Soft, FLUFFY, and light, yet sturdy? We’re not talking about your favorite pillow. Behold: gluten-free gnocchi that are just as DREAMY, but you definitely don’t want to sleep on these!
Perfect for a cozy night in, fun date night, or family activity, and just as fun to make as they are to eat. Grab 4 simple ingredients and get your water boiling!
What is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi (pronounced nyo-key) is often associated with pasta, since (like pasta) it originated in Italy and is usually eaten as part of the primi course in traditional Italian meals. However, gnocchi is actually a type of dumpling made of flour, potato, eggs, and salt.
The following gluten-free version uses our Minimalist Baker Gluten-Free Flour Blend to make gnocchi that’s just as fluffy and pillowy as the real deal. It’s the perfect base for all your favorite Italian sauces!
How to Make Gluten-Free Gnocchi
First things first, the gnocchi needs some mashed potatoes! We tried a few methods and achieved the best texture by baking russet potatoes low and slow, directly on the oven rack. Russet is the best variety for gnocchi because of its dry, fluffy texture and pleasant, neutral taste.
Next, it’s time to add an egg. An egg is pretty essential for this recipe because not only does it bind and add structure to the gnocchi — it also helps the gnocchi get fluffy and perfectly cooked when it’s boiled.
Then we add gluten-free flour and form the dough into a ball. Enjoy the process — the dough is beautifully soft, so kneading it is pretty therapeutic! You’re welcome.
Once the dough is mixed, it’s time to shape the gnocchi! After rolling the dough into a “snake,” cut it into 1-inch pieces and use a fork to create the classic gnocchi lines. After a quick trip to the hot tub (boiling water…), the gnocchi is ready to serve however your heart desires!
We hope you LOVE this gnocchi! It’s:
Classic
Fluffy
Pillowy
Savory
FUN
& Undetectably gluten-free!
What to Serve With Gnocchi
Pair it with your favorite sauce and you’ll be in comfort food heaven! Our Easy Vegan Pesto, Easy 1-Pot Marinara Sauce, and Vegan Bechamel Sauce are all winning options. Or try a simple crispy sage, red pepper flake, (dairy-free) butter, and walnut combo.
For sides, we recommend veggies and/or your protein of choice. For veggies, try our Perfect Roasted Asparagus or Garlicky Vegan Creamed Spinach. And for protein, try our Crispy Baked Tofu with Italian Herbs or Lemon & Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs.
More Gluten-Free Comfort Food Recipes
- Easy Gluten-Free Pasta (Grain-Free!)
- The Best Vegan Gluten-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese
- Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie Soup (Dairy-Free!)
- Easy Gluten-Free Lasagna (Dairy-Free!)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Fluffy Gluten-Free Gnocchi (4 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 1 lb russet potatoes
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup MB 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend (plus extra for dusting)
SAUCES FOR SERVING optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and place the potatoes directly onto the oven’s middle rack. Bake for 1 hour 25 minutes – 1 hour 30 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a knife and completely cooked through.
- Let the potatoes cool for 10-15 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle.
- Meanwhile lightly dust a baking sheet with flour and set aside. Begin bringing a large pot of water to a boil.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and remove the filling, ensuring no skin gets mixed in. Place the filling into a medium mixing bowl. Add the salt and mash very well with a fork — you want to try to get the potatoes super smooth at this point. Alternatively, pass them through a potato ricer. Once smashed, let the potatoes cool another 5-8 minutes. They should be cool enough to avoid cooking the egg.
- Once the potatoes are quite cool, add the egg to the potatoes, gently folding it in with your fork. Finally, fold in about half of the flour and continue working it in until the flour is completely absorbed. Finish by folding in the rest of the flour. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a ball. Try not to knead it — you want to work it as little as possible to keep the pasta light.
- Divide the dough ball into 4 quarters. Work with one at a time, keeping the others covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- Shape the dough into a tube and roll it out into a long snake about 1/2 inch in diameter. Use a knife to cut the snake into 1-inch pieces. Roll each piece onto the back of a fork to create the iconic gnocchi ridges and place each gnocchi onto your lightly dusted baking sheet. Repeat this step with the other 3 quarters.
- Once all of your gnocchi are shaped, gently place them into the boiling water and boil for 3-4 minutes. They don’t need long to cook through. Once done, use a strainer to remove the gnocchi from the water. Place them into your favorite sauce (we like pesto, marinara, or bechamel) and enjoy. They're also delicious with crispy sage, red pepper flakes, (dairy-free) butter, and walnuts. Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2-3 days.
- These are best served fresh but can be frozen before boiling. To cook frozen gnocchi, simply place the gnocchi straight from the freezer into the boiling water. They might need an extra minute to fully cook!
Video
Notes
*An egg is important in this recipe for structure. We tested with a chia egg and wouldn’t recommend it. It’s possible aquafaba or egg replacer would work a little better, but we can’t guarantee the result will be the same as with egg.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without sauce or toppings.
Kinga says
Hi! Do you think rice flour would work here? :)
Hi Kinga, we don’t think so, but let us know if you try it!
Kim says
Hi, I have a recipe for chicken a dumplings using potato gnoccci as the dumplings, my question is if I add the gnocchi to the crockpot with the chicken, how long should I let them cook?
TIA
Hi Kim, hmm, great question! We think they would cook similarly to gluten-containing gnocchi so we’d recommend using the time in your recipe. Hope that helps!
Katie says
Would sweet potato work?
Hi Katie, we tested sweet potato and found it creates a more gummy result.
Corelia says
I don’t have any gf flour blend on hand…curious if there’s any combination of the flours I do have that would work?? Oat, almond, potato starch, arrowroot, and chickpea is what I have. In lots of your more dessert-y recipes I’ve been able to find subs in the comments, but not this one. Help? :)
Hi Corelia! Unfortunately this recipe relies heavily on the gluten-free blend to create the correct texture! We would say to check out our recipe for gluten-free flour if you wanted to make your own!
Gigi Haley says
Don’t try to use aqua daba – turns into mushy mash. If anyone is successful in making them vegan I am curious to learn!
Regardless of it not work, it was a fun process!
We will keep trying to come up with a vegan version of this recipe. Thanks so much for letting us know, Gigi!
Alison says
I have Celiac and this was my first time ever having gnocchi, no less making it! Recipe turned out perfectly. I used Namaste Foods flour blend, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Served with pesto – delish!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Alison! xo
Lyn says
This was an easy recipe to follow and very tasty and fluffy in texture. The only variation I made was steaming the potato rather than roasting as I was time poor. My 9 year grandaughter loved the flavour which I served with your marinara sauce recipe, 👍 from us
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the wonderful review, Lyn. We’re so glad you both enjoyed!
Karen says
This looked like it should work but is one of my only fails ( the other trying to do the cashew blending with my not- strong -;enough blender) and my results might help others.
Your video showed the dough being much more yellow and much more pliant than mine. I used local organic russets and eggs (I was happy for something to create w the limited winter f mkt options now).
The baked potatoes were mealy when they finished cooking and I couldn’t get them perfectly smooth. That was a certain problem. Your look really moist in the video!
I considered adding another egg, since mine weren’t “large”- this could’ve made the recipe work for a smoother dough. “Large” is subjective! But I didn’t add another. Nor less flour, and used your MB blend.
I couldn’t really roll them into a snake- I achieved sort of segments with some creativity but not pretty! After rising to the top, the few I boiled to test had a potato taste that was really pronounced. Maybe that’s ok?
All that work. I am going to freeze them ( solo eater) and see if they improve w a bunch of pesto before serving to family!
Thank you for your creativity and inspiration, Dana!
Hi Karen! So sorry this one didn’t work out for you! It seems like the potatoes we’re too big which meant they didn’t bake long enough to get smooth and fluffy! Next time we would definitely suggest adding more egg if the dough seemed too dry. They should taste like potato, but not overly so. We would have to guess the potatoes were the culprit to the recipe not succeeding!
Dana Stanek says
Hi! Just wondering if I could bake the potatoes and mash ahead of time? Perhaps even a day ahead and then add the egg and the flour? Thanks!
Hi Dana, we don’t think that would work because potatoes lose a lot of the moisture while they cool and then they aren’t able to absorb the flour.
Baiba says
Hey,
If replacing the egg with aquafaba, how much of it do I need for this recipe? And should I beat it before adding to the potatoes?
Thanks :)
Hi Baiba, we haven’t tried this recipe with aquafaba and can’t guarantee it will work! If you try it, we would suggest 3 Tbsp of aquafaba. You don’t have to beat it very much but we suggest stirring it up a bit before adding it! Let us know how it goes!
M says
This looks awesome! Could you make it with regular flour?
We think all-purpose flour should work well here!