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Photograph by Maya Visnyei, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua

Good broth makes great risotto, and one of the fastest homemade broths contains just one ingredient: miso. Whisked into hot water, miso creates an almost-instant broth that brings a richness, saltiness, and complexity that anchors the dish. As the mushrooms cook along with the rice, they infuse the grains and broth with their flavor. Criminis will get the job done, but if you find maitakes, snag ’em—they’ll add an incomparable savory earthiness.

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4–6 servings

¼

cup white or yellow miso

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

¼

cup extra-virgin olive oil

1

large onion, finely chopped

4

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

cups arborio or carnaroli rice

¾

cup dry white wine or sake

1

lb. mushrooms (such as crimini and/or maitake), thinly sliced or torn into bite-size pieces

4

Tbsp. unsalted butter

Furikake or sesame seeds, mild red pepper flakes, and kelp seasoning (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place miso in a large saucepan and slowly whisk in 6 cups water (this will help prevent lumps). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low just to keep broth warm; season with salt and a little pepper (enough so that it tastes like a good soup).

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Add onion and a large pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, 8–10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened and beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 4 minutes.

    Step 3

    Add rice to pot and cook, stirring often, until grains are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring often, until completely evaporated. Stir in mushrooms and 1 cup broth. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms are softened and broth is absorbed, 3–4 minutes. Maintaining a simmer, continue to add broth ½-cupful at a time, stirring to incorporate and waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more. Cook until rice is tender and all of the broth is incorporated (risotto should be a bit on the soupier side at this point but will continue to thicken). If you run out of broth before rice is done, just add hot water. Stir butter into risotto; taste and season with salt if needed.

    Step 4

    Divide risotto among bowls; sprinkle some furikake (or make something similar with sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, and a bit of kelp seasoning) on top.

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  • I had high expectations, as I love miso, but this dish just didn't do much for me. Maybe shouldn't have gone with shiitakes?

    • Erica

    • Madison, WI

    • 3/27/2024

  • Really tasty cheese-free risotto. I added dashi powder to the water, topped with scallions, served alongside togarashi shrimp.

    • Anonymous

    • Richmond, VA

    • 9/1/2023

  • Truly delicious - definitely a hands-on recipe, but the end result was rich and tasty and felt like a real feat!

    • Anonymous

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 3/22/2023

  • So tasty! Used baby bellas because they volunteered from the fridge. Held up nicely to all the stirring. And stirring. And, for the love of all that is holy, more stirring. Added 2 teaspoons amino acid, a package of frozen green peas warmed up in the final dregs of broth in the saucepan, and a few generous shakes of red pepper at the end. Finished with 2 tablespoons of butter because it was plenty rich and glossy already. Miso happy!

    • Anonymous

    • Texas

    • 10/18/2022

  • I used shiitake, Japanese beech, and oyster mushrooms. That's what they had in my local market. I added white pepper, nutmeg, and a little herb de provence to bring out the woodsy note in the mushrooms. It changed the flavor profile somewhat but was very tasty.

    • Sophy

    • Ashland, OR

    • 7/4/2022

  • This was pretty good! I added a fried egg on top and it was great!

    • Melissa

    • California

    • 5/16/2022

  • most amazing risotto I've made in years!! So good. My kids loved it too! So umami!

    • R Gaede

    • Oak Hills, CA

    • 5/13/2022