Does Risotto Have Gluten?

Last Updated on January 18, 2022

Today, we’re going to be answering the question: does risotto have gluten? Risotto is personally one of my favorite dishes and when I first received my gluten intolerant diagnosis, it was one of the dishes I was most concerned I would no longer be able to eat. So is risotto safe to consume when following a gluten-free diet? Let’s take a look at the ingredients and what it is!

What Is Risotto?

Risotto is a dish that originates from Northern Italy and is the most common way to cook rice in Italy. The rice is cooked in a broth until it has reached a thick, creamy consistency. You can make risotto from a range of broths, including meat, fish, and vegetables. This means it’s easy to adapt to suit many dietary lifestyles. However, it’s not the healthiest of dishes as it’s full of rich ingredients like butter and cheese – so it may be best to enjoy every so often!

Learn more about Are Knorr Rice Sides Gluten Free?

What Are The Ingredients In Risotto?

You can add many things to a risotto, but the most common basic ingredients you may find are:

• Arborio Rice
• Butter
• Stock/Broth
• Vegetable Oil
• Onion
• White Wine
• Garlic
• Parmesan Cheese

A selection of meat and vegetables can be added if you’re wanting to fill the dish out. My personal favorite is a four-cheese risotto with tomatoes!

Does Risotto Contain Gluten?

The simple answer to this question is: sometimes. Naturally, risotto should be gluten-free as the main ingredient of the dish (Arborio rice) is completely gluten-free. However, like most dishes, depending on which other ingredients you add, it can fast become not safe when following a gluten-free diet.

If you’re making a risotto from scratch, it’s easy to make gluten-free as you can decide which ingredients you add and ensure that none of the ingredients contain gluten. However, shop-bought risotto can be entirely different. Gluten is often added to dishes to thicken the dish, and gluten is a common ingredient in some broths. This means that some shop-bought risotto will contain gluten.

As long as you’re making the dish at home, or checking the ingredients regularly before checking, risotto is an easy dish to obtain free from gluten.

If you’re ordering risotto from a restaurant, be sure to consult with the manager or chef as they may be able to make it gluten-free for you, if it isn’t already. Cross contact may be a risk when eating out, so always ask about those risks too. This is when gluten-free foods are prepared in the same area as gluten-containing foods, meaning the final product you’re served may contain traces of gluten.

Risotto Gluten Free

There are many ways to enjoy risotto safely. Let’s take a look at some gluten-free risotto recipes to try at home and shop-bought gluten-free risotto to make life easier!

Make It Yourself

Many gluten intolerant individuals will prefer to make risotto from home, as not only does it taste even more delicious when it’s fresh, but it’s also the safest way possible. Another favorite of mine is pea and asparagus risotto. The Spruce Eats has a delicious Gluten-Free Asparagus and Pea Risotto, which is ready in just 45 minutes – although I find it usually takes a little bit longer.

As colder evenings are approaching, this dish is the perfect comfort food. The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

• Gluten-Free Vegetable Broth (or Chicken Broth)
• Olive Oil
• Asparagus
• Onion
• Garlic
• Arborio Rice
• Dry White Wine
• Spring Peas
• Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley (optional)
• Salt

Many of these ingredients you’ll already have in your refrigerator or pantry, so it’s a quick, easy dish to make at home.

There’s a huge selection of recipes online which contain a range of ingredients, so if pea and asparagus isn’t for you – never fear! You can find a recipe to suit you, or even adapt this one with ingredients you prefer.

Shop-Bought Risotto

There are a few gluten-free brands you’ll find in your local grocery store, but the most popular is Lundberg Family Farms.

Lundberg Family Farms

Lundberg Family Farms have a huge range of options for us and it’s not difficult to see why it’s a favorite among the gluten-free community! The brand is easily accessible in grocery stores such as Walmart or buy direct from their website for $3.49 per packet.

The brand is clearly labeled gluten-free and certified gluten-free, which means it’s as safe as it could possibly be. When a product carries this label, it means that it has been prepared in a dedicated gluten-free facility, and must meet strict guidelines set by the FDA to ensure it’s gluten-free status.

The best part about this brand is that it is available in a range of gluten-free flavors! These flavors include:

• Butternut Squash Risotto
• Creamy Parmesan Risotto

• Organic Porcini Mushroom Risotto
• Garlic Primavera Risotto
• Organic Alfredo Risotto
• Organic Creamy Parmesan Risotto

It’s worth mentioning that the organic flavors are $0.49 more.

The ingredients you’ll find in the Creamy Parmesan Risotto (the most popular flavor) are:

“Arborio Rice, Parmesan and Cheddar Cheese Blend, Salt, Whey, Buttermilk, Cane Sugar, Natural Flavors, Garlic, Onion, Parsley, Yeast Extract, Butter, Rice Flour, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Spice, Lactic Acid, Nonfat Milk, Enzyme-Modified Cheddar Cheese, Turmeric”

All delicious ingredients and completely gluten-free!

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped to answer the question: does risotto have gluten? Risotto is such an easy dish for us to enjoy and it’s absolutely delicious…even if it is full of carbs!

As long as you’re checking the ingredient labels regularly (even if you’ve bought the product before), you can enjoy risotto whenever you’re craving it! Or better yet, why not try making it yourself?

If you have your own risotto recipe that you’d like to share, or you think another brand is worth mentioning that didn’t make the list, please feel free to leave any answers in the comments below.

Read more about: Sorrento Cheese Gluten Free