These potato gnocchi are fluffy, pillow-soft, and require just four ingredients: potatoes, flour, salt, and Italian seasoning. You can make them by hand or with a gnocchi maker and they’re freezer friendly. Plus, they’re vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian friendly.
The Story Behind the Gnocchi
Whipping up a batch of these potato gnocchi takes me right back to my childhood, when my sisters or cousins and I would would stand at my gramma’s kitchen counter, carefully cutting and folding gnocchi as they churned out of an ancient and rather noisy gnocchi maker. Gramma taught us how to make gnocchi when we were still young enough to barely see over the counter. More often than not, we were covered in flour, fighting over who got to cut and who got to fold (spoiler alert, the oldest always got to cut). Our little fingers delicately handling the potato pillows and every so often deftly sneaking one into our mouths when we thought no one was looking.
These gnocchi are a family recipe that everyone, down to the littlest member of the family, has helped craft at some point in their lives. I love sharing this recipe, because it embodies comfort, family, and our Italian heritage. And there’s nothing more comforting than sharing a good meal with ancestral roots that transports us back in time to fond memories with the people that we love.
You are probably thinking of a family recipe right now that evokes those same feelings. We hope that as you make this recipe, you are transported back to comforting memories built around one of your own ancestral recipes.
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How to Make Gnocchi
Start by prepping the potatoes. Wash, peel, and cube the potatoes. Add the cubes to a large sauce pot and fill with water until all the potatoes are covered. Salt the water generously.
Bring the water to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender when poked with a fork. Strain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or fork. Alternately, you can mash the potatoes using a whisk attachment and a stand mixer. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a bowl and mix in salt and Italian seasoning. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until cooled.
When you are ready to prepare the gnocchi, remove the potatoes from the refrigerator. Fill a 1 cup measuring cup about â…” full with potato, making sure to tightly pack the potato by using the back of the spoon. Top the cup with all purpose flour.
Making Gnocchi by Hand
Dump the contents of the measuring cup onto a dry surface. Use your hands to work the flour into the potato, kneading the dough similarly to how you would knead bread.
When all of the flour is incorporated, roll the ball of dough into a rope about 1 inch in diameter. Use a sharp knife to cut the rope into bite-sized pieces.
If you prefer the grooves in your gnocchi, roll the gnocchi pieces along the tines of a fork, lightly applying pressure as you roll. Line the gnocchi up along a clean baking sheet. Repeat until all of the potato is used up.
Cover the gnocchi with a clean dish rag and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook it.
Making Gnocchi Using a Gnocchi Machine
Place a large baking sheet by the mouth of the gnocchi maker. Add the flour-potato mixture to the gnocchi maker. Flip the switch to “Mixing”. Mix for 30 seconds. Then flip the switch to “Make” and the machine will start to pop out gnocchi.
If the gnocchi is to wet/sticky, stop the machine and add a little more flour. Mix and start again. If the dough is too dry, stop the machine and add a little more potato. Mix and start again.
Cut the gnocchi as it comes out of the machine into bite size pieces. When you get close to the end of the dough, tilt the machine forward to help it finish the batch. Turn off the machine.
Fold the cut gnocchi lengthwise and line up along the baking sheet. Repeat this process until all the potato is used up. Cover the gnocchi with a clean dish rag and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook it.
How to Cook Gnocchi
When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi to the pot and cook until the gnocchi begin to float along the surface of the water. Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon and add to a large bowl. Top with olive oil or butter (we highly recommend browned butter!), as preferred. Serve and top with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, or even your favorite sauce (like this marinara) if desired. Enjoy!
We love to pair these homemade gnocchi with a bowl of our healthy, creamy, and comforting Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Or use them in our popular Miso Brown Butter Gnocchi.
Let us know if you enjoyed this recipe for potato gnocchi by dropping a comment and or rating below! We appreciate your feedback! And be sure to check us out on Instagram and Pinterest for more recipe inspiration.
Check out these dinner recipes:
- Honey Garlic Shrimp Bowls
- Spaghetti Squash with Sausage and Miso Mushrooms
- Healthier Turkey Swedish Meatballs
- Pumpkin Miso Ramen
- Chicken Sausage and Pepper Pockets
Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 lb Yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled, roughly cubed (~4-5 medium potatoes)
- 1 tsp sea salt (plus more for boiling)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3 c all-purpose flour, divided (plus more if needed)
Instructions
- Start by prepping the potatoes. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into large cubes. Add the cubes to a large sauce pot and fill with water until all the potatoes are covered. Salt the water generously.
- Bring the water to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender when poked with a fork. Strain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or stand mixer with paddle attachment. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a bowl and mix in salt and Italian seasoning. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, or until cooled.
- When you are ready to prepare the gnocchi, remove the potatoes from the refrigerator. Fill a 1 cup measuring cup about â…” full with potato, making sure to tightly pack the potato by using the back of the spoon. Top the cup with all purpose flour.
- Dump the contents of the measuring cup onto a dry surface. Use your hands to work the flour into the potato, kneading the dough similarly to how you would knead bread. When all of the flour is incorporated, roll the ball of dough into a rope about 1 inch in diameter. Use a sharp knife to cut the rope into bite-sized pieces. If you prefer the grooves in your gnocchi, roll the gnocchi pieces along the tines of a fork, lightly applying pressure as you roll. Line the gnocchi up along a clean baking sheet. Repeat until all of the potato is used up. Cover the gnocchi with a clean dish rag and refrigerate until you are ready to cook it.
- When you are ready to cook the gnocchi, bring a large sauce pot of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi to the pot and cook until the gnocchi begin to float along the surface of the water. Remove the gnocchi from the water using a slotted spoon and add to a large bowl. Top with olive oil or butter, as preferred. Serve and top with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy!
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