Serve the gnocchi with your favorite pesto, marinara sauce, or lentil bolognese. Gnocchi, pronounced “NYOKEE,” is a popular Italian dish that is often made from potatoes and flour, and sometimes with eggs. It’s generally served with a simple tomato sauce, meat-based sauce, or butter sage sauce. Here we’ll show you how to make gnocchi with three simple ingredients and shape them with a fork. Our recipe is the original Italian one for without eggs.
Ingredients
Instructions
Serving suggestions
Variations
Storage
Tips
Questions
More Italian Recipes
basil pesto (or any other type of green pesto)marinara saucegnocchi alla sorrentina (oven-baked with tomato and cheese)lentil bolognesetempeh bolognese
Flour
Regular all-purpose flour works well. However, to make them even lighter, you can try to find Italian “00” flour. To make gnocchi gluten-free, you can use all-purpose gluten-free flour or rice flour.
Salt
We use sea salt or kosher salt.
Equipment
You only need a clean surface and a fork to mash the potatoes and shape them.You can also use a ricer to mash the potatoes and a gnocchi board to shape the dumpling. Tip: try to use potatoes that are similar in size so that they’ll require the same cooking time. Drain the potatoes and peel them while still hot. Hold them with a cloth in your left hand, and remove the peel with a small paring knife with your right. To a large bowl, add the peeled potatoes and mash them with a fork until they are completely mashed. Tip: if you use a potato ricer to mash the potatoes, you won’t need to peel them. Cut them in half instead, put them in the ricer with the cut side facing down, and mash. The peel will stay in the ricer. Now add the flour and salt, and knead until the potatoes absorb all the flour and you get a compact but soft gnocchi dough. Transfer the potato and flour mixture to a lightly floured surface and knead for a few more seconds until the flour is fully incorporated. Depending on the type of potato, you might need to add more flour. However, gnocchi dough should be very soft, so try not to add too much flour and don’t over-knead it. For more info, see the “tips” chapter below. Now cut each rope into ½ inch or 1.5 cm bits. Use a knife or dough scraper to cut the gnocchi. Now, you have three options to shape the gnocchi. First, you can leave them as they are, looking like small cute pillows. Second, you can roll them on the tines of a fork by applying gentle pressure with your thumb, creating small ridges that will make the gnocchi look very pretty. The ridges will also grab more sauce. Third, you can use a gnocchi board that you can find online for a few dollars. It’s faster to do gnocchi with a gnocchi board than with a fork. Once shaped, put your gnocchi on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen cloth.
Cook gnocchi
Add the gnocchi, one by one, to a large pot of gently boiling and salted water.They are pretty delicate, so you should only cook one to two portions at a time without overcrowding the pot. When they float to the top, they are ready. It should take about 1 minute. Scoop the gnocchi out of the water with a slotted spoon and add them directly to the pan with the sauce. Since gnocchi are very soft, they might lose their shape if you drain them in a strainer. For something light and simple, toss them in our marinara sauce, a zucchini pesto, or delicious basil pesto. If you feel like something more nutritious and earthy, try our lentil bolognese, mushroom bolognese, or tempeh bolognese. To make something special, for dinner with family and friends, make gnocchi alla sorrentina. They are gnocchi tossed in a tomato basil sauce, then baked in the oven with melty mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Out of this world! PSST! Gnocchi are also delicious, tossed in a simple butter and sage sauce.
Simple side salad with crunchy leafy greensItalian salad with oregano dressingGreen bean salad with creamy mustard dressingCucumber and tomato saladDelicious Brussels sprout saladRoasted broccoli and cauliflowerRoasted Brussels sproutsGrilled, roasted, or air-fryer eggplant or zucchini
Side Salad
Italian Salad
Green Bean Salad
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad
Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Eggplant
Ricotta gnocchi
To make gnocchi with ricotta, you either use store-bought ricotta or make our dairy-free ricotta home from soy milk. Replace the potatoes with ricotta, and follow the recipe. Depending on how wet your ricotta is, you might want to add two to three tablespoons of additional flour.
Gluten-free gnocchi
You can make gnocchi with gluten-free flour, such as rice flour or a gluten-free mix. When you make gluten-free gnocchi, you don’t have to worry about over-kneading as there’s no gluten. You can store leftover cooked gnocchi in the refrigerator for up to a day. Then, jump them on a large skillet with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and black pepper to reheat them. Or bake them in the oven with some cheese (or dairy-free cheese) on top.
Can you make homemade gnocchi ahead of time?
Yes, you can make gnocchi ahead of time if you follow some simple tips for storing them. The best way to store homemade gnocchi is to freeze them straight after you have shaped them.
Can homemade gnocchi be frozen?
Yes. To freeze homemade gnocchi, put them on a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Freeze them on the tray; then, after an hour or so, when they are hard, you can transfer them to a freezer bag to save space in your freezer. Keep for up to six months.
How to cook them from frozen?
To cook vegan gnocchi from frozen, add them to salted boiling water and cook till they float on top.
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