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!
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 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!
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 this Leeks and Smoked Mackerel Risotto or if you are partial to some gorgeous chorizo you will love this Butternut Squash and Chorizo Risotto. For some more Spring flavours and new asparagus season around the corner try this Asparagus & Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto.
I love using homemade chicken stock in my risottos! If you are not vegetarian 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!
Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto
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 Sauté 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 Sauté function and let it reduce slightly.
- I'm a huge fan of ghee (clarified butter) when sautéing 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
Have you tried my Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post, I love reading them!
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I’m linking my Instant Pot Fennel & Leek Risotto with the following pages:
Cook Blog Share hosted by Monika at Everyday Healthy Recipes and Eb at Easy Peasy Foodie
Linda Teders says
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 🙁 ) before I added the rice.
I used boiling water and 2 ice cubes of my home made chicken demi glace as bouillon 🙂
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
joskitchenlarder says
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! 🙂
Lisa says
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
joskitchenlarder says
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! 🙂 You can definitely use some white wine to deglaze the pot before adding the broth, that will work really well! Thanks again! Jo 🙂
Jessica says
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 🙂 xx
joskitchenlarder says
Lol! 🙂 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)! 😉 This risotto is super yummy and no IP needed either! Pleasure to link up! 🙂 x
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
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
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Cat! 🙂 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
Karen, the next best thing to mummy says
I am not usually a fan of fennel, but this looks so delicious that I am going to give it another try #[email protected]_karendennis
joskitchenlarder says
Thank you Karen! 🙂 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. 🙂
Patrick says
I have not jumped on the instant pot band wagon yet but this sure looks good! Love me all the carbs
joskitchenlarder says
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! 🙂
Corina Blum says
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
joskitchenlarder says
Thanks Corina! 🙂 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