Potato gnocchi, pronounced “neyo-kee’, are the most famous of the Italian dumplings. They are eaten all over Italy and for good reason – because they are absolutely delicious. They are a bit denser than ricotta gnocchi, but lighter than cavatelli. Once you try fresh, handmade gnocchi you will never want to go back to the packaged, store-bought version. I find hand-made gnocchi has a lighter texture and doesn’t have any weird preservatives added to it.
It might look time consuming and maybe a little bit difficult, but it really isn’t once you get the hang of it. There is nothing better than enjoying a fresh plate of gnocchi paired with your favorite sauce. Plus, I’ll teach you the trick to making fluffy potato gnocchi using the microwave!
Why you’ll love this potato gnocchi
- There are only 196 calories per serving, so it fits into my weight-loss and weight-maintenance meal plans
- It tastes better than store-bought gnocchi
- It doesn’t take as long as you think to make because half the time is for testing the dough
- It only has 3 simple ingredients that you would commonly have in your pantry
- Potato gnocchi is so cheap to make
- It can be used to make vegan or vegetarian meals
- You can pair it with so many difference sauces and meals
- You can make a large batch and freeze it for an easy weeknight meal
Ingredients
- Russet or Yukon gold potatoes
- ‘00’ flour or all-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Semolina flour
See recipe card for quantities.
Tools you’ll need
- Kitchen scale (affiliate) that weighs in grams
- Potato ricer – this tool certainly makes it easier to make the gnocchi, but is not absolutely necessary
- Large bowl
- Bench scraper or sharp knife
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
Instructions
You are going to start by cooking the potatoes in the microwave. Crazy right? I know this is not the traditional way to make gnocchi because back in the day microwaves did not exist, but it is a little trick I picked up to ensure you get light and fluffy gnocchi. Cooking the potato in the microwave helps control the amount of moisture in the potatoes, which means you will use less flour and require less kneading. Less kneading = light gnocchi.
Poke a few holes in the potatoes with a fork or knife so that the steam can escape and throw them in the microwave for 10 minutes or, until you can easily stick a knife all the way through them. Leave the peels on!
If you think this is just weird or for some reason you don’t have a microwave, you can bake them the old fashioned way in the oven. This just takes longer and more energy to heat your oven. I’ve never done this before, but you could also try cooking the potatoes in the air fryer.
Remove the potatoes from either the microwave or oven and allow them to cool before handling. I cut mine in half to let the steam out and speed things up.
Once they are cool, peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces that will fit in the potato ricer and rice them into a large bowl. The skins should just peel off easily with your hands. If you do not have a ricer you can use a cheese grater (affiliate) to get the desired small pieces or simply try mashing the potatoes up with a fork.
Using the kitchen scale (affiliate), weigh the flour and salt and add it to the bowl. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to start mixing the dough together. When it has just come together, flip it onto a clean, floured work surface and knead a few times until the dough becomes smooth.
If the dough is feeling really sticky or like it won’t hold its shape add a little bit more flour about a tablespoon at a time. You are looking for the consistency of play dough. If the dough is feeling very dry and crumbly, add a little bit of water one teaspoon at a time until you get the desired consistency.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it with semolina flour.
Once the dough is finished resting, cut a 2-inch strip off the ball of dough and begin to roll it into a log about a 1/2 inch in diameter.
If you are planning to cook the gnocchi right away, now is the time to start boiling a salted pot of water.
Use the bench scraper or knife to cut the log into little half inch pieces that look like little pillows. Set them aside and repeat this process with the rest of the dough ball. Make sure you cover the dough while you are not using it.
You can now choose to cook them right away or place the baking tray directly in the freezer to save for later. Once the gnocchi is completely frozen you can place them in a freezer bag or airtight container for long term storage. You do not need to thaw these before cooking.
To cook, bring a salted pot of water to a rolling boil and add the desired amount of gnocchi. Boil for about 3 minutes or until they float to the top. Taste test to make sure they are the desired doneness. I prefer mine slightly undercooked because I like to finish cooking them in the sauce.
While the gnocchi is boiling, heat your sauce of choice in a large saucepan. Add the potato gnocchi and a small ladle of starchy cooking water to the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes so the sauce and dumpling flavors marry together.
Serve immediately and enjoy with a pinch of parm!
How to Cook Potato Gnocchi
There are a number of different ways you can cook potato gnocchi:
- Boil. This is the traditional way and the preferred method to cook gnocchi when you are planning to cover them in this or hearty sauce. To cook, bring a salted pot of water to a rolling boil and add the desired amount of gnocchi. Boil for about 3 minutes or until they float to the top. Taste test to make sure they are the desired doneness. I prefer mine slightly undercooked because I like to finish cooking them in the sauce. While the gnocchi is boiling, heat your sauce of choice in a large saucepan. Add the potato gnocchi and a small ladle of starchy cooking water to the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes so the sauce and dumpling flavors marry together.
- Pan-fry (my personal favourite). Pan-frying in a light butter sauce gives the gnocchi a crispy, golden-brown outside and a light fluffy inside. To cook, simply heat a pan over medium-high heat. Melt some butter in the pan and add any other aromatics, like garlic or sage, then add the gnocchi and fry on each side for about 3-4 minutes, or until they have your desired crispiness.
- Air fryer. The air fryer will also give you crispy gnocchi while using less oil or butter than the pan-frying method. To cook, set the air fryer to 375 degrees F and toss the gnocchi in a small amount of olive oil. I like to use an olive oil spray to help control the amount of oil I use and keep it even healthier. Cook the gnocchi for about 8-10 minutes until you have your desired crispiness.
- Bake. You can also cook gnocchi in the oven, simply heat your oven to 400 degrees F, add the gnocchi to a baking dish, then add the sauce of your choice and top it with a melty cheese. Cook for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly on top.
TOP TIP: Cooking the potatoes in the microwave or oven helps keep them fluffy and light!
Sauce pairings
My favorite sauce to pair with potato gnocchi is a basic tomato sauce because it’s just so easy, but it would also be delicious with:
- Pesto
- Brown butter and sage
- Beef ragu
- Lamb ragu
- Rabbit ragu
- Gorgonzola cream sauce
FAQ
Uncooked potato gnocchi can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 24 hours. Cooked gnocchi can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Uncooked gnocchi can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container for about 2 months. Storing cooked gnocchi in the freezer is not recommended.
Starchy varieties of potatoes, like Russet or Yukon Gold, are best for making gnocchi. Try to avoid waxy varieties, as they tend to have more water content and will lead to a denser dumpling.
Although a ricer can make the job easier, you don’t have to have this tool to make delicious gnocchi. You could simply use a fork to mash the potatoes, use a potato masher or try using a food mill to turn the potatoes into tiny pieces.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with this homemade potato gnocchi recipe:
Homemade Potato Gnocchi (no egg)
Equipment
- Kitchen scale that weighs in grams
- Potato ricer
- Bench scraper or sharp knife
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
- Large Bowl
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 800 g russet or Yukon gold potatoes
- 150 g ‘00’ flour or all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- Semolina flour for dusting
Instructions
- Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork or knife so that the steam can escape and throw them in the microwave for10 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until you can easily stick a knife all the way through then. Leave the peels on! Allow them to cool before handling.
- Once they are cool, peel the potatoes and cut them into pieces that will fit in the potato ricer and rice them into a large bowl. If you do not have a ricer you can use a cheese grater (affiliate) to get the desired small pieces or simply try mashing the potatoes up with a fork.
- Use the kitchen scale to weigh the flour and salt into the same large bowl as the potatoes. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to start mixing the dough together. When it has just come together, flip it onto a clean, floured work surface and knead a few times until the dough becomes smooth. Do not over knead the dough!
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust it with semolina flour.
- Once the dough is finished resting, cut a 2-inch slice off the ball of dough and begin to roll it into a log about a ½ inch in diameter. Use the bench scraper or knife to cut the log into little 1/2-inch pieces that look like little pillows. Set them aside and repeat this process with the rest of the dough ball. Make sure you cover the dough while you are not using it.
- If you are planning to cook the gnocchi right away, now is the time to start boiling a salted pot of water, as it will take about 10 minutes to shape the dough.
- Once you are done shaping the potato gnocchi you can either eat them right away or place the baking tray directly in the freezer to save for later. Once the gnocchi is completely frozen you can place them in a freezer bag or airtight container for long term storage. You do not need to thaw these before cooking.
- To cook, bring a salted pot of water to a rolling boil and add the desired amount of gnocchi. Boil for about 3 minutes or until they float to the top. Taste test to make sure they are the desired doneness. I prefer mine slightly undercooked because I like to finish cooking them in the sauce.
- While the gnocchi is boiling, heat your sauce of choice in a large saucepan. Add the potato gnocchi and a small ladle of starchy cooking water to the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes so the sauce and dumpling flavors marry together.
- Serve immediately and enjoy with a pinch of parm!
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