This vegan gnocchi recipe makes soft, pillowy little dumplings that taste like pure comfort. It’s surprisingly simple to make from scratch and turns out beautifully every time. and best of all no eggs or dairy needed.
Homemade eggless gnocchi sounds fancy, but all you really need are a few pantry staples and a bit of patience. Once you’ve tried it, you’ll never go back to store-bought.
As someone with Italian grandparents, I have had my fair share of gnocchi and this is one of the best ways I have found to make it vegan
Believe it or not, making homemade gnocchi recipe vegan at home is actually pretty easy and almost fail-safe as there are just a few ingredients that you need. You can even make the dairy-free gnocchi in advance so that you can eat it throughout the week and the longer it sits the better and firmer it gets.
Of course, you can add any sauce, but I highly recommend my white whine sauce below which has garlic, mushrooms, onions, and white wine topped with some fresh walnuts. It always turns out wonderfully.
This is also one of the best Vegan Recipes For Kids and kids love to help shape the gnocchi which makes it fun for the whole family.
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.
How To Prepare The Potatoes For The Vegan Gnocchi
In case you didn’t know, potatoes are the main ingredient in vegan gnocchi. And like every recipe, there is a special way to prepare the potatoes.
You are going to want to chop the potatoes and cook them in salted boiling water. You just want to make sure that the potatoes are soft and easy to pierce with a fork. This is the same exact way I make my Vegan Mashed Potatoes.
Once your potatoes are cooked, it is time to prepare them for the vegan potato gnocchi recipe. Now, traditionally, you wwould use a potato ricer, however the majority of us do not own one nor have probably never seen. If you want, you can Buy A Potato Ricer From Amazon.
If like me you still want to make vegan potato gnocchi with what you have on hand, I recommend using a potato masher. It is easy and you probably already have one. When mashing your potatoes, it is important that you do not have any chunks in them as this will show up in the texture of the vegan gnocchi and will make the pasta pieces weird!
Try the best you can to mash the potatoes until they are as smooth as possible. Of course, they can have the texture of a potato, but you don’t want any large chunks. When making potato gnocchi vegan, you really have to get the texture right for it to taste authentic.
You can also pop the cooked potatoes into a food processor or food chopper and pulse until smooth which is another way to ensure you get a perfect texture
How To Add Flour To The Eggless Gnocchi Dough
This recipe calls for 2 cups of flour. YES you can use gluten-free flour and this homemade vegan gnocchi still works.
Once you mash or rice the potatoes, you will combine the flour. You do NOT want to just dump the flour into the potatoes as it will not combine as well as it should and will leave you with weird dough. You will want to add your olive oil and then incorporate flour in 1/2 cup increments.
Add 1/2 cup your flour and then mix to combine. I like using my clean and washed hands to mix and knead the dough. Once the first 1/2 cup is combined, go ahead to continue adding in 1/2 cup increments until all of the flour is added and the potatoes and flour blend together into a nice vegan gnocchi dough.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes as you prepare your sauce or side for this meal.
How To Shape The Homemade Dairy-Free Gnocchi
Shaping the homemade gnocchi recipe is the fun part and this is the part that kids love.
Once your dough is done resting, you simply take the dough out and form it into a 3/4 inch thick log or rope. Then you are going to cut it into small rectangles that are going to be about bite-sized pieces.
Once you have your bite-sized pieces, you are going to use the tines of a fork and roll the vegan gnocchi over it to form the shape of the pasta pieces.
If you have kids, give each kid a pile of gnocchi dough and a fork and let them have at it. If you are doing it by yourself, it may take a little longer, but the process is kind of fun.
How To Cook The Vegan Gnocchi
Cooking the eggless gnocchi is so easy all you have to do is bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta for 2 minutes.
You do NOT want to overcook when making gnocchi vegan and you should keep in mind that the potatoes which make up most of the dough have already been cooked. Overcooking the dairy-free gnocchi will lead to ruining the recipe!
Set a timer for 2 minutes and then drain.
You can also choose to fry the vegan gnocchi in a frying pan using oil. This is how my aunt cooks her gnocchi and it brings out a different flavor and gives the pasta a different type of coating.
I always boil mine because it is quick and easy and healthier too as you use less oil.
How To Prepare The Vegan Gnocchi Sauce
Once you have cooked the vegan gnocchi, put oil in a large pan and saute your onion for 5 minutes.
Then, add your chopped mushrooms and darlic and cook for 5 minutes until the mushrooms and your added garlic cloves are fragrant. Pour in your white wine and continue cooking until the sauce is reduced.
Add the vegan gnocchi and the reserved pasta water. If you forget to reserve your pasta water, go ahead and just use regular water or broth if you have any on hand.
Toss until the vegan gnocchi sauce coats all of the pasta and season with salt and pepper.
I love topping my vegan gnocchi with chopped fresh basil and walnuts. Walnuts add a really wonderful flavor to this dish. If you don’t have any on hand, don’t worry! Just use the basil.
Vegan Gnocchi Variations
Once you’ve mastered the basic dough, you can have some fun with different versions of vegan gnocchi, they’re endlessly adaptable. Here are soem of my favourites.
- Sweet Potato Gnocchi: Use roasted or mashed sweet potato instead of regular potatoes for a subtle sweetness and beautiful orange colour.
- Butternut Squash Gnocchi: Perfect for autumn, slightly nutty and amazing with sage or vegan butter.
- Spinach Gnocchi: Blend spinach into the dough for a vibrant green colour and a boost of nutrients.
- Whole Wheat Gnocchi: For a heartier bite, replace half the flour with whole wheat.
- Different Toppings: Try crispy Brussels sprouts and toasted walnuts, sautéed mushrooms with garlic, or a simple vegan Alfredo sauce. You can also toss your gnocchi in vegan tomato sauce for a traditional Italian flavour or pan-fry them with olive oil and herbs for a crispy twist.
Tips for Perfect Gnocchi
Getting the texture just right takes a little practice, but these tricks make all the difference:
- Use cold, cooked potatoes. Warm potatoes make the dough gummy, so chill them before mixing.
- Add flour gradually. Too much will make the gnocchi dense; you want a soft, slightly tacky dough.
- Don’t overwork it. Mix just until it comes together, overmixing develops gluten and toughens the texture.
- Test one piece first. Boil a single gnocchi to check the texture before shaping the rest. If it falls apart, add a bit more flour.
- Drain gently. Use a slotted spoon, not a colander, so they stay light and pillowy.
These small steps are what separate heavy gnocchi from the kind that practically melts in your mouth.
3-Ingredient Vegan Gnocchi Recipe
This vegan gnocchi recipe is so easy and delicious! The homemade gnocchi only uses 3 ingredients and is pillowy and soft when finished. I love using the garlic white wine sauce with chopped red onions and fresh basil for topping the vegan gnocchi, but you can use whatever topping you want such as a nice creamy Vegan Alfredo Sauce!
Ingredients
- 3 Potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed
- 1 Tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Cups flour + more for rolling
- For the white wine sauce:
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 red onion, chopped
- 1 Cup mushrooms, thinly chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 Cup white wine
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 Cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions
To prepare the gnocchi dough, you want to first boil potato cubes and then mash them until there are no chunks or lumps. Use a potato masher or potato ricer if you have one on hand.
In a bowl combine the riced potato with the salt. Add the olive oil and flour and knead until incorporated. Add the flour in 1/2 cup increments and use your clean hands to combine until all flour is added. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Take out a piece of dough and roll it until you have a 3/4 inch thick rope. Cut out small rectangles that are the size of bite-sized pieces. Roll and press each piece through a fork to shape the gnocchi.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the gnocchi for around 2 minutes. Drain reserving 3 Tsp cooking water. Make sure not to cook for too long so set a timer!
Toss gnocchi with any sauce you like such as my Vegan Alfredo Sauce or my garlic white wine sauce below!
For the white wine sauce:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes until fragrant. Pour the white wine and continue cooking until reduced.
Add the vegan gnocchi and the reserved cooking water. If you forgot to reserve, use regular water or stock. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and sauté for 3 more minutes.
Serve topped with chopped basil and walnuts.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 480Total Fat 20gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 0mgSodium 674mgCarbohydrates 81gFiber 6gSugar 4gProtein 12g
Easy Vegan Snickerdoodles (No Cream Of Tarter)
Hey!!! So I really enjoyed this recipe, I was making it to try and impress this girl I like, and thankfully it turned out well despite a lot of lack of knowledge on my part haha (as a side note she liked it a lot).
It was very easy to make it, even having never really worked with making dough, shaping pasta, or making gnocchi in any manner, so if you are considering making it, go for it, because if I can, anyone can.
Some things that would have been a bit helpful for me, in your recipe you just say 3 potatoes, I was very unsure of the size suggestion as there are a lot of potato shapes, and I ended up with I think way too much. It was nice to have extra food, but it meant I didn’t use enough flour to begin with. If you could weigh a set of potatoes you would find appropriate with 2 cups of flour that would be super helpful, because then if I ended up with too much, I could scale the flour up appropriately. It also caused the sauce to not be as prominent because it spread out so much
If you could explain more about how to flour and roll the dough mixture that would be nice. I had never worked with dough in a meaningful way, and while watching the great british bake off did help a lot in getting there eventually, it definitely was just a guessing game (I will note I ended up needing a TON of flour because there wasn’t enough in the mixture and the potato would not roll, so it ended up being pretty messy!)
Also if you could make the spot where you say how much reserved pasta water more prominent, or add it to the ingredient section for the Sauce that would be really helpful too, I kept reading to use the reserved water, or water/stock but I had no idea how much of any of it, to use, until I finally found it in the small recipe section
At the end of the day though, everyone I let try it said it was absolutely delicious, and I think that is a testament to the recipe! I will say I added a bit of chili pepper just to give it some kick, and I thought that was really nice!
Thank you so much for this very thoughtful comment! I will admit that I am a “bit of this and dash of that” cook and don’t really measure so putting a recipe into words for others can be difficult so that it translates well and easily! These are GREAT tips and feedback and I will 100% go back and modify for future people making this recipe. Thank you for taking the time out to comment.