• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Plated Cravings logo

  • Recipe Index
  • Air Fryer
  • German Food
  • About
    • Contact
    • How to Subscribe
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Air Fryer
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home > Recipes > Main Dishes

    Creamy Lemon Risotto

    ↓ Jump to Recipe · By: Julia Foerster · Posted: 06/22/16 · Updated: 06/14/17 · This post may contain affiliate links

    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!

    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!

    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!

    I love making risotto! Sometimes a mindless repetitive activity like stirring a risotto is exactly what I need :-) Perfect to relax for 20 minutes and you even get a reward for your hard work: a tasty risotto!

    A few weeks ago I shared my Saffron Shrimp Risotto which is a variation of the famous Risotto alla Milanese with fried shrimp. My creamy Lemon Parmesan Risotto is another favorite of mine! It’s creamy, a little bit tangy, and full of fresh herbs. A perfect summer dish!

    Risotto is perfect to make on a weeknight, you only need 30 minutes and you have something delicious. This risotto is extra creamy because of the added egg yolk and cream. It has a yummy smooth texture but the rice also has some bite which is really important. A good risotto shouldn’t be mushy after cooking. You want the rice to be al dente like you want your pasta!

    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!

    We buy our risotto rice at an Italian supermarket which has a big selection of risotto rice. The best but also the most expensive one is Vialone Nano. This rice is able to absorb more water in the kernel instead of dissolving in the surface, keeping the risotto creamier and lighter. Carnaroli  is also perfect for risotto.

    Both of these are hard to find in your normal supermarket. If you can’t find one of these you can also use Arborio rice which is a more common rice. It has more starch on the outside and tends to become a bit too pulpy when cooked.

    But for a “normal day” risotto Arborio is fine!

    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!

    For this creamy lemon risotto, you’ll need an unwaxed lemon because we need the juice and the zest. The zest contains essential oils which give a great taste and more lemony flavor to your risotto.

    In my opinion, lemon flavors are really summery but I also make this risotto in the winter time when it’s cold and snowy outside and I wish I would be on a sunny beach! It’s a perfect dish to bring some sunshine into your life!

    – Julia
    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!

    A cast-iron pan with lemon risotto garnished with thyme and lemon slices on a wooden cutting board. There are halved lemons and a piece of Parmiggiano in the background.
    Servings: 4

    Creamy Lemon Risotto

    Creamy Lemon Risotto is a perfect summer dish made with parmesan, rosemary, and fresh lemons. Comfort food for sunny days or whenever you need a little bit sunshine in your life!
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Calories: 546kcal
    Author: Julia Foerster
    5 from 4 votes
    Print PIN RECIPE Rate

    Ingredients

    Cups - Metric
    • ½ cup onion, finely chopped
    • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • 1 ½ cups risotto rice, Vialone Nano or Arborio
    • ½ cup white wine
    • 4 cups vegetable stock, or chicken stock
    • 1 lemon, juice and zest
    • 1 tsp dried rosemary, needles finely chopped
    • 1 large egg yolk
    • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • salt, to taste
    • pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a saucepan bring the vegetable stock to a boil. Reduce the heat and hold at a gentle simmer.
    • Heat half of the butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the rice and stir over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until the grains appear slightly translucent.
    • Add the wine and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until almost absorbed. Add a ladleful of the simmering stock and stir constantly until completely absorbed.
    • Continue to add the vegetable stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful, for 25-30 minutes until rice is no longer chalky but still has some bite and the risotto is creamy. You may not need all of the stock, or, you may need to add a bit more hot water. Take the risotto off the heat when it’s ready.
    • In a small bowl beat the egg yolk, lemon juice, parmesan, cream and a little bit of pepper. Mix the finely chopped rosemary and the lemon zest into the risotto.
    • Add the egg-lemon mixture, and the remaining butter and salt to taste.
    • Garnish with more grated parmesan and enjoy!

    Nutrition Information

    Calories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 1049mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1188IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 4mg
    Did you Make this Recipe? Tag me Today!Share it on Instagram and tag @platedcravings or #platedcravings!

    Adapted from Nigella

    « Tropical Coconut Squares
    Crostata with Peaches & Berries »

    Plated Cravings owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my Disclosure and Privacy Policy. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Allergictoeggs says

      October 20, 2022 at 9:59 pm

      Is there anything I can swap the egg yolk for?

      Reply
    2. Kat says

      January 16, 2022 at 2:49 pm

      I haven’t made this yet but it’s because I have a question. Is wine mandatory?

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        January 16, 2022 at 4:12 pm

        No, you can use more stock instead.

        Reply
    3. Cathy says

      August 30, 2021 at 7:11 pm

      I’ve made many risottos but this one is in a league of its own!
      Love the egg yolk, cheese and cream addition at the end. Wow!
      I do have a comment;
      The recipe doesn’t state when to zest and juice the lemon or how much zest or juice that is needed.
      Just FYI.

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        August 30, 2021 at 8:14 pm

        Thank you for your comment Cathy, I will add a note to the recipe so it is clearer what to do with the lemon.

        Reply
    4. Verlaine says

      March 27, 2021 at 1:22 am

      I never made risotto before, and it turned out great! Thank you.

      Reply
    5. Chris V says

      December 26, 2020 at 12:56 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you! This lemon risotto receipe is the closest we’ve found to a memorable one we had in Montalcino, IT.

      Reply
    6. Krista says

      December 21, 2020 at 8:14 pm

      I just looked up “risotto lemon Parmesan rosemary” as a craving for what I wanted and low and behold there’s an actual recipe 😂 got to love Pinterest. Can’t wait to try your recipe it looks amazing. Never would have thought to add wine. I guess I have to pop open a bottle, oh no… (said no one ever)

      Reply
    7. Sherry says

      September 19, 2020 at 5:36 pm

      Do you think adding some more egg yolks would be fine? If so, how many would be too much?

      Reply
      • Julia Foerster says

        September 19, 2020 at 6:20 pm

        I think adding 1 or 2 more egg yolks would be fine.

        Reply
    8. VS says

      February 07, 2017 at 12:50 am

      Hi, can you substitute the heavy cream for whole milk? Also, I really like how you’ve written up your recipes, they’re so easy to follow!

      Reply
      • Julia says

        February 07, 2017 at 1:30 pm

        Thank you, VS, that’s good to hear! You can use whole milk instead of cream.

        Reply
    9. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says

      June 23, 2016 at 2:59 pm

      I love risotto. It is total comfort food to me. This lemon risotto looks heavenly!

      Reply
      • Julia says

        June 23, 2016 at 3:04 pm

        Thank you, Kathy! Risotto is really one of my favorite dishes – to make and to eat.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Welcome!

    Julia Foerster from Plated Cravings

    Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions. ➝ Visit my about page and ➝ subscribe to never miss a new recipe!

    Favorite Recipes

    • Black Forest Cake
    • Brioche French Toast
    • Butterscotch Cookies
    • Blueberry Bread
    • Easy Creme Brulee Recipe
    • Chocolate Mousse Cake

    Top Posts

    • Moist Lemon Cake Recipe
    • Air Fryer Donuts
    • Air Fryer Onion Rings
    • Apple Strudel Recipe
    • Air Fryer Chicken Wings
    • Oven Roasted Potatoes

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer
    • Accessibility Policy

    As Featured On

    Press Images

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with us

    Copyright © 2022 Plated Cravings