Creamy Spinach Risotto Recipe

Name: Creamy Spinach Risotto Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 3 tbsp High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 6 cups packed Fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped; 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice; 5 cups Vegetable broth, kept hot; 1/2 cup Dry white wine; 1 medium Yellow onion, finely diced; 3 cloves Garlic cloves, minced; 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated; 2 tbsp Unsalted butter; 1 Lemon, zest and a squeeze of juice; to taste Kosher salt and black pepper

A creamy vegetarian spinach risotto with Parmesan and tender arborio rice, cooked in smooth high-phenolic olive oil and finished with a peppery raw drizzle. The greens keep it bright, and building it on olive oil rather than a heavy butter base makes it comfort food that still fits the Mediterranean table.

By Olivea Kitchen | Published July 25, 2026

Jump to Recipe

Prep 10 min

Cook 30 min

Total 40 min

Intermediate

Why We Love This Recipe

Spinach risotto is comfort food that still puts something green and nourishing in the bowl. A big handful of spinach stirred in at the end brings folate, iron, and vitamin K, the arborio rice gives you the slow, satisfying energy that makes this feel like a full meal, and the whole dish is built on olive oil instead of a heavy butter base. That combination is the everyday shape of the Mediterranean diet, the eating pattern that supports cooking like this night after night.

The character comes from High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the smooth, balanced oil we sweat the onion and garlic in and toast the rice with. It is rich in polyphenols, especially hydroxytyrosol, so its gentle, grassy flavor and its polyphenol content arrive together in a single note. If you like to read the science, this piece on what makes olive oil high-phenolic gathers what researchers have measured. These polyphenols are highest in a fresh bottle and fade with time, light, and heat, which is why the boldest oil goes in raw at the very end.

That last drizzle is where Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil earns its place. Stirred over the top off the heat, its peppery bite is the polyphenols you can taste, and pouring it fresh gets the most of them onto the plate. Against the creamy rice and the sweet, wilted spinach, that green, peppery lift is the difference between a good risotto and one you remember.

View Nutrition Facts

Recipe Success Tips

Add the spinach at the very end

Fold the spinach in during the last two minutes, off direct heat if you can. It only needs to wilt, and stirring it in late keeps the color a vivid green and the flavor sweet rather than muddy.

Keep the broth hot

Add warm broth to warm rice so the pot never stops simmering. Cold broth shocks the rice and stretches your cooking time by ten minutes.

Stir, then rest

Add one ladle of broth at a time and stir until it is nearly absorbed before the next. The steady friction is what pulls the starch out of the arborio and gives you that creamy body without any cream.

Taste your finishing oil

Spoon a little Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil on its own before you drizzle. That peppery catch at the back of the throat is the sign of a fresh, high-polyphenol oil, and it is exactly the note you want against the mild spinach and Parmesan.

Loosen it right before serving

Risotto firms up fast. Stir in a splash of hot broth just before it goes to the table so it spreads across the plate in a soft wave rather than a mound.

Wring out frozen spinach

If you use frozen spinach, thaw it and squeeze it dry in a clean towel before it goes in. Extra water thins the risotto and dulls the flavor of the greens.

Ingredients

servings

3 tbsp High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
6 cups packed Fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
5 cups Vegetable broth, kept hot
1/2 cup Dry white wine
1 medium Yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves Garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2 tbsp Unsalted butter
1 Lemon, zest and a squeeze of juice
to taste Kosher salt and black pepper

Kitchen Tools You'll Need

Wide, heavy-bottomed saute pan or Dutch oven

Small saucepan for the broth

Wooden spoon

Ladle

Box grater or microplane

Fine grater or zester

How to Cook Creamy Spinach Risotto Recipe

Build the base

Warm the vegetable broth in a small saucepan and keep it at a bare simmer over low heat.

Warm 2 tablespoons of the High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat until it shimmers. The oil is smooth and balanced, so it carries the onion and garlic without competing with the spinach.

Add the onion and sweat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until fragrant.

Add the remaining tablespoon of High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the arborio rice. Stir for about 2 minutes, until the grains look glossy and the edges turn slightly translucent.

Cook the risotto

Pour in the white wine and stir until it is almost fully absorbed.

Add the hot broth one ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each addition is nearly absorbed before adding the next. Keep the pot at a steady low simmer.

Continue for 18 to 22 minutes, until the rice is creamy and al dente with a little bite at the center.

Fold in the greens

Reduce the heat to low and stir in the chopped spinach a handful at a time, letting each addition wilt before the next. It will take about 2 minutes for all of it to soften into the rice.

Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the butter, Parmesan, and lemon zest until the risotto turns glossy and loose. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

Finish

Spoon into warm bowls and finish each serving with a raw drizzle of Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Off the heat, its peppery, grassy edge stays bright and threads cleanly through the creamy rice and sweet spinach.

Serve right away, with an extra shower of Parmesan and a grind of black pepper if you like.

Recipe Notes

Make it your own

This follows the same rhythm as our basic risotto method, so you can swap in other greens or vegetables once you have the technique down. Tender spring stalks folded in the way we do in this asparagus risotto are lovely alongside the spinach, and for a fully loaded bowl the approach in our vegetable risotto shows how to layer several vegetables without crowding the rice.

Brighten it with lemon

Spinach and lemon are a natural pair. If you want to lean into that, add more zest and a bigger squeeze of juice at the end, or follow the brighter, more citrus-forward balance in our lemon risotto.

About the two oils

The smooth High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil does the cooking, and the bolder Ultra High Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil goes in raw at the finish. If you only keep one bottle, the High Phenolic works for both, though the peppery lift of a raw drizzle over the greens is worth the second bottle.

Storage

Risotto is best fresh, but leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of broth to bring back the creamy texture, and add a fresh drizzle of finishing oil once it is warm.

Nutrition Facts per Serving

Nutrition Facts

Serving size 1 bowl (about 1 1/2 cups)

Calories 480

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 20g26%

Saturated Fat 6g30%

Trans Fat 0g

Cholesterol 20mg7%

Sodium 720mg31%

Total Carbohydrate 62g23%

Dietary Fiber 3g11%

Total Sugars 3g

Protein 12g24%

Iron 3mg17%

Calcium 230mg18%

Potassium 480mg10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best rice for spinach risotto?

Arborio is the classic choice. It is a short-grain rice with a high starch content, and that starch is what gives spinach risotto its creamy body once you stir in the broth a little at a time. Carnaroli works beautifully too if you can find it.

Should I use fresh or frozen spinach in spinach risotto?

Fresh baby spinach is the easiest, since it wilts in about two minutes and keeps a bright color. Frozen spinach works too, but thaw it and squeeze it very dry first so it does not water down the rice.

When do I add the spinach to risotto?

Add it at the very end, during the last couple of minutes off direct heat. Stirring it in late keeps the greens vivid and sweet rather than dull and overcooked.

Do I have to stir spinach risotto constantly?

Not constantly, but often. Frequent stirring pulls the starch out of the rice and keeps the grains cooking evenly. Add the broth one ladle at a time and stir until it is nearly absorbed before the next addition.

Why finish risotto with extra virgin olive oil?

A raw drizzle of high-phenolic olive oil at the end adds a fresh, peppery note that lifts the mild spinach and creamy rice. Because the oil goes in off the heat, its bright, grassy character stays vivid right up to the first bite.

Which olive oil should I use for spinach risotto?

Use a smooth, balanced extra virgin olive oil for sweating the aromatics and toasting the rice, then save a bolder, more peppery oil for the finishing drizzle. The cooking oil should support the dish, while the finishing oil is meant to stand out.

Can I make spinach risotto without wine?

Yes. The wine adds brightness, but you can leave it out and use an equal splash of extra broth with a small squeeze of lemon at the end to keep that lift.

Is spinach risotto healthy?

It can be a satisfying part of a balanced meal. The spinach adds folate, iron, and fiber, the rice gives you steady energy, and building the dish on extra virgin olive oil rather than a heavy butter base fits the Mediterranean way of eating. Serve it with a simple salad to round out the plate.

Is spinach risotto gluten-free?

Made as written it is, since arborio rice contains no gluten. Just check that your vegetable broth is labeled gluten-free, as some brands use wheat-based additives.

Can I make spinach risotto ahead of time?

Risotto is best served fresh, but you can prep the onion, garlic, and spinach in advance. Leftovers keep for up to 3 days and reheat well with a splash of broth to loosen them.