Pea Risotto Recipe Recipe
This Spring Pea Risotto with lemon and mint can be made with fresh or frozen peas. Savory and delicious on its own as a vegetarian dinner, or top it with seared fish or scallops.
How to Make the Best Pea Risotto Recipe
Spring calls for fresh, vibrant flavors, and this pea risotto delivers exactly that. The combination of sweet peas, bright lemon zest, and fresh mint creates a dish that feels light yet satisfying. The secret to this recipe is the pea puree, which gets folded into the finished risotto for an extra boost of color and flavor.
Risotto has a reputation for being fussy, but it’s really just about patience. The key is adding the warm broth gradually and stirring regularly—this coaxes out the starch from the Arborio rice, creating that signature creamy texture without any cream. The whole process takes about 20 minutes of active cooking, and it’s genuinely meditative once you get into the rhythm.
This dish works beautifully as a vegetarian main course, but it also shines as a bed for seared fish or scallops. A drizzle of truffle oil at the end takes it from weeknight dinner to something special. Whether you use fresh spring peas or frozen ones from the supermarket, this risotto captures the essence of the season.
Pea Risotto Recipe
This Spring Pea Risotto with lemon and mint can be made with fresh or frozen peas. Savory and delicious on its own as a vegetarian dinner, or top it with seared fish or scallops.
Ingredients
Risotto Base
Peas and Finishing
Instructions
Prepare the Risotto
- Heat 4 cups vegetable broth in a medium pot.
- In a heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat and saute shallots and garlic until fragrant and golden, about 5 minutes, stirring.
- Add the arborio rice and stir to coat for one minute. Add white wine to deglaze the pan and simmer until the wine has completely been absorbed.
- Add one cup of hot broth and stir every 45-60 seconds, letting the rice absorb it slowly over medium-low heat, about 5 minutes. Continue adding one cup at a time, each time allowing the rice to slowly absorb the broth until the rice is tender (yet still holding its shape). This will take about 20 minutes.
Prepare the Peas
- At the same time, blanch the fresh peas. Bring a small pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add the peas and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until tender; drain and set aside.
- Add ½ cup blanched peas to a blender with ½ cup water and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Blend until silky smooth. Add a handful of spinach to bump up the color even more. Blend until smooth again (it's okay to add a little water to get the blades going). Set this aside.
Finish and Serve
- When the risotto is tender and you are close to serving it, fold in the pecorino cheese, lemon zest, the blanched peas, and the pea puree. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in ⅔ of the mint, saving the rest for the garnish.
- Taste, adjust salt, pepper, and lemon, adding more to taste. Add chili flakes if you like.
- Divide pea risotto among bowls, add a drizzle of truffle oil to elevate.
Notes
- For an even brighter green color, add a handful of fresh spinach to the pea puree.
- This risotto pairs beautifully with seared halibut, scallops, or shrimp for a more substantial meal.
- If using frozen peas, no need to blanch them—simply add them directly to the risotto in the final minutes of cooking.
