Potato Gnocchi Recipe
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Potato gnocchi has a reputation as fussy restaurant food, and that reputation sends most people straight to the vacuum-packed kind. Making it from scratch is far simpler than it looks, and the reward is a soft, pillowy dumpling the packet version never quite matches.
The whole thing comes down to one judgment call: how little flour you can get away with. After making these enough times, I stop adding flour the moment the dough holds together, because every extra spoonful trades away the lightness that makes potato gnocchi worth the effort.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, pillowy gnocchi you can’t get from the vacuum-packed kind.
- Basic ingredients do all the work: potatoes, flour, an egg, and a pinch of salt.
- The browned butter and basil sauce comes together in the few minutes the gnocchi take to boil.
- They freeze well raw, so you can shape a batch now and cook them another night.
- It’s a filling vegetarian main that doesn’t lean on a meat substitute to feel complete.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
- Potatoes. Use starchy potatoes like russet or Idaho for 2 pounds of dry, fluffy mash. They hold less water than waxy potatoes, which keeps the flour and the finished gnocchi light.
- All-purpose flour. The 2⅓ cups is a starting point, not a fixed amount. Add it gradually and use only as much as you need to bring the dough together, because too much is what makes gnocchi heavy.
- Egg. One egg binds the dough and makes it easier to handle, though there’s an egg-free version below if you’d rather skip it.
- Parmesan. Half a cup, grated, for the salty finish. Most traditional parmesan is made with animal rennet, so pick one labeled suitable for vegetarians, or use a vegetarian hard cheese in its place.
- Butter and olive oil. The butter browns into the sauce, and the splash of oil gives you a wider window to brown it before it catches and burns.
- Basil. Fresh basil leaves, crisped in the butter, are the whole aromatic here, so use fresh rather than dried if you can.
How to Make Gnocchi at Home
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How to Make Potato Gnocchi
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Boil and Mash the Potatoes
Rinse 2 pounds of potatoes and leave the skins on, then boil them whole for 25 to 30 minutes, until a fork slides in easily.
Drain them, peel while they’re still warm, and pass them through a ricer or mash with a fork. Do this while they’re still warm, since warm potatoes go far smoother than cooled ones.
Mix the Dough
Let the mashed potato cool slightly, then tip it into a large bowl with all-purpose flour, one lightly beaten egg, and a pinch of fine salt. Bring it together gently into a soft, firm dough, adding the flour a little at a time rather than all at once.
Stop as soon as it holds together into a slightly tacky ball, rather than working it smooth the way you would bread dough.
Shape and Ridge the Gnocchi
Divide the dough into eight portions and keep the ones you’re not working on covered so they don’t dry out.
Roll each portion into a rope about as thick as your thumb, then cut it into pieces roughly 2 cm long. Roll each piece over the back of a fork to press in the ridges that catch the sauce.
Rest Before Cooking
Lay the gnocchi on a floured tray and let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes. If you left the egg out, give them an extra 20 to 30 minutes, since they need a little longer to firm up without it.
Boil the Gnocchi
Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil and add the gnocchi, stirring once so they don’t stick. They’re ready about 25 seconds after they float to the top, which takes 2 to 3 minutes, and it’s worth lifting them out with a slotted spoon rather than draining, so they don’t break.
If you like more hands-on cooking, my crispy potato croquettes scratch the same itch for a different night.
Brown the Butter and Finish
Heat butter with olive oil in a pan over medium heat, add the basil leaves, and cook until the basil crisps and the butter turns a shade darker.
Toss the drained gnocchi through the butter, then finish with grated parmesan and freshly ground pepper. Add the gnocchi straight from the pot while they’re hot, so they soak up the butter.
Recipe Notes and Expert Tips
- Keep the skins on while boiling. Whole, unpeeled potatoes take on less water in the pot, and less water means less flour and lighter gnocchi. Peel them once they’re cool enough to handle.
- Don’t overwork the dough. Mix just until it comes together. Kneading it like bread develops the gluten and turns the gnocchi chewy instead of tender.
- Boil gently and don’t crowd the pot. A rolling boil knocks the gnocchi about and makes them harder to fish out at the right moment. Work in batches if the pot’s getting full.
- Save the shaping for a slower day. These take time, so I make them when I’m not rushed; for a fast midweek plate I’ll make our Boursin cheese pasta instead and keep the gnocchi for a night I can slow down.
Recipe Variations
- Leave the egg out. The dough still comes together without it, it just wants a longer rest on the tray to firm up, about twenty to thirty minutes more. I’ve tested it without the egg plenty of times, and the texture holds.
- Browned butter and basil is the classic finish, but the gnocchi are just as happy under a ladle of homemade marinara sauce or a spoonful of fresh basil pesto. Both sit well on these dumplings without changing how you make them, a well-supported swap either way.
- Letting the boiled gnocchi sit in the hot butter a minute or two longer browns and crisps their outsides. That extra browning hasn’t been tested here, so keep an eye on them and pull them before the butter burns.
How to Store Leftovers
Gnocchi freeze well before they’re cooked, which makes them a good make-ahead. Freeze the shaped gnocchi on a floured tray until they’re solid, then move them to a bag and cook them straight from frozen. Cooking them from frozen adds a minute or so in the water, and there’s no need to thaw them first.
Cooked gnocchi are a different matter, and they keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. Get them into the fridge within two hours of cooking, keep the fridge at 40°F (4°C) or below, and reheat them gently in a little butter or sauce so they don’t dry out.
Freeze the raw ones and refrigerate the cooked ones, and don’t leave either sitting out on the counter to cool for long.
What to Serve With Potato Gnocchi
Browned butter gnocchi is rich, so I like something sharp and green alongside it. A crisp salad does the job, and our spicy Korean cucumber salad is the one I make most often, since the chili and vinegar cut straight through the butter.
A simple green salad or a plate of roasted vegetables works just as well, and a little extra parmesan and pepper at the table never goes amiss. This is the kind of gnocchi meal that stands on its own as a vegetarian main, without anything else needing to sit at the center of the plate.
FAQs
Almost always it’s too much flour, or dough that got overworked. Add the flour gradually and stop as soon as the dough holds, and handle it gently rather than kneading it like bread. Wet potatoes make it worse, so boil them with the skins on and rice them while they’re warm.
Yes. The egg helps bind the dough, but you can leave it out; just rest the shaped gnocchi an extra twenty to thirty minutes so they firm up before they go into the water.
A potato ricer gives the smoothest, lightest result, and it’s the tool I’d pick first. A fork works if you don’t have one, but mash thoroughly, since lumps turn into dense spots once the dough comes together.
Freeze them raw, before boiling, never after cooking. There’s no need to thaw them either; drop them into the boiling water straight from the freezer and give them an extra minute to come up.
More Potato Recipes to Try
If you’ve got potatoes to use up, here are a few more I come back to.
- Crispy smashed potatoes. These are what I make when I want maximum crisp edges with almost no shaping involved.
- Easy Hasselback potatoes. The ones for a dinner that should look a little special without much extra effort.
- Southern mashed potatoes. My pick when I want something soft and rich to sit next to a bigger spread.
- Easy potato casserole. What I make to feed a crowd, since it scales up without any fuss.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes
- 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 egg medium
- 1 pinch fine salt
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- Basil leaves
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Video
Instructions
- Rinse the potatoes thoroughly and leave the skins on. Boil them in a large pot of water for about 25-30 minutes, until they are fork-tender. Drain, peel while still warm, and mash using a ricer or fork.2 pounds potatoes
- Allow the mashed potatoes to cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine them with flour, a lightly beaten egg, and a pinch of salt. Knead gently until a soft, firm dough forms, being careful not to overwork it.2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 1 egg medium, 1 pinch fine salt
- Divide the dough into eight portions, keeping the rest covered to prevent drying. Roll each portion into a rope about the thickness of a thumb, then cut into 2 cm pieces. To create ridges, roll each piece over the back of a fork.
- Arrange the gnocchi on a floured tray and let them rest for 20-30 minutes. If no egg was used, extend the resting time by an additional 20-30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi, stir gently, and cook for 2-3 minutes until they float. Let them cook for another 25 seconds before removing them with a slotted spoon.
- In a pan, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add basil leaves and cook until crisp, allowing the butter to brown slightly.¼ cup butter, 1 tablespoon olive oil, Basil leaves
- Toss the gnocchi in the sauce, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper before serving.½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly ground pepper
Notes
Nutrition
