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    Home » Recipes » Pasta

    Easy Homemade Gnocchi

    Published: Nov 15, 2019 Modified: Sep 21, 2020 by Candice

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN RECIPE

    Making homemade gnocchi may seem daunting - but it's actually very easy, and rewarding! It's a delicious way to use potatoes in your dish and provide a dairy-free base for your meal. Follow the steps in this easy homemade gnocchi recipe and you'll make perfect gnocchi every single time.

    Sheet pan covered with raw gnocchi.
    TABLE OF CONTENTS hide
    1 Why You Should Make this Recipe
    2 Ingredients
    3 Homemade Gnocchi Serving Suggestions and Sauces
    4 Step by Step Gnocchi
    5 Homemade Gnocchi FAQ
    6 More homemade pasta?
    7 Easy Homemade Gnocchi

    Why You Should Make this Recipe

    The number one reason to try this recipe is that it’s super fun! Making gnocchi dough at home is easy, and so much more satisfying than buying a pack from the store. You can even make it with kids!

    This recipe only has a few simple ingredients and creates classic fluffy gnocchi to pair with all your favorite sauces. It’s worth mastering a great gnocchi recipe as it’s the bulk of so many great pasta dishes.

    Ingredients

    Homemade gnocchi is surprisingly easy to make and is comprised of only 3 main ingredients - potato, flour and egg. This also makes gnocchi an ideal dish for anyone who maintains a dairy-free diet.

    Russet potatoes - the starchiness of Russet potatoes works perfectly in this recipe. Do not substitute for other potatoes because the water and starch content vary dramatically.

    Homemade Gnocchi Serving Suggestions and Sauces

    The great thing about gnocchi is that it's so versatile - depending on the sauce and additions you make to your gnocchi base, you can invent completely new tastes and flavors. These recipes show how you can use your gnocchi making skills to create a tasty and filling meal.

    Here is a comprehensive list of gnocchi sauces I love with recipes, and the following are a few of my favorites:

    • Aglio e Olio Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe & Pumpkin
    • Gnocchi with Homemade Pesto

    I had the pleasure of enjoying learning how to make homemade gnocchi from the incredible Chef Paul C. Reilly of Beast + Bottle in Denver, Colorado.

    Step by Step Gnocchi

    To begin, you will need to prepare your potatoes for baking by laying them out on a baking tray and poking holes with a fork in each potato, six times. Then brush oil over the potatoes and season generously with sea salt. Put them in the oven and bake for around an hour until they are tender when poked with a fork.

    Poking potatoes with fork and seasoning them with salt.

    While the potatoes are still warm (as hot as you can handle!) peel off the skins and break up the potatoes with a wooden spoon. If you have a food mill, you will put the potato pieces in the food mill to be ground down to tiny pieces.

    Note: If you don't have a food mill, you can continue to break the potatoes down with a wooden spoon. The tinier you can get the pieces, the better your gnocchi will turn out later on.

    Running potatoes through a food mill.

    Below is an example of potatoes broken down with a wooden spoon instead of a food mill.

    Milled potatoes on a sheet pan.

    Now comes the more hands-on part! Put the milled potato on a large counter space, and add the flour and the beaten egg to the mixture.

    Mixing potato gnocchi dough ingredients together on a cutting board.

    With your hands, knead the mixture so that the flour and the egg are mixed thoroughly with the milled potato. Once the flour and egg are completely incorporated, form a ball of the gnocchi dough. The mixture should be tacky to touch but should not stick to a clean surface.

    Hands mixing together dough.

    Thoroughly flour your workspace (and your hands!), then grab a chunk of the dough and roll it out into a long snake-like shape. It should measure 1-1.5 inches in diameter.

    Rolling dough on a brown cutting board.

    Chop your gnocchi dough into small chunks of gnocchi about 1.5 inches per piece. Repeat the process as necessary until all your dough is turned into gnocchi pieces.

    Cutting dough on a cutting board and sprinkling it with flour.

    To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water to boiling point and salt the water liberally. In small batches, add your gnocchi to the hot water and wait until the pieces rise to the top of the water. Then your gnocchi is fully cooked and ready to serve!

    Homemade Gnocchi FAQ

    How do you know it's cooked?

    You know for sure that the gnocchi is done cooking when the dumplings float on the top of the water.

    Can you make it in advance?

    Gnocchi can be easily be made ahead of time - All you need to do is lay your gnocchi out on a sheet pan and freeze it while still raw. When you're ready to cook, complete the final steps for boiling the gnocchi.

    What kind of flour do you use?

    This recipe uses all-purpose flour, which works best for kneading and working with the dough

    What is the best potato for the recipe?

    The main ingredient in gnocchi is potato, so it's important to pick the type that cooks well and gives the texture needed. The ideal potato for gnocchi has a high starch content - this recipe uses Russet potatoes as they are perfect for this. You could use other high starch potatoes, such as sweet potatoes if you'd like.

    More homemade pasta?

    Try this delicious homemade broccoli rabe ravioli with broccoli rabe pesto.

    • Pasta Puttanesca
    • Spinach Gnudi with Spicy Pomodoro
    • Aglio e Olio Gnocchi with Broccoli Rabe & Pumpkin
    • Sweet Potato Gnocchi

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    Print Recipe
    4.96 from 23 votes

    Easy Homemade Gnocchi

    Gnocchi is a delicious way to cook potatoes - follow the steps in this easy homemade gnocchi recipe and you'll make it perfectly every single time.
    Prep Time1 hr
    Cook Time1 hr
    Total Time2 hrs
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Kosher, Vegetarian
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 353kcal
    Author: Candice

    Ingredients

    • 3 lbs. Russet potatoes
    • 2 cups All-purpose flour
    • 1 egg
    • 2 teaspoon oil avocado, canola, vegetable, sunflower seed, or olive
    • sea salt

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425F.
    • Poke the potatoes 6 times per potato with a fork. Lightly oil the potatoes and season generously with sea salt. Bake for ~1 hour until fork tender.
    • While the potatoes are still warm (as hot as you can handle), peel them, and break them up with a wooden spoon. As soon as they are peeled (and still warm), run them through a food mill. If you do not have a food mill, break them up with a wooden spoon into tiny pieces. As tiny as you have patience for. The tinier, the better. At this point, you can let the potato cool and come back to it later or continue.
    • Put the milled potatoes on a large workspace like a cutting board or counter. Add the flour and (beaten) egg. Mix well so the flour is completely incorporated and forms a ball. The mixture will be tacky, but should not stick to a clean surface.
    • Flour the board/counter/table. Grab a large handful of the gnocchi dough. Flour the handful of dough, and roll into a long snake 1-1.5-inches in diameter.
    • Cut the snake into 1.5-inch gnocchi. Flour the gnocchi, transfer to a floured baking sheet or cutting board, and flour again. The flour will prevent the gnocchi from sticking to each other. At this stage, it is better to use a little more flour than a little less. You can shake off the flour before cooking the gnocchi.
    • Continue with the rest of the dough.
    • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to season the water.
    • Add the gnocchi in batches if necessary. They are cooked when they float to the surface of the water, ~2 minutes.

    Video

    Notes

    • Break down the potatoes as quickly as possible. If they cool, they will be much more difficult to handle. 
    • You know for sure that the gnocchi is done cooking when the dumplings float on the top of the water.
    • Gnocchi can be easily be made ahead of time – All you need to do is lay your gnocchi out on a sheet pan and freeze it while still raw. When you’re ready to cook, complete the final steps for boiling the gnocchi.
    • This recipe uses all-purpose flour, which works best for kneading and working with the dough.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 353kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 1000mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 40IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 4mg
    Did you try this recipe?Mention @ProportionalPlate or tag #ProportionalPlate on Instagram! I'd love to see what you're making!
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    Comments

    1. Hayley

      June 18, 2022 at 6:18 pm

      If i’m freezing my raw gnocchi, do I have to boil it before putting it in my sauce, or am I able to just put the raw, frozen gnocchi in the sauce to cook?

      Reply
      • Candice

        June 19, 2022 at 7:52 am

        Hi Hayley. You need to cook the frozen gnocchi in boiling water before adding it to the sauce. No need to defrost. Enjoy!

        Reply
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