It’s so easy to make gnocchi at home. Just a few ingredients mixed together, a little bit of therapeutic shaping and a couple of minutes in a pan of boiling water and you’ve got the base for all sorts of gnocchi recipes. Toss it in pesto, serve with bolognese, or make my easy gnocchi with chorizo in harissa-coconut sauce.
What is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi are basically little dumplings made of mashed potato, flour and egg. They sometimes include other ingredients, such as herbs or seasonings.
Italian in origin, they’re often eaten in the same way as pasta (however, they’re not pasta) – with a sauce or tossed in butter and garlic.
They cook very quickly – simply cooked in boiling water for a few minutes – until they float.
They can be eaten at that point, or for extra flavour, you can fry them in butter/oil until lovely and golden.
A brilliant way to use up leftover mashed potato! A good scoop (300g or a little over a cup) of mashed potato can make enough gnocchi for 4 small or two large servings.
📋 What do we need?
- Mashed potato: Your mashed potato needs to be chilled and relatively dry (not too much butter and cream/milk – if you’re making the mash especially for gnocchi, then I wouldn’t add any at all.)
- Flour – plain/all-purpose flour works best. We need just enough to ensure the gnocchi doesn’t fall apart, but not so much that the gnocchi texture is ‘gluey’. You might have to adjust the amount of flour, depending on how dry/moist your mashed potato is.
- Oil and egg to bind the mixture together.
- A little salt and pepper for flavour.
📺 Watch how to make it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP I’ve recently tried using frozen mashed potato pellets (from the frozen aisle of the supermarket – I’ve bought it from Sainsburys and Ocado, but have also seen it in Tesco, Waitrose and Iceland) – just weigh it out, defrost and use as part of the recipe. It works great!
🍽️ How to serve Gnocchi
Try it as part of my spicy harissa gnocchi with chorizo, or swap out the ravioli for gnocchi and serve in this creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.
Look at those lovely little dumpling bites!!
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5 from 1 vote
Easy Homemade Gnocchi Recipe
It's so easy to make gnocchi at home. Just a few ingredients mixed together, a little bit of therapeutic shaping and a couple of minutes in a pan of boiling water and you've got the base for all sorts of gnocchi recipes.
Prep Time:
15 minutes mins
Cook Time:
3 minutes mins
Total Time:
18 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner, Sides
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 300 g (1 1/3 cups) dry mashed potato chilled
- 120 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) or pasta flour + extra for rolling. SEE NOTE 1
- 1 medium egg
- good pinch salt and pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
To Make The Gnocchi:
Place the mashed potato into a mixer with a dough hook or beater.
300 g (1 1/3 cups) dry mashed potato
Add the flour, egg, salt, pepper, and oil.
120 g (1 cup) plain (all-purpose) or pasta flour, 1 medium egg, good pinch salt and pepper, 1 tsp olive oil
Beat slowly until a stiff dough forms. (SEE NOTE 2)
Sprinkle the work surface with flour and divide the dough into 4 balls. Shape each ball into a long sausage.
Use a knife to slice the gnocchi rolls into 2cm pieces.
Roll the gnocchi along the back of a fork to shape into ridged pieces (see video).
To Cook The Gnocchi:
Working in two batches, place the gnocchi into a large pan of boiling water and boil for 2-3 minutes until they float to the top of the pan.
Remove with a slotted spoon.
Video
Notes
NOTE 1 – The flour
You want to use just enough flour so the dough isn’t sticky. If you add too much flour then the gnocchi can be gluey, but too little and the gnocchi will fall apart when cooking. You may need to adjust this slightly depending on how moist your mashed potatoes are.
NOTE 2 – Mixing the dough
You mix in a bowl by hand if you don’t have a stand mixer. Mix until the dough just comes together, with the flour fully incorporated.
Can I make it ahead?
I don’t really recommend making gnocchi ahead. A couple of hours is ok, but after that they can start to go a little grey in colour, and can become a little sticky – which makes them more difficult to handle.
If you did want to make it a couple of hours ahead, then make the gnocchi, place on a tray in a single layer and refrigerate. Then cook straight from the fridge.
Can you freeze gnocchi ?
Yes, gnocchi freezes well. Simply make the gnocchi and place on a tray (or two) in a single layer. Cover with clingfilm and freeze.
Cook the gnocchi in boiling water from frozen, until they float to the top of the water.
How to scale up and scale down this recipe
Scale this recipe up or down, sticking to the same ingredient ratios. If you’re making more gnocchi, please note it will take longer to cook all of the gnocchi, as it will need to be cooked in batches.
Nutritional information is per serving – this recipe makes 4 small portions.
Nutrition
Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.
