This Risotto al Limone aka lemon risotto is so creamy, perfectly tangy, and just delicious! Made with simple ingredients in the authentic Italian method, this is the perfect meal!
I love lemons and all things tart or sour, so this lemony risotto al limone was the perfect flavor combination with a creamy texture. It tastes very similar to spaghetti al limone, but its risotto instead of al dente spaghetti!
This recipe comes out a bit looser than most risottos, intentionally. It is so creamy, silky, and luxurious. If you're a risotto lover, be sure to try my Risotto al Tartufo and my Goat Cheese Risotto!
Table of Contents:
📖 Recipe Origins
There are, apparently, many conflicting takes on the origins of risotto, but it naturally starts with the introduction of rice to Italy. Rice was brought to places like Italy and Spain by the Arabs in the Middle Ages.
In Milan, which was originally part of Spain, rice was very popular as was "slow-cooking." Combining slow-cooked rice with spices like saffron eventually resulted in a dish similar to modern-day risotto.
Risotto is known as an Italian dish and is popular all over Italy and at Italian restaurants in other countries, but it is more popular in northern Italy.
🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
🍚 Why you'll love this Risotto al Limone
- Bright & Citrus-y! The zest and fresh juice pairs so well with the typically heavy risotto, making it much lighter and more fresh!
- Simple Ingredients. Nothing tricky here, these are all easy-to-find ingredients.
- Creamy and Full of Flavor! I couldn't believe how FLAVORFUL this risotto was!
🥘 What you need for this recipe
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Arborio Rice - The type of rice is extremely important for risotto, do not substitute. ONLY arborio or carnaroli rice will work.
- Olive Oil
- Broth or Water - I used salted water for this recipe to keep the color light, but a pale chicken broth would be good too!
- Shallot - I highly recommend using a shallot, but ½ of a small white or yellow onion can work too.
- Sherry Wine - Sherry cooking wine worked best in this recipe, because it added a bit of sweetness. If you can't get sherry, just use any dry white wine.
- Butter - Stick butter if preferred, salted or unsalted, based on your preference.
- Parmesan - Freshly grated parmesan, please do not use the "cheese" from the green tube!
- Lemon Juice and Zest - Buy lemons and zest and juice them yourself for best results!
Tools and Equipment:
- Small Pot for Broth
- Large Pan or Pot for Risotto
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Spoon
📋 How to make Risotto al Limone
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Finely mince a shallot, zest and juice the lemons, and grate the parmesan. Cube the butter into small chunks and place back in the fridge until later.
In a small pot, heat broth or water over medium heat, with a lid on, until steamy.
Step 2: Make the Risotto
In a large pot or heavy saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Then, add the shallot and sweat until translucent and soft. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and stir to combine until fragrant.
Next, add the arborio rice to the pan and stir until rice is lightly toasted, being sure not to burn the shallots. Add the sherry wine and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and scrape the "fond" (brown bits) off the bottom.
Once the wine has cooked and absorbed and the rice is almost dry, add a ladle-full of the hot broth or hot water. Stir continuously until the liquid is absorbed. Then, add another ladle.
Repeat this cooking process until the rice is cooked through.
Step 3: Finishing Touches
Once rice is cooked, add the lemon juice, the other tablespoon of lemon zest, parmesan cheese, and the cold cubed butter.
Stir vigorously until the butter and cheese are fully emulsified into the risotto. Add kosher salt and black pepper and adjust to your liking.
Serve hot and garnish with fresh chives, flaky salt, and any remaining lemon zest.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- The type of rice is extremely important for risotto, do not substitute. ONLY arborio or carnaroli rice will work.
- I used salted water for this recipe to keep the color light, but a pale chicken broth would be good too!
- For risotto to work, constant stirring is necessary. It may seem like a pain, but just keep stirring! It is also important that the broth is hot, so keep it in a small pot on the back burner over low heat.
Storage & Reheating Tips:
- Store in the Fridge: Wait until the risotto comes to room temperature and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Store in the Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to about 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Always inspect leftovers for impurities or mold by using your eyes and nose. Reheat by adding to a nonstick pan with a dash of olive oil over medium heat until heated through. Garnish with fresh parmesan.
Recipe FAQs
The secret to good risotto is constant agitation of the rice, aka constant stirring. The agitation releases the starches from the rice, making it thicker and creamier without using any heavy cream.
In the beginning, be sure to toast the rice for more flavor. For even more flavor add extra salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, butter, and lemon!
While it seems like risotto takes forever to cook through, you want to be careful not to overcook it either. Overcooking risotto rice will cause it to be too sticky and not luxe and creamy.
Related Recipes
Love a recipe you've tried? Please leave a 5-star🌟 rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe
Risotto al Limone (Lemony Risotto)
Equipment
- Small Pot for Broth
- Large Pan or Pot for Risotto
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Spoon
Ingredients
- ½ cup Arborio rice
- 1 ½ cups Broth or water heated
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Shallot or ½ white onion. Finely diced
- ⅓ cup Sherry wine
- 3 tablespoon Butter cut into cubes
- ½ cup Parmesan fresh grated
- ¼ cup Lemon juice fresh squeezed
- 2 tbsp Lemon zest
Instructions
- Finely mince a shallot, zest and juice the lemons, and grate the parmesan. Cube the butter into small chunks and place back in the fridge until later.
- In a small pot, heat broth or water over medium heat, with a lid on, until steamy.
- In a large pot or pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Then, add the shallot and sweat until translucent and soft. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and stir to combine until fragrant.
- Next, add the arborio rice to the pan and stir until rice is lightly toasted, being sure not to burn onions. Add the sherry wine and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and scrape the "fond" (brown bits) off the bottom.
- Once the wine has cooked and absorbed and the rice is almost dry, add a ladle-full of the hot water or broth. Stir continuously until the liquid is absorbed. Then, add another ladle.
- Repeat this process until the rice is cooked through.
- Once rice is cooked, add the lemon juice, the other tablespoon of lemon zest, parmesan cheese, and the cold cubed butter.
- Stir vigorously until the butter and cheese are fully emulsified into the risotto. Add salt and pepper and adjust to your liking.
- Serve hot and garnish with fresh chives, flaky salt, and any remaining lemon zest.
Video
Notes
- The type of rice is extremely important for risotto, do not substitute. ONLY arborio or carnaroli rice will work.
- I used salted water for this recipe to keep the color light, but a pale chicken broth would be good too!
- For risotto to work, constant stirring is necessary. It may seem like a pain, but just keep stirring!
Lauren Lucado
Hi! Omg this is my first time making any risotto from scratch (I’m a big consumer of pre-mades) and these instructions were SO easy to follow. I specifically enjoyed the prep recommendations for before turning on any of the heating elements because it really helped reduce my stress of typical ‘at the stove top the entire time’ recipes. I did use a slightly higher volume of lemon juice in the recipe, because I was cooking with my heart, but I would not recommend doing that! The 1/4 cup is plenty! I will definitely adjust that next time, thankfully I did balance it out in the end with salt, pepper, and more cheese! (Fats cut the lemon really well)
Anyways, all this to say yes, I loved it, and I can’t wait to make this for friends to flex my cooking skills! Thank you!