A cozy risotto recipe with so much flavor, this caramelized onion risotto has been a fan favorite for years now. It makes about four servings and comes together in under an hour. To help guide you through the process, I have step-by-step photos available further down in this blog post!
Caramelized onions are pretty easy to make, and are a game-changer for so many simple dishes, so why not risotto? You can cook the onions simultaneously alongside the risotto (in a separate pan), as they are stirred into the risotto towards the end of the recipe. When they’re mixed with smoky bacon and salty Parmesan cheese, it’s such a beautiful blend of flavor and texture.
If you’ve never made caramelized onions, now. is. your. time. It’s so easy to do, and it’s relatively therapeutic. Just thinly slice a yellow onion into half moons, toss it into a large pan with a little olive oil and salt, and let it do its thing. For a full step-by-step guide, definitely see my caramelized onion post! (There’s also some recommendations for other recipes that use caramelized onions in that sweet little post.)
Ingredients for Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Parmesan Risotto:
- 3 cups low-sodium Chicken Stock (best quality)
- 2 strips thick cut Bacon
- 1 tbsp. Olive Oil
- 1/2 small Shallot
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Arborio Rice
- 1/4 cup dry White Wine
- 1/4 cup Caramelized Onions
- 1/3 cup Parmesan
- 1 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- Chives (for garnish)
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Now, risotto is another one of those simple dishes that may seem intimidating. It’s not. I promise. Yes, you have to dedicate some time to risotto, but it will always reward you. Making risotto is quite therapeutic, as well, so if you have a random Saturday to test out your kitchen skills, this is definitely the recipe for you.
Use good parmesan, and use good bacon that you really like. If you prefer cherry wood / apple wood / whatever wood smoked bacon, use that. I love to get the super thick cut bacon from the meat section at the store, or from the local guy that sells his own thick cut bacon. The flavor is super important here. 🙂
By cutting the bacon into small pieces before cooking the risotto, it tends to cook more evenly. Mixing the bacon with a little olive oil adds a whole new depth of flavor, and it’s soooo good. Combining caramelized onions, bacon, and parmesan into a risotto is a level of food heaven I hadn’t yet visited.
How to Make Caramelized Onion and Bacon Risotto:
Risotto is really fun to make, and is much easier than you may think. Here’s a breakdown of each step, with photos, to help you through it!
First, cook the chopped bacon with the olive oil over medium heat until the bacon is crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towel, and leave all liquids in the pan.
Next, turn the heat down in the pan to medium-low. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook until shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, then stir in the rice. Cook the rice until only a small white dot remains in the center of each grain, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the white wine, cook for a couple of minutes until absorbed, then start stirring in the stock one ladle at a time, waiting until each ladle is absorbed before adding the next. This process takes about 20-25 minutes total.
You’ll notice the texture of the rice becomes creamy and soft as the risotto cooks. Stir frequently to encourage the starches to release from the rice and create this creamy texture.
Once the risotto is creamy and has just the tiniest bite to it, stir in the caramelized onions and the chopped bacon. Turn off the heat from under the pan.
Stir in the parmesan cheese and butter, along with a crack of fresh black pepper. Taste, and season with salt and more pepper if desired. Serve immediately, or cover with a lid and keep warm until served.
Other Risotto Recipes to Try:
- Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Risotto for Two
- Creamy Lemon and Pea Risotto with Salmon
- Bacon, Cheddar, and Chicken Risotto for Two
- Creamy Parmesan Risotto for Two
Wine Pairings for Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Parmesan Risotto:
:: Chablis. (France) >> Chablis is Chardonnay that comes from northern Burgundy. These grapes are grown in a cooler climate, which increases the acidity of the wine. And if you typically think of Chardonnay as buttery or oaky, this is definitely not the case here. The butter and oak from California Chardonnays is ENTIRELY due to the fact that it sits in oak barrels for a while. Chablis sees little to no oak, so the minerality and brightness of the grapes really shines through. It’s perfect with creamy sauces, and is awesome with this risotto!
:: Pinot Blanc. (France / Germany) >> If you ever run across a Pinot Blanc from Alsace (a white wine region that is shared by France and Germany), buy it. Pinot Blanc typically has notes of apples, pears, and lemon zest. Although it has a lower acidity than Chablis, the clean and refreshing flavors of Pinot Blanc go really well with the creaminess and salty flavors of the bacon and parmesan in this risotto. And actually, France and Germany have a long-standing war between this region because it’s so awesome. So it’s worth the purchase. 🙂
:: Prosecco. (Italy) >> When are bubbles not fun? Prosecco is generally a bit sweet, which will help balance the richness in this risotto. It also goes well with cheeses, and is going to be an awesome companion to the parmesan in this risotto. It almost acts as a palate cleanser, so your tastebuds don’t get weighed down by so many flavors! Prosecco ONLY comes from Italy, so you know it’ll be pretty delicious. (I’m partial.)
Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions! I would also love to see your risotto on Instagram! If you make and love this risotto, I would absolutely love to hear about it in the comments below, too. Enjoy!
xx Sara
> originally published on March 11, 2019 | updated on December 28, 2021 <
Caramelized Onion, Bacon, and Parmesan Risotto
Ingredients
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil best quality
- 2 strips thick-cut bacon cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 1/2 small shallot finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup arborio rice
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 4 Tbsp. caramelized onions finely chopped
- 1/3 cup parmesan-reggiano finely grated
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- finely chopped chives for garnish
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Pour in chicken broth, and allow the broth to come to a simmer. Keep the broth warm until ready to use.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bacon, and cook the chopped bacon until crispy, about ten minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon from the pan, and transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Turn the heat of the pan down to medium-low. Add shallots and a pinch of salt, and cook for 1-2 minutes until softened. If the shallots are cooking to quickly, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool before continuing to cook. The shallots should be soft and fragrant, but avoid burning them.
- Add garlic, cook for about a minute with the shallots. Add rice, and stir to coat in the oil, garlic, and shallots. Cook rice for about 2-3 minutes, until only a white dot remains in the middle of each grain.
- Pour in white wine, and allow the alcohol to cook out of the wine as it is absorbed into the rice, about 2-3 minutes.
- Once the wine has been absorbed, begin adding the warm chicken broth one ladle at a time. Wait until each ladle is nearly absorbed by the rice before adding the next. This process will take about 20-25 minutes total. The rice will start to transform and take on a very creamy texture as it cooks.
- Once the rice has just the slightest bite to it, stir in the caramelized onions and cooked bacon, and remove the risotto from the heat. Stir in parmesan and butter, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives, and serve hot!
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
Looks like a great recipe! I maybe missing something but when do you caramelize the onions?
Thank you, Shlee! So you can caramelize the onions up to four days in advance – there’s a link in the recipe card for a full step-by-step guide on how to do it! OR you could also caramelize them in a separate pan as you make the risotto (since you add 1/4 cup of the onions at the very end of the risotto recipe, and they should take about the same amount of time.) So it’s totally up to you when you’d like to make them! The recipe for the caramelized onions makes about a cup, so you will have some leftover. They are REALLY good in scrambled eggs, on avocado toast, on roast beef sandwiches, and many other things! I hope this helps, and I hope you love the risotto!
And if it’s easier this way – here’s the link for the onions! >> https://aflavorjournal.com/how-to-make-caramelized-onions/
I basically make this recipe once a week I love it! Its easy enough as well to make some additions, I’ll switch up the parm with Gruyere and add asparagus or broccoli. The bacon and white wine definitely make the best flavor. Love this recipe!
I’m SO glad you love it! I love that you make cheese swaps and add vegetables, too! Risotto is so much fun and so versatile, I couldn’t be happier that you are totally making it yours – and thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
I have started an in depth journey to perfect risotto. This recipe is my third in the mix and without a doubt the best so far. The only problem I had was keeping myself from eating the caramelized onion while waiting for the arborio to cook.
This sounds like an AMAZING journey, Donald! I wish I could follow along! I couldn’t be happier that you tried my recipe, and I’m totally flattered that you think it’s the best so far! I’m actually making caramelized onions as we speak so I can update some of these photos, and it’s very hard to not just snack on them all day, lol – so I can totally relate to your problem! You’ve absolutely made my day with your comment, so thank you SO much for taking the time to leave it. I hope your risotto journey takes you through so many wonderful plates of risotto, and I’m honored that you made this recipe one of your stops! Cheers!
This risotto is absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe exactly!
I’m SO glad that you enjoyed it, Sharon!! Thank you! ❤️
Hi Sara!
I am planning to make this recipe tonight. My plan is to double it and make in my dutch oven. However I will make the bacon and caramelized onions in a pan. Do you think this is an ok plan? Thanks for your recipe! I am excited 🙂
Hi Hilary! I think that should totally work!! Feel free to add a tablespoon (or so) of the rendered bacon fat to your Dutch oven before you start cooking the shallots, garlic, and rice if you want more of that savory, salty bacon flavor throughout the dish! You could do 1-2 tablespoons of bacon fat and/or olive oil if you prefer. I hope you love it – please let me know how it goes!!
Delicious! I didn’t use any bacon and it was still very good. I will be making it often.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lisa! Thank you!
Making this for my family Christmas dinner (thank you!) And I’m using 90 second brown rice/quinoa. Hoping it turns out as tasty. You’re so lovely!! Merry Christmas ♥
I hope everyone enjoyed it, Shelby!! Merry Christmas to you, too! Thank you SO much!!
Can I use white rice? Or does it have to be the specific kind?
For risotto, it has to be Arborio rice. It slowly cooks and develops this super creamy texture (as it absorbs flavors), so it’s pretty different from white rice. It’s kinda pricy (like $6-8), but it lasts a while and I promise it’s worth it!
I love this recipe, but I change it up a bit, and use a bold full bodied red wine, and sear a tenderloin fillet and add to the top, it is amazing! Very nice recipe.
A filet is the perfect companion for this risotto! Cheers, Michael! So glad you enjoy it!
It’s a good recepie but I ended up adding another cup of stock a cup of Parmesan, more garlic just at the end, 1/2 cup heavy cream, a pinch of nugmeg. Them it was great!
So glad you made it your own, Isabel! Sounds amazing!
Oh man. This was so good it almost hurt. The only bad thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t make more servings. Will have to double it next time as my husband and I fought over the leftovers. As with most risottos, your mileage may vary when it comes to the liquor:rice ratio – I ended up adding a ladle of plain water at the end to finish off the cooking of the rice. I absolutely cannot wait to make this again!
I’m SO happy you loved it, Sara!! And GREAT note about the liquid to rice ratio – I need to include that in the recipe card. Thank you for trying out the recipe, and I’m so excited for you to keep enjoying it in the future!!
Can you sub more chicken stock (or something else) for the wine?
Totally yes – more chicken stock is a great substitute!
Absolutely incredible. I’m horrible at caramelizing onions so they burned but the flavor was still unreal. I always thought risotto was intimidating but I will absolutely be making this again.
Ya!! I’m so glad you liked it, Ariel! Girl, caramelizing onions can be finicky – just keep practicing and you’ll totally get it! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, and cheers to making more risotto!!
This recipe is awesome. Just finished serving it for dinner. I make and cann my own caramelized onions and they went perfect with this. Definitely a keeper.
I’m so glad you liked it, Cheryl!! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!
Sounds gorgeous. I’ve tried some oven baked risottos before and wondered if this could also be cooked in the oven?
Thank you! I’ve personally never tried oven baked risotto, so I can’t speak to whether it would work for this or not. Based on the oven baked risotto recipes I’ve seen, I assume you could use the baking method for the stock, shallot, garlic, rice, and white wine … then stir in the caramelized onions, crispy bacon, parmesan, and butter at the end? But not trying it myself, I am not totally certain. Let me know if you give it a try!
some of the best risotto i’ve had. fixed this for our new year’s eve dinner — my husband RAVED about it. a bit of work to cook the bacon and caramelize the onions, but worth the trouble! We will be doing this one again!
I’m SO happy that you both liked it so much, Kathleen!! Thank you for taking the time to leave such an amazing comment!!
Loved this recipe! Mine did turn out salty though, do you think this could be because I used chicken bouillon?
That would be my guess! I LOVE Chicken Bouillon, but it definitely contains more salt than low-sodium chicken broth. The bacon adds so much salt to it to start, so the low-sodium broth just kind of blends in with that part. I’m so glad you liked it though!! Thank you for making it!