Is Risotto Always Gluten-Free?

Risotto — a traditional Italian dish that most commonly combines rice with ham, shellfish or vegetables — sounds like it ought to be perfectly safe for those of us who have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

If you think that, you'll be correct...about 95% of the time. Unfortunately, it's that other 5% of the time that can trip up those of us who follow the gluten-free diet. You can't always trust risotto, and you always should double-check the ingredients when dining out, just to make sure gluten hasn't crept into the otherwise safe dish.

However, there's good news, too: you can find risotto mixes in stores that are easy to make and are gluten-free. So if you like risotto, mixing up a quick gluten-free risotto dinner is simple.

True Italian risotto uses as its base Arborio rice, a short-grain white rice that has a high rice gluten content. Don't worry: rice gluten is not the same thing as the gluten that bothers us.

The high rice gluten content in the Arborio rice gives risotto its creamy, rich consistency and texture. To give it rich taste, chefs coat the rice in butter or a mixture of butter and oil, and then add flavored broth to cook.

Additions such as basil, shrimp, meat, cheese, asparagus, peppers (or really any type of meat, fish or vegetable) are added at the very end to make a unique risotto dish. I've seen recipes involving sausage and wild mushroom, pesto, zucchini, roasted chicken, shrimp, garlic and mozzarella, and even butternut squash.

As said above, 95% of the risotto you run across is going to be gluten-free... and of course, if you make it yourself, you can increase your odds to 100%. But there are a couple of ways gluten can creep into risotto.

First, the broth used to cook the rice could contain trace amounts of gluten. Most commercial broths do not contain the gluten grains wheat, barley, or rye as an ingredient, but some are nonetheless potentially subject to gluten cross-contamination in processing.

Second (and more alarming for us): Some "risotto" recipes, in fact, call for using gluten grains,in addition to, or in place of, the traditional Arborio rice. We've seen recipes for pearled barley "risotto" and whole wheat berry "risotto," which obviously are going to make you pretty sick.

Third, we've seen several recipes for risotto "cakes" or fried patties that do include flour as an ingredient. Unless you know for certain that the chef has made these in a safe manner, steer clear of them.

It's true that making gluten-free risotto from scratch is pretty easy. But if you just don't have the time (or happen to have the ingredients on hand), it's possible to find mixes on the market that will suit someone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Here are some suggestions:

• Lundberg. Lundberg is known for its interesting rice varieties, which are produced in an eco-friendly, sustainable manner. The company makes six different traditional Italian risotto mixes, including Organic Alfredo, Organic Florentine, Organic Porcini Wild Mushroom, Creamy Parmesan, Garlic Primavera, and Butternut Squash. Lundberg also offers three sprouted risotto mixes: Butter & Chive, Cheddar & Peppers, and Sweet Corn & Bell Pepper. All are certified gluten-free by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), which requires foods carrying its seal to contain fewer than 10 parts per million of gluten.
• Roland Food. Roland markets risotto mixes that are made in Italy (a country that's extremely gluten-free-friendly). Six different flavors are available: Asparagus & Mushroom, Parmesan Cheese, Porcini Mushroom, Saffron, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Vegetable Primavera. Roland's mixes contain fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten.
• Stonewall Kitchen. This company offers just one flavor of risotto: mushroom. It's marked "gluten-free," but you should be aware that it's produced in a facility that also produces gluten-containing products.

You can't trust risotto simply because it's risotto — it still may contain some gluten (or, in the case of a wheat berry-based "risotto," a lot of gluten). But risotto made in a way that's safe from gluten cross-contamination is a great meal.

If you want to make your own risotto, you can source genuine Arborio rice from either Lundberg or Roland Food, since both produce reliably gluten-free products (look for them online if you can't locate them in your local supermarket). And if you just want a quick dinner, mix up a box of gluten-free risotto mix — you can enjoy it as-is, or spice it up with your own favorite additions.