Pea Risotto | Healthy Plant Based Recipes

My pea risotto with leek, spinach and lemon is a celebration of vibrant spring flavours. It perfectly showcases the simplicity in creating a wholesome and delicious meal. This bowl of green goodness is made in one pan and takes less than half an hour to cook up. Enjoy on its own, or pair with your favourite protein, this recipe works for both busy weeknights and special occasions.

For this pea risotto you’ll need Arborio (risotto) rice, which is an italian short-grain rice. Most short-grains should also work, but do not use a long-grain rice like basmati.

The other vegetables in this dish are peas, leek and spinach. The spinach is what helps to give that beautiful vibrant green flavour. It’s blended up and added at the end of cooking to improve the nutritional value of the dish and to make it look beautiful!

Leeks are used as they offer a more subtle and sweet flavour than onion which pairs perfectly with peas.

Finally the dish is flavoured with garlic, fresh dill, lemon juice and lemon zest. These flavours are super light and vibrant and remind me of the spring I so badly miss around January!

I use vegetable stock to make my pea risotto – you can use whatever brand you like. Just make the stock according to package instructions. Note – I like to make mine a little weak, so use 1 cube for each 250 mL water (instead of the 180 mL recommended). I season with salt at the end of cooking to taste instead.

You’ll also need olive oil and vegan butter. Feel free to only use olive oil if you prefer but vegan butter will add just a bit of extra flavour!

You can use most any short-grain variety of rice, including caranroli.

Vegan butter can be substituted for one extra tablespoon of olive oil if you prefer.

Dill is my herb of choice for this dish, but parsley or chives would also work well. You could also use dried herbs, just reduce the amount to 1 tsp.

Heat the olive oil and vegan butter in a large heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat.

Add your sliced leeks and sautee for around 5 minutes until the leeks have softened. Now add the garlic and sautee for a further couple of minutes. The garlic should become fragrant but not browned.

While the leek and garlic are cooking, prepare your vegetable stock according to package instructions.

Next add in your rice. Stir it well to coat in the butter and olive oil. Sautee for another couple of minutes to slightly toast the rice.

Now you can add in your vegetable stock. Add around 3 quarters of your vegetable stock, give it a good stir and then leave to simmer on a low heat until all of the water is absorbed. Check the rice by biting into a grain. If it is still a little hard in the centre (and it probably will be!), add the rest of the stock and cook until fully absorbed.

Check again for done-ness – the rice should be soft and tender. Once fully cooked add in the chopped fresh dill and most of the frozen peas and stir well. Keep the heat on low while the peas warm through.

Add the remaining peas, spinach and lemon juice to a blender cup. Add a tiny splash of water to help things get moving and blend until smooth. (link to ninja blender here!)

Stir the bright green sauce into the risotto and keep the low simmer going. You don’t want to cook for too long now or the risotto will lose its vibrancy. Once the pea risotto is heated all the way through, have a taste and add salt and pepper to your preference. If you’re unsure, add just a tiny bit at a time.

Serve immediately while still hot. I like to serve this with my tofu fish (recipe coming soon!) or any protein you like.

The pea risotto will save in the fridge for 3-5 days in an air-tight container. This recipe also freezes well, in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

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