Vegan Butternut Squash Risotto (Creamy + Delicious)

This vegan butternut squash risotto is my idea of the perfect autumn comfort food. Creamy, hearty, and indulgent, it's a delicious dish that'll warm you up as the nights get longer.

Featuring soft chunks of squash, creamy risotto rice, and the bright flavours of fresh sage and lemon, I like to top it all off with crispy fried sage leaves and the roasted squash seeds.

Whereas many butternut squash recipes call for you to peel the skin, I like to leave it on. Not only is it edible and tasty – it also reduces food waste and saves you time when preparing the ingredients.

For more creamy rice in your life, see these recipes for vegan beetroot risotto and lemony smoked tofu risotto.

Should I peel the butternut squash?

When preparing the butternut squash, it's up to you if you want to peel the skin or not. I always leave it on since it'll soften in the oven and is perfectly edible.

With squash and pumpkins in general, the skin is usually fine to eat. It mainly depends on how tough that particular variety is and whether it actually tastes nice. Generally speaking, the smaller the squash, the better the skin is to eat.

If you like your squash with the skin on, I’d suggest also checking out this vegan butternut squash pasta bake.

Fresh sage v dried sage

I use dried sage all the time in my cooking, but I would highly recommend using fresh sage in this risotto. The leaves have a strong, distinctive flavour that I personally love.

If you have fresh sage leaves, it also means you can fry some of them to add a crispy and delicious garnish to your dish (see recipe notes for more info).

If using dried sage, I'd start with one teaspoon and add more to suit your taste. You can either add this to the stock pan or stir it in once you start adding liquid to the risotto rice.

How to make vegan risotto creamy and cheesy

The recipe notes below contain info on how to make your vegan risotto creamy and cheesy. For a deep-dive into all my dairy-free tips and tricks, check out my main recipe for creamy vegan risotto.

What you'll need

To make this creamy risotto, you'll need:

• Butternut squash with the ends and seeds removed
• Fresh sage for its distinct flavour and fragrance
• Risotto rice to create the creamy texture
• Nutritional yeast for plant-based 'cheesy' notes

How to make vegan butternut squash risotto

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Give the squash a quick rinse, cut in half, remove the tough parts of the stem and bottom end, scoop out the seeds with a spoon, then chop into 1-inch cubes. (You can roast the seeds as a garnish or snack).

Drizzle one tablespoon of the olive oil over a large oven dish, then add the cubed butternut squash and spread evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for around 25 minutes or until tender.

While the squash is roasting, heat the vegan stock in a saucepan. In a separate large pan, soften the onions for 3-4 minutes before adding the garlic and sage. Season with salt and pepper, stir well, and cook for a couple of minutes.

Turn up the heat, add the risotto rice, and stir constantly for a minute or so to avoid it catching on the bottom. Add the white wine and lemon juice (but not the zest), stir well, and then reduce the heat.

Start to add ladles of the stock to the rice, stirring regularly. The idea is to 'beat' the rice to help release the starches and make it creamy. Don't drown the rice in stock, but also don't let it dry out too much. 'Sloppy' is the best word I can think of to describe it. The heat should be fairly low throughout, so that the rice is bubbling gently but not boiling.

Continue this process for around 15 minutes, before adding the nutritional yeast, lemon zest, and plant-based milk. Stir well and cook for another five minutes, adding as much stock as you need to the pan. 1 litre of stock should be enough for 300 grams of rice, but add extra liquid if necessary.

Once the squash is cooked, remove from the oven and mash half of it in the oven dish. Stir the mash and cubes into the risotto, adding a little more hot water or stock if necessary.

After the rice has been cooking for a total of 20 minutes, it should be 'al dente'. Each grain should be cooked through but still hold its shape. It may take longer than 20 minutes depending on how hot your stock is and how much you're cooking.

Once the rice is creamy and cooked through, adjust the seasoning (I sometimes add a little extra chopped sage) and then turn off the heat.

Optional step

After turning off the heat, I like to stir in a generous spoonful of plant-based butter and then cover with a lid for a few minutes. I find that this gives a nice gloss to the final risotto.

Serving suggestions

• A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
• Roasted squash seeds
• Crispy sage leaves (see recipe notes)
• Vegan parmesan
• Other toasted seeds or nuts
• Homemade cashew cream

Variations and tips

• Squash cubes: I like decent-sized chunks in the final risotto, but you can cut these smaller if you like (this will also speed up the roasting time).
• Adding the stock: If you want a quicker method, you can add stock powder or a crumbled cube to the pan and then gradually pour small amounts of hot water from a boiled kettle. 
• Quantity: If scaling up the amounts, just be aware that the rice may take longer to cook. 
• Plant-based milk: I’d recommend using unsweetened oat, rice, or soya milk for this risotto.
• Add more veg: If you want to take this recipe up a notch, add finely chopped carrot (1 medium) and celery (2 sticks) when frying the onion. This trio of veg is what the Italians call a 'soffritto' and it adds more depth to the base.
• Texture: After cooking for 20 minutes, each grain of rice should be cooked through but still hold its shape. If you need to cook it for longer, just be careful not to let it go too mushy. 
• Pan: If possible, you should use a wide, high-sided pan or skillet to cook risotto. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it does help the liquid to evaporate more evenly (and so the rice will cook more evenly).

How to store vegan butternut squash risotto

Risotto is best when freshly cooked. It'll go slightly gluey and mushy in the fridge, however this still tastes great when reheated or turned into arancini (breaded risotto balls) or risotto fritters.

Refrigerate: Store risotto in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in the microwave or in a pan with some additional water, but don’t expect it to be as good as when you first cooked it.

Freeze: It is not recommended to store cooked risotto in the freezer. The rice will become grainy and lose its texture, so it’s best to refrigerate instead and use it up within a few days.

Hey you – let me know what you think

If you made this recipe and enjoyed it – or did anything differently – I'd love to hear from you down below in the comments 👇

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You can also check out my full list of vegan mains.