Beer Cheese Risotto
A hearty vegetarian built around arborio rice, amber or pale ale beer and grated parmesan cheese — roughly 70 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for pan and saucepan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Keep the vegetable stock simmering gently in a separate pan so it stays hot throughout, then finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.
- Warm the olive oil with half the butter in a wide, heavy-based pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 6 to 7 minutes until soft and translucent, adding the garlic for the final minute.
- Add the arborio rice and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the grains are coated and the edges turn slightly translucent.
- Pour in the beer and let it bubble, stirring, until almost fully absorbed, which cooks off the raw alcohol and leaves a malty depth.
- Add the hot stock one ladleful at a time, stirring frequently and only adding more once the previous addition is absorbed, continuing for about 18 to 20 minutes until the rice is creamy but still has a slight bite at the centre.
- Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the remaining butter, the parmesan, the cheddar and the dijon mustard until the risotto is glossy and the cheese has melted smoothly.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste, loosen with a splash more hot stock if needed, and serve immediately while creamy.
You'll use: Pan · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Parmesan
- pecorino · grana padano · aged asiago
Tips & common questions
How long does Beer Cheese Risotto take to make?
About 70 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Beer Cheese Risotto vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Beer Cheese Risotto is an original recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Earl Ferrers, Streatham, SW16 (2973503077).jpg by Ewan Munro from London, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.