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    Home » Sides » Pasta, Rice and Stuffing » Creamy Parmesan Risotto With Saffron

    Creamy Parmesan Risotto With Saffron

    Published: Nov 6, 2020 · Modified: Jan 23, 2022 by HWC Magazine · 43 Comments

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    Bite shot of creamy saffron risotto.
    Little Italian plate piled high with golden risotto and topped with extra grated parmesan.

    Creamy parmesan risotto with saffron is an easy traditional Italian comfort food rice side dish that pairs perfectly with our Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew.  Ready in under 20 minutes.

    Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron in a cute white and orange hand painted Italian pottery.

    Creamy Parmesan Risotto Cooking Therapy

    One bite of this creamy saffron risotto and you are going to be hooked. Arborio rice is creamy, dreamy, cheesy and slow cooked with a little Italian love. The best preventative mental health exercise is pouring a little hot chicken broth and stirring the saffron risotto until it is creamy and delicious.

    There is something very calming and Zen-like about watching the rice cook. For just a few minutes, you are living in the moment. One moment of just cooking and stirring the rice without distractions. One hand slowly stirs the risotto and a glass of wine in the other is the perfect way to relax after a stressful day.

    One delicious bite of risotto on a fork.

    What to serve with Saffron Risotto?

    Saffron Risotto is a delicious simple carbohydrate. This easy side dish goes perfectly with our One Pan Rosemary Boneless Pork Chops with Roasted Grapes, Garlic Chicken Saltimbocca, Rustic Chicken Cacciatore  and of course, our Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew. 

    Don’t you love the cozy feeling you get when you scoop a little creamy parmesan risotto on your fork with a little fall off the bone tender osso buco?  That is one perfect bite. The richness of the sauce and brightness from the citrus gremolata is a perfect pairing for a Sunday supper.  

    Have you ever had risotto before? If so, you know that it can be great all by itself as a main with a delicious tossed salad with a light and bright Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette.

    Delicious pressure cooker oxtail stew along a side of saffron rice on a black and white Italian dish.
    Pressure Cooker Oxtail Stew and Creamy Parmesan Risotto

    What is the Difference Between Saffron Risotto and Risotto alla Milanese?

    Saffron Risotto is a classic Italian plain risotto made with chicken broth and a little pinch of saffron. Risotto alla Milanese is made with a beef broth, a pinch of saffron and beef bone marrow. Both are delicious but we really enjoy a simple creamy parmesan risotto with saffron as it goes with so many dishes and its kid friendly.

    Ingredients for creamy parmesan risotto.

    Ingredients

    • Butter – The real deal. Grass fed is best.
    • Onions – We used a regular yellow onion, but you can also use shallots. Use what you have on hand is always our motto.
    • Garlic – But, of course! Garlic is not a traditional ingredient. However, it is a delicious addition you won’t want to miss.
    • Arborio Rice – is an Italian short-grained rice. This rice has a higher starch content and it makes a great rice for creamy risotto. You can also use Carnaroli, Maratelli, Baldo and Vialone Nano rice for this recipe.  
    • Chicken Stock – It is best to use a low sodium chicken broth. When the risotto cooks down, the salt level intensifies. If you have homemade chicken stock, that is perfect for this creamy parmesan risotto. The addition of parmesan cheese will also be salty. Therefore, it is best to have a low sodium chicken broth so you can adjust the seasoning as needed.
    • Dry White Wine – Our second-best motto is use whatever your drinking. We just happened to be drinking a delicious chardonnay so a little for the recipe and the rest for the chef works for us. After all, we are working on that our positive mental health, living in the moment, right? (smiling)
    • Parmesan Cheese – The king of cheeses is sublime in our creamy parmesan risotto.  It adds that depth of flavor and savory deliciousness that you are craving. If you are vegan, you can skip this addition, but this recipe is just not the same without it. Nutritional yeast will leave this recipe grainy, so it is NOT suggested. However, you can make your own homemade vegan parmesan as well.
    • Saffron – It brings that beautiful golden yellow color to the risotto and adds a little sweet floral and earthy taste to this Italian Risotto. The bright red stigmas are harvested from a flower called crocus sativus. Saffron is one of those spices that is a little on the expensive side.  However, you only need a little pinch. That will leave you plenty of extra spice to try in our delicious Slow Roasted Moroccan Spiced Leg of Lamb. If you really love that golden color but do not have any saffron, add a pinch of turmeric powder.
    Scoop of saffron chicken broth getting added to the cooking risotto.

    Why Do You Need to Warm the Broth for Risotto?

    Heating up your chicken broth ensures that the arborio rice, chicken broth and pan are all the same temperature. The process of heating up the broth ensures that all the grains of rice cooks evenly.

    No one likes some crunchy grains of rice, some perfect and some mushy. Most generally speaking, you are looking for a creamy risotto consistency with each and every bite. If you love a good creamy risotto, be sure to try our Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto and our Roasted Chestnut Pumpkin Risotto.

    Pinch of saffron getting sprinkled into the chicken broth.

    How to Make Saffron Bloom?

    There is no need to allow extra time for your saffron to bloom in this Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron recipe. Dried saffron has plenty of time to open up when steeping in the simmering chicken broth and during the cooking process. Blooming saffron is a process to extract out the flavor and color from the saffron stigmas. Blooming sometimes requires grinding, frying or steeping like tea before adding to a recipe.

    Step by Step How to make Saffron Risotto.

    How to Make Saffron Risotto

    • Do NOT wash arborio rice. This strips away all the starches that make this risotto extra creamy.
    • In a medium pot, add your low sodium chicken broth or homemade and heat to a simmer.
    • Add a pinch of saffron to the chicken broth and the broth will turn bright yellow in a few minutes.
    • Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add onions and salt until slightly translucent. We actually like to take them a little bit further until they just start to think about browning.
    • Add the arborio rice and garlic and toast for about 1 minute in the pan with the onions. The purpose is to add a nutty flavor to the risotto.
    • Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine or wine you happen to be drinking.
    • Then one little ladle at a time, add a little of the saffron spiced chicken broth to the arborio rice. Making sure your heat is on a low simmer or a medium bubble.
    • Do not over stir your risotto. You only want to stir it often enough to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. If you over stir, it can ruin the consistency.
    • Allow the rice to cook down the liquid until you can make a path with your spatula or wooden spoon. If you can make a path with your spatula in the pan, it is time to add another scoop of warmed saffron chicken broth. (See photo above for example) Repeat this process several more times. After 15 minutes, check taste a little bit of the rice for consistency. If the risotto is still crunchy, add a few more rounds of chicken broth and stirring until it reaches your creamy consistency. The consistency should be slightly loose and creamy.
    • Remove the Italian risotto from the heat source. Add in a dollop of butter and grated parmesan cheese and stir well.
    • Enjoy!
    Risotto getting stirred in the pan.

    How to Store Saffron Risotto?

    Risotto is best enjoyed straight away. However, it can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, but it will stiffen and thicken up because of all the starches. You can reheat risotto in the microwave or on the stove top, but you will need to add just need to add a little heated chicken broth to revive it.

    Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron in a white, yellow and orange hand painted Italian pottery plate.

    What to Do with Leftover Risotto?

    Our favorite way to enjoy leftover risotto is to make arancini balls or risotto fritter balls. Essentially, roll up your leftover risotto in a ball, dip into a beaten egg, seasoned breadcrumbs and fry them up. Sometimes, mom used to put in a little wedge of mozzarella cheese in the center for a delicious surprise. These risotto balls are super delicious with a little marinara sauce.

    Arborio rice uncooked in a measuring cup.
    Arborio Rice

    Frequent Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

    What is Saffron

    Saffron is one of the most precious spices in the world. The bright red stigmas are harvested from a flower called crocus sativus.

    What Does Saffron Taste Like?

    Real saffron is slightly sweet, floral and earthy in flavor. Living in Asia, we came upon our fair share of the fake imitation saffron. Fake saffron might have lots of yellow stigmas compared to red. They may taste extremely bitter, instead of earthy sweet. Real saffron threads have one end that is shaped like a trumpet. If both ends are thin, then it is most likely fake.

    Do not be tempted to buy ground saffron. It might be fake. If you need ground saffron for a recipe, buy it whole and grind yourself. This way you know that you are buying pure saffron and not fake saffron.

    Why is Saffron so Expensive?

    The reason why this spice is so expensive is because each of these flowers only produce three strands of the red stigmas. The flowers only bloom once a year and the red stigmas must be harvested by hand. Unless you live in Greece, India, Iran, Afghanistan or Spain where saffron are usually grown, your saffron had to be imported.

    More Delicious Rice Recipes

    • Vegan Chickpea Lemon Rice
    • Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils
    • Curried Harvest Black Forbidden Rice
    • Chorizo and Shrimp Fried Rice
    • Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto

    Did You Like Our Recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section below. Your feedback is always appreciated! Follow us for more delicious recipes on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for our email list for more free recipes.

    Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron in a cute white and orange hand painted Italian pottery.

    Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron

    Creamy parmesan risotto with saffron is an easy traditionalItalian comfort food side dish that pairs perfectly with our Pressure Cooker OxtailStew. 
    5 from 18 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Mains, Sides
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 23 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 357kcal
    Author: HWC Magazine

    Ingredients

    • 5 cups chicken broth low sodium
    • 1 pinch saffron threads dried whole
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
    • 1 large onion peeled and chopped
    • salt to taste
    • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
    • 1½ cups arborio rice
    • 1 cup white wine dry
    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • ¾ cup parmesan cheese grated and a little extra for garnish
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Do NOT wash arborio rice. This strips away all the starches that make creamy parmesan risotto.
    • In a medium pot, add your low sodium chicken broth (homemade is best) and heat to a simmer. Then turn down to a low heat just to keep hot.
    • Add a pinch of saffron to the chicken broth. The broth will turn bright yellow in a few minutes.
    • Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add onions and cook for about 2 minutes or until slightly translucent.
    • Add the arborio rice, garlic and salt and toast for about 1 minute in the pan with the onions. The purpose or toasting the rice is to add a nutty flavor to the risotto. Do not brown the rice.
    • Deglaze the pan with the dry white wine or wine you happen to be drinking.
    • Then one little ladle at a time, add a little of the saffron chicken broth to the arborio rice. Making sure your heat for the risotto rice is on a low simmer (medium bubble).
    • Do not over stir your risotto. You only want to stir it often enough to prevent it from sticking to the bottom. If you over stir, it can ruin the consistency.
    • Allow the rice to cook down the liquid until you can make a path with your spatula or wooden spoon. If you can make a path with your spatula in the pan, it is time to add another scoop of warmed saffron chicken broth. Repeat this process several more times. After 15 minutes, check taste a little bit of the rice for consistency. If the risotto is still crunchy, add a few more rounds of chicken broth and stirring until it reaches your creamy consistency. The consistency should be slightly loose and creamy.
    • Remove the Italian risotto from the heat source. Add in a dollop of butter and grated parmesan cheese and stir well. Salt and pepper to taste as desired.
    • Garnish with a little extra grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!

    Notes

    Risotto is best enjoyed straight away. However, it can be refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 3 days, but it will stiffen and thicken up because of all the starches. You can reheat risotto in the microwave or on the stove top, but you will need to add need to add a little heated chicken broth to revive it. Do not freeze risotto as it gets hard and inedible. 
    Feel free to use beef broth, vegetable broth or even seafood broth, depending on what you are serving with your Creamy Parmesan Risotto.
    Heating up your chicken broth ensures that the arborio rice, chicken broth and pan are all the same temperature. Heating the broth to a simmer is super important. This process ensures that all the grains of rice cooks evenly. No one likes some crunchy grains of rice, some perfect and some mushy. Most generally speaking, you are looking for a creamy risotto consistency with each and every bite.
    There is no need to allow extra time for your saffron to bloom in this Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron recipe. Dried saffron has plenty of time to open up when steeping in the simmering chicken broth and during the cooking process.
    If you do not have saffron, you can substitute a little dusting of dried ground turmeric spice to achieve that gorgeous yellow hue.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6g | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 955mg | Potassium: 271mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 216IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 3mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag us @HWCMagazine or hastag us #HWCMagazine!

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    About HWC Magazine

    Join our Healthy World Cuisine medical editors (trained in both Western and Eastern Medicine) and learn how to EAT your way around the WORLD from the comfort of your own kitchen. Grab free health tips, recipe ideas, meal plans and gain a better understand how eating choices can affect your health. Be the healthier and happier YOU!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 18 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Heidi | The Frugal Girls says

      May 08, 2023 at 11:26 pm

      Your spice blend for this risotto is totally fabulous and I loved your suggestion to pair this dish with your Rosemary Boneless Pork Chops. YUM!!

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        May 10, 2023 at 1:39 am

        Thanks so much Heidi. You can't go wrong with pork chops and risotto. Perfect comfort food.

        Reply
    2. Lynn Fenby says

      July 03, 2021 at 11:30 pm

      I served this with my baked chicken and it was great. Everybody loves risotto, but adding the parmesan cheese made it absolutely delicious.

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        July 04, 2021 at 12:05 am

        So happy to hear you are enjoying this recipe. Risotto is our idea of pure comfort food.

        Reply
    3. Bonnie says

      February 13, 2021 at 3:20 pm

      5 stars
      So yummy

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        February 13, 2021 at 4:11 pm

        Thanks Bonnie. Risotto is our idea of pure comfort food. Take Care

        Reply
    4. Ken says

      January 05, 2021 at 1:32 am

      5 stars
      I could make a meal of just this dish

      Reply
    5. Dana Brown says

      December 31, 2020 at 3:10 am

      5 stars
      All the kids love this. What a great way to incorporate some Saffron

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        January 03, 2021 at 3:13 am

        Thank you Dana. We love making little arancini balls with the leftover creamy parmesan risotto with saffron. The kids love that too! Take Care

        Reply
    6. Cal says

      December 16, 2020 at 8:04 pm

      5 stars
      Wow -- this is restaurant quality risotto. Simple, fast, and pairs well with so many dishes.

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        January 03, 2021 at 3:52 am

        Thanks so much Cal. Risotto is pure comfort food. Be sure to try it with our osso buco https://www.hwcmagazine.com/recipe/pressure-cooker-oxtail-stew/. Take Care

        Reply
    7. Kevin says

      November 29, 2020 at 4:29 pm

      5 stars
      I love the recipe and I love Risotto. I have some safron that I received about a year ago. DO you know if there is any shelf life for this spice? Would it likely still be safe to use it?

      Reply
      • HWC Magazine says

        December 02, 2020 at 1:08 am

        Thanks Kevin. Dried spices and herbs are best used within 6 months. However, they do not go bad as long as they are stored properly. Spices just loose some of their flavor and aroma after this time frame. You can still use your saffron for this recipe.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

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    Bite shot of creamy saffron risotto.
    Little Italian plate piled high with golden risotto and topped with extra grated parmesan.

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    Little Italian plate piled high with golden risotto and topped with extra grated parmesan.

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