Homemade Gnocchi
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Light, pillow-y, fluffy, AND SO EASY to make (just 5 ingredients!). You won’t be able to go back to store-bought gnocchi!
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reasons to make homemade gnocchi
- Tastes so much better than packaged gnocchi. Homemade gnocchi is ultra soft, pillow-y and light. There is truly no contest with store-bought gnocchi.
- Short ingredient list. From-scratch gnocchi is easier to make than you think, requiring only 5 ingredients – potatoes, flour, ricotta, Parmesan and egg. And with these easy-to-follow tips and tricks, you’ll be making gnocchi like a pro by the end of the night.
- Fool-proof recipe. Gnocchi may seem a bit daunting and intimidating at first, but this recipe is easy, straightforward and absolutely fool-proof, even for all you first-timers out there!
- Freezer-friendly. Uncooked gnocchi freezes and reheats like a dream, keeping in the freezer for up to 2 months for all your future gnocchi-needs during those busy weeknights. Just prep your sauce and you’ll be ready to go!
what is gnocchi
Gnocchi is typically categorized as a type of pasta in Italian cuisine, made primarily of potatoes, flour and egg. When made well, gnocchi will be light and airy, primarily serving as a vehicle for accompanying sauce, similar to pasta. Due to their subtle flavor, gnocchi can be paired with a variety of sauces (ex. tomato sauce, cream sauce, butter sage sauce) or incorporated into soups and casseroles.
Ingredients
Potatoes
Use starchy potatoes such as russet potatoes or Yukon Golds.
Flour
Unbleached all-purpose flour is a standard choice for gnocchi, and most readily available, but 00 flour (finely milled Italian flour) can also be used.
Ricotta
Ricotta has a high protein, fat content, giving the gnocchi their pillow-y soft and light goodness.
Parmesan
Parmesan adds those favorited rich, nutty, savory flavors, and also reduces (or eliminates) the need for salt.
Egg
The egg serves as a binder, making the dough easier to work with and keeping the gnocchi together when cooked.
Salt and pepper
Always season, to taste.
tips and tricks for success
- Cook in salted water. Cook the gnocchi in generously salted boiling water, allowing the gnocchi to be seasoned from the inside out.
- When it floats, they’re cooked. Gnocchi is cooked once they float to the surface, about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to let the gnocchi overcook as it will become soft and mushy. If the gnocchi has been accidentally overcooked, try pan-frying for a crispy exterior.
- Homemade gnocchi is delicate. Using a colander to drain the gnocchi can cause the gnocchi to tear or fall apart. Always use a slotted spoon or spider strainer.
- Freeze as needed. Place the uncooked gnocchi in a single layer on a heavily floured parchment-lined baking sheet, letting them air dry at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer until solid, about 1 hour (flash-freeze), then transfer the gnocchi to an airtight, resealable freezer bag. Label, date and freeze up to 2 months. To use, skip the thaw and cook the frozen gnocchi directly in boiling salted water, adding a few more minutes to the cook time.
how to avoid dense, chewy gnocchi
Cook immediately.
Cook the gnocchi immediately once shaped. Storing the gnocchi in the fridge for long periods of time can dry them out, leading them to absorb too much water once boiled and cooked.
Use the right potatoes.
Russet potatoes or Yukon Golds are ideal for their high starch and low moisture content, absorbing less flour to keep the gnocchi light and tender. Waxy potatoes (reds, fingerlings and new potatoes) have a higher moisture content and can result in dense, gummy gnocchi.
Avoid adding too much flour.
This is typically the most common culprit for chewy gnocchi. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky.
Do not overmix.
Knead the dough gently until all the ingredients are just incorporated. Overmixing will develop gluten, yielding dense, tough gnocchi.
pro tip
Use a gnocchi board for ridges (optional).
A rigagnocchi, also known as a gnocchi board, can be used to shape gnocchi and create ridges to help sauce cling to the gnocchi (and trap in all the lovely sauce). The back of a fork can also be used to create ridges.
Plan ahead.
If you are planning to cook the fresh gnocchi right away, be sure to have a sauce recipe prepped and ready to go as gnocchi tends to cook fairly quickly (about 2 minutes in heavily salted boiling water). Gnocchi can also be set aside at room temperature, covered, for about 30 minutes, or stored in the fridge for 24 hours, or in the freezer for long term storage (more on that below).
how to serve gnocchi
Gnocchi can be served in so many different ways, tossed in homemade pesto, a quick tomato sauce, ragu, or a classic sage butter sauce. Gnocchi can also be added to soups like this chicken and gnocchi soup.
more favorited gnocchi recipes
- Creamy Sausage Gnocchi
- Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
- Sun Dried Tomato Chicken and Gnocchi
- Brown Butter Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Homemade Gnocchi: Frequently Asked Questions
A gnocchi board is completely optional to create ridges for the sauce to cling onto. If a gnocchi board is not available, the back of a fork can also be used.
Gnocchi can be stored at room temperature, covered with a dish towel in a single layer, for about 30 minutes, or in the fridge for 1 day.
Place the uncooked gnocchi on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper, freezing for 1 hour until solid. Then transfer the gnocchi to an airtight, resealable freezer bag, freezing up to 2 months.
Not at all! There is no need to thaw frozen gnocchi.
Homemade Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 medium russet potatoes
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Pierce potatoes with a fork; place potatoes onto the prepared baking sheet. Place into oven and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool completely.
- Cut in half; scoop flesh into a medium bowl and mash. Transfer 1 1/2 cups to a large bowl; stir in flour, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece into an 18-inch long rope, about 1-inch in diameter, sprinkling with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. Using a sharp knife, cut each rope into 3/4-inch bite-size pieces; transfer to baking sheet.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi in batches until tender, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes. Drain well using a slotted spoon and transfer to a clean rimmed baking sheet.
Did you make this recipe?
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Today will be the 2nd time I’m making Gnocci from your recipe. 1st time was great, and I’m certain that this time around it will be even better. Thanks
How many ounces would this recipe turn out to be?
Never made this before. I actually made it with mashed cauliflower instead of the potatoes. It turned out really good. They were light and fluffy perfect for the sauce. No one knew they were eating cauliflower. It tasted so good.
Great idea, Kelli! Healthier, less carbs. I’ll try it!
How long does the prepared gnocci bakc once transferred to the baking sheet in Step # 5?
They don’t need to be baked Joan..At that point you either prepare them as desired with your sauce of choice or you freeze them on that sheet and transfer to your container once fully frozen. Doing so for both choices keeps the gnocci from sticking together and forming a mass
Fantastic taste, easy to do, a perfect Valentines meal! I made two versions. The original above and and altered version with: 1 1/2 C sweet potato, 1/2 C Fage 0% and 1 cup King Arthur AP and 1/2 C King Arthur White Wheat Flour, Parm as above, Thyme and garlic powder for flavor. Rilled each pillow in grated parm after boiling. Amazing! Thank you so much for such a perfect mailable recipe! Yield 10ish servings. Froze half of each recipe.
Can these be cooked in soup??
If you have a problem with flour, buy imported flour. I get mine from Italy. I have been having an issue with flour for the last 10 years but found I could eat the pasta in Italy. I bought their flour and now have no problem. DeLallo’s either direct from them or some of the stores carry it.
Does anyone know if I can sub butternut squash for the potato? I love potatoes but have a squash from my farm box and I have been wanting to experiment.
This is now my go-to recipie. Easy to make, the dough was easy to work with, and they cooked up perfectly. Cold potatoes do NOT rice well, so I had to re-warm them in order to get them through the ricer. I am not sure how this recipie can serve 6 though. I doubled the recipie, and the four of us finished all of it. Luckily I still have half a container of ricotta left, so I will make another double batch so I can put some in the freezer. I’ve never made gnocchi with ricotta. Whether that made all the difference or not, all I know is that this recipie is great, and have already passed it on to family.
A little tip. Just so the shells of the baked potatoes do not go to waste, I made loaded potato skins with them. One ingredient, two meals!
Can you tell me do you defrost after freezing an d before cooking?
I boil mine right out of the freezer. Once they float to the top, they are ready. I’ve cooked these both fresh and frozen, and they came out great either way.
I’ve tested out a few different homemade gnocchi recipes and this one is by far the absolute best! I always get a bit worried and think the potatoes are too dry but the gnocchi turn out perfect every single time!
Amazing!!!!! I took them out of the water after most of them were floating at the top and they were perfect.
Hi! What modifications should be done if we wanted to experiment with whole wheat flour?
Amazing recipe
Loved it! Had to make home made for my grandfather who’s on a no-salt diet and it worked perfectly. Very grateful family here.
Made these and added them a creamy chicken/veggie soup, tastes great!
I made you gnocchi tonight and it was delicious. Today was crazy and I didn’t realize your recipe called for ricotta cheese, but I had cottage cheese and used that. It was delicious! I will make it again, but I’ll make sure to have ricotta cheese b
Can’t wait to try these! Does anyone know how much this recipe will make?
Recipe says: divide dough into 6 equal pieces, roll each piece into an 18-inch long rope, about 1-inch in diameter. Then, cut each rope into 3/4-inch bite-size pieces.
So,…..
18” divided by .75 of an inch equals 24 bite-size pieces
24 bite-size pieces per rope multiplied by 6 equal pieces to be rolled into rope equals 144.
With this recipe, you should get about 144 bite-size pieces.
Thank you so much for breaking down the math like that! You helped me out tremendously!
Can these be pan fried after they have been boiled or should I pan fry instead of boiling?
If planning to fry only par boil for about 1.5 mins then lightly brown in pan
I pan fried in butter after boiling them to make them brown with a little crunch. They were great!
Male Italian made gnocchi with potato and flour only. All in salted boiling water and gnocchi floated on top when done. He poured some of the water off and to the pan and gnocchi added a good bit of grated Parmesan. As he stirred the cheese got stretchy like Mozzarella. He served it as a soup with some chopped green onion and it was good. I’m going to use your recipe because he worked adding flour to potato until he got the dough he wanted.
Loved them! Never had gnocchi before but see it on the cooking shows so I looked for a recipe to see if I could make some myself. Very easy recipe. I microwaved my potatoes & browned my gnocchi in butter after cooking in water then put them in red sauce. Since it’s just me I had enough gnocchi for my dinner & froze enough for two more meals.