Homemade Potato Gnocchi

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This homemade potato gnocchi recipe is made with 5 ingredients and tastes significantly more delicious than store bought varieties! Follow our step-by-step instructions and watch the video to learn how to make gnocchi!

Potato Gnocchi before cooking

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! Serve it with homemade marinara sauce, pumpkin pasta sauce, pesto, or meat sauce!

Potato Gnocchi in a bowl with marinara sauce and ad fork

Potato Gnocchi: Ingredients & Substitutions

overhead photo of the labeled ingredients in this Potato Gnocchi recipe
  • Potatoes. Any variety of potato works well in this recipe, even sweet potatoes. My favorites are Yukon Gold, russet and red potatoes.
  • Flour. you can substitute up to half of the flour with white whole wheat flour. Or, use all-purpose gluten-free flour to make it gluten-free. 
  • Parmesan cheese. cheddar cheese is a good substitute. 
boiled Potato Gnocchi on a plate

 How to Make Potato 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.

Make the Dough

Use a food processor fitted with an “S” blade to make the potato gnocchi dough. Start by adding the egg, salt and cheese and process until combined (do not overprocess).

Then, add 1 ยฝ  cups flour and process until combined.

If needed, add up to ยผ cup of additional flour until the dough forms a tacky ball.  

Turn dough onto a well-floured surface, and use the remaining ยผ 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.

potato gnocchi dough covered by a glass bowl on a floured surface

Form the Potato Gnocchi

After the dough has rested, divide it into four equal parts and roll into thin ropes (about ยฝ inch thick).  

Then, cut each rope at ยฝ or 1โ€ intervals (depending on how big you want your gnocchi). 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.

Freeze uncooked gnocchi

Once you have made the gnocchi, you can freeze it uncooked. Our family usually eats a half batch at a time, but I make a full batch and freeze the rest for later.

Lay it out in a single layer on a baking sheet to flash-freeze, then transfer frozen potato gnocchi to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.

Cook 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.

Add 2 Tablespoons of cooking oil/butter to a large sautรฉ pan. Melt/warm over medium heat. Add ยฝ 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.

browned potato gnocchi in a pan

Transfer cooked gnocchi to a covered baking dish in the oven set to “warm” to keep it warm while you cook the remaining pasta or wait to serve.

Potato Gnocchi browned potato gnocchi on a plate

Serve

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

Potato Gnocchi in marinara sauce garnished with parmesan cheese and basil

Store

Store leftover cooked gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze

As mentioned above, I suggest freezing uncooked gnocchi in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Then, you cook potato gnocchi from frozen. Just bring a pot of water to a boil and add the frozen gnocchi. Cook until the noodles float to the top of the water then follow the recipe.

Potato Gnocchi on a baking sheet

Potato Gnocchi Recipe FAQs

Can I double or halve this recipe?

Yes, this recipe is easily scaled to your preferences!

What kind of sauce goes well with gnocchi?

Here are some delicious sauce suggestions:
Lemon butter sauce
Marinara sauce
Meat sauce.
Pesto sauce
Avocado pasta sauce.

What to eat with potato gnocchi?

I love serving this gnocchi with the sauces mentioned above along with some meatballs like homemade meatballs or turkey meatballs.
It’s also great with a delicious salad, or roasted vegetables.

Is it better to pan fry or boil gnocchi?

The answer is both! Boil the gnocchi to ensure it’s cooked all the way through, then pan fry it in oil or butter for a delicious crispy outside.

overhead view of a piece of potato gnocchi in sauce

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Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe

Laura
This homemade potato gnocchi recipe is made with 5 ingredients and tastes significantly more delicious than store bought varieties! Follow our step-by-step instructions and watch the video to learn how to make gnocchi!
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 

Cook the Potatoes

  • 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.

Make the Dough

  • Once potatoes are cooled, remove the peel peel and place them in a food processor fitted with the โ€œSโ€ blade.
  • Add egg, salt and cheese and process until the mixture is uniform and forms a ball.
  • Add 1 ยฝ cups flour and process until combined (If needed, add up toยผ cup of additional flour until the dough forms a tacky ball.)
  • Turn dough onto a well-floured surface, and use the remaining ยผ 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.

Form the Gnocchi

  • Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll into thin ropes (about ยฝ inch thick).
  • Cut each rope at 1โ€ 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.

Boil 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 Tablespoons of cooking oil/butter to a large sautรฉ pan. Melt/warm over medium heat. Add ยฝ 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.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitution Notes
  • Potatoes.ย Any variety of potato works well in this recipe, even sweet potatoes. My favorites are Yukon Gold, russet and red potatoes.
  • Flour.ย you can substitute up to half of the flour with white whole wheat flour. Or, use all-purpose gluten-free flour to make it gluten-free.
  • Parmesan cheese. cheddar cheese is a good substitute
Serve
Serve with your favorite pasta sauce like marinara sauce, meat sauce, basil pesto, etc.ย 
Store
Store leftover cooked gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze
As mentioned above, I suggest freezing uncooked gnocchi in a single layer in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Then, you cook potato gnocchi from frozen. Just bring a pot of water to a boil and add the frozen gnocchi. Cook until the noodles float to the top of the water then follow the recipe.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces | 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.

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16 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this recipe specially for my husband with gluten free flour and the result was great! I was able to freeze a bunch and have it at hand for a tasty and quick meal! Thanks!

    1. Thank you Tais! I’m so glad to know that Gluten-Free flour worked well! Homemade gnocchi is my all-time favorite pasta!

    2. You just can’t beat homemade gnocchi! Thank you for letting me know that GF flour worked well too!!!

  2. Do you think you could leave the skin on the potatoes without compromising the final product too much?

    1. Hmm…I wouldn’t recommend it. If you want to leave them on, maybe toss the potatoes in a high-powered blender or food processor so you don’t have large chunks of skin in the dough? I always peel mine though! If you try it let me know how it goes!

    1. Hey Rebecca! I have never left the dough sitting for more than 60 minutes before shaping it into gnocchi! But I imagine it could be left longer!

  3. Gnocchi is the BEST! It’s such a fun food to make with kids too— I made it with my nanny family kiddos last summer and they had a BLAST! Can’t wait to try your recipe ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. I had no idea the ingredients were so simple in Gnocchi! Definitely bookmarking this to hopefully make it sooner than later.