Easy & Decadent Vegan Cauliflower Spinach Risotto Recipe

This vegan cauliflower risotto is so creamy and decadent! You'll never believe that this recipe is healthy AND only takes 15-minutes from start to finish!

Cauliflower is easily the savior when it comes to "healthifying" traditional recipes. Using cauliflower rice as a substitute for risotto rice not only cuts the time by more than half, but it also cuts the calories & carbs while still tasting decadent!

What You'll Need:

• Vegan Butter
• All-Purpose Flour
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Nutritional Yeast
• Frozen Cauliflower Rice
• Baby Spinach
• Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

How to Make Vegan Cauliflower Risotto:

This 15-minute recipe couldn't be easier!

First, Make the Risotto Sauce

Unlike a traditional risotto, where you start by adding the rice and then stir for ever, this recipe does the opposite. This helps keep the cauliflower rice from turning mushy!

In a hot pan over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp. of vegan butter.

Once melted, sprinkle 1 tbsp. of all-purpose flour and use a whisk to create a roux.

Then, stir in minced shallot/onion and garlic and cook that down with the roux.

Slowly, add in ¾ cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk ¼ cup at a time. Whisk until a thick sauce is achieved. Add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast as well as garlic & onion powder and salt.

Then, Cook your Cauliflower Rice

In the same pan, add 3.5 cups (I used the entire bag) of frozen cauliflower rice to the sauce. Stir until well combined and continue to stir until the cauliflower is cooked through.

Finally, Add the Spinach

Once the dish is nearly finished, add a large handful of spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted and cooked down. This should take less than 5 minutes.

Once done, add to a plate, season, & enjoy!

Ingredient Substitutions:

If you don't want to use spinach, that's fine! Either use kale or another leafy green, or omit it all together!

To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use GF flour or cornstarch in place of the all purpose flour. If using cornstarch I recommend starting with ½ tbsp. and using a cornstarch slurry.

If you don't have nutritional yeast, don't worry about that. Feel free to omit it or use vegan cheese in its place. If you choose to omit it, you may want to increase some of your seasonings.

Make it WFPB! (Whole-food, plant-based)

_{WFPB avoids animal products as well as oils, refined sugars and grains, and processed foods.}

The ingredients in this vegan cauliflower risotto recipe that are not considered WFPB-compliant are: vegan butter, flour, salt, and possibly almond milk. (To ensure your milk is WFPB compliant, make sure the ingredients are minimal. This is a great option.)

To make this recipe compliant, I definitely recommend using cashew cream in place of the roux created by the butter, flour, and milk. I have a recipe for cashew cream here.

As for the salt, my go-to replacement is to use miso paste. Simply mix a scoop of miso paste in warm water and add that to the dish. Also, I encourage increasing the amount of non-salt seasonings used to keep the risotto flavorful