Instant Pot Lemon Risotto with Peas

Instant Pot Lemon Risotto is a bright and flavorful risotto. It's made in the pressure cooker and turns out creamy and delicious.

Stir in peas or your favorite vegetable, and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese for a yummy, easy to make risotto.

One of my absolute favorite things to make in my Instant Pot is risotto. And this Instant Pot Lemon Risotto is the perfect spring risotto dish! But because it's made with frozen peas, it can be made any time of year!

Don't like peas? Leave them out! It's delicious even without the peas.

This risotto is a no-stir risotto. You sauté some ingredients in your Instant Pot, then add in broth and spices, and then close it all up and let it work its magic. The risotto comes out creamy, delicious, and perfectly cooked!

The lemon adds the perfect amount of brightness to this dish. You'll need both the juice and zest of a medium lemon. To zest the lemon, you'll need a microplane like this to get the zest off of the lemon.

What is lemon zest?

Lemon zest is the outside rind of the lemon zested into small pieces. It helps get the aromas and flavor of the lemon zest into food to really boost the lemony taste. Only zest the top yellow part of the lemon, not the white part underneath. That white part is called the pith and it is bitter.

What is risotto rice?

Risotto rice is also called arborio rice. It's a starchy rice that can absorb flavors and becomes creamy and delicious when cooked in a risotto. Most grocery stores carry arborio rice, and you can also find it on Amazon.

Can I use regular rice?

I wouldn't recommend using regular rice, as it cooks and absorbs flavors differently that arborio rice.

Instructions:

First, prep your ingredients for the Instant Pot lemon risotto. Chop your onions and garlic and get out your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.

Melt 2 tablespoon of butter in the Instant Pot, then add the onion and saute for a few minutes. Next, add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes.

Add the arborio rice and cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes.

Deglaze with the white wine, then add the chicken broth (or veggie broth for a vegetarian risotto), oregano, salt, and pepper. Close up the Instant Pot and set to cook for 5 minutes. Let the Instant Pot come to pressure and cook for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese. Zest and juice your lemon.

Once the Instant Pot is finished cooking, release the pressure, and then add the lemon zest, lemon juice, 4 tablespoon butter, parmesan cheese, and frozen peas. Stir to combine and then serve!

How to serve:

This Instant Pot lemon risotto is delicious as is, but you can always serve topped with chicken, shrimp, salmon, or even scallops. This dish pairs perfectly with seafood.

Other Instant Pot recipes:

If you like this risotto, you'll love our Instant Pot Parmesan Risotto recipe. It's similar, but doesn't have lemon or peas. We also have an Instant Pot Chicken Risotto recipe.

Looking for something a little more meaty? Check out our Instant Pot Mongolian Beef and Instant Pot Beef Stew recipes.