Vegan Potato Gnocchi

Easy vegan potato gnocchi, a delicious and hearty pasta or dumpling with just two ingredients. If you have tasted this traditional Italian dish only in restaurants, you can make it at home easily too. Here is how to make tasty vegan potato gnocchi with a hint of vegetables!

Gnocchi is the plural term for gnocco which means a dumpling. It is widely made with potatoes, but also with corn meal, wheat flour etc.

We love pasta at home and this is our favorite along with white sauce pasta, penne arrabiatta, veg cheese pasta and other pasta recipes. Though gnocchi is technically not pasta, it does feel like one.

For making authentic gnocchi you will need just three ingredients. Plain flour, potatoes and eggs. Here I am sharing the recipe of vegan gnocchi with just potatoes and flour.

Adding eggs makes working with dough easier and without them the dough will be very delicate. While the recipe is fairly simple you will need to get the knack of making perfect shaped dumplings. I have made this recipe many times still I am working on the shape but the taste is just delicious.

I first tasted gnocchi while loving in Bangalore. It was from a very authentic Italian restaurant and it was so good. Super soft and fluffy dumplings tossed in a very flavorful sauce and served hot, delicious!

Then I got the recipe from a cooking show and tried out. Unlike restaurants I always serve these dumplings with a hint of veggies sauteed in butter. My way of sneaking in veggies in all recipes possible 🙂

This Potato Gnocchi Is

Vegan, made with just potatoes & plain flour

Fluffy, soft and delicious

Simple recipe that can be mastered quickly

Kids friendly, delicately flavored.

 

Even though the recipe is fairly simple, the are some knacks to make perfect gnocchi. While I am still learning there few pointers I find helpful to make this recipe.

Quality of potatoes: 

We need very smooth and fluffy boiled and mashed potatoes for making gnocchi. Use starchy potatoes like russets that mash up well. Once boiled peel and mash the potatoes while they are still hot. Using a masher or back of a big ladle mash until very soft and smooth.

Ratio of flour to potatoes:

I usually add 1 cup flour for 1 cup mashed potatoes. That is 250 grams mashed potatoes for 120 grams plain flour. The dough has be smooth, soft and very slightly sticky. If you add more flour the gnocchi will turn hard on boiling. On the other hand if mashed potatoes are more the dumplings will disintegrate while boiling.

Kneading the dough:

The consistency of dough is the key for making perfect dumplings. Incorporate flour slowly little by little into the mashed potatoes and knead. You can 2 teaspoons almond milk but I didn’t use it. Just keep knead until you get a smooth and soft dough.

Shaping and boiling the gnocchi:

Once the dough is ready you gotta shape the gnocchi. If you see the photos here, my gnocchi are not in traditional shape. I find the process of diving the dough, rolling into snakes and cutting small pieces very tedious. So i just pinch small balls and shape them as in dal dhokli. You can use fork to make the signature gnocchi mark but that is optional.

Once you get the hang of the dough consistency these will turn out good. Even though it takes some time and practice, these dumplings are absolutely worth it.

You should at least taste it once to know how delicious they are and you will love it!

How To Make Vegan Potato Gnocchi

1. Rinse, scrub and pressure 2 large or 3 medium potatoes until completely cooked.

2. While still hot, peel and mash them very smoothly. Measure out 1 cup mashed potatoes.

3. Combine 1 cup flour to the mashed potatoes and mix slowly.

4. Knead well and make a very soft and smooth dough.

5. Pinch small balls and make a slightly elongated dumpling.

6. Spread the shaped dumplings in a single layer on a wide plate. At this stage you can let the dumplings dry a bit and store or proceed to boil them.

7. To boil the gnocchi bring a large pot of water to boil Add required salt and few drops of oil. Mix well.

8. Slide the prepared dumplings.

9. cook in medium flame.

10. Cook until the dumplings swell and start to float. This will take around 5-7 minutes.

11. Drain and serve with desired sauce.

To make and serve veg gnocchi

1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a pan and let it brown a bit.

2. Add 1/2 cup boiled corn and 1/2 cup chopped peppers. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add prepared dumplings and mix well.

4. Season with salt, pepper powder, chili flakes and dried Italian herbs.

5. Mix and serve immediately.

How To Store Uncooked Gnocchi?

After shaping the dumplings you can either cook them immediately or store for later use. To store them here are the instructions.

Shape the dumplings as mentioned in steps 1-6. Spread the shaped dumplings in a single layer on a big plate. Sprinkle some flour all over them. Fan dry for 15 minutes. Transfer to container and refrigerate. Keeps well for a week in refrigerator and a month in freezer.

At the time of serving just reheat it a bit by sauteing in some butter for few minutes.

How To Serve Gnocchi?

Apart from serving with butter sauteed veggies as mentioned above you can serve these dumplings with some marinara sauce, roasted tomato sauce.

Also you can serve with slightly sauteed greens like arugula, spinach.

Other options are mushrooms, onions, cherry tomatoes etc.

I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy as much as we did. Please give a star rating ★ in the recipe card below. Follow us on Pinterest , Instagram, Facebook   for more recipes and ideas.

Vegan Potato Gnocchi Recipe