If you are looking for a quick and comforting dish, this Instant Pot cauliflower risotto is so tasty and healthy and takes less than 30 minutes to make! The scent of sautéed mushrooms and garlic will fill your kitchen with the most incredible aroma, and that first creamy bite will make you forget you’re eating a grain-free version of traditional risotto. This delicious cauliflower risotto is a great way to enjoy comfort food while keeping things healthy!
Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Risotto Recipe
Growing up in a Korean-American household, rice was our staple, but Italian traditional risotto offered a creamy twist I fell in love with at first bite. I created this cauliflower rice risotto that delivers all the comfort without white rice.
Mushrooms are the star supporting ingredient here. Mushrooms are “medicine food,” and science agrees—they’re packed with immune-boosting properties and add delicious flavor to this low-carb risotto. I love making this easy recipe with fresh riced cauliflower which is another veggie superfood!
What I love most is how quickly it comes together in a large skillet or the Instant Pot. As a busy mom juggling school drop-offs and activities, I need easy recipes that don’t sacrifice flavor. A little bit of olive oil, minced garlic, and you’re on your way to a healthy risotto that’s perfect for any weeknight. If you fall in love with cauliflower this lemon turmeric roasted cauliflower is another great dish to try.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This cauliflower risotto uses simple, nourishing ingredients to create a dish that’s both comforting and healing:
- Fresh cauliflower: You’ll need 1 medium head or 4-5 cups of fresh riced cauliflower. Using fresh cauliflower florets gives the best texture for mimicking white rice in this recipe.
- Olive oil or ghee: I typically reach for olive oil or ghee for its rich flavor, but coconut oil works beautifully for strict AIP or if you’re sensitive to dairy.
- Onion and garlic: These aromatics create that beautiful foundation. The minced garlic adds depth that develops as it cooks over medium heat.
- Shiitake, cremini, or white mushrooms: I prefer shiitake for a cauliflower mushroom risotto, but any variety works based on your personal preferences.
- White wine (optional, omit for Whole30): A splash adds authentic flavor but is completely optional.
- Coconut aminos: This is my go-to soy-free alternative that adds a wonderful savory depth with a touch of sweetness.
- Full-fat coconut milk: The secret to creating that luxurious, creamy texture that makes traditional risotto so beloved.
- Bone broth or chicken broth: I love using homemade bone broth for the added nutrient boost. For a vegetarian option, use veggie broth.
- Nutritional yeast: Creates that wonderful cheesy flavor without any parmesan cheese—perfect for dairy-free versions.
- Tapioca starch: Just a little bit helps thicken the sauce to create that authentic, velvety risotto consistency.
- Sea salt and black pepper: Enhance all the flavors. Start with the amount in the recipe and adjust to taste. (Omit black pepper for strict AIP.)
- Fresh herbs: Fresh parsley or other fresh herbs brighten everything up and add beautiful color contrast.
If you’re looking for more ways to enjoy cauliflower, check out my Mediterranean cauliflower couscous salad or broccoli cauliflower salad.
How to Make This Cauliflower Risotto
Prep the Cauliflower
Step 1: Remove the leaves off the cauliflower and cut off the florets from the roots.
Step 2: Use a cheese grater or a food processor with a grater attachment, and grate the cauliflower into small pieces the size of white rice. (This is a great step to prep ahead of time or get the kids involved with!)
Instant Pot Method
Step 3: Add ghee or coconut oil to the Instant Pot and set it to “Sauté.” Let it heat for 5 minutes and make sure to coat the bottom of the pan.
Step 4: Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook stirring for 7 minutes over medium heat, until the mushrooms have sweat and are tender.
Step 5: Add coconut aminos, and stir cooking for 2 minutes until the vegetables are browned. Turn off the Instant Pot.
Step 6: Add cauliflower rice, coconut milk, bone broth, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. Stir everything together.
Step 7: Seal the lid, make sure the pressure valve is set to close, and set the Instant Pot to “Manual” for 2 minutes.
Step 8: Once it finishes to a beep, immediately release the pressure valve and open the lid. You can drain some of the liquid if there’s too much (this depends on how much moisture was in your cauliflower).
Step 9: Sprinkle tapioca starch over the risotto and stir until thickened. Add more salt if desired. Add ground black pepper, if using.
Step 10: Sprinkle with fresh parsley and enjoy!
Stovetop Method
- Step 1: In a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, add ghee or coconut oil.
- Step 2: Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook stirring for 7 minutes, until the mushrooms have sweat and are tender.
- Step 3: Add coconut aminos, and stir cooking for 2 minutes until the vegetables are browned.
- Step 4: Add cauliflower rice, coconut milk, bone broth, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. Stir everything together to combine.
- Step 5: Lower the heat to medium low, then simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Step 6: Once most of the liquid is absorbed, stir in tapioca starch until thickened.
- Step 7: Remove from heat, then add more salt if desired. Add ground black pepper, if using.
- Step 8: Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.
Recipe Tips for Perfect Cauliflower Risotto
- Fresh vs. Frozen Cauliflower Rice: Fresh yields the best texture. If using frozen, drain thoroughly first or you’ll end up with soup instead of risotto (learned this the hard way!).
- Mushroom Varieties: My Korean upbringing taught me to appreciate different mushrooms—each brings its own flavor. A mix of shiitake and cremini creates amazing depth.
- Make it Extra Creamy: For non-paleo occasions, add a splash of heavy cream at the end. For dairy-free, an extra spoonful of coconut cream works beautifully.
- Brightness Boost: A squeeze of lemon juice or lemon zest brightens all the flavors.
- Herb Variations: While parsley is classic, fresh thyme or rosemary adds wonderful complexity.
- Serving Suggestion: Great as a side dish, but makes an excellent main when topped with protein.
- For Special Occasions: A tiny drizzle of truffle oil transforms this into a restaurant-worthy dish!
Storage Tips
- Fridge: Store leftover cauliflower risotto in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I often make a double batch specifically for leftovers.
- Reheating: Gently reheat on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water to restore creaminess. The risotto tends to thicken as it sits, so don’t be shy about adding a little liquid when reheating.
- Meal Prep: This dish actually works surprisingly well for meal prep! I portion it into glass containers alongside some protein for easy lunches during the week.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Use coconut oil instead of ghee and let the nutritional yeast provide that cheesy flavor without any actual cheese. I’ve served this to mixed dietary groups and everyone enjoys it regardless of restrictions.
It’s much faster to make and significantly lower in carbs. My Italian neighbor was skeptical until she tried it! The texture is surprisingly similar, especially with the creamy sauce, though slightly lighter than rice-based risotto.
If you’re not strictly paleo or doing Whole30, you can absolutely add 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan at the end. It melts beautifully into the hot risotto and adds that classic flavor.
If you’re not strictly paleo or doing Whole30, you can absolutely add 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan at the end. It melts beautifully into the hot risotto and adds that classic flavor.
This cauliflower mushroom risotto has become a family favorite for both busy weeknights and special occasions. My journey to healthier eating hasn’t been about deprivation but finding creative ways to enjoy foods I love while nourishing my body. When I serve this to friends, they’re always shocked to learn it’s made from cauliflower instead of rice.
Instant Pot Cauliflower Risotto (with Mushrooms)
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower or 4-5 cups of pre-riced fresh or frozen cauliflower
- 1 tbsp ghee or coconut oil for AIP or dairy sensitivity
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 lb small shiitake mushrooms, sliced or cremini or white mushrooms
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup bone broth or chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp sea salt or more, to taste
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- Ground black pepper to taste (omit for AIP)
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the leaves off the cauliflower and cut off the florets from the roots.
- Use a cheese grater or a food processor with a grater attachment, and grate the cauliflower into the size of rice.
Instant Pot Method
- Add ghee or coconut oil to the Instant Pot and set it to “Sauté.” Let it heat for 5 minutes and make sure to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook stirring for 7 minutes, until the mushrooms have sweat and are tender.Â
- Add coconut aminos, and stir cooking for 2 minutes until the vegetables are browned. Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add cauliflower rice, coconut milk. bone broth, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. Stir everything together.
- Seal the lid, make sure the pressure valve is set to close, and set the Instant Pot to “Manual” for 2 minutes.
- Once it finishes to a beep, immediately release the pressure valve and open the lid. You can drain some of the liquid if there's too much (this depends on how much moisture was in your cauliflower).
- Sprinkle tapioca starch over the risotto and stir until thickened. Add more salt if desired. Add ground black pepper, if using.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Stovetop Method
- In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add ghee or coconut oil.
- Add onion, mushrooms, and garlic and cook stirring for 7 minutes, until the mushrooms have sweat and are tender.Â
- Add coconut aminos, and stir cooking for 2 minutes until the vegetables are browned.
- Add cauliflower rice, coconut milk. bone broth, nutritional yeast, and sea salt. Stir everything together to combine.
- Lower the heat to medium low, then simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Once most of the liquid is absorbed, stir in tapioca starch until thickened.
- Remove from heat, then add more salt if desired. Add ground black pepper, if using.
- Serve warm, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Fresh vs. Frozen Cauliflower Rice: Fresh yields the best texture. If using frozen, drain thoroughly first or you’ll end up with soup instead of risotto (learned this the hard way!).
- Mushroom Varieties: My Korean upbringing taught me to appreciate different mushrooms—each brings its own flavor. A mix of shiitake and cremini creates amazing depth.
- Make it Extra Creamy: For non-paleo occasions, add a splash of heavy cream at the end. For dairy-free, an extra spoonful of coconut cream works beautifully.
- Brightness Boost: A squeeze of lemon juice or lemon zest brightens all the flavors.
- Herb Variations: While parsley is classic, fresh thyme or rosemary adds wonderful complexity.
- Serving Suggestion: Great as a side dish, but makes an excellent main when topped with protein.Â
- For Special Occasions: A tiny drizzle of truffle oil transforms this into a restaurant-worthy dish!
Regarding other affiliate links and affiliate relationships: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Hello, I am nervous about using the yeast in this recipe due to my autoimmune condition. What does the yeast do for this recipe? And how would it turn out without it?
Nutritional yeast isn’t really like other yeast. It gives a cheesy flavor to the recipe. You can make this recipe without it if it bothers you.
Can you use a different thickener other than tapioca starch? Like I have potato starch and arrowroot. Would either of these work? I just have them on hand is all
I haven’t tried with other starches but I think arrowroot might work!
Thanks!
We used Tapioca flour and it worked great!
I don’t remember how I stumbled on your recipe; but that doesn’t matter. I made it tonight and first, it’s so simple! I used Trader Joe’s cauliflower rice since I already had the bag in the freezer. When I opened the IP after cooking, it smelled like the real deal. Then I tasted it and oh my god!! It tastes like the real deal, too! Next time I may swap in truffle salt in lieu of plain sea salt.
Thanks so much, Shaina. Makes me so happy that you enjoyed the recipe. And I may steal your truffle salt idea. That sounds awesome!
I was going to ask if we could use frozen or fresh cauli rice. I have both. Can’t wait to make this recipe!
Hi! How many Oz of pre-riced cauliflower did you use?
About 16 oz (1 lb)!
I use TJ’s cauliflower rice too. The fresh one in the produce section. How many bags did you use for this recipe?
Well I made this for lunch today. Only difference is I added some parmesan cheese before serving it. IT.WAS.AMAZING! I didn’t tell my husband it was made with cauliflower – he thought it was made the traditional way with rice. He raved about it! Thanks!
I didn’t have many of these ingredients, so I had to modify quite a bit. Even so, this recipe turned out wonderfully well and so delicious! I only had 8 oz. of mushrooms, so I added 8 oz. canned chickpeas to make a pound. Instead of coconut aminos, I used soy sauce. I suffer from iron overload, so I added tea in place of the broth. No nutritional yeast — in place of that, I used parmesan cheese. Finally, I substituted wheat flour for the tapioca starch. Although it sounds as though I substituted this recipe to death, it just goes to show that a solid foundation makes all the difference. This recipe works even with all the modifications, and that means it’s a keeper!
Thanks for the kind words, Susan! I’m so happy it worked out with all the substitutions. 🙂
Do you have a recommendation for making this without an instapot? I don’t have one yet, but this sounds amazing.
I’ve never tried but you can saute the mushrooms and veggies on the stovetop, and then for the IP part, simmer everything in a saucepan over medium heat around 10 minutes or so. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add tapioca starch to thicken. Let me know how it turns out!
This worked well! Just followed the directions and simmered for 10 when it got to the IP part. So delicious!!!
So glad you asked this question and tried it. The IP is literally the last kitchen item needing to be added to my kitchen. At first I was not wanting one at all, just another thing, but when I first pinned this recipe, I was geeked to get one because my daughter is vegan and she loves rissoto, especially if it’s made with cauliflower rice. When I researched the IPs, I was over whelmed on which one to buy, reading all the reviews, options and models threw me out of the game. So, hence, why I still don’t have one but with my daughter being home from college due to COVID, we so want to make this dish!! We will try it tonight!! Thank you for the alternate cooking instructions. I promise I will still look into getting an IP! 😉
Made it Friday evening and it was so good! My daughter didn’t even know it wasn’t rice! She kept talking about how good it was the next morning. Thank you! This will be a staple recipe go forward!!
grandma ate coconut aminos?
She would have if it was available!
I was wondering if you have the nutritional breakdown of this recipe, specifically carbs. I’m on a low carb way of eating.
LOVED this recipe! Mine came out with a little too much liquid, so I added some cornstarch to thicken it up a bit- worked well! I subbed almond flour for tapioca starch, used 1 bag of frozen TJs cauliflower rice, and a bag of frozen TJs mushroom medley. I think next time I’ll try less broth or add more cauliflower rice!
So glad you enjoyed it! Tapioca starch also absorbs more liquid than almond flour so that could be it. Thank you so much for trying it out!
I too found there to be a lot of extra liquid after cooking. I used a ladle to take out the extra and used the starch to thicken which worked. If using homemade cauliflower rice, would you recommend drying out the cauliflower first to avoid this in the future?
I think moisture level of the cauliflower varies a lot. I didn’t find much liquid with mine. You can try drying it out, or just remove the extra liquid like you did.
This tastes amazing! We added some shredded parmesan and it took it to the next level!!
Thank you!
I never give a review, ever! But today I tried this recipe and to be honest I was worried. It turns out this recipe is DELICIOUS, I cannot believe it!!! I made it in the stove following the advice in the comment section. I’m impressed that I like it this much! I already see myself doing a similar recipe with shrimp instead of mushroom
Thanks so much!! And love the idea of using shrimp.
This looks great! Question – I always get confused when “coconut milk” is listed. I followed the link but based on review it still wasn’t super clear. Are we talking milk that you might use for tea/cereal, or are we talking about coconut milk in a can? Thanks for clarifying!
Make sure it’s full-fat, usually from a can.
Hi, i made this and it tasted way too coconut-y. The coconut flavour was overpowering. have you tried anything like almond or oat milk? I’m going to and I’ll let you know.
You can try with a thicker milk like cashew milk. I just love coconut flavor so I don’t even notice it anymore. But the creaminess of the milk is important for the texture.
This looks delicious! Would I need to make major changes if not making it in an IP?
Hi! Not too much. You can just simmer everything together on the stovetop until it becomes risotto like (maybe 15-20 minutes).
Wow, I absolutely loved this! This is so tasty and does not have a cauliflower taste. I did mine on the stovetop instead of instant pot (cooked the cauliflower and liquid portion for 6 min stovetop instead of 2 min instant pot). I had it as a main dish for dinner and it was very satisfying. I love that it’s both paleo and vegan. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad it worked out on the stovetop! Thanks so much for the review.
We love this recipe so much! We’ve made it a few times as written and it’s delicious, and then I decided to try mixing it up last night with asparagus and peas instead of mushrooms and I also subbed lemon juice instead of soy sauce for more of a spring veggie risotto feel and it was equally amazing.
I love all the different ways you’ve enjoyed it. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Great recipe to add to the AIP Repertoire! Made with mushrooms and asparagus
Yum! What a great idea to add asparagus!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was fantastic!! My daughter (who normally doesn’t like mushrooms) and my husband (who is not doing AIP as we are) both LOVED it. I made it on the stovetop and just kept it simmering until very little liquid was left. And used porcini mushrooms. Thank you so much. I’ll definitely be making this again!!
I was skeptical of the cauliflower replacing risotto, but this was delicious! Creamy, savory and filling!
Thank you! SO glad you enjoyed it!!
Made this along with some bacon-wrapped scallops for some dinner guests – super fast to make, and very fancy. Everyone enjoyed this dish – great flavor, especially with the tip to add truffle salt!
That sounds AMAZING. Thank you so much!