Recently, I stumbled upon J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s technique for pressure-cooker risotto, and decided to take it for a spin using my Instant Pot electric pressure cooker. Considering that risotto has been around for 600 years, it’s nice to see a new spin on a classic preparation.
This technique worked perfectly (big surprise), so I have been using it frequently as a means to make perfect risotto without all that stirring. I even had to buy a new bag of arborio rice this past weekend, which is a rare occurrence – risotto rice always seems to last forever. If you don’t have a pressure cooker (yet!), don’t worry, I’ve included stovetop instructions as well.
To highlight this new take on risotto, I decided to err on the side of decadent: duck fat, mushrooms, prosciutto, and orange zest all fit together seamlessly to form a dish that’s equal parts familiar and exotic – and surprisingly dairy-free, to boot.
It’s good to have a jar of duck fat hiding in the recesses of your fridge; we like to use it when roasting vegetables, searing steaks, popping popcorn, or coating a chicken before tossing it in the oven. For this recipe I used the duck fat from Fat Works, who also offer high-quality pastured pork lard, beef tallow, lamb tallow, and buffalo tallow.
Pressure-Cooker Duck Fat Risotto (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Perfect Health Diet)
4 cups warm chicken broth
3 tbsp duck fat
1 large shallot (about 2 tbsp), chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz white or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 oz prosciutto, coarsely chopped
zest of 1 orange (about 1 tbsp)
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
Electric pressure cooker instructions:
1. Warm the chicken broth by pouring it into a small pot and heating over low heat. Press the “Sauté” button on the pressure cooker, and warm the duck fat until aromatic. Add the shallot and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms; sauté until softened around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with fat, then sauté until slightly toasted, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes.
2. Pour in the wine and simmer until mostly evaporated, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Pour in the warm broth and stir to combine. Cover the pressure cooker and set it for “Manual”, low pressure, 5 minutes. As the risotto cooks, zest your orange and chop the prosciutto and parsley.
3. Once the timer on the pressure cooker concludes, force-depressurize the pressure cooker by rotating the valve on its lid. Remove the lid and check for consistency – it should still be somewhat liquidy. Press the “Sauté” button and cook the risotto, stirring constantly, until the liquid is mostly absorbed, about 3-5 more minutes. Add the prosciutto, orange zest, and parsley and stir to combine; taste and add salt and pepper as needed, then serve.
Stovetop instructions:
1. Warm the chicken broth by pouring it into a small pot and heating over low heat. In a large skillet, heat the duck fat over medium heat, then add the shallot and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic. Sauté until aromatic, about 30 seconds, then add the mushrooms; sauté until softened around the edges, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir until coated with fat, then sauté until slightly toasted, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes. Pour in the wine and simmer until mostly evaporated, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes.
2. Pour in 1 cup of the warm broth and stir to combine; bring to a simmer and cook until mostly evaporated, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. Repeat this step for the remaining 3 cups of broth, 1 cup at a time, until the rice is softened but still has a bit of bite to it.
3. Add the prosciutto, orange zest, and parsley and stir to combine; taste and add salt and pepper as needed, then serve.
The Domestic Man 
YUM.
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Omg, Russ, I have some serious duck fat envy! They look to be sold out right now, but I’m really curious how much (if they even do it) it would cost to ship to Canada. It’s pretty pricey for even a small jar of duck fat up here, but I give in sometimes cuz it’s just so good!
This recipe makes me really want an Instant Pot. I’ve heard it’s great for broth too – might be time to invest!
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I cooked a duck in my romertof clay cooker, then chilled the drippings (which I poured off 3 times during the cooking process), skimmed the fat off the top. I put the fat in a jar in the fridge to use for cooking and froze the broth (delicious and gelatinous). I will thaw the broth to use in this risotto– yum! (And we had duck meat for DAYS.)
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Looks like a winner! I’ve been cooking risotto in my InstantPot because it’s so easy; however, I’ve sauteed the rice in whatever fat or oil, until the rice turns color (gets a little transparent).
Isn’t it interesting to realize that the flavor of cream or butter is not really necessary to risotto? If you miss the creaminess, or need to add fat calories to make this nutrient dense, I found full-fat coconut milk (from the can, pure) does the trick.
Thanks for posting this!
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This looks delicious. Oh, my gosh…I’m not even hungry and I would so eat that right now!
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Wow – I save every drop of duck fat when we are lucky enough to roast one and then I make it last a long time. I’ve been making risotto in my stovetop pressure cooker for years but I have yet to try it with my electric one. This looks amazing and I can’t wait!
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if one didn’t want to purchase duck fat but already has tallow and both leaf lard and regular lard available, what would you say is the best choice for this recipe?
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I would use regular lard (save the leaf lard for baking!); the tallow might impart a waxy mouthfeel. Good luck!
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OMG Im hungry now! looks delis
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[frantically Googles reviews for pressure cookers]
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Made tonight … Excellent!! The orange zest was a great addition, and paired perfectly with coffee-molasses marinated pork chops. Thank you for the great recipe, I will definitely save it to make again.
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This makes me want to buy a pressure cooker right now…good bye stirring!
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Sounds great. I only have Kuhn Ricon, pressure cooker, how do you modify the steps?
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Hi Len, you’ll want to cook it as directed for an electric pressure cooker (but over a stovetop) and set it to 10 psi when pressure-cooking. All other steps are the same – good luck!
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Fascinating! I’ve never thought to make risotto in a pressure cooker. I usually use mine for soups and stews; this will be a wonderful addition to my repertoire.
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I love risotto in the pressure cooker, it’s always perfect.. but I cook it high pressure for 6 minutes (for arborio rice) and serve it still runny, all’onda. Duck fat, btw.. yum!
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I don’t have the pressure cooker, but I do have duck fat! This is making me consider buying a pressure cooker.
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I saw duck fat and fell in love.
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This looks delicious, glad you liked the technique!
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Awesome, thanks for stopping by! (*starstruck*)
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Domestic Man it great to see a gluten recipe that looks and sounds tasty, I cant wait to try it out. I have a question. I have a microwave pressure, do you think this can be converted to a microwave dish? Also how much prep time is involved?
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This looks amazing! I’m making it tonight for this week’s dinner. I love that you incorporate rice in some of your recipes. Growing up Indonesian, rice is very much a staple in my life – and something I occasionally add to my paleo lifestyle. Thank you for this!
For anyone on the fence about the Instant Pot, it’s a game changer! There are so many recipes out there for it. Plus, it’s so intuitive that you can wing a lot more!
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Is it possible to sub something for white wine? I so rarely have wine but I do have all the other stuff most of the time.
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I made this exactly as written, and it was delicious. Then I made it again with substitutions and it was STILL delicious. It’s a very versatile recipe. I subbed green peas for the mushrooms and some juice for the wine, because that’s what I had in the house. I love new ways to use my Instant Pot. Thanks, Russ!
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Eileen, so glad you liked it! We love making variations on this recipe, too!
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I finally got an electric pressure cooker this past Christmas (a replacement to my broken crockpot) and I *finally* got around to try it this week – and I’m already addicted. I used it three days in a row already (beef curry, bourguignon and rice). I came running to your blog to see if you had any pressure cooker recipes – and I do happen to have an unopened jar of duck fat and I’m sure this will be our dinner sometime during the week :)
(By the way, since you also like Portuguese dishes /flavours: if you’re feeling adventurous, try a salted cod risotto. Been doing it lately as a different take on the more traditional Portuguese salted cod rice. Poach cod, use the water for the risotto, finish with parsley – and preferably a Portuguese hard cheese, instead of parmesan :) )
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This looks delish. Thanks for sharing!
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I’ve used duck fat on potatoes and they come out amazing. I’ll have to try this recipe at some point.
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I can’t wait to make this in my insta pot! I don’t like the texture of mushrooms tho, will it work without mushrooms? Would I just need less broth or do the mushrooms thicken the risotto?
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I made this tonight. I don’t like mushrooms, so…asparagus. No oranges, so I used lemon zest. Oh my gosh, this may be one of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth. And I love that I can do it in my Instant Pot!
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