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.
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:
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.
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.
Below is an example of potatoes broken down with a wooden spoon instead of a food mill.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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Easy Homemade Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. Russet potatoes
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp 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 tbsp 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.
Loved the recipe so I doubled it the second time so I had leftovers in the freezer. Getting ready to use what I froze, should I thaw first or just dump the frozen into the boiling water?
I'm so glad to hear you liked it, Julie! You don't need to thaw them, but they will need a little longer to cook.
Can I boil the potatoes instead of baking them?
Yes, you can. But please make sure you drain the potatoes on a rack after boiling to let the excess water drain out of them.
Can't wait to hear what you think!
Trying this with my son today. Is it ok to use my kitchen aid on the potatoes in lieu of a mill???
I haven't tried to make it before in a standing mixer, but I do not see why it wouldn't work. Unfortunately, I cannot be of better help. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes!
I love gnocchi and found this recipe. I made it for my brothers and they absolutely loved it! This recipe was so easy and tasted better than store-bought and restaurant gnocchi!
I am so glad to hear it, Katherine... thank you so much for sharing this with me!
I made this twice already and it was awesome! I don’t think I’ll ever buy gnocchi again! I have a blog about simple living and organizing. I wanted to write an article about things I’ve learned to do and make under quarantine. Do you mind if link to this article?
That makes me so happy to hear, Jessalynn! You are more than welcome to link to this article.
I will definitely try this! I didn’t know it is this easy to make. Thanx
They're really fun and easy... can't wait to hear what you think, Jessica!
Made this tonight for dinner. It was so good and easy and straightforward. Will for sure be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
I'm so glad to hear it, B! You're welcome 🙂
If I don't use all the gnocchi can I freeze in freezer bags floured like I do my ravioli?
Hi Laura... great question! I tried freezing it in a freezer back and they stuck together more than I liked. You can still pry them apart, but it takes a bit of work. It works best if you freeze them on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a freezer bag. Hope this helps!
I love gnocchi, I hadn't tried making at home. This recipe was easy.
I'm so glad to hear it was easy, Swathi!