This Spring Vegetable Risotto combines creamy parmesan risotto with spring vegetables, including asparagus, leek, and fava beans. It’s great as a vegetarian main dish or side dish with your favorite protein!

spring vegetable risotto in a bowl with fork with lemon and oarsley

Risotto is one of my favorite dishes, and I love how versatile this short-grain rice is — that’s right, it’s not actually pasta!

This easy risotto recipe is one of my favorite ways to enjoy spring veggies like asparagus, leeks, and fava beans. (And if you love spring produce as much as I do, be sure to try my one pot pasta primavera or spring farro salad next!).

Despite tasting rich and creamy, there’s no cream in this recipe.

Risotto’s signature texture comes from the starchy arborio rice; as it cooks, warm broth is added to the risotto in small increments which slowly draws out the starch and makes the dish ultra creamy.

Making homemade risotto can be intimidating, but I promise if you follow the tips I’ve outlined below, your risotto will be perfect every time. 🙂

If you’d like to try other cooking methods, try my Instant Pot mushroom risotto or baked butternut squash risotto — they’re even easier as there’s no bothersome stirring!

spring risotto in skillet, seen from above
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Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Spring green risotto is nice and creamy, with plenty of texture from perfectly al dente arborio rice and an abundance of seasonal vegetables.
  • This recipe is packed with flavor from garlic, leeks, fresh lemon juice and zest, and parmesan cheese.
  • It’s an easy vegetarian meal that’s made in one pot.
  • This spring risotto is customizable using your favorite fresh or frozen vegetables, and may be served as a main dish or side dish.

Recipe ingredients

There are only a few ingredients in this recipe, which can be easily customized with your favorite ingredients or utilizing what you have on hand.

ingredients needed to make risotto with asparagus, leeks, and fava beans
  • Arborio rice. For best results, use arborio rice, which is an Italian short-grain rice. The grains are higher in starch, and cook up firm yet creamy.
  • Asparagus. Use fresh asparagus. No asparagus? Mushrooms are a great addition.
  • Fava beans. I always cook the fava beans in advance and store them in the refrigerator to add to my recipes. Fresh or frozen peas may be substituted.
  • Leeks. May be substituted with white onion or shallots.
  • Garlic. A bit of fresh garlic adds big flavor.
  • Lemon zest and juice. Fresh lemon juice and zest brightens all the flavors.
  • Vegetable stock. I used a combination of 4 cups of Homemade Vegetable Stock and 2 cups of water. I opted not to include white wine in this vegetable risotto recipe because the lemon juice and zest provide the acidity that the wine typically adds. If you’d like to add it, I’ve included instructions in the recipe notes.
  • Butter. A bit of butter lends an even creamier mouthfeel. You can omit it to make this risotto dairy-free.
  • Parmesan cheese. This adds umami flavor, but it may be omitted along with the butter to make this risotto dairy-free.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

How to make this recipe

This vegetable risotto is very easy to make following the steps below.

Pro tip: The risotto is ready for more stock when you can draw a line through the rice with a wooden spoon and the liquid stays put. 

See the recipe card below for full instructions.

spring risotto process collage of sautéed asparagus and toasted arborio rice
spring risotto process collage of risotto ready for next ladle of stock and before stirring in vegetables
Spring veggie risotto collage before and after stirring in butter, parmesan and lemon
  1. Bring the stock to a boil in a sauce pan, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer. While it heats, cook the asparagus for 2-3 minutes or until crisp tender and transfer to a bowl.
  2. Sauté the leeks 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds longer. Add the arborio rice to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
  3. Add the stock one ladle at a time (about 1/2 cup), stirring frequently until the liquid has been absorbed. You’ll know the risotto it done when it’s nice and creamy yet still firm to the bite.
  4. Add the vegetables to the risotto during the last minute of cooking.  
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon zest, juice, butter and parmesan cheese. 
  6. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Recipe FAQs

What texture is risotto supposed to be?

Perfect risotto is creamy yet al dente, which is achieved by using the risotto method, or stirring in hot stock in small amounts during the cooking time. (As a heads up, risotto is rather high maintenance as it requires frequent stirring!)

Can the fava beans be substituted?

Yes, they may be substituted with fresh or frozen peas.

Why do you have to use warm broth when making risotto?

Adding cold broth to a hot pot reduces the temperature of the contents and disrupts the cooking process. I used cold stock the first time I ever made risotto with disastrous results, and I’ll never make that mistake again.

How much broth should you add to risotto?

Use 4 cups of stock/liquid per every cup of rice. I recommend using stock instead of water for the most flavor.

I combined 4 cups of stock and 2 cups of water to prepare the 1.5 cups of arborio rice in this recipe.

Can I add white wine to this recipe?

If you would like to go the classic route and white wine to your risotto, add 1/2 cup dry immediately after toasting the arborio rice and reduce it down to about 2 tablespoons.

Serving suggestions

Risotto pairs well with a leafy side salad, roasted veggies, or a hunk of bread for dipping.

spring vegetable risotto in bowl topped with lemon, parsley and parmesan

Recipe notes

  • Pro tip: Prep your vegetables in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly!
  • Fava beans may be cooked in advance following my recipe How To Cook Fava Beans. The fava beans may be substituted with fresh or frozen peas.
  • If you would like to go the classic route and white wine to your risotto, add 1/2 cup dry immediately after toasting the arborio rice and reduce it down to about 2 tablespoons.
  • Omit the butter and parmesan cheese to make this a vegan risotto.
  • While risotto is best the day that it’s made, store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

More risotto recipes you’ll love

Did you try this recipe?  If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram

spring risotto in a bowl with fork with lemon and oarsley

Spring Vegetable Risotto

Servings: 6 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
This spring vegetable risotto combines creamy parmesan risotto with asparagus, leek, and fava beans. Everyone will love how hearty and comforting this dish is!
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Ingredients

  • 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
  • 2 cups water*
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and sliced on the bias into 1″ pieces
  • 1 large leek light green and white parts, halved and sliced thinly into half moons
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
  • 1 cup cooked fava beans*
  • 1 lemon zested and juiced
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
  • 1 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

Instructions 

  • Place the stock and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and continue to simmer.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp tender, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the leek and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer. Add the arborio rice and toast in the pan, stirring constantly until toasted, 1-2 minutes..
  • Slowly add one ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the warm stock, stirring the risotto frequently. Add an additional ladle full of stock each time the liquid has been absorbed, until all of the stock has been added and the risotto is al dente. The rice is ready for more stock when you can draw a line through the risotto with a wooden spoon and the liquid stays put.
  • Add the asparagus and fava beans to the risotto during the last minute of cooking.
  • Remove the risotto from heat and add the lemon zest, juice, parmesan cheese and butter, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Notes

  • Pro tip: Prep your vegetables in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly!
  • Fava beans may be cooked in advance following my recipe How To Cook Fava Beans. The fava beans may be substituted with fresh or frozen peas.
  • If you would like to go the classic route and white wine to your risotto, add 1/2 cup dry immediately after toasting the arborio rice and reduce it down to about 2 tablespoons.
  • Omit the butter and parmesan cheese to make this a vegan risotto.
  • While risotto is best the day that it’s made, store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 218kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 9mg, Sodium: 158mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Vegetarian
Cuisine: Italian
Author: Marcie
All recipes and images © Flavor the Moments.
Did you try this recipe?Be sure to tag @flavorthemoments with the hashtag #flavorthemoments on Instagram so I can see what you made!

**This recipe was originally published in April 2016.  I’ve added step by step photos, instructions and recipe tips, and updated the photos.

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