Easy Dairy Free Shrimp Risotto
The perfect protein-rich comfort food, this Easy Dairy Free Shrimp Risotto is creamy, hearty and insanely delicious!
So pleasingly rich! So fancy! So Valentine’s-date-night-in wonderful.
If you’ve ever ordered risotto in a fancy restaurant and wished you could recreate the dish at home, well guess what? You totally can! Risotto is time consuming but not difficult. In fact, standing over a pot of risotto with a wooden spoon in hand, slowly stirring after each addition of stock can be quite meditative. When else can you completely zone out while cooking? It’s a great way to clear your mind, and the end result is very rewarding…I promise!
For my risotto, I used Village Harvest’s Arborio rice. Harvested in Northern Italy where the climate is cool and the soil is marshy, this “superfino” grade rice is simply the best available. True to its native roots in the Po River Valley, this relatively short, plump, pearl-like grain absorbs lots of liquid while slowly and evenly releasing its inherent starch. The result is a warm comforting, lightly textured dish that will transport you to Italy.
What could be more romantic than be swept away to Italy for the evening? 🙂
I hope you guys love this risotto meal! It’s:
Savory
Comforting
Warm
Satisfying
Seriously delicious
I’ve officially made this recipe four times since testing it for the blog. It’s that good! The risotto is so creamy, the textures are so complex and the taste will knock you off your feet it’s so good. This dish is my absolute new favorite. It’s a no brainer.
This recipe is a must if you’re spending Valentine’s Day at home. Also, really great to satisfy comfort food-cravings this winter.
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think! Comment below and don’t forget to snap a picture and tag it #kimscravings on Instagram. I’d love to see your risotto in action. Happy eating, friends!
Easy Dairy Free Shrimp Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup arborio rice, risotto rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine, like Chardonnay
- 4 cups fish, seafood or chicken stock
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/2 to 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp, tails removed
- 3/4 cup corn kernels, if canned, drained or thawed if frozen
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, minced
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallot, red bell pepper and garlic and sauté for about three minutes, until soft. Add the rice and toss to coat each kernel with oil.
- Add the white wine to the pot and stir. Cook until all the wine has been absorbed—about three minutes.
- Now, add the stock—a quarter cup at a time—stirring after each addition and not adding any more until the previous addition has been completely absorbed. It will take about 45 minutes to complete this step but don’t skip it! It will ensure you completely creamy, restaurant-style risotto.
- After all the stock has been absorbed into the risotto, turn off the heat.
- While risotto is cooking, cook bacon strips in a sauté, frying or other shallow pan over medium heat until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving bacon drippings. Crumble the strips into small bits.
- Season shrimp with salt and black pepper. Add shrimp to bacon drippings and cook 1-2 minutes per side or until pink and firm. Transfer to the plate with the bacon.
- Add the crumbled bacon, corn kernels and shrimp to the risotto, along with minced parsley and season with salt to taste. Serve each bowl of risotto with a big squeeze of lemon over top. Taste and season.
Notes
- If you aren't dairy-free, you can always toss in a small handful of Parmesan at the end.
- Prefer not to use wine? Just use broth instead.
- Do make sure you use arborio rise. This rice has the perfect amount of starch to make the dish creamy without dairy.
Did you make this recipe?
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ENJOY OTHER FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD RECIPES
Skinny Mini Meat Loaves with Sweet Potato Coins
Breakfast Hash with Sweet Potato, Brussels Sprouts, Apple and Fried Egg
PIN IT!
Something to think about….
Have you ever tried cooking risotto? Find Village Harvest in your area using this store locator and use this coupon to save $1.00 on one bag of Farro or Arborio.
This post was sponsored by Mambo Sprouts on behalf of Village Harvest. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
I made this for dinner tonight, it was excellent. Creamy and delicious, really thought there was dairy in it.
That’s awesome! So happy to hear and thanks so much for your comment!
This is one of my favorite recipes — a go-to for a fancy meal in.
I’m hoping to 1.5 the recipe to feed a few more; should I still add the liquid 1/4 cup at a time, or use a slightly larger measurement since there’s more rice cooking too?
I haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure, but I think using just a bit more than 1/4 cup at a time would work great. Enjoy!
Love Risotto and haven’t tried Village Harvest yet.
This looks like a great dinner recipe to feed the family with. Risotto is one of my faves. I can’t wait to give it a try!
My kids would eat rice for every meal, and I’m always looking for new ways to serve it and get them to try other new foods at the same time. This risotto looks perfect!
Spicy shrimp sounds like a very delicious meal.
I am loving the flavors of this recipe. Headed out this afternoon to grab all the ingredients for the weekend! Cant wait to gobble this up!
Wow, this looks phenomenal! I love shrimp and risotto and I can’t wait to try this!
Risotto is such a delicious dish, and not hard to make at all. I love the creaminess of the rice without any added dairy products! And shrimp and bacon are a great addition.
This risotto looks so creamy – hard to believe there’s no dairy. Looks great!
love this!