Homemade Potato Gnocchi

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This Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe is made with only 5 ingredients and is so much more delicious than store bought varieties! Follow our step-by-step instructions and watch the video to learn how to make gnocchi! It’s easy to freeze so you can make a big batch once and enjoy it many times.

Overhead view of a bowl of nicely browned Homemade Potato Gnocchi sprinkled with fresh parsley


Who else loves homemade pasta? Homemade is always so fresh and delicious, and so much better than store bought, especially when it comes to gnocchi.

Did you know I went years without buying boxed pasta?! Literally years. I always opted to make my own because I just love it so much! Gnocchi is a dumpling shaped, potato-based pasta that is hearty and satisfying, and this homemade gnocchi is the best.

Plus, in our recipe we boil the gnocchi to cook in and then brown it in a mixture of oil and butter – a step that takes your pasta from good to – knock-your-socks-off amazing.

I often only cook half of the gnocchi recipe, and freeze the rest for later. It can be cooked in boiling water straight from the freezer, so it’s great to have on hand!

Up close front view of an uncooked homemade potato gnocchi in rows with after being pressed with a fork

 How to make Gnocchi 

As always, I love giving you as much information as possible to help ensure your success when you choose to make one of my recipes, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Cook the potatoes

Wrap the potatoes in foil and bake at 450 degrees F for 60-90 minutes or until soft. (Baking time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes).

Once the potatoes are cool, remove the skin and place them in a food processor.

two overhead photos showing how to make gnocchi - baking potatoes

Make the dough. 

Use a food processor fitted with an “S” blade to make the potato gnocchi dough. Start by processing all the ingredients except for the flour.

Once the mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout) add the flour a little bit at a time until you get a dough ball comes together and isn’t too sticky.

two overhead photos showing how to make gnocchi in a food processor - making the dough

Kneading/Resting. 

Knead the dough until it becomes smooth. Add more flour as you knead until it is no longer sticky. Next, place the dough on a well-floured surface and cover with a bowl for 30 minutes.

Rolling/Shaping

As you can see below, I am not super precise when I make roll the dough into ropes and cut it. That’s because I like my homemade potato gnocchi to be round. Not sure why or how I developed that preference, but it is what it is! So after I cut them I always roll each individual gnocchi until it’s round!

I do weigh the dough and divide it into four equal portions, but that’s not totally necessary. Just try to be sure that the gnocchi are about the same size. 

two photos, one showing the dough in a ball, the other shows the gnocchi dough rolled into four ropes and the one on the far right is cut into gnocchi pieces

Use a fork to press a design into the tops

This, again, is a total preference thing. But since I’m making gnocchi, I’m going to really make gnocchi if you know what I mean! LOL! I love how pretty the pasta looks with cute little fork indents. Be sure to rub the fork in flour as you press it into each gnocchi to prevent it from sticking.

Front view of three rows of Homemade Potato Gnocchi and the gnocchi in the middle of the frame is being indented with a floured fork

Boil the potato gnocchi

This homemade potato gnocchi always needs to be boiled first. It cooks relatively fast, (in 3-5 minutes). You will know the gnocchi has finished cooking because it will float to the top of the boiling water.

At that point, remove it with a slotted spoon and transfer it to a colander to drain any excess water.

If you want to take your homemade potato gnocchi to the next level, I highly recommend you do not skip the browning in butter/olive oil step.

It is the only way we eat gnocchi around here because it’s just that amazing. I recommend serving it wish your favorite pasta sauce on the side! Mixing them together too long before serving could cause the gnocchi to lose that golden-brown crispiness!

Overhead view of golden-brown Homemade Potato Gnocchi in a small fry pan

Serve

Serve this homemade gnocchi with your favorite pasta sauce. Here are a few suggestions:

overhead view of a piece of potato gnocchi in sauce

 Homemade Potato Gnocchi: Ingredients & Substitutions

Here are a few possible substitutions that could be made in this recipe!

  • Potatoes. Any variety of potato works well in this recipe, even sweet potatoes! My favorites are Yukon Golds and red potatoes!
  • Flour. All-purpose flour is my flour of choice in this recipe. For a little more wholesome option half of the flour can be substituted with whole wheat (or white whole wheat). A 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour mix can be be used as well, you may just need to add more to get a smooth dough!
  • Cheddar cheese. The sky’s the limit when it comes to cheese options. Cheddar and parmesan are my favorite choices!
front view of a bowl of golden-brown crispy Homemade Potato Gnocchi sprinkled with fresh parsley

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Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe

Laura
This Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe is made with only 5 ingredients and is so much more delicious than store bought varieties! Follow our step-by-step instructions and watch the video to learn how to make gnocchi! It's easy to freeze so you can make a big batch once and enjoy it many times.
5 from 7 votes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 32 oz (8 servings)
Calories 152.9
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Resting time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Make the dough:

  • Bake potatoes wrapped in foil in oven at 450 for 60-90 minutes or until soft. (Baking time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes}.
  • Set aside to cool.
  • Once potatoes are cooled, remove the peel peel and place them in a food processor fitted with the “S” blade.
  • Add egg, salt and cheese and process until the mixture is uniform and forms a ball.
  • Add 1 cup of flour and process until combined.
  • Add ½ cup more flour and process until combined and a sticky ball forms.
  • Add another ¼ cup of flour and process until combined.
  • Turn dough onto a well-floured surface, and use the remaining ¼ cup flour to knead the dough until it is no longer sticky.
  • Put dough on a well-floured surface and cover with a bowl and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
  • Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll into thin ropes (about ½ inch thick).
  • Cut each rope at 1” intervals. This will yield square gnocchi. If you prefer round gnocchi, you will need to roll each piece by hand to form an oval/round shape.
  • Once you have your desired shape, press a floured fork into the top of each gnocchi.
  • If desired, after this step you can freeze the gnocchi! Simply put the uncooked gnocchi on a floured baking tray and put them in the freezer for at least 3 hours. Remove from tray and put in a plastic bag.

Cook the Gnocchi:

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Add half of the gnocchi to the boiling water to form a single layer in the pot. Stir the gnocchi to be sure that they do not stick to the bottom of the pot.
  • Once the gnocchi floats to the top of the water (after about 3-5 minutes), use a slotted spoon to remove gnocchi from the pot into a strainer.
  • After all gnocchi have been removed, add the rest of the batch and repeat.
  • To cook frozen gnocchi, do not thaw! Put them in boiling water straight from the freezer. They will take longer to cook than room temperature gnocchi.

Brown the Gnocchi:

  • Preheat your oven to the warm setting.
  • Add 2 TBS of your cooking oil/butter to a large sauté pan. Melt/warm over medium heat. Add ½ of your batch of gnocchi and stir to coat with oil.
  • Cook gnocchi on one side for about 5-10 minutes until golden-brown.
  • Flip and cook another 3-5 minutes on the second side until golden brown.
  • Remove to an oven-safe baking dish or bowl and place in the oven to warm.
  • Repeat with the rest of your gnocchi.
  • Serve with your favorite sauce and some roasted veggies!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 152.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.1g | Protein: 5.3g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 116.8mg | Potassium: 363.8mg | Fiber: 2.7g | Sugar: 0.7g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 21.6mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question? Leave a comment below!

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16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for the recipe. I needed the perfect combination of ingredients and you delivered! Thank you so much. I boiled the potatoes instead of baking and added Spelt flour instead of Common wheat. All came out really nicely. The texture was really delicate. I used to add more flour in the past but your ratio worked so well. My husband wants them every day now. Thank you again!