Vegan Pumpkin Sage Risotto with Coconut Milk
Creamy arborio risotto tinted gold with pumpkin purée, enriched with coconut milk and nutritional yeast, and topped with shatteringly crisp fried sage. Dairy-free, cozy and surprisingly simple.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Wait
- 2 min
- Total
- 57 min
- Makes
- About 6 cups (4 main-course servings)
Steps
Before you start
- Use plain 100% pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened and spiced.
- Shake the can of coconut milk well before measuring, and use full-fat for the creamiest result.
- Measure and prep everything first. Once the rice goes in, you need to stay at the stove and stir.
- Use low-sodium broth if you can, so you control the salt. Taste before adding the final salt.
- Do not rinse the rice. Its surface starch is what makes the risotto creamy.
Warm the pumpkin broth
- Pour the vegetable broth into the medium saucepan and set over medium heat.
- Add the pumpkin purée and whisk until completely smooth with no streaks.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low and keep it barely steaming for the rest of the cooking.
- Meanwhile, dice the onion, mince the garlic and chop the 1 tablespoon of sage.
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Ready when: Broth is smooth, orange and steaming, with only a few small bubbles at the edge.
Tip: Hot liquid keeps the rice cooking at a steady pace. Cold broth stalls it and makes the risotto gluey.
Fry the sage leaves
- Heat the 2 tablespoons sage oil in the small skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute, until a leaf dropped in sizzles immediately.
- Add the whole sage leaves in a single layer (work in two batches if crowded) and fry 20–40 seconds, turning once.
- Lift out with a fork or slotted spoon onto the paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with a pinch of the salt.
- Pour the flavored oil into the large pot and discard nothing else.
- Add pepitas to the empty skillet if using, and toast over medium heat for 2 minutes, shaking often, until they puff and pop.
- Tip onto a plate.
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Ready when: Leaves turn a darker, translucent green, stop sizzling loudly and crisp up as they cool. Pepitas puff and begin to pop.
Tip: Leaves must be fully dry or the oil will spatter. Sage burns fast, so pull it out as soon as the sizzling quiets.
Soften the onion
- Add the 1 tablespoon olive oil to the sage oil in the large pot and set over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
- Cook, stirring often, for 5–6 minutes.
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Ready when: Onion is soft, translucent and shiny with no browned edges.
Tip: If the onion begins to brown, lower the heat. Browning will change the clean, sweet flavor of the dish.
Toast the rice
- Stir in the garlic and chopped sage and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the arborio rice and stir constantly for 2 minutes so every grain is coated in oil.
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Ready when: Grain edges look translucent with a white dot in the center, and the rice smells nutty.
Tip: Do not let the garlic brown. Keep stirring.
Add the wine
- Pour in the white wine and stir until it is almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.
- It will bubble and smell sharp at first, then mellow.
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Ready when: The pot looks nearly dry when you drag a spoon across the bottom, and the sharp alcohol smell is gone.
Add broth gradually
- Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Ladle in about 1 cup (240 ml) of the hot pumpkin broth and stir frequently until it is mostly absorbed and the rice leaves a trail when you drag the spoon across the pot, 3–4 minutes.
- Repeat with another cup each time, keeping a gentle bubble.
- After about 3 cups have been added (roughly 15–18 minutes), taste a grain: it should be tender outside with a firm center.
- Keep about ½ cup (120 ml) broth for adjusting at the end.
- Total time for this step is 18–22 minutes.
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Ready when: Rice is plump and creamy but a grain bitten in half still has a slightly chalky, firm center.
Tip: Stir often, especially along the bottom and edges, since pumpkin purée can stick and scorch.
Stir in coconut milk
- Pour in the coconut milk and stir continuously for 3–4 minutes over medium-low heat, until the risotto is thick, glossy and flows slowly when the pot is tilted.
- If it gets too thick before the rice is tender, add a splash of the reserved broth.
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Ready when: Rice is tender with just a slight bite at the center, and the risotto spreads in a soft, loose wave rather than holding a stiff mound.
Tip: Add coconut milk late. Cooked too long, it can turn greasy or separate.
Finish and rest
- Remove the pot from the heat.
- Stir in the nutritional yeast, nutmeg, lemon juice and vegan butter if using.
- Season with black pepper and taste, adding up to the remaining ½ teaspoon salt as needed.
- Loosen with a splash of reserved broth if needed, then cover and let rest 2 minutes.
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Ready when: Risotto is creamy, savory and bright, flowing slowly when spooned.
Tip: The lemon juice brightens the sweetness of the pumpkin and coconut, so don't skip it.
Serve right away
- Spoon the risotto into warm shallow bowls.
- Top each with crispy sage leaves, toasted pepitas and a grind of black pepper.
- Serve immediately, as risotto thickens quickly on standing.
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Tip: Warm the bowls under hot tap water and dry them so the risotto stays loose longer.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep the heat at a gentle bubble: too high and the outside overcooks while the center stays hard, too low and the rice turns mushy.
- Stir often rather than constantly. The rubbing of grains releases starch for creaminess.
- Risotto should be loose, since it thickens as it sits. Add a splash of broth if it seems stiff.
- Taste for salt at the end only, since broth brands and nutritional yeast vary.
Make ahead
Warm the pumpkin broth and fry the sage and toast the pepitas up to 1 day ahead. Keep the sage and pepitas in an airtight container at room temperature and the broth in the fridge, then reheat the broth before using. Risotto is best cooked just before serving.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: no more than 2 hours. Fridge: airtight container up to 4 days. Freezer: up to 2 months (texture will be softer). Reheat in a saucepan over low heat with a splash of broth or water, stirring until hot and creamy, or microwave covered in 1-minute bursts, stirring between. Keep the crispy sage separate and uncovered at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Substitutions
- dry white wine → Additional vegetable broth plus 1 tablespoon extra lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Keeps the acidity; add the extra lemon juice at the end if using broth.
- full-fat canned coconut milk → Unsweetened oat cream or cashew cream. Gives similar richness with a less coconut flavor. Add at the same stage.
- plain pumpkin purée (not pie filling) → Puréed roasted butternut squash or kabocha squash. Use the same 1 cup (245 g); make sure it is smooth and unsweetened.
- arborio rice → Carnaroli or vialone nano rice. Same quantity and method. Carnaroli is a bit more forgiving.
