilled salad featuring a bright lemon-olive oil dressing (and a generous amount of feta!).
- Spanakopita Triangles: What better side to go with Mediterranean-inspired risotto than this crunchy, creamy stuffed phyllo pastry?
Risotto Roll call
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Dreamy Lemon Basil Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- 1 medium white onion, diced, about 1 cup
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 ¼ cup arborio rice, 300 g
- ¾ cup white wine, 177 mL
- 4 cups warm low-sodium vegetable broth, 1 liter
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 60 g
- 2 Tbsp butter, 28 g
- ½ lemon*, juice + zest
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
- Salt and pepper to taste, about ¼ tsp each
Instructions
- Base: Heat oil over medium in a large pot. Add onion, garlic, and celery, cooking until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Toast Rice: Add dry rice and cook, stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, or until the rice is slightly opaque on the outside but uncooked on the inside.
- Wine: Add wine to the pot and simmer until wine has completely reduced.
- Broth: Slowly add the vegetable broth to the pan, adding ½ cup at a time. Wait until broth has almost completely absorbed before adding another ½ cup. Begin tasting the rice after 15 minutes or so. Once it is al dente (a little bit chewy), stop adding broth (you may not need the full amount).
- Flavor: Stir in Parmesan, butter, lemon zest and juice, and basil. Taste and add salt and pepper to suit your liking, adding more lemon juice/zest as needed. Serve immediately for optimal tastiness.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Omg I love your pictures! They are awesome. We should theme our hot messes.. This one apparently was Italian 🙂
Oooh YES! Next stop….Greek? 😀
Overall I enjoyed this dish and it was fairly easy to make. I’ve been hesitant to try cooking risotto for a while just because it can be a tedious process. With the exception of excluding celery because I personally don’t care for it, I followed the recipe exactly. I will note that I thought 1 lemon + zest was actually too much, and I used a fairly small lemon. Next time I make this, I’ll use 1/2 a lemon, if that. I also used Dark Horse Sauvignon Blanc for the wine, which also paired nicely while eating it 🙂
Thanks so much for your thoughtful review, Jenna! 😀
Too much lemon, and I love lemon! Also, we need more guidance on the amount of salt. Mine ended up too al dente even using all the broth.
Thanks for the suggestions, Alice! I’ve noted this one down as a recipe to retest 👍
Nummy!! I made this as directed for the most part, I had some celery gazpacho I used up which contained the first 3 ingredients and it turned a pretty light green, I did not add wine but added about a 1/4 cup white vinegar, stirred and cooked it about twice as long. I added spinach to the basil and I am in Heaven! Never knew risotto was so easy, just keep stirring. Will definitely make it to the letter gain soon!
YUM! Those additions all sound delish! Happy we could make a risotto lover of you 😀
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! I found it because I was trying to find a use for lemon basil leaves from my garden. I made it exactly as here, including the lemon juice, but used 2 tbsp of lemon basil leaves in place of the zest (I still used the regular basil, too!). It was perfection!
So happy to hear it, Lisa! Enjoy! 😀
My family loved this! I left out the white wine, used the zest from an entire lemon, plus juice from it. Near the end (I used close to 4 cups broth), I added some frozen early peas to brighten it up & it was delicious! This, apparently, ranks as the best as the best side dish ever, beating out my mom’s German recipe for fried potatoes which held its spot for almost 2 decades.
Sorry, Mom’s Potatoes! 😅 I’m so happy to hear this, Ginny! Sounds delish with peas added, I’ll have to try that next time!
Love you sarah for all exotic vegetarian recipes for me… I just love risottos…. can’t wait to try them… Thanks dear stay blessed
Recipe perfect as written…only 1/2 lemon works well. Delicious with seared scallops and green salad. The whole family loved this recipe!
I doubled the recipe with no problems. Made this for my vegetarian daughter and the rest of my family loved it too!
I would ask that you adjust your recipe to indicate the exact measurement of lemon juice and zest, because lemons vary greatly in their output. We as makers can adjust as necessary, but a solid recipe is great for beginners.
I used a mixture of onions (red, yellow and white) as I had them available. I added chopped fresh baby spinach which added little to no taste but extra nutrients. I also added fresh lemon basil from my garden. Yum! Will add mushrooms next time too. Thanks for an amazingly tasty and versatile vegetarian dish! We intend to check out more of your recipes.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful feedback, Michelle! 😀
Don’t be afraid to add white wine to risotto, it gives extra fantastic flavor, and don’t be concerned about alcohol that will anyway disappear, as steam, during cooking.