These homemade vegan gnocchi are soft, pillowy, and totally delicious! But they're also easy to make from scratch using just 4 simple ingredients. You can pan fry them, serve with your favorite sauce, or freeze a batch for later.
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Gnocchi is a classic Italian dish that consists of soft, pillowy dumplings made from potatoes, flour, and often eggs. But fear not- you can still enjoy this delicious dish with a few vegan-friendly substitutions.
If there's one meal I always say yes to, it's gnocchi. Specifically, homemade gnocchi because a meal made from scratch always tastes better and the whole process is so rewarding.
But what I love about gnocchi specifically is that it's probably the easiest pasta variety to make. Given how great my sweet potato gnocchi recipe turned out, I knew it was time to share my go-to plain eggless gnocchi recipe as well.
You can serve your vegan gnocchi with a rich, savory sauce or simply panfry them. Either way, the final result is outrageously impressive and totally delicious.
But despite looking like a gourmet meal, all you need to make gnocchi from scratch is four simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen already. In terms of preparation, there are some nuances to keep in mind for best results. But overall, it's super uncomplicated.
I'd recommend picking some time over the weekend to make a huge batch of homemade vegan gnocchi, enjoy a big portion immediately and freeze the rest for later. It's a perfect freezer-friendly food that you can use to get dinner on the table in less than 5 minutes!
Ingredients for Vegan Gnocchi
The great thing about vegan gnocchi is that in terms of ingredients, you don't need a lot. In fact, it's just 4 ingredients altogether, meaning no overwhelming shopping trips or cluttered kitchens.
Potatoes. The first step in making vegan gnocchi is to choose the right potatoes. The potato variety you use will make a huge difference to the texture of the gnocchi. Use a dry and starchy potato variety, such as Yukon Gold, Russet, or Maris piper.
Salt. Adding just a small amount of salt will really help to bring out the flavor of the gnocchi.
Semolina. Semolina flour is ideal for making homemade gnocchi because it has a higher gluten content than all-purpose flour, which results in a more elastic dough. That means the gnocchi hold their shape better during cooking, without falling apart.
All Purpose Flour. I used a combination of both semolina and all purpose flour for my gnocchi. You may also find it labeled as 00 Flour.
How to Make Vegan Gnocchi from Scratch
Prepare the potatoes.
Start by preheating a conventional oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F. Wrap each potato tightly in a piece of foil and arrange them on a baking tray. Bake for 55 minutes - 1 hour, or until fully softened and cooked through.
When cool enough to handle, mash the potatoes by either passing them through a potato ricer, or peeling and mashing them by hand using a potato masher or a fork. If following the latter option, make sure that no lumps remain.
Mix and knead the dough.
Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt. Next, add the semolina and flour and mix thoroughly by squeezing the dough with your hands.
If it's sticky, add extra flour until it no longer sticks to your hands. If the dough doesn't stick together, then add either a splash of water or olive oil.
When done, add a little bit of flour to a flat work surface and transfer the dough onto it.
Shape the gnocchi.
Divide the dough into around 10 equal segments by cutting it horizontally, and roll each section out into a rope around ½ inch (1.5 cm) in diameter. Then, proceed to divide the rope into smaller segments around ½ inch (1.5cm) length each.
To make groves in the gnocchi, you can either use a gnocchi board (the fancy way) or a fork. To make them using a fork, place it face down on the flat surface and use your thumb to roll each gnocchi down the tines of the fork, forming a grove in the middle.
Cook and serve.
Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer over a low-medium heat. Working in batches, submerge the gnocchi in the water and allow to cook for around 3 minutes, until they float to the surface. When they do so, remove them using a slotted spoon.
You can now serve the gnocchi immediately with a sauce of your choice, or panfry them for an additional 3-4 minutes in olive oil to achieve perfect crispiness.
Tips and Tricks
It's really important to use a starchy and dry potato variety. Waxy potatoes contain too much moisture and will therefore not work in a gnocchi recipe.
I would recommend baking the potatoes because this will result in the best texture and ensure that they don't absorb moisture during the cooking process. If you boil the potatoes, leave the skin on while doing so.
It's important to keep in mind that it may be necessary to adjust the amount of flour that you use. If the dough is sticking to your hands - extra flour is needed!
Adding grooves to the homemade gnocchi helps them look more authentic, but isn't a requirement. They taste the same without grooves!
How to Freeze Homemade Gnocchi
The great thing about gnocchi is that they're very freezer-friendly, making them great for vegan meal prep. To freeze, lay out uncooked gnocchi on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place it in the freezer for 2-3 hours. Then, transfer them to freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can then cook the gnocchi directly from frozen by either simmering them in a saucepan for an extra minute, or adding directly to a sauce of your choice and stirring over a medium heat for 5 minutes.
How to Serve Gnocchi
One of my favorite things to make with gnocchi is this crispy gnocchi bake with oyster mushrooms. It's super hearty and totally vegan. You can also toss them into a gnocchi soup for an easy and comforting dinner.
Gnocchi tossed in a homemade vegan 'cheese' sauce is always a good idea. Kind of like mac and cheese, but with gnocchi!
Of course, a simple tomato sauce, whether homemade or store-bought, is always a crowd pleasing option.
Or for a vegetarian (but not vegan) option, you can check out this gnocchi bake or this gnocchi with roasted brussels sprouts.
More Tasty Ideas
If you love this homemade vegan gnocchi, be sure to check out all my vegan pasta recipes and these other delicious ideas:
Recipe
Equipment
- potato ricer optional
- gnocchi board or use a fork
Ingredients
- 2 lbs potatoes such as Russet, Yukon Gold or Maris Piper varieties
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup semolina
- ½ cup all-purpose flour plus more for dusting and as needed
Instructions
- Preheat a conventional oven to 200 degrees C/400 degrees F. Wrap each potato tightly in a piece of foil and arrange them on a baking tray. Bake for 55 minutes - 1 hour, or until fully softened and cooked through.2 lbs potatoes
- When cool enough to handle, mash the potatoes by either passing them through a ricer, or peeling and mashing them by hand using a potato masher or a fork until no lumps remain.2 lbs potatoes
- Transfer the mashed potatoes to a large mixing bowl and season generously with salt. Next, add the semolina and flour and mix thoroughly by squeezing the dough with your hands. If it's sticky, add extra flour until it no longer sticks to your hands. If the dough doesn't stick together, then add either a splash of water or olive oil.1 tsp salt, 1 cup semolina, ½ cup all-purpose flour
- Add a little bit of flour to a flat work surface and transfer the dough onto it. Divide the dough into around 10 equal segments by cutting it horizontally, and roll each section out into a rope around 1 ½ cm in diameter. Then, proceed to divide the rope into smaller segments around 1 ½ cm length each.½ cup all-purpose flour
- To make gnocchi groves using a fork, place it face down on the flat surface and use your thumb to roll each gnocchi down the tines of the fork, forming a grove in the middle.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer over a low-medium heat. Working in batches, submerge the gnocchi in the water and allow to cook for around 3 minutes, until they float to the surface. When they do so, remove them using a slotted spoon.
- If you wish, panfry the gnocchi for an additional 3-4 minutes in olive oil to achieve perfect crispiness.
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