Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Posted Sep 19, 2016, Updated Oct 09, 2022
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Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe! Made with only 6 ingredients this delicious homemade pasta is gluten-free, grain-free & dairy-free. It’s boiled then browned in olive oil for an extra special, rich flavor and perfect texture.
Clearly, fall has arrived here at JoyFoodSunshine! This Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe is a meal that everyone in my family absolutely adores. From my sweet Naomi all the way to my meat-and-potatoes husband, no one even notices the fact that there is no meat involved when I bring this gnocchi to the table.
I have made many varieties of gnocchi over the years. However, this paleo version has me so giddy I can’t wait to share it with you.
It only takes 6 ingredients to make this delicious and nutritious Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi, however there are a number of (easy) steps involved in the gnocchi-making process, so I thought we’d walk through it together.
Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi: Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are a few notes about this recipe!
- Sweet potatoes. regular potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, and even butternut squash can be substituted for the sweet potatoes in this recipe.
- Almond flour. I don’t recommend messing with the flours, however I imagine all-purpose gluten-free flour would work in place of both the almond & tapioca flours, however I’m guessing you would need less than four cups.
- Tapioca flour. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch can be used in place of tapioca flour/starch.
How to make Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Step 1: Make the Dough
Start by baking and mashing the sweet potatoes. Add the egg and dry ingredients and mix until a dough is formed. This dough will be different than the traditional gnocchi dough, as it is a bit tacky and sticky. Do not be worried if the dough is sticky, that is totally normal!
However, the stickiness makes it a tad messy to work with. So, you will need extra tapioca flour to roll out your gnocchi. Coat your work surface and your hands with flour as you form the gnocchi.
Step 2. Make the Gnocchi (No Rolling)!
Due to the sticky nature of this dough, we will not be rolling it out into logs. Instead simply take about 2 tsp of dough at a time and it roll it into balls with your hands. (I personally do this anyway even with regular gnocchi dough, because I like round gnocchi and it saves me a step).
Once the gnocchi is rolled, use a fork (dipping it in more tapioca flour), to make the cute little ridges on the gnocchi.
Step 3. Let it rest.
Let the gnocchi sit for at least 20 minutes and for up to 6 hours (if you want to make it ahead of time). This gives the Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi to become firmer.
How to Freeze Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi
At this point the gnocchi can be frozen. Simply flour a large baking sheet and evenly space the gnocchi on it, then toss it in the freezer. Once the gnocchi is frozen, remove it from the baking sheet and place it in an airtight, freezer-friendly container.
Cooking Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi Frozen
To cook frozen gnocchi simply follow the same steps below for boiling and browning. Just be aware that putting frozen gnocchi into a pot of boiling water will cause the temperature to drop (and therefore cause the water to stop boiling). It will take longer to cook the gnocchi from frozen, but not much (maybe 5-6 minutes instead of 2-4).
Step 4. Boil
Next, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook until the gnocchi floats to the top. I use a slotted/skimmer spoon like this one to remove the floating gnocchi from the boiling water and transfer them to a strainer. The Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi will cook very fast because it is so fresh, expect it to take only 2-4 minutes to float to the top.
Be sure to stir the gnocchi in the boiling water so it doesn’t stick together or to the bottom of the pan.
Step 5: Brown!
Next comes the most important of all the steps….crisping the gnocchi! Sure, you can eat it without sautéing it in some delicious olive oil or butter (or a mixture), but why on earth would you do that when the crispy outside and chewy inside takes this Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe up 1,000,000 notches (not that I’m exaggerating).
Heat your oil, butter or ghee (I use half butter half olive oil) over medium heat and add one layer of gnocchi to your pan. Stir to coat with oil and cook on one side until it’s golden brown (about 10 minutes). Flip and cook on the other side.
Step 6: Serve the Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Serve this Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi with some roasted veggies (below are parmesan roasted red and green peppers, YUM) and your favorite pasta sauce. This dish truly is the perfect meatless Monday meal option that even non-veggie folks will enjoy!
Serving Size for Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi
This recipe feeds my family of 5 (and my baby can EAT) perfectly. I remember the days when I could freeze half the batch and save it for later….not so anymore. But if you aren’t cooking for a small army of little people and one giant person, this gnocchi freezes beautifully (as mentioned above).
Recipe FAQs
Yes! The sweet potato is filled with many good vitamins for your body.
Gnocchi should be soft, not chewy or hard.
If you have added the egg, it might have been over-incorporated. Try using a sifter to deliver the flour gradually.
2-4 minutes until it floats to the top.
More Delicious Recipes
- Try Cheesy Sausage Gnocchi & Homemade Potato Gnocchi recipes.
- Yum! We love this Pasta Primavera Recipe.
- This is a group soup to try Chicken Noodle Soup especially in the winter.
- We adore this Spaghetti Squash Mac and Cheese.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Paleo Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet potato cooked and mashed
- 2 cups almond flour
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 1 large egg slightly beaten
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 4 TBS olive oil butter or ghee (divided)
Instructions
To cook sweet potato:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Pierce two medium/large sweet potatoes all over with a fork.
- Wrap potatoes separately in aluminum foil.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 60-90 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Potatoes are done when they are soft to the touch.
- Remove from oven, open aluminum foil and let potatoes cool completely.
Making the Gnocchi:
- Put 2 cups of mashed sweet potato into a large mixing bowl.
- Add egg and beat well.
- In a separate, smaller bowl mix together tapioca flour, almond flour and salt.
- Add dry ingredients to sweet potato/egg mixture and mix until combined. Your dough will still be slightly tacky.
- Spread large work surface with extra tapioca flour. Roll dough into a ball and let sit in the flour for about 20-30 minutes.
- Coat your hands in tapioca flour and roll dough into balls (I use about 2 tsp dough for each gnocchi, but it is up to you to determine how large or small you want them to be)!
- Set rolled balls on floured surface and continue until you use all your dough.
- Dip a small fork in tapioca flour and lightly press on each gnocchi on one side to give it the “ridged” look!
- Set gnocchi aside for at least 20 minutes, but for up to 5 hours (if you’re making the dough ahead)
- ***At this step you can freeze the gnocchi! Simply put the uncooked gnocchi on a floured baking tray and pop them in the freezer for at least 3 hours. Remove from tray and put in a plastic bag.
- 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 2-3 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.
Crisping the Gnocchi:
- 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.
- Repeat with the rest of your gnocchi.
- Serve with your favorite sauce and some roasted veggies!
- ***To Cook frozen gnocchi:
- Do NOT thaw. Simply add gnocchi to boiling water and boil until it floats to the surface.
Notes
Ingredient Substitution
- Sweet potatoes. regular potatoes, purple sweet potatoes, and even butternut squash can be substituted for the sweet potatoes in this recipe.
- Almond flour. I don’t recommend messing with the flours, however I imagine all-purpose gluten-free flour would work in place of both the almond & tapioca flours, however I’m guessing you would need less than four cups.
- Tapioca flour. Cornstarch or arrowroot starch can be used in place of tapioca flour/starch.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
That’s all she wrote folks! This week is a busy one for us! We have family pictures tomorrow night (so grateful for our amazing photographer), and a few other things on the schedule that just add up!
Question: Have you ever made homemade gnocchi? What’s your favorite kind? What does your week look like this week?
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I made these tonight. They definitely are labour intensive. We found them a bit bland. What kind of sauce would you serve them with?