You just need three ingredients for Homemade Potato Gnocchi! Make these pillowy, soft Italian dumplings without eggs and serve them like pasta.
I've loved gnocchi since I was a child and would eagerly watch my mom make them. I'd stand on one side of the kitchen peninsula, right across from her, as she squeezed the ricer until strings of potatoes fell into a pile of flour.
It was mesmerizing! And exciting too, because I knew we'd get to dig into delicious bowls of fresh gnocchi topped with tomato sauce, basil and Parmesan cheese at dinnertime.
It's good to be Italian! And speaking of that, don't miss this mashed potato casserole from Naples!
Gnocchi Pronunciation
These potato dumplings are pronounced "NYOH-kee" in Italian. That's plural and means "lumps." One gnocco is pronounced "NYOH-ko."
Sometimes, I forget that not everyone grew up hearing these Italian terms. One time someone asked me if I make "knock-keys," and I had no clue what she meant!
Recipe ingredients
We don't use eggs in our gnocchi dough, because we prefer a lighter result and more potato flavor. So this is a vegan gnocchi recipe, and some may argue, more traditional.
Potatoes: With their high starch content, russets (including the Idaho kind) are the best potatoes for gnocchi. Their dry texture means you don't need to add lots of flour to soak up extra moisture. Using too much flour results in dense gnocchi.
You could try Yukon Gold potatoes as an alternative. But, don't use waxy potatoes, such as red ones, because they contain too much moisture and can make the dumplings turn out gummy.
Flour: All-purpose, unbleached flour works well. I prefer the King Arthur brand (affiliate link). For a silkier result, you can use finely milled "00" Italian flour (affiliate link).
How to make potato gnocchi
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
Make the Dough
You will need a potato ricer (affiliate link) or a food mill (affiliate link) to purée the potatoes for best results. Don't use a masher, because the potatoes will be too chunky. If you don't have a ricer or mill, grate the potatoes on the holes of a box grater.
- Boil potatoes with the skins on until you can easily stick a fork in them.
- Drain, cool and peel the potatoes. Cut them in half the short way and push them through a ricer or food mill, letting the strands fall into the flour and salt.
- Use your hands to mix the dough and gather it together, adding more flour if needed to absorb moisture. Knead the dough until it's smooth and soft.
- Shape the dough into a ball.
Form the Gnocchi
Traditional gnocchi has grooves so the sauce clings better. Pressing and rolling each dumpling with your thumb against a gnocchi board (affiliate link) or the back of a fork produces the lines and makes a pocket underneath to hold more sauce.
But, my mom never made lines in her gnocchi, so feel free to skip that step!
- Cut off a small section of dough.
- Roll the dough section into a skinny log, about the width of a finger.
- Slice the log into one-inch pieces.
- Roll each piece on a floured gnocchi board or the back of a fork to form lines, if desired. Set aside on a floured tray to dry out a bit before boiling or freezing.
cook the gnocchi
- Add the potato gnocchi in batches to a pot of boiling, salted water.
- Cook the gnocchi until they float, then remove them with a slotted spoon, because they're delicate.
Recipe tips
- Boil the potatoes with the skins on, so they absorb less water. Water-logged potatoes would require more flour in the dough and produce a dense result.
- Add just enough flour, until you can knead the dough into a smooth ball. The exact amount will depend on the moisture in the potatoes you use.
What to serve with it
Gnocchi pasta tastes delicious with a variety of sauces. Try it with marinara, Sunday sauce with pork ribs, basil pesto with pine nuts or even pumpkin Alfredo.
You can serve it with a simple Italian salad, followed by breaded veal cutlets, Italian pork chops or chicken cutlets. Gnocchi also goes well with seafood dishes like oven-baked cod.
Frequently asked questions
Raw, homemade potato gnocchi can stay in the refrigerator for just one or two days. They need to be cooked or frozen by then, because they'll become sticky and damp and can lose their shape. Keep them on a floured sheet pan, dusted with more flour and covered loosely with a lint-free towel.
It's best to freeze homemade gnocchi without cooking them first. Place uncooked potato gnocchi on a floured sheet pan in a single layer, covered with wax paper. Freeze for at least an hour, then transfer them to a zip-top plastic freezer bag and use them within three months.
You don't need to thaw frozen gnocchi before cooking them. Add them to boiling, salted water and wait for them to float before scooping them out with a slotted spoon. They'll take about five minutes to cook from frozen.
More recipes to try
- Homemade Manicotti with Crepes
- Homemade Spinach Pasta
- Ricotta Lasagna
- Green Lasagna Bolognese
- Hungarian Chicken and Dumplings
Enjoy!
If you try this Homemade Potato Gnocchi recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!
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Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Equipment
- potato ricer (or food mill)
- gnocchi board (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes (Don't use red ones. See notes.)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (Plus more if needed. See notes.)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- tomato sauce for serving (or meat sauce, pesto, Alfredo)
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Rinse the potatoes and scrub the skins with a vegetable brush.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot (6 quarts) and add enough cold water to cover them by two inches. Place over high heat on the stove, add a tablespoon of salt and cover with a lid.
- When the water starts boiling, lower the heat slightly so the pot doesn't boil over. Keep the pot covered and let it simmer until the potatoes are tender and you can stick a fork in them. Mine take 25 minutes, but check the potatoes a bit sooner.
- When the potatoes are done, turn off the heat and drain them in a colander in the sink. Let them sit until cool enough to peel off the skin, but still warm. Peel the potatoes and discard the skin.
- On a clean surface, add two cups of flour and ¼ teaspoon salt. Stir with a fork to combine. Make a well in the center.
- While still warm, cut each potato in half the short way so that it can fit into your ricer. Place a potato half into the ricer, and while holding it over the flour mixture, squeeze the handles until strands of potatoes fall into the flour. If needed, scrape inside the ricer if it seems stuck, and squeeze again. Continue ricing the remaining potatoes into the flour mixture.
- Mix the dough with your hands, incorporating the flour into the potatoes. If the dough is too sticky, add an extra couple of tablespoons of flour at a time just until the dough comes together. Knead the dough just until it's smooth and soft. (Do this by folding it over and then pressing down with the bottoms of your palms. Rotate the dough and fold and press again. Continue until it's smooth.)
Form the Gnocchi
- Shape the dough into a ball. Use a dough cutter or smooth knife to cut off a small section of dough. Rub the section of dough between your palms until it forms a log, then roll it on a floured surface with your fingertips into a rope about the width of a finger (no more than ¾-inch thick.) Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. (See the process photos in the post.)
- If you want to make grooves on the gnocchi, roll each piece on a floured gnocchi board or the back of a fork with your thumb while slightly pressing down. An opening will form underneath the gnoccho.
- Place the gnocchi in a floured sheet pan and let them rest for 20 minutes to dry.
Boil the Gnocchi
- Rinse the pot you used to cook the potatoes and wipe it clean. Fill the pot about ⅔ full with cold water. Place it on the stove over high heat and add a tablespoon of salt. Cover the pot and let the water come to a boil.
- When the water is boiling, use a bench scraper or slotted spoon to transfer half of the gnocchi to the pot. Stir briefly so they don't stick. After about a minute, the gnocchi will float on the surface and should be done, but taste one to be sure it's cooked through. Remove the cooked gnocchi with a slotted spoon and place them in a pan of prepared sauce or add them to a 9x13 pan and mix warmed sauce into them. Cook the rest of the gnocchi as before.
- Store leftover boiled gnocchi in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. See notes for storing uncooked gnocchi.
Notes
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Adapted from my mom's method.)
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