This easy vegan quinoa risotto with roasted butternut squash is creamy, flavorful, and the perfect comfort food. Whether you're looking for a simple meatless meal or want something easy to serve as a vegan side, this quinoa risotto is a must-try.
This is Butternut Squash Quinoa Risotto is the best kind of comfort food. This easy recipe uses just a few ingredients, is great for a meatless dinner or as a healthy side, and it tastes amazing! It's a creamy, dreamy, cozy vegan risotto recipe that is going to knock your socks off.
Why You'll Love this Butternut Squash Quinoa Risotto Recipe
- Faster than rice. When you’re cooking quinoa risotto-style, you can cut the cooking time down by at least 75%. So a dish that might take an hour to cook will take you 15 minutes with quinoa!
- Transforms quinoa into something special. When you add in just a few ingredients, in this case, butternut squash and vegan Parmesan cheese, quinoa transforms into this luxurious dish, full of deep flavors that awaken your palate and make your taste buds smile.
- Absolutely delicious. Quinoa risotto is rich, with the sweet, earthy flavors of roasted butternut squash and sage. It has a delicate, soft texture and couldn’t be easier to make!
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Butternut squash – If by chance you're not a squash fan, you can use sweet potato or pumpkin in its place.
- Veggie broth – Which we'll be using as our liquid – it adds a nice flavor!
- Quinoa – I personally like to use white quinoa since I find it has the softest texture
- Nutritional yeast + vegan Parmesan – In order to get our “creamy” risotto flavor, we're using these two ingredients!
- Spices – We'll be roasting our butternut squash in a touch of cinnamon and smoked paprika which is subtle, but delicious in the risotto.
How to Make Butternut Squash Quinoa Risotto
- Roast the squash. Toss the butternut squash with coconut oil, cinnamon, paprika, salt and pepper. Roast in a 400ºF oven for 20 minutes.
- Start cooking the quinoa. While squash is cooking, bring the quinoa and vegetable broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Cover and reduce to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Mash the squash. Mash the squash in a bowl, then fold it into the quinoa.
- Finish. Add the nutritional yeast and Parmesan. Cook for a minute or two, then serve.
Serving Suggestions
As I said at the beginning of the post, this butternut squash and quinoa recipe is definitely on the lighter side. But it can be enjoyed as a vegan main (quinoa for protein!) or a simple side dish if you want something a little fancy. Either way, it's sure to please!
I like to serve mine with some chopped sage, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, and extra pepper. I put it in a dish like this and let people scoop their portions out! It's a crowd-pleaser and also makes amazing leftovers (sometimes I even make a double portion!).
If you do want to have is as a side dish, I think it would pair perfectly with:
- Fish. Either baked or grilled. My cinnamon and pecan crusted salmon would be INCREDIBLE!
- Meat. Since butternut squash is on the lighter side, I would say this would be best with a grilled or baked chicken dish rather than red meat
- Vegetarian. And if you want to keep it totally vegetarian, tofu would be perfect – I'd say my herb crusted baked tofu would be the best!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezer: Place the quinoa risotto in a freezer-proof container (LOVE this set!) and allow it to cool completely. Once it's cooled, pop on the lid and freeze it.
- To reheat: If it's refrigerated, simply pop it in the microwave or add it to a small saucepan and add a splash of water, broth, or almond milk. If it's frozen, allow the risotto to mostly thaw in the refrigerator and follow the same reheating instructions!
More Butternut Squash Recipes
Butternut Squash Quinoa Risotto
Ingredients
- 3 cups butternut squash cubed
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of salt & pepper
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast or romano/parmesan cheese if not vegan
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan (optional)
- Chopped sage to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the butternut squash with coconut oil, cinnamon, paprika and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Stir the squash around a few times so it cooks evenly.
- While squash is cooking, add quinoa and vegetable broth to a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down to simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. The quinoa should be soft, but there should still be some liquid in the pot.
- Remove squash from the oven, transfer to a bowl and mash it with a fork until almost smooth. Add squash to the quinoa, stirring to combine.
- Sprinkle in nutritional yeast (and cheese if using) and cook for another 1 – 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately and garnish with additional nutritional yeast (or cheese) and a drizzle of honey.
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