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This creamy vegan tomato risotto is bursting with sweet and savory flavors from juicy roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and a touch of thyme!
Last week I talked about how my zucchini plants are doing surprisingly well. Well equally surprising is the fact that my tomato plants are not doing to well. I usually can count on trusty old tomatoes, but this year for some reason they're looking really sad. It's still early, so hopefully they'll perk up!
In any event, I plan to post lots of tomato recipes this summer, whether or not the tomatoes come from my own garden.
For this tomato risotto recipe I used some nice looking store-bought on-the-vine tomatoes, but I also tested it out with canned ones, just in case you want to make this outside tomato season or just want an easier version of the recipe.
The fresh tomato version of the recipe calls for roasting the tomatoes. It's a bit more work, but the extra flavor you get makes it so worthwhile!
Halve your tomatoes, rub them with some olive oil, and pop them in the oven. They're done when the skins become wrinkly and maybe form some blisters. Let them cool, remove the skin and seeds, and chop them up.
While the tomatoes roast you'll caramelize the onions. This can take a while, but it's mostly hands-off cooking. Once the onions are soft and brown, add the tomatoes, some wine and thyme. Simmer for a few, and then add the rice.
The trick with risotto is to just add a little bit of broth at a time and stir frequently. This is what enables the rice to get nice and creamy.
For extra creaminess I added some coconut milk when the rice was almost done cooking.
Tips for Making Delicious Tomato Risotto
- Save time the day of serving by caramelizing the onions and roasting the tomatoes up to two days in advance. Or just use canned tomatoes!
- If you're using fresh tomatoes for this, make sure they're nice and ripe and really good quality. If you make this during the winter or live somewhere where good tomatoes are tough to find you might just want to go with canned.
- This recipe takes some time, but it's really not a lot of work, I promise! It's a great one to make over the weekend while you're working on another project in the kitchen.
- After I made this I thought it might have been nice to double the caramelized onions and use the extra for topping. Will somebody try that and let me know how it goes? :)
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5 from 11 votes
Caramelized Onion & Tomato Risotto
This creamy vegan tomato risotto is bursting with sweet and savory flavors from juicy roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions and a touch of thyme.
CourseEntree
CuisineAmerican
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 362 kcal
Author Alissa Saenz
Ingredients
- 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoonolive oil,divided
- 1poundyellow onionsthinly sliced
- 1teaspoonorganic granulated sugar
- 2poundson the vine tomatoeshalved (or a 15 ounce can of tomatoes)
- 3garlic cloves,minced
- 1cup dry white wine
- 2tablespoonstomato paste
- 2tablespoonsfresh thyme leaves(or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1 ½cups Arborio rice
- 3-4cupsvegetable broth,warmed
- ½cupfull-fat coconut milk
- Salt to taste
- ½teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
Coat the bottom of a large pot with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place over medium-low heat.
Add the onion and toss a few times to coat the onions with oil.
After 20 or 30 minutes the onions should begin to soften up and darken (if not, turn up the heat just a smidge). Stir in the sugar at this point.
Continue to cook until the onions are very soft and brown, about 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
While the onions caramelize, prepare the tomatoes (unless using canned). Preheat the oven to 400°.
Rub the tomato halves with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and arrange them in an oven safe skillet or roasting pan.
Roast the tomatoes until the skins become wrinkly and blistered, about 25 minutes.
Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool for a bit.
When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the seeds and peels, then coarsely chop the tomatoes. Retain any juices that form in the pan while they roast.
When the onions are caramelized, turn the heat up to medium and add the garlic. Sauté for about 1 minute, until very fragrant.
Stir in the wine, tomatoes, tomato paste and thyme. Raise the heat and bring the liquid to a boil.
Lower the heat and allow the mixture to cook for about 5 minutes, until the liquid reduces by about a third.
Stir the rice into the pot. Allow the mixture to simmer, stirring frequently, until most of the remaining liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
Begin adding the broth, about ½ cup at a time, and allowing the mixture to simmer until most of the liquid as been absorbed before making the next addition. Stir the mixture frequently during this process and continue until you've added between 3 and 4 cups of broth and the rice is tender, for about 20 minutes.
Stir in the coconut milk and allow the mixture to simmer for 2 or 3 minutes more, until the sauce is thick and creamy.
Remove the pot from heat and season with salt and pepper.
Divide onto plates and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Caramelized Onion & Tomato Risotto
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 362Calories from Fat 78
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.7g13%
Saturated Fat 4.5g23%
Sodium 472mg20%
Potassium 733mg21%
Carbohydrates 55.9g19%
Fiber 5.4g22%
Sugar 9.6g11%
Protein 8.9g18%
Calcium 50mg5%
Iron 3.1mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Liz Fatnsworth saysHi . Could you use Barley? I like have diabetes and I am meant to avoid Arbilo ric, because it is high GI. Thanks I liv is he recip you share
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- Alissa Saenz says
I've never made barley risotto, so I'm not sure! Sorry! I'd love to hear how it turns out if you try it.
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- Angela says
Please, can you think of a substitute for the full fat coconut milk? Cashews? Almond milk? Thank you so much.
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- Alissa Saenz says
Anything unsweetened and unflavored will work - the risotto just might not be quite as rich. I think cashew would be your best bet!
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- Frank G. says
I'm using soy cream instead of the coconut milk (just in the case of this rather Mediterranean style recipe), and it works pretty well.Reply
- Alissa Saenz says
I think that's a great idea! I have a hard time finding soy cream in my area, so that's why I usually stick with coconut milk. Trader Joe's used to have a soy coffee creamer that worked in recipes like this, but I haven't seen it lately.
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- reema says
dying to try this recipe but is there a substitute for the wine? if not, will it be fine if i just leave it out??
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- Alissa Saenz says
You can leave it out, and just use some extra broth if needed. :)
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- Grace says
This recipe was amazing. I am 12 years old and I made it for my family. It definitely took a little while, but it was so rich and creamy! I would highly recommend it with a side of garlic toast!!
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- Alissa Saenz says
Yay!! I'm so happy you and your family enjoyed it! I love to try new recipes and cook for my family when I was 12 too. :) Garlic toast would be awesome with this! Thanks so much Grace!
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- Kelly says
Hi! I was just wondering what a good substitute would be for the thyme? Thank you.
- Alissa Saenz says
You could substitute all kinds of herbs here - oregano, sage or even some fresh basil would be nice! If you go with basil I'd suggest adding it at the very end. Enjoy!
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- Nicole says
If you sub the tomatoes for canned, what type should they be...fire roasted? Or plain diced?
ThanksReply
- Alissa Saenz says
I used plain, but I bet fire roasted would be delicious as well!
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- Lyse-Anne says
Very good vegan risotto! thanks
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- Alissa Saenz says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks so much!
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- Ruth says
What can I sub for the coconut milk? I am allergic.
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- Alissa Saenz says
You could substitute another variety of unsweetened non-dairy milk. I think cashew would be great in this dish, but almond or soy should work just fine as well!
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- Lexi says
Loved this recipe!!! It was time consuming and I was praying it would turn out. And it did! I think it was one of the best things I’ve made. Thanks for sharing it!
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- Alissa Saenz says
Awesome!! I'm glad it was worth the effort and you enjoyed it! Thanks Lexi!
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- Hannah says
I make this risotto at least once a month, and my non-vegan family raves over it! Seriously so good, as always!Reply
- Sam says
Can you convert this recipe for the Instant Pot?
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- Alissa Saenz says
I'll add it to my Instant Pot list! :)
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- Donna says
I don’t have a dry white wine , could I substitute dry white wine for sherry wine ?
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- Alissa Saenz says
I think a dry sherry would work, but I'd probably reduce the amount by about half.
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- Cathy says
I don't think that would work. Sherry has a ton of sugar. Substitute more broth for the wine but it will impact the flavour a little.
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- Nicole says
just made this for Valentine's day dinner and it was absolutely delicious! doubled the caramelized onions so we could add more to the top and highly recommend it.Reply
- Natalie says
It says to cook the onions for 20-30 minutes, then another 30 minutes. Cooking onions for 1 hour over med-high heat seems absurd. Is this a mistake or is this really how long they are cooked for?
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- Alissa Saenz says
It's actually medium-low. Cooking them on medium high for that long would probably be a bad idea. :) It takes that long for them to caramelize. Since all stoves are different, I do recommend keeping an eye on them and adjusting the temperature as needed, but medium-low should be the right level for most.
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- CB Yarbrough says
Can I make this a day ahead and reheat?
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- Alissa Saenz says
Absolutely!
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- Soni says
Amazing!!!! Loved this recipe so much!Reply
- Kim says
This is so tasty! I'm glad to have found a delicious vegan risotto recipe that doesn't call for vegan cheese. Thanks!Reply
- Natalie says
This recipe is DIVINE! I have never commented on a blog post before but felt so compelled to share how much I loved this! I enjoyed it with and without the coconut milk. I also didn’t have any white wine so I used rosé and it did not disappoint.Reply
- Jessica says
My Italian-loving husband loved this dish. Nice change from pasta or pizza to please him! I used canned tomatoes and the full 4 cups of broth and cooked it on low quite a bit longer than called for the get the rice as tender as I wanted. Definitely will make again. Thanks!Reply
- rebecca says
is this gluten free?
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- Alissa Saenz says
It is!
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- Debbie says
Absolutely amazing risotto! This took quite a while to make so I wouldn't make this on a weekday again but the effort is worthwhile as this tasted amazing! I am not veggie but this is great for those who are or want a meat-free dinner like I did.Reply
- Cathy says
I would like to make this for a dinner party. What part of it could be made in advance?
I could prep the tomatoes in advance, but what about caramelizing the onions the day before? I could do that and then re-warm the onions in the pan and pick it up from there but I'm afraid I will lose a lot of flavour from the fond (residue at the bottom of the pan).
What would you suggest I do?
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- Alissa Saenz says
You can definitely caramelize the onions in advance. I actually do this often and sometimes keep a stash of caramelized onions in the freezer! Use a good nonstick surface (I like a well-seasoned cast iron skillet), that way you get everything out when you remove them from the pan. If there's a little bit still in there and you want to get it, you can always deglaze the pan with a little bit of broth, then incorporate that broth into the recipe when you get to step 14. Good luck and I hope you enjoy the dish!
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