Lemon Asparagus Risotto is rich, creamy, and decadent. This recipe is incredibly easy to cook since it’s made in a crockpot. No need to spend 30 minutes constantly stirring to get the perfect risotto. This meatless main dish will be your new weekly favorite!

Lemon Asparagus Risotto

Name: Lemon Asparagus Risotto
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup chopped onion; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups Arborio rice; ¾ cup white wine or chicken stock; 5 ½ cups chicken stock, heated until hot; 1 lemon, zest and juice reserved; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 6 tablespoon butter; ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

This asparagus risotto recipe is made with onion, garlic, Arborio rice, chicken stock, fresh lemon juice, fresh cracked pepper, butter, and parmesan cheese. It’s cooked in a slow cooker for 2 hours all together and the result is pure risotto magic. If this is your first time making risotto, then you’re in for an easy meal that normally requires lots of stirring and attention.

We’re all in search of meals that can be made without a lot of fuss for those nights when you don’t have the time or energy to make a big meal. While risotto would usually be off the table, in this case, it works perfectly for this type of night. After cooking it in the slow cooker and adding in the butter and parmesan cheese, be sure to serve immediately while it’s still hot. The flavors of creamy rice, lemon, and asparagus combine to make a delicious spring or summer dish.

How to Cook Lemon Asparagus Risotto in a Slow Cooker or Crockpot:

Spray the slow cooker liner with nonstick cooking spray.

Zest the lemon.

Mince Garlic and cut Asparagus.

In a large (12 inch) skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Add the onion and cook until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the garlic.

To the skillet, add the rice and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning.

Add the wine into the skillet and stir, cooking until almost completely absorbed.

Pour the rice into the slow cooker.

Stir in the heated broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 90 minutes.

Remove the lid and stir in the asparagus.

Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.

Prior to serving, stir in the butter and Parmesan cheese.

Tips for success/variations:

Here are a few variations that you can make depending on what you have in your pantry or if you’d like to change it up a bit.

This recipe is made in a slow cooker, but you could also make it in an instant pot for similar results. If you use this, you can do everything in one pot by using the saute function for the onions, garlic, and rice before pouring in the chicken broth.

While Arborio is the traditional rice used for making risotto, you can use brown rice instead if you’d like. Keep in mind that it won’t be as creamy but it will still taste great.

If you’d like to make this lemon risotto vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable stock for the 5 1/2 cups chicken broth.

Risotto is very flexible and tastes great with so many different ingredients. Some other options are mushrooms, peas, pancetta, and spinach.

How to store Lemon Asparagus Risotto:

Risotto is easy to store and a great meal to prep for later in the week. You can make a big batch, put it in individual containers in the fridge, and take them out to eat as you need them.

Keep the risotto in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

It’s easy to reheat them. Just put the risotto in its container in the microwave and heat in 30-second increments until it’s hot enough.

FAQs:

Why do you cook risotto so slowly?

Risotto needs to be cooked slowly so that the rice can break down and have a wonderful creamy texture. The key is to cook it low and slow long enough for this to happen. If you make it in a pan, you would slowly add more broth as it’s absorbed by the rice while stirring for about 30 minutes.

How do you make risotto more flavorful?

This recipe is very flavorful because it has onions, garlic, lemon zest, asparagus, and butter. You can create your own flavor combinations based on what you’d like to add.

Why is my risotto rice still hard?

If your risotto rice is hard, it’s because it didn’t cook long enough or there wasn’t enough liquid. Take a look at the end result. Is it dry or too liquidy? It must have a nice balance.