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    Homemade Gnocchi Recipe

    Published November 30, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    This delicious homemade Italian gnocchi recipe is made from scratch using potatoes and pasta dough to make the perfect dumplings. These will become your new favorite pasta once you try them.

    I eat pasta at least once a week, but I’m Italian, so it’s natural for me to do so. I recommend trying my Pasta Carbonara or Lasagna Bolognese if you’re as big a pasta fanatic as I am because they are amazing.  

    rolled gnocchi on parchment paper


     

    Gnocchi

    Gnocchi is Italian for “dumplings.” They are classically made by combining baked, peeled, and mashed potatoes with eggs, flour, or farina to make a dough. Other common things to add to the dough are cheese and spinach. Gnocchi is small-shaped balls with grooves boiled in water and served with butter, cheese, or sauce.

    Gnocchi is versatile and can also be chilled, baked, or fried. While they are traditionally served as a side dish similar to spaetzle, they can be served as the main entrée with a hearty sauce. This is a classic Italian recipe where you’ve got a few things left over, mixing them to make something insanely flavorful.

    Ingredients and Substitutions

    gnocchi ingredients
    • Potatoes – Russet potatoes are what is used in this.
    • Flour – You can use all-purpose, 00, semolina, or bread flour.
    • Eggs – Large cold or room temperature eggs are what you will need.
    • Salt – I always use sea salt in my cooking and baking.

    How to Make Gnocchi from Scratch

    You can use plain baked potatoes for this recipe, or you can coat them in oil and salt to help season the potatoes and give them an extremely fluffy inside.

    coating potatoes in oil and salt

    Add the potatoes to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375° for 60 minutes.

    oil and salted coated potatoes on a sheet tray

    Let the potatoes cool at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling them.

    peeling baked potatoes

    Add the peeled potatoes to a food mill or ricer and mill them until they are pressed through and free of chunks.

    running baked potatoes through a food mill

    Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl with eggs, flour, and salt.

    pouring whisked eggs into a bowl of flour and mashed potatoes

    Mix the ingredients until well combined.

    mixing together gnocchi dough

    Knead the gnocchi dough for 1 to 2 minutes. You may need to sprinkle on an additional teaspoon or two of flour.

    kneading gnocchi dough

    Take a handful of the dough and roll it out until it is about a 1/2” diameter and resembles a rope.

    rolling out gnocchi dough

    Using a bench knife, cut down the rope into ¾” pieces.

    cutting dough into gnocchi

    Roll each piece on a gnocchi board by pressing down and rolling it. If you do not have a gnocchi board, you can press them down using the back of a fork.

    forming gnocchi on a gnocchi board

    Let the gnocchi rest at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking or storing.

    resting gnocchi on a counter

    How to Cook Gnocchi

    • Add the gnocchi to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook them until they float, which can take anywhere from 2 to 4 minutes.
    boiling gnocchi
    • While the gnocchi is boiling, add butter or olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until smoking lightly.
    oil heating in a skillet
    • Once the gnocchi is floating, drain them and transfer them to the pan with butter and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned.
    searing gnocchi in a pan

    What do You Serve Them With?

    You can treat gnocchi just like pasta and serve it with any sauce. In addition, you can also eat it plain with olive oil, salt, pepper, or butter. Here are a few of my favorite sauces to serve gnocchi with:

    Make-Ahead and Storage

    Make-Ahead: You can make gnocchi up to 2 days ahead of time.

    How to Store: After the pasta has been rolled into little balls and dried for 10-15 minutes, you will need to cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.  You can also freeze-wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months.  If you are freezing, add it to a hot pan with butter or oil. Do not add to boiling water, or it will clump together.

    How to Reheat: Add some olive oil or butter to a large frying pan over medium heat, and quickly sauté the un-sauced gnocchi until hot. 

    Chef Billy Parisi

    Chef Notes + Tips

    • Red potatoes or Yukon potatoes can be substituted.
    • Gnocchi pronunciation is as follows: NYOH-kee.

    More Pasta Recipes

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    Let's Cook - Chef Billy Parisi

    Video

    Homemade Gnocchi Recipe

    5 from 6 votes
    This delicious homemade Italian gnocchi recipe is made from scratch using potatoes and pasta dough to make the perfect dumplings.
    Servings: 8
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

    Ingredients 

    • 5 baked and peeled potatoes
    • 3 large eggs, whisked
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt

    Instructions

    • Add the potatoes to a sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake at 375° for 60 minutes.
    • Let the potatoes cool at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before peeling them.
    • Add the peeled potatoes to a food mill or ricer and mill them until they are pressed through and free of chunks.
    • Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl with eggs, flour, and salt.
    • Mix the ingredients until well combined.
    • Knead the gnocchi dough for 1 to 2 minutes. You may need to sprinkle on an additional teaspoon or two of flour.
    • Take a handful of the dough and roll it out until it is about a 1/2” diameter and resembles a rope.
    • Using a bench knife, cut down the rope into ¾” pieces.
    • Roll each piece on a gnocchi board by pressing down and rolling it. If you do not have a gnocchi board, you can press them down using the back of a fork.
    • Let the gnocchi rest at room temperature for 15 to 20 minutes before cooking or storing.
    • Add the gnocchi to a large pot of boiling salted water and cook them until they float, which can take anywhere from 2 to 4 minutes.
    • While the gnocchi is boiling add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter or olive oil to a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until smoking lightly.
    • Once the gnocchi is floating, drain them and transfer them to the pan with butter or oil and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until lightly browned.

    Notes

    Make-Ahead: You can make gnocchi up to 2 days ahead of time.
    How to Store: After the pasta has been rolled into little balls and dried for 10-15 minutes, cover it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.  You can also freeze-wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 2 months. If you are freezing, add it to a hot pan with butter or oil. Please do not add to boiling water, or it will clump together.
    How to Reheat: Add some olive oil or butter to a large frying pan over medium heat, and quickly sauté the un-sauced gnocchi until hot. 
    Red potatoes or Yukon potatoes can be substituted.
    Gnocchi pronunciation is as follows: NYOH-kee

    Nutrition

    Calories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 8gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 323mgPotassium: 617mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 92IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 3mg
    Course: Main Course, Sdie Dish
    Cuisine: Italian