Brown Butter Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Sage
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I love a cozy, nourishing bowl of pumpkin risotto in the fall and winter, especially when it can be made in one pot in 40 minutes. As a busy mom to a young toddler, I’m always looking for ways to make comforting, flavourful meals with less effort and fewer dishes, and this risotto does just that. I love using canned pumpkin purée here to create a rich, creamy texture without the time and effort of roasting pumpkin or squash. Because sometimes you have a toddler screaming “up, up, up” and you can’t fathom having another step in a recipe.
And I don’t know what it is about risotto, but cooking it instantly relaxes me (even with a toddler running around or asking to be picked up). Is it the stirring, pouring the stock into the rice every so often, or the wine? I think a combination of all three. I love topping this pumpkin risotto with crispy sage and toasted pumpkin seeds that were fried in brown butter. With a little freshly grated Parmesan and a hint of nutmeg, this is the kind of cozy dinner that feels special without requiring hours in the kitchen. This is your weeknight friendly risotto, friends!
Why You’ll Love This Weeknight Friendly Pumpkin & Sage Risotto
- It’s quick! It takes about 40 minutes start to finish. Contrary to popular belief, risotto really only takes about 25 minutes to cook. Yes, it requires some hands-on stirring and attention, but it doesn’t take long.
- So much flavour: from the pumpkin, brown butter and sage, it’s truly a dish that packs in a lot of flavour.
- Family approved: if you’re cooking for your family, kids usually love this one too. Just skip the brown butter and sage on theirs.
- Cozy, cozy, cozy: the flavours…the creaminess…it’s one big cozy vibe.
Pumpkin Risotto Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this pumpkin risotto at home.
- unsalted butter
- fresh sage leaves
- pumpkin seeds
- chicken broth
- extra virgin olive oil
- shallot
- garlic
- arborio rice
- dry vermouth (optional, see substitutions for more info)
- pumpkin purée (from a can, NOT pumpkin pie filling please!)
- goat cheese (optional, see substitutions for more info)
- parmesan
- whole nutmeg (for topping, optional)
How to Make This Creamy Pumpkin Risotto FAST
The first step is to make the brown butter sage and pumpkin seeds. You can skip this if you’re tight on time or don’t wish to make it. I do suggest it because it adds a lot of flavour, but it’s still good without 😉
Make the Brown Butter
Heat a deep saucier, or dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter and let it melt, stirring constantly with a silicone whisk or spatula until bubbling and browned. It will start to smell nutty and look browned and foamy. Don’t stop stirring, it can easily burn. This should take about five to eight minutes total. Adjust the heat as needed to medium-low to avoid burning. During the last minute or so, add the sage leaves and pumpkin seeds and let them fry in the butter. Remove the sage leaves and set aside and drain the butter into a bowl with a sieve over top to catch the seeds. Set them aside.
Cook the Risotto:
Pour the chicken broth into a small pot and keep warm on the stove over low heat. Heat the same pan/dutch oven used to make the brown butter over medium. Drizzle in the oil. Once warm, add the shallot and cook for three to four minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
Pour in the rice and toast for about one minute, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the vermouth/wine or broth and stir to deglaze and scrape up any browned bits.
Start pouring in the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until the rice absorbs the liquid and then continue adding more until the rice is just cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes total.
During the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the pumpkin.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the goat cheese until fully combined and creamy.
Divide the risotto into shallow bowls and drizzle with the brown butter (if it hardened, simply reheat it over low in a small pot, or microwave for a few seconds). Top with sage, pumpkin seeds and parmesan. Grate a pinch of nutmeg over top (if using). Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
Tips for Making Pumpkin Risotto
- Keep stirring! It’s important that you don’t let the risotto sit for too long without stirring, otherwise you risk burning it.
- Add broth as needed. Once the broth has been absorbed, add another 1/2 cup at a time until cooked through. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t go too long without adding more liquid.
- Taste test along the way. Risotto doesn’t take too long to cook, if it does overcook it will turn mushy. Start tasting it around the 15 minute mark to see when it’s done. And then add the pumpkin in.
- Remove the risotto once it’s done cooking. It will continue cooking in the pot, so it’s best to move it to a large bowl to stop it from cooking anymore.
Pumpkin Risotto Recipe Substitutions
- Chicken broth: I prefer using homemade chicken broth here because the flavour is much more prominent. But store bought is fine. Chicken or vegetable broth will work best for this recipe.
- Shallot: use a yellow or white onion instead.
- Vermouth: I typically have dry vermouth on hand for cooking over a bottle of white wine. Either a dry white wine or dry vermouth will work. Or skip the alcohol and just use more broth.
- Goat cheese: I love the tanginess and creaminess that goat cheese provides, but you can skip it, or use another soft cheese such as ricotta, crème fraîche or mascarpone.
What to Serve With Pumpkin Risotto
Although I think this is a full meal on it’s own and is pretty filling as is, you can add some protein and lessen the amount of rice per serving if you wish.
- Grilled shrimp or scallops.
- Poached cod or other type of white fish.
- A chicken cutlet is also very nice! This is my favourite way to make them.
- A simple green salad, like this arugula one.
How to Store This Pumpkin Risotto
Store leftover pumpkin risotto in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days. Store the sage leaves separately and re-fry them in a nonstick skillet if you prefer.
How to Reheat Risotto
Add a good splash of broth to a nonstick pan, or a stainless steel skillet (or saucier) over medium-low heat. Once warm, add the risotto and cook, adding a bit more broth (or water) as needed to loosen it. Cook, stirring often over low heat until warmed through, about five minutes or so.
What to do With Leftover Risotto?
My absolute favourite thing about risotto is turning it into arancini the next day. Once it has had time to congeal in the fridge, it’s super easy to scoop it into balls (use a cookie scoop) and make arancini.
You can check out how to make arancini from this post and how I make it using my air fryer for a slightly healthier option. It’s really easy and so delicious!
FAQ’s
More Cozy Fall Dinners to Try
- Red Wine Braised Short Ribs with Risotto
- Mushroom Orzo Risotto
- Cacio e Pepe Risotto
- Creamy Polenta with Meatballs
- Cast Iron Delicata Squash Pizza
- Spaghetti Squash with Brown Butter & Ground Turkey
I hope you love this brown butter pumpkin risotto with crispy sage. If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing from you! Enjoy 🙂
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Brown Butter Pumpkin Risotto with Crispy Sage
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: American, Italian
Description
This creamy pumpkin risotto with brown butter, crispy sage and pumpkin seeds is a cozy, weeknight friendly dinner perfect in the fall and winter.
Ingredients
For the brown butter:
- 3 tbsp (42g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup packed fresh sage leaves (about 20 leaves, 10g)
- 3 tbsp (34g) pumpkin seeds
For the risotto:
- 4 cups chicken broth *see note
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/4 cup arborio rice (dry)
- 1/3 cup dry vermouth (or dry white wine, or broth)
- 1 cup pumpkin purée (from a can, NOT pumpkin pie filling please!)
- 1/3 cup (75g) goat cheese *see note
- freshly grated parmesan, for topping
- fresh whole nutmeg, for topping (optional)
Instructions
For the brown butter:
- Heat a deep saucier, or dutch oven over medium heat and add the butter and let it melt, stirring constantly with a silicone whisk or spatula until bubbling and browned. It will start to smell nutty and look browned and foamy. Don’t stop stirring, it can easily burn. This should take about five to eight minutes total. Adjust the heat as needed to medium-low to avoid burning. During the last minute or so, add the sage leaves and pumpkin seeds and let them fry in the butter. Remove the sage leaves and set aside and drain the butter into a bowl with a sieve over top to catch the seeds. Set them aside.
For the risotto:
- Pour the chicken broth into a small pot and keep warm on the stove over low heat.
- Heat the same pan/dutch oven used to make the brown butter over medium. Drizzle in the oil. Once warm, add the shallot and cook for three to four minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Pour in the rice and toast for about one minute, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the vermouth/wine or broth and stir to deglaze and scrape up any browned bits.
- Start pouring in the chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring frequently until the rice absorbs the liquid and then continue adding more until the rice is just cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes total.
- During the last five minutes of cooking, stir in the pumpkin.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the goat cheese until fully combined and creamy.
- Divide the risotto into shallow bowls and drizzle with the brown butter (if it hardened, simply reheat it over low in a small pot, or microwave for a few seconds). Top with sage, pumpkin seeds and parmesan. Grate a pinch of nutmeg over top (if using). Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Chicken broth: I prefer using homemade chicken broth here because the flavour is much more prominent. But store bought is fine. Chicken or vegetable broth will work best for this recipe.
Vermouth: I typically have dry vermouth on hand for cooking over a bottle of white wine. Either a dry white wine or dry vermouth will work. Or skip the alcohol and just use more broth.
Goat cheese: I love the tanginess and creaminess that goat cheese provides, but you can skip it, or use another soft cheese such as ricotta, crème fraîche or mascarpone.
