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This gluten free Instant Pot Brown Rice Risotto with Mushrooms is an easy recipe that can be made in any electric pressure cooker. It’s a simple dish that can be made for dinner tonight or for special occasions when you want to impress.

When I think of traditional risotto recipes, I think of a creamy risotto that’s hard to make. Traditional risotto is made with arborio rice, a superfine short grain white rice that is high in starch. To make it healthier, I used short-grain brown rice, but trust me guys it’s still creamy and delicious.

While this is not the traditional way to cook risotto, it is a way to enjoy the flavors and texture of risotto and still maintain a healthy lifestyle with whole grains. This easy mushroom risotto cooks quickly in the Instant Pot and is seriously delicious!

two images with text saying instant pot mushroom risotto

Where’s the recipe?

To better serve my community of all levels of experience here at My Crazy Good Life, I’ve made a commitment to put a ton of helpful information in all of my posts. This includes healthy eating plan information, how to meal prep, and how to substitute ingredients. 

If you’d like to skip over the extra information, please simply scroll to the bottom of the page, where you will find the easy Instant Pot Brown Rice Mushroom Risotto printable recipe card! 

Ingredients for Instant Pot Brown Rice Risotto with Mushrooms

  • Olive oil 
  • Shallots: While a member of the onion family, shallots are milder in flavor and grow in clusters like garlic cloves.
  • Mushrooms: Loaded with antioxidants and B vitamins, mushrooms are a vegetable you should be eating. Some of my favorite kinds for this recipe are cremini mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, or a mix of wild mushrooms.
  • Asparagus: Help regulate blood sugar, are loaded with antioxidants, and can help stabilize digestion due to high amounts of protein and fiber. 
  • Chicken thighs: I prefer the way chicken thighs cook in the Instant Pot over breasts. Make sure to get boneless skinless thighs. 
  • Short grain brown rice: Short grain brown rice works well as a substitute for arborio. It is similar in texture and has a creamier texture than long grain.  
  • Ground pepper 
  • Chicken stock: I prefer homemade chicken broth for this recipe. It gives you some extra nutrients and a stronger flavor. However, if you purchase it, make sure it’s low sodium.  
  • Parmesan: Grab a better quality wedge of parmesan from the refrigerator section and shred it yourself. The shelf stable pre-grated variety does not melt nicely, and has additional ingredients to stop clumping. 
ingredients to make instant pot brown rice risotto with mushrooms

How to cook this Instant Pot risotto recipe

  1. Set your Instant Pot to the sauté function and add olive oil to the bottom of the pot. Once your oil is hot, add the chopped shallots, sliced mushrooms, and chopped asparagus.
  2. Stirring frequently, cook until the shallots become fragrant and translucent. Transfer the veggies to a plate and set aside.
  3. Add your frozen chicken breast to the hot Instant Pot and sear on all sides. Turn off the Instant Pot, add black pepper, rice, and broth.
  4. Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select High Pressure Cook and set the cook time for 25 minutes.
  5. Once the cooking time is complete, do a natural release of the pressure. This means don’t touch the sealing valve–just give it 15-20 minutes to slowly release on its own and finish cooking.
  6. Once the pressure valve drops remove the lid and shred chicken thighs with two forks. A stand mixer can be used to make shredding easier.
  7. Turn the Instant Pot to the saute setting and stir in cooked shallots, mushrooms, asparagus, and parmesan cheese.
  8. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat and serve immediately. For meal prep, see the tips section for freezing and reheating instructions.
collage of images showing steps to make instant pot risotto

Recipe tips

  • If you dislike mushrooms, leave them out and add more asparagus.
  • If you dislike asparagus leave it out and add more mushrooms. ;) This recipe is incredibly versatile, you could just use seasonal veggies or even omit the vegetables completely if you’d like. 
  • This recipe is delicious and hearty even without the chicken. If you don’t want meat in your parmesan risotto, leave it out. If you do this, I’d use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
  • If you have trouble finding shallots, you can replace it with 1/4 cup chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic.
  • This recipe is perfect for meal prep. Freeze any leftover risotto in individual serving sizes in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave for 2 minutes. 
white plate with chicken mushroom risotto

Healthy Eating Plans

This delicious and healthy Instant Pot Brown Rice Risotto fits into many diets perfectly. Whole grains, minimal oils and cheese, and plenty of vegetables makes this a meal that you can feel good about.

Weight Watchers:

Using chicken breasts or thighs, each serving is 4 Points on the 2023 Plan. Using chicken breasts, this recipe is 4 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points  | 2 Purple Plan Points.

21 Day Fix/Ultimate Portion Fix:

  • For the entire recipe: 6 Yellow Containers, 3 Green Containers, 4 Red Containers, 1 Blue Container, 6 Teaspoons.
  • Per ¾ cup serving: ½ Yellow Container, ¼ Green Container, ⅓ Red Container, ½ Teaspoons.  

2B Mindset:

Add a side of vegetables for a complete lunch.

close up of mushroom risotto

More healthy Instant Pot Recipes

white plate with chicken mushroom risotto
4.80 from 25 ratings
click the stars to rate!

Instant Pot Brown Rice Risotto with Mushrooms

Created by: Becca Ludlum
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Approximate Serving Size: 3/4 cup
Servings 12 servings
This healthy Brown Rice Risotto is an easy Instant Pot recipe! Gluten free short grain brown rice with chicken, mushrooms, and asparagus pair together for a healthy dinner recipe.

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 6 qt
  • Sealing Rings
  • Kitchen Knife

Ingredients 

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 shallot diced
  • 1 lb mushrooms sliced. I used a gourmet blend, but baby bellas work as well
  • 1 cup asparagus chopped
  • 1 lb chicken thighs frozen, boneless, skinless
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 ½ cup brown rice short grain
  • 5 cups chicken broth low sodium
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese shredded

Optional: salt to taste

    Instructions

    • Set your Instant Pot to sauté and add olive oil to the bottom. Once your oil is hot add chopped shallots, mushrooms, and asparagus. Stirring frequently, cook until the shallots become fragrant and translucent. Transfer the veggies to a plate, and set aside. 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 shallot, 1 lb mushrooms, 1 cup asparagus
    • Add your frozen chicken thighs to the hot Instant Pot and sear on all sides. Turn off the Instant Pot, add black pepper, rice, and broth. 1 lb chicken thighs, ½ tsp pepper, 1 ½ cup brown rice, 5 cups chicken broth
    • Close and lock the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Select Pressure Cook (high) and set the cook time for 25 minutes.
    • Once the cook time is complete let the pressure release naturally. Once the pressure valve drops remove the lid and shred chicken thighs with two forks. A stand mixer can be used to make shredding easier.
    • Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, and stir in cooked shallots, mushrooms, asparagus, and parmesan cheese. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat and serve immediately. For meal prep, see the notes and tips section for freezing and reheating instructions. 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

    Video

    Notes

    Healthy Eating Plans:
    Weight Watchers:
    • Using chicken breasts or thighs, each serving is 4 Points on the 2023 Plan. Using chicken breasts, this recipe is 4 Blue Plan Points | 4 Green Plan Points  | 2 Purple Plan Points.
    21 Day Fix Brown Rice Risotto: For the entire recipe: 6 Yellow Containers, 3 Green Containers, 4 Red Containers, 1 Blue Container, 6 Teaspoons. Per ¾ cup serving:  ½ Yellow Container, ¼ Green Container, ⅓ Red Container, ½ Teaspoons.  
    2B Mindset: Add a side of vegetables for a complete lunch.
    Recipe tips 
    • If you dislike mushrooms leave them out and add more asparagus, if you dislike asparagus leave it out. This recipe is incredibly versatile, you can even omit the vegetables completely. 
    • This recipe is delicious and hearty even without the chicken. If you don’t prefer meat in your risotto leave it out. 
    • If you have trouble finding shallots you can replace it with ¼ cup chopped onion and a clove of minced garlic, but I recommend using the shallot. 
    • This recipe is perfect for meal prep. Freeze in individual serving size container for up to 2 months. To reheat, microwave for 2 minutes. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 375mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg

    Make This Recipe?

    Make sure to follow on Pinterest @bludlum and on Instagram @beccaludlum

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    24 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      mushroom risotto is my favorite!!! i’m so excited about this recipe!

    2. Can I use fresh/defrosted chicken thighs? If so, do I need to change the cooking time?

      1. No change in cooking time, but your pot will probably come to pressure more quickly!

    3. I don’t have an instant pot is there a way to make this without one?

      1. Kellie Patterson says:

        I have the same question….

        1. You absolutely can, but I haven’t done it yet :)

          1. Set your stove to sauté and add olive oil to the bottom of a large skillet. Once your oil is hot add chopped shallots, mushrooms, and asparagus.
          2. Stir frequently and cook until the shallots become fragrant and translucent. Transfer the veggies to a plate and set aside (or grab another pan).
          3. Add thawed and diced chicken breast to the hot skillet and sear on all sides. Add black pepper, rice, and 1/2 cup broth.
          4. Allow the chicken to simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, until it’s cooked through. Cook the rice at this time according to package directions.
          5. Drain the extra liquid from the pan and add the cooked veggies along with parmesan cheese. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. Add the cooked rice into the skillet.
          6. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

    4. Lori Shaul says:

      5 stars
      This recipe is great after freezing!

    5. Same time for frozen chicken breast?

      1. Same time, it’ll just take longer to come to pressure.

    6. Alice Yash says:

      5 stars
      This was delicious, and made a ton! I used long grain brown rice because that is what I had, and it turned out very well. It took way longer than I expected because the natural release took almost 40 minutes, but it was worth the wait! I’ll be making this one again!

    7. When I put this in the WW recipe builder, it comes out to almost 10 points a serving. Am I doing something wrong? I’m putting in raw rice as an ingredient, could that be doing it?

      1. Hi Michelle!

        I added it a few ways and explained the differences, I’m not sure what is different–are you using 12 servings?

    8. I just made this tonight. I feel like I did something wrong since it doesn’t have a lot of flavor. I used fat free chicken broth, so maybe that was it. It also needed a significant amount of salt, even though I bought the expensive parm reggianno. There was also way more liquid in the pot after cooking.

      1. Did you use brown rice? And yes, the fat free broth could have caused that! :)

    9. 5 stars
      This was so good, thank you for the recipe!

      I omitted chicken and used canned mushrooms which worked fine. I was worried there was too much liquid after the rice cooked but it turned out perfect. I also added a little garlic powder and squeezed some lemon into the mixture as it sauteed at the end.

    10. 4 stars
      As my husband said, “this is a keeper.” Next time I will use more asparagus (personal preference) and probably some cheese on top. As a previous reviewer said, it took a really long time for the valve to release naturally, but worth the wait.
      Thanks for posting!

    11. Autumn Brooke says:

      Definitely trying this one! It looks so creamy and delicious. Thank you for sharing.

    12. 5 stars
      This recipe was wonderful. I used chicken thighs, (always do :) I oven roasted the asparagus ( always do) and followed everything else as written. Really enjoyed it. Made me excited to use an instant pot again! Thank you!!

    13. Kaitlyn Hughes says:

      Can this be done in a crockpot?

      1. I haven’t done it, but I bet it can! :) I’m sorry I can’t offer more guidance.

    14. 3 stars
      I made this last night. Like another commenter said, their was very little flavor besides chicken and chicken broth, and mine came out liquidy. I did not mix the rice and some floated on top, uncooked once I opened the pot after the natural pressure release.

      Next time I am going to do the mushrooms and onion seperately in half the shallot in a pan on the stove. I will use 1 Tbsp of oil, half the shallot, a few cloves of garlic in the instant pot before adding the chicken. I will make sure that the rice is fully submerged in the broth, only using 4.5 cups, and add some onion powder and salt before cooking and after the release. Will update this comment if it goes better.

      1. Thanks for letting me know about this – please keep me updated on your next attempt :)

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