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    Home Β» Recipes Β» Rice

    Published: Apr 24, 2018 Β· Modified: Feb 14, 2022 by joskitchenlarder Β· 16 Comments. Β· This post may contain affiliate links Β·

    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto

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    I haven't posted new Instant Pot recipe for a while even though it's been getting a lot of use in my kitchen pretty much on daily basis. I love making risotto in the Instant Pot now although initially I was a bit sceptical but it really works. This Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto is a doddle to make in your IP or on the hob if you don't own one and it's a perfect mid week dinner your entire family will enjoy!

    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto

    I don't know about you but I love fennel! I do enjoy it raw in salads and love its gorgeous aniseedy flavour and aroma. My hubby, on the other hand, is not a fan of aniseed and wasn't really looking forward to this dish at all! When I first made this risotto last year it was my first time cooking fennel and I wasn't sure what to expect flavour wise. Would it overpower the dish, would aniseed Β come through really strong? Well, I'm pleased to report that the aniseed flavour is there but it is really subtle and definitely not overpowering. My hubby and the kids really enjoyed it and we've had it numerous times since! Seasonal, delicious, creamy and full of goodness too! I thoroughly recommend you try it for yourself!

    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto

    Risotto is one of those perfect mid week meals that can be made using pretty much anything you've got in your fridge and cupboards. Check out my other risotto offerings like thisΒ Leeks and Smoked Mackerel RisottoΒ or if you are partial to some gorgeous chorizo you will love thisΒ Butternut Squash and Chorizo Risotto. For some more Spring flavours and new asparagus season around the corner try thisΒ Asparagus & Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto.

    I love using homemade chicken stock in my risottos! If you are not vegetarianΒ feel free to check out my guide on How To Make Chicken Stock in Instant Pot (with instructions for hob/stovetop users too). You will never look back!

    πŸ“‹ Recipe

    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto
    Print Pin
    5 from 4 votes

    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto

    Seasonal, delicious and on your table in just over half an hour! This Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto is perfect for mid-week dinner! With its delicate flavour, subtle hint of aniseed, this risotto is a true celebration of Spring!
    Course Main Course, Risotto
    Cuisine British, Italian
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes minutes
    Resting time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories
    Author Jo Allison
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 300 g short grain risotto rice I used arborio
    • 2 leeks cleaned and thinly sliced
    • 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
    • 2 garlic cloves crushed
    • 1 fennel quartered and thinly sliced
    • 1 ltr hot vegetable stock from cube is fine
    • 25 g unsalted butter or ghee (clarified butter)
    • 50 g parmesan grated
    • 1 lemon (zest of whole lemon and juice of half a lemon)
    • parmesan rind optional
    • salt & pepper
    • fennel fronds saved for garnish

    Instructions

    Instant Pot

    • Melt butter in the Instant Pot using SautΓ© function (it should be set on High, 30min) and fry thinly sliced leek and celery for couple of minutes until they start to get soft and translucent but not coloured. Make sure you stir now and again to prevent them from catching.
    • Add sliced fennel and garlic and let these fry for another minute or so before adding rice. Once rice has been added stir everything really well as we want for the rice to be coated in buttery veggies mixture. Turn the pot off by pressing Keep Warm/Cancel button.
    • Pour in a little bit of stock at first to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Give it a good scrape with the wooden spoon to make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. Add all of the remaining stock and stir well.
    • Put on the lid and lock it in place making sure that the black, steam releasing valve is pointing to "Sealing". Set your Instant Pot to "Manual" on High setting for 7 min.
    • When the time is up turn the pot off by pressing Keep Warm/Cancel button and move the black, steam releasing valve to "Venting" which will release the pressure straight away (QPR - Quick Pressure Release). Take care not to scald yourself with hot steam when moving the valve.
    • Take off the lid and add juice of half a lemon (or to taste),lemon zest and grated parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let risotto stand for 5 minutes before serving it with crusty garlic bread and some fennel fronds as garnish!

    Traditional "on the hob" cooking method

    • Follow the instructions for frying vegetables as above. 
    • Add rice and stir it well making sure it's well coated in buttery veggies mixture. 
    • Slowly start adding your stock (ladle at a time) for approx 16-20 minutes  or until all the liquid is absorbed. Make sure you stir your rice well each time you add the stock. You want the rice to have slight bite to it. 
    • Once you are happy with consistency of your risotto add juice of half a lemon (or to taste), lemon zest and grated parmesan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let risotto stand for 5 minutes before serving it with crusty garlic bread and some fennel fronds as garnish!

    Notes

    • I find the consistency of finished risotto perfect especially after it had a chance to rest for 5 min before serving. However, if you find it too "wet" for your liking, try stirring it first and if you still find it a bit "sloppy" turn on the SautΓ© function and let it reduce slightly.Β 
    • I'm a huge fan of ghee (clarified butter) when sautΓ©ing vegetables for risotto as unlike regular butter it doesn't burn. However, if you don't have ghee simply use regular, unsalted butter with a teaspoon or so of oil to prevent butter from burning.
    • I always keep my leftover parmesan rinds in the fridge to add to soups, stews and risottos when cooking for added flavour. Feel free to leave it out!

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto
    Amount Per Serving (0 g)
    Calories 0
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 0g0%
    Saturated Fat 0g0%
    Trans Fat 0g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0g
    Cholesterol 0mg0%
    Sodium 0mg0%
    Potassium 0mg0%
    Carbohydrates 0g0%
    Fiber 0g0%
    Sugar 0g0%
    Protein 0g0%
    Vitamin A 0IU0%
    Vitamin C 0mg0%
    Calcium 0mg0%
    Iron 0mg0%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Tried this recipe?Tag me @Joskitchenlarder or use hashtag #joskitchenlarder!

    Have you tried my Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post, I love reading them!

    If you don’t want to miss new recipes and updates from me make sure to subscribe to new recipe alerts in the top right corner of this page or come and say hello over on myΒ Facebook page,Β Twitter,Β InstagramΒ or Pinterest

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    Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto

    I’m linking my Instant Pot Fennel & Leek RisottoΒ with the following pages:

    Cook Blog Share hosted byΒ Monika atΒ Everyday Healthy RecipesΒ andΒ Eb atΒ Easy Peasy Foodie

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes

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    1. Bambi says

      November 13, 2023 at 12:28 am

      5 stars
      Wonderful! Doubled the recipe, added more Parmesan cheese, added 1/4 cup white wine and used 1/4 cup less of the broth, and used 1 litre organic vegetable and 1 litre organic mushroom broth. First time ever making risotto and it was a hit! Thank you so much for the tasty recipe. Cheers 😊

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        November 13, 2023 at 9:09 am

        So great to hear, thanks Bambi!

        Reply
    2. Linda Teders says

      July 22, 2021 at 7:43 pm

      5 stars
      Nice! Made this this afternoon en liked it a lot. And yes, after reading the comments of course I tweaked it a bit :-D.
      I fried some fennel seeds in the butter before adding the leeks and celery.
      And I added a gluck of Ricard (the anisseedy spirit I had at hand. Finished my ouzo a month ago πŸ™ ) before I added the rice.
      I used boiling water and 2 ice cubes of my home made chicken demi glace as bouillon πŸ™‚
      Thanks for the tip to leave it for 5 minutes! Consistency was much better then. But for me, it needed more Parmesan, so I ended with double the amount

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        July 23, 2021 at 10:41 am

        Hi Linda, I'm glad you enjoyed it and added your own tweaks as well. That's what it's all about, following your own taste and adjusting as you go! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    3. Lisa says

      September 05, 2019 at 4:45 am

      5 stars
      This was the very first thing I made in my instant pot and it was quite delicious! I did not have celery but other than that I followed the recipe. It missed a little zip so I might add some wine or vodka to the rice - and stir until it evaporates - before adding the broth next time, if that would work? Thank you so much for the step by step instructions for how to use the IP, you made it much less intimidating for me! Lisa

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        September 05, 2019 at 7:54 am

        Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for your lovely feedback! I'm so pleased you enjoyed the recipe and that you found my instructions helpful, it's made my day! πŸ™‚ You can definitely use some white wine to deglaze the pot before adding the broth, that will work really well! Thanks again! Jo πŸ™‚

        Reply
    4. Jessica says

      April 27, 2018 at 8:54 am

      5 stars
      YUM! I've never used in an instant pot... I actually don't think I know what one is?? Haha what a good food blogger I am! Thanks for sharing to my world food linky πŸ™‚ xx

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        April 27, 2018 at 6:44 pm

        Lol! πŸ™‚ It's one of those kitchen gadgets you are perfectly fine without and then you get it and start using it and you start wondering how you ever managed without it lol (well almost anyway)! πŸ˜‰ This risotto is super yummy and no IP needed either! Pleasure to link up! πŸ™‚ x

        Reply
    5. Cat | Curly's Cooking says

      April 26, 2018 at 8:30 pm

      My Mum has an instant pot but goes abroad a lot so my plan is to borrow it and see if she notices haha. This looks lovely and fresh and summery. x

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        April 26, 2018 at 8:40 pm

        Thanks Cat! πŸ™‚ My IP is my best friend and a topic of conversation when people enter my kitchen as it takes over half of the counter space (slight exaggeration, but only slight lol). I so recommend this risotto it's really delicious and the flavour of aniseed from the fennel is so lovely and mellow but definitely makes a statement! x

        Reply
    6. Karen, the next best thing to mummy says

      April 26, 2018 at 9:02 am

      I am not usually a fan of fennel, but this looks so delicious that I am going to give it another try #brillblogs@_karendennis

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        April 26, 2018 at 8:45 pm

        Thank you Karen! πŸ™‚ Definitely give it a try, you will be pleasantly surprised. My hubby cannot stand anything aniseedy but he really likes this risotto. Fennel definitely isn't overpowering here. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    7. Patrick says

      April 25, 2018 at 11:37 pm

      I have not jumped on the instant pot band wagon yet but this sure looks good! Love me all the carbs

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        April 26, 2018 at 8:19 am

        Thanks Patrick! I know what you mean as I resisted for a while until I finally gave in last August and haven't looked back. Funnily enough one single function I use the most is steaming veggies and frankly it was worth buying just for that! πŸ™‚

        Reply
    8. Corina Blum says

      April 25, 2018 at 10:10 am

      This sounds delicious! It's yet another reason I need to get an instant pot one day soon. It looks so beautifully creamy and comforting x

      Reply
      • joskitchenlarder says

        April 25, 2018 at 8:02 pm

        Thanks Corina! πŸ™‚ Oh I do love my IP although it did take me a while to get it out of the box at first, I was so glad when I did lol! It really is such a lovely risotto and Instant Pot makes it that little bit easier. x

        Reply

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