Whether you are an Italian newbie or an experienced gluten free cook, you are going to love this easy homemade gluten free gnocchi recipe! You can slather this fluffy pillow-like pasta in many different sauces for an easy dinner.
Gnocchi is a classic Italian pasta that is made with a combination of flour, egg yolks, salt, and potatoes. We used to enjoy it all of the time until we went gluten free.
Unfortunately, regular gnocchi is not gluten free so for years we didn't eat it. If you have missed gnocchi as well, you will love this easy gluten free potato gnocchi recipe!
I will share all of my tips and tricks to make the best gluten free gnocchi and share some delicious sauces to pair with the gnocchi.
If you love Italian foods as much as we do, you can check out all of my gluten free Italian recipes to get some cooking inspiration!
Table of Contents
Why this gnocchi is so good:
- This homemade gnocchi is light and fluffy and tastes incredible.
- All you need are potatoes, gluten free flour, egg yolks, and salt.
- You can top this delicious pasta with your favorite sauce!
- It is not only gluten free but dairy-free gnocchi as well!
Ingredient Notes:
You do not need a lot of fancy ingredients to make gluten free gnocchi. All you need is a good gluten free flour blend, potatoes, egg yolks, and sea salt. This gnocchi is made without ricotta cheese so it is dairy-free as well as gluten-free.
- I made this recipe using King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. I am sure other blends will work well, I just haven't tested any others yet.
- Egg yolks - You do not need the whole egg so use your leftover egg whites to make these meringues for dessert.
- Potatoes - I recommend using russet potatoes for making gnocchi. They have a good texture and are not waxy like other potato varieties. You can also use Yukon gold potatoes.
See the recipe card for quantities and specific directions.
How To Make Homemade Gluten Free Gnocchi:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400º F. Wash your potatoes and bake them for 45-50 minutes. You do NOT want to boil your potatoes when you are making gnocchi.
You need the moisture to bake out of the potatoes. You will know your potatoes are done baking when you can insert a fork in and it goes through the soft potato easily. I think they call that fork-tender.
Peel the potatoes when they are cool. Cut the baked potatoes into chunks.
HINT: You do not want to boil your potatoes when making gnocchi. You need to eliminate moisture. If you boil the potatoes, you risk your gnocchi being very mushy.
Step 2: Place a couple of cooked potatoes into a potato ricer and rice the potatoes. Repeat until you have pressed all of the potatoes through the ricer.
Step 3: This is what your potatoes will look like after they have been riced.
Hint: Using the potato ricer adds more fluffiness to the dough. You can use a food processor or potato masher but the texture will be a little different.
Step 4: Add the gluten free flour blend, salt, and egg yolks to the riced potatoes.
Step 5: Mix into a soft dough. Every gluten free flour blend may need some tweaking as far as how much flour to use.
Step 6: Place a handful of dough onto a clean surface like a silicone mat or your kitchen counter. Form a ball with the gnocchi dough.
Step 7: Divide the dough into sections and roll each section into long ropes.
Step 8: Use a knife to cut gnocchi out of the dough into small sections. The length of each section is a personal preference, you can make them as long or short as you like. I made my pieces inch-sized. Repeat until you have used all of the dough.
There are two ways to get the grooves onto the gnocchi. You can use a gnocchi board or a fork. I like using the gnocchi board because it is longer and easier to roll the gnocchi on.
Step 9: To use a gnocchi board, place a piece of dough on the top of the board and gently press and roll it down the board.
Step 10: To use a fork, tip the fork upside down on the silicone mat. Place a piece of dough on the top of the fork and roll the piece down the tines of a fork. This is a little more difficult because the fork is a lot shorter.
Step 11: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the potato gnocchi a few at a time. You will notice when you first add the gnocchi, they sink to the bottom.
As they cook, they will rise up to the top of the water. Cook them for one minute longer after they rise. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi from the boiling water.
Step 12: I decided to fancy up a jar of pesto for this recipe. I added 3 tablespoons of pesto to 4 tablespoons of butter. I melted them over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
Top with a good sauce and lots of parmesan cheese. There is nothing like fresh homemade pasta! If you love fresh pasta too, try my homemade gluten free ravioli recipe!
Check out the gluten free gnocchi web story too!
Sauces For Gnocchi:
We are sauce fanatics and there are so many tasty sauces you can enjoy slathered over your gluten free potato gnocchi. Here are some of my favorites:
- Ground Pork Pasta Sauce
- Nut-Free Pesto
- Gluten Free Pasta Sauce with Meat
- Gluten Free Alfredo Sauce
- Or keep it simple with this Gluten Free Marinara Sauce
See all of the yummy gluten free sauce recipes on my blog!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
I tested my recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure. It worked well. I assume most gluten free flour blends will work well in this recipe.
Gnocchi is made with potatoes. It may be a little healthier than pasta, but not significantly.
You can definitely pan fry the gnocchi. Just toss them into the butter sauce and cook them until they are slightly crisp on the outsides.
No, gnocchi shouldn't be chewy. The gnocchi should be pillowy soft in texture.
You can easily use sweet potatoes and make sweet potato gnocchi.
This is a great recipe, but it makes a lot. you can freeze the extras in a freezer bag. It will keep fresh up to four months.
Sides For Gnocchi:
I love serving gnocchi with a salad. My Kale and Apple Salad is really popular, or you can serve it with a caesar salad.
Storage:
This pillowy gluten free gnocchi will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend storing it in an air-tight container. You can also freeze the gnocchi.
More Easy Gluten Free Italian Recipes:
- Gluten Free Manicotti
- Easy Baked Ziti Casserole
- The Best Gluten Free Pizza Recipe
- One Pot Italian Pasta
Recipe
Easy Gluten Free Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅔ cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400º F. Wash your potatoes and bake them for 45-50 minutes. You do NOT want to boil your potatoes when you are making gnocchi.
- You will know your potatoes are done baking when you can insert a fork in and it goes through the soft potato easily. I think they call that fork-tender.
- Peel the potatoes when they are cool. Cut the baked potatoes into chunks.
- Place a couple of cooked potatoes into a potato ricer and rice the potatoes. Repeat until you have pressed all of the potatoes through the ricer.
- Add the gluten free flour blend, salt, and egg yolks to the riced potatoes.
- Mix into a soft dough. Every gluten free flour blend may need some tweaking as far as how much flour to use.
- Place a handful of dough onto a clean surface like a silicone mat or your kitchen counter. Form a ball with the gnocchi dough.
- Divide the dough into sections and roll each section into long ropes.
- Use a knife to cut gnocchi out of the dough into small sections. The length of each section is a personal preference, you can make them as long or short as you like. I made my pieces inch-sized. Repeat until you have used all of the dough.
- To use a gnocchi board, place a piece of dough on the top of the board and gently press and roll it down the board.
- To use a fork, tip the fork upside down on the silicone mat. Place a piece of dough on the top of the fork and roll the piece down the tines of a fork. This is a little more difficult because the fork is a lot shorter.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the potato gnocchi a few at a time. You will notice when you first add the gnocchi, they sink to the bottom.
- As the gnocchi cook, they will rise up to the top of the water. Cook them for one minute longer after they rise. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi from the boiling water.
- Top with a good sauce and lots of parmesan cheese. There is nothing like fresh homemade pasta! If you love fresh pasta too, try my homemade gluten free ravioli recipe!
Notes
- Ground Pork Pasta Sauce
- Nut-Free Pesto
- Gluten Free Pasta Sauce with Meat
- Gluten Free Alfredo Sauce
- Or keep it simple with this Gluten Free Marinara Sauce
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Susie Lentz
My gf flour does not contain Xantham gum. Should I add some to the flour, and if so, how much for the gnocchi.
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Susie, I haven't tested this with a blend that doesn't contain xanthan gum. I would say no more than 1/2 teaspoon if you are going to add it.
Carol
Can the gnocchi be frozen after it’s made, but before it’s cooked?
Sandi Gaertner
Yes! I have a big bag in my freezer right now. They are easy to freeze by placing them into a freezer bag.