Gluten Free Gnocchi

I absolutely love gluten free gnocchi and I’ve been wanting to get a recipe on here for homemade gluten free gnocchi for some time.

Made from potato, eggs and flour, gnocchi is a small potato dumpling which is just delicious with any kind of sauce.

Making your own gluten free gnocchi is actually surprisingly easy and a really fun project.

If you want something you can become absorbed in – with a delicious meal at the end – then this easy potato gnocchi recipe is for you.

I love gnocchi with a really simple sauce, something like a spicy arrabbiata, or a creamy lemon and garlic sauce.

It’s super quick to cook once made and you can store it in the fridge or freezer ready for when you’re in need of a tasty midweek meal.

What is gluten free gnocchi made from?

So how do you make gnocchi gluten free?

To make this easy gluten free potato gnocchi you only need three ingredients: potatoes, gluten free flour, and egg yolks.

Yep, it’s really that simple!

What are the best potatoes for gnocchi?

I tend to use floury potatoes like King Edward or Maris Pipers, as they give a much nicer consistency.

If you use anything too waxy it might not create the right texture.

You want something that mashes up nicely and doesn’t get to wet and sticky.

Which flour do you use for gluten free gnocchi?

You’ll need a plain gluten free flour (or all purpose gluten free flour) such as FREEE or a supermarket own mix.

Any plain gluten free flour blend will work well.

The flour blend I use is usually a mixture of rice and potato flour.

You can also use rice or potato flour for dusting if you prefer, but I just use more of the plain gluten free flour blend.

What else do you need?

And finally you’ll need two egg yolks – don’t throw away the whites as you can use them to make some meringues or an omelette!

I also add some salt and pepper to season these little potato dumplings, though of course you’ll be smothering them in sauce or butter anyway!

Some people season their gnocchi with nutmeg but I like to keep them plain so they go with everything.

How to make gluten free gnocchi

There’s a full printable recipe card below, but here’s a step-by-step photo guide too.

Firstly, to make this gnocchi you need to bake the potatoes.

I find this creates a much nicer consistency than boiling, as they don’t get too wet and slushy.

Once baked, cut them in half and when cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and mash it.

You can either use a potato masher or a potato ricer to mash the potatoes so they’re nice and smooth.

A ricer will create a really fine consistency but you can also use a food processor or push the potato through a sieve if you want to.

I found a combination of a potato masher and a hand blender worked just as well.

Once the potato is mashed, leave it to cool and then add your egg yolks, beating it all together with a wooden spoon.

Don’t throw away those egg whites through as they’re great for meringues.

You can use them in my Cheesecake Eton Mess or Bonfire Night Pavlova recipes!

Once mixed, sieve your flour in (to avoid any lumps) and then bring the whole thing together into a dough, like this:

Once the dough has started to come together, turn it out onto the work surface and knead.

It should come into a smooth dough, and then you’re ready to make your gnocchi shapes.

Creating your gnocchi

Take your ball of dough and divide it into four equal pieces – I find it easiest to quarter it using a dough scraper or knife.

With the first quarter, roll it out using your hands into a long, inch-wide sausage shape, like this:

Next, take a sharp knife and cut the sausage into inch-long pieces.

You can, if you want to, leave the gnocchi like this if you don’t want to create the traditional ribbed approach.

However, if you want to create this cool look, take a piece of gnocchi and gently press a dimple into the centre with your thumb.

Then, gently roll the dough over the back of a fork so that it slightly curls in on itself and has ridges across it.

It’s quite hard to explain this in writing so I’ve made a short video clip to show you how to shape the gnocchi here:

You can also use a gnocchi board for this but if you don’t have one, a fork works just as well.

Once your gnocchi is made, you simply have to either store it or cook it!

I like to swirl mine with fresh basil pesto or a simple, spicy tomato sauce.

It’s also amazing if you melt some butter in a pan, fry sage leaves until crispy and then pour it all over the freshly-cooked gnocchi.

Whatever you choose, making your own gnocchi will absolutely take your dinner up a notch!

How to cook gluten free gnocchi

There are actually several ways you can cook gluten free gnocchi once you get to this stage.

The most common way to cook gnocchi is to boil it – but it only needs a couple of minutes.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, then once bubbling add the gnocchi.

Pop a lid on to return it to the boil and wait until the gnocchi floats to the top – this should only take 2-3 minutes.

As soon as it’s done remove it – if you overcook it, you’ll end up with sludge.

You can also pan fry gnocchi if you like, so it goes crispier around the edges.

If you’re making a gnocchi bake you can bake the gnocchi in the sauce.

I’ve even recently seen people air-frying it to create crispy little gnocchi dippers!

However you choose to cook your gnocchi, I have a couple of recipes to inspire you including my 10-Minute Gnocchi with Spinach and Bacon.

Or for something more indulgent, check out my Blue Cheese and Mushroom Gnocchi Bake.

Can you freeze gluten free gnocchi?

The best thing about making your own gnocchi is that you can make a big batch and then freeze it.

I tend to lay my gnocchi out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, so they’re not touching, then freeze them like that.

As soon as they’re frozen you can transfer them to a tub or bag – this just stops them freezing in one big solid lump!

Then, when you want to cook your gnocchi, simply defrost and cook as normal from chilled.

My gluten free gnocchi recipe

Here’s my gluten free gnocchi recipe, which makes enough for four people.

This is a super fun kitchen project and something I think kids would really enjoy making and eating too!

It’s also dairy free as well as gluten free.

If you make this recipe and love it, please do let me know by tagging me on my Instagram or using #theglutenfreeblogger. I love seeing your bakes!

And please do leave a review to let others know you loved it too! It would mean the world to me. 

NEED SOME MORE GLUTEN FREE recipe INSPIRATION?

Want to have a go at some of the other gluten free recipes on the blog?

If you’ve enjoyed making these gluten free gnocchi dumplings, check out some of my other step-by-step gluten free baking tutorials:

• Gluten free shortcrust pastry
• Gluten free puff pastry
• Easy gluten free bread

And if you want some more inspiration for your gluten free dinner, check out these recipes.

There’s a combination of gnocchi and pasta dishes – but all of the pasta could be substituted for this gnocchi instead!

• Gluten Free Arrabbiata
• Sausage meat pasta
• Gnocchi bake with blue cheese and mushroom

If you do make this recipe please let me know! I’d love to see your photos using #theglutenfreeblogger, share them in my Facebook group or tag me on Instagram. 

And if you have any recipe suggestions, please let me know in the comments what you’d like to see next!

Oh – and don’t forget to sign up for my e-newsletter where you’ll know about all my latest posts and competitions first!

LIKE THIS Gluten Free Gnocchi RECIPE?

Make sure you pin these recipe cards below for later! 

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