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This Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto (Keto Mushroom Risotto) is a low-carb take on risotto, a rice dish made from arborio rice. Though the traditional is one of my favorite indulgences because it’s creamy, comforting, and fancy, it is loaded with carbs. My cauliflower risotto alternative uses fresh mushrooms and simple ingredients. Plus, it’s ready in less than 20 minutes.
Why Make Keto Risotto
There are so many reasons to make this delicious mushroom cauliflower rice risotto recipe. Here are my top three:
- Cut carbs: Regular risotto has over 50g of carbs. If you are following a keto diet, that is usually more than the daily allowance. Plus, since regular rice is a grain, risotto, though delicious, will not help you stay in ketosis.
- Remakes a favorite restaurant meal: I often enjoy this keto risotto with pan seared scallops to re-create one of my favorite restaurant meals: seared scallops and risotto.
- Sneak in veggies for picky eaters: If you have picky eaters at home, cauliflower mushroom risotto is a great way to sneak in some cauliflower for those who don’t think they like it.
Ingredients Needed
Cauliflower rice risotto is creamy, like traditional risotto recipes.
The main ingredient is cauliflower rice. You can get it fresh or frozen from the grocery store.
To replicate the creamy texture, you will also need:
- Salted Butter
- Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
- Grated Parmesan cheese: I use the fresh refrigerated kind from the market.
You’ll also need mushrooms. I recommend shiitake mushrooms, but if you don’t have these, you can substitute other sliced mushrooms that you prefer. Some of my personal favorites are sliced portobello mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms, or white mushrooms.
Finally, to add more flavor to the risotto, you’ll need:
- minced garlic cloves
- thinly sliced green onions: I keep the green tips to use as a garnish
- Sea Salt
- black pepper
How to Make Keto Mushroom Risotto
Keto cauliflower mushroom risotto is an easy, one-skillet dish. To make it, you should:
- Bring a large skillet or large pan to medium heat. Add salted butter, garlic, mushrooms, and green onions to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms are sautéed.
- Add the riced cauliflower to the skillet and continue to cook until the riced cauliflower is almost tender.
- Mix in the remaining ingredients and stir until the parmesan cheese is well incorporated.
- Lower the heat so that the rice does not stick and cook until the cauliflower rice, cream and cheeses are creamy and tender.
Top Tips & FAQs
- Lower the heat: when adding in the cream and different cheeses, you should lower the heat. This prevents the cream from scolding
- Use a non-stick skillet: cooking a cream-based parmesan cheese sauce can turn into a sticky situation. By using a true non-stick pan (combined with lowering the heat), you can skip the cleaning mess.
Common Substitutions
When making keto cauliflower mushroom risotto, you can follow some of these tips and substitutions:
- Use regular Parmesan, not mixed varieties.
- If you want to lighten the recipe up a bit, substitute chicken broth or vegetable broth for half of the heavy cream
- You can use either fresh cauliflower rice, usually found in the fresh vegetable section, or frozen cauliflower rice. But if you use frozen, cooking the cauliflower rice will take a few extra minutes once you add it to the pan. The extra time will actually defrost the cauliflower rice. You can also make cauliflower rice by pulsing a head of cauliflower or fresh cauliflower florets in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add extra vegetables, like broccoli or asparagus to add variety
- Top with fresh herbs: like fresh parsley or fresh thyme for additional flavor and presentation.
Storage and Leftovers
You can store your leftover cauliflower rice risotto in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This recipe can also be frozen and reheated.
I prefer the mild flavor of shiitake mushrooms or even cremini mushrooms. But, you could use any you prefer.
You can, but the dish is best served hot.
What Goes Best with Mushroom Cauliflower Risotto:
Cauliflower rice mushroom risotto is a filling and delicious side dish. So, to make a keto meal, I generally just add some protein with main courses like:
More Keto Risotto Recipes
Besides this mushroom risotto recipe, you can also find these creamy low carb risotto options across the site:
If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Creamy Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto Recipe
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Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb package of riced cauliflower, ~4 cups of riced cauliflower
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions, keep the green tips to use as a garnish
- 1 cup Organic Heavy Whipping Cream, it has fewer ingredients and carbs than non-organic brands
- 3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1/4 tsp Natural Ancient Sea Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a medium skillet to medium heat
- Add salted butter, garlic, mushrooms, and green onions to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms start to become tender (~3 minutes)
- Add the riced cauliflower to the skillet and continue to cook until the riced cauliflower is almost tender (~3 minutes)
- Add remaining ingredients and stir until the parmesan cheese is well incorporated. Lower the heat so that the rice does not stick and cook until the cauliflower rice reaches your desired level of tenderness. Turn off the heat.
Nutrition Details
The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people. This is provided as a courtesy, but you can do your own calculations if you wish!
