Risotto: butter, oil, cheese and cream, then 228 calories off.
Risotto is rice stirred in broth, and the starch does the creaming. Finish it with less butter, oil and cheese and lowfat half and half in place of cream, and a plate goes from 706 to 478 kcal.
- 478 kcal a serving, down from 706 for the classic, with 19 g protein, 69 g carbs and 14 g fat
- 4 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 42 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 2,000 g when finished, from 11 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same mushroom risotto, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 4 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 706 | 478 | −228 |
| Protein g | 24 | 19 | −5 |
| Carbs g | 70 | 69 | −1 |
| Fat g | 37 | 14 | −23 |
| Saturated fat g | 18.8 | 6.1 | −12.7 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Finish with 20 g of butter, not 60 g
−72 kcal, −8 g fat, −5.1 g saturated fat a serving
A spoon of butter still gives the gloss. The extra 40 g was 72 kcal and 5.1 g of saturated fat a plate.
2. Use 15 g of oil, not 30 g
−33 kcal, −4 g fat, −0.5 g saturated fat a serving
The mushrooms and the butter carry the fat. The extra spoon was 33 kcal a plate.
3. Stir in 50 g of parmesan, not 100 g
−49 kcal, −5 g protein, −3 g fat, −1.9 g saturated fat a serving
Half the cheese still salts and seasons. The other 50 g was 49 kcal a plate.
4. Use lowfat half and half, not heavy cream
−74 kcal, −1 g carbs, −8 g fat, −5.2 g saturated fat a serving
A thinner finish with less of it saves 74 kcal and 5.2 g of saturated fat a plate.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 19 g protein and 478 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Fold in 400 g of chicken breast
+120 kcal, +23 g protein, +3 g fat, +0.5 g saturated fat a serving, making 42 g protein a serving
Raw breast, diced and browned in the pan first, adds 23 g of protein a plate for 120 kcal.
Add 400 g of shrimp
+85 kcal, +20 g protein, +1 g fat, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 39 g protein a serving
Raw shrimp stirred in for the last three minutes adds 20 g of protein a plate for 85 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice, white, short-grain, raw | 280 g | 1,002 | 18 | 222 | 1 |
| White mushrooms, raw | 500 g | 110 | 15 | 16 | 2 |
| Onions, raw | 150 g | 60 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Butter, salted | 20 g | 143 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Olive oil | 15 g | 133 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Parmesan, hard | 50 g | 196 | 18 | 2 | 13 |
| Half and half, lowfat | 60 g | 43 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Chicken broth, low sodium | 1,000 g | 160 | 20 | 12 | 6 |
| Cooking wine | 100 g | 50 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Garlic | 7 g | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Parsley, fresh | 10 g | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Whole recipe | 2,192 g | 1,911 | 76 | 277 | 56 |
| Per serving (4) | 500 g | 478 | 19 | 69 | 14 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
Risotto is a good recipe to build because it tastes rich from the rice, not from what is added. The finishing butter, oil, cheese and cream are the part that adds up, and each is easy to weigh.
What to weigh
Weigh the rice dry, as the library entry describes it. It swells as it takes up broth, so the sample pot weighs 2,000 g from 2,192 g of ingredients and a plate is 500 g.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food, choose Create a recipe and name it, then choose Add ingredient. Typing "rice white short-grain raw" lists the entries.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw short-grain rice, switch to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 1,002 kcal for the rice.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the mushrooms, onion, butter, oil, parmesan, half and half, broth, wine, garlic and parsley, then enter 4 servings and 2,000 g. One plate comes to 478 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods, ready to log by the plate or any weight.
Tips while you build it
- Brown the mushrooms in a dry pan first and add the oil after. They release water and then take colour, and need very little fat.
- Add the broth a ladle at a time and keep stirring. The stirring is what makes the rice creamy.
- A plate is about 500 g. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Making the restaurant version? Save a second recipe with 60 g of butter, 30 g of oil, 100 g of parmesan and 100 g of heavy cream.
- Adding truffle oil or extra cheese at the table? Log it as its own food.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Mushroom risotto questions.
How many calories are in mushroom risotto?
It depends on the finish. The sample comes to 478 kcal a plate made lighter, with 19 g protein, 69 g carbs and 14 g fat, against 706 kcal with 60 g of butter, 30 g of oil, 100 g of parmesan and heavy cream.
Is risotto rice the same as regular rice?
The library has a white short-grain rice entry, which is the right one for a sample. Arborio is a short-grain rice.
Does risotto need cream?
No. The stirring releases rice starch, which does the creaming. A little half and half adds richness without much weight.
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Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own italian favourite in Nutrition.