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Potato Gnocchi made from scratch are little pillowy potato dumplings that taste a hundred times better than anything from a package, and they are honestly so much easier than you think. I made my first batch on a rainy Sunday afternoon with the girls dusting flour everywhere, and now it is our favorite cozy project to make together. Toss them with our easy homemade marinara sauce and dinner is pure comfort.
With just four simple ingredients and a little rolling, you can have tender homemade gnocchi on the table that will make everyone think you trained in Italy.
Potato Gnocchi Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 35 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 381kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light, pillowy, and mild, the perfect tender base for any sauce
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, about as hands on as our cheesy broccoli gnocchi bake
Quick Answer
To make homemade potato gnocchi, bake russet potatoes until very tender, then peel and press them through a ricer. Mix the warm riced potatoes with flour, salt, and an egg just until a soft dough forms. Roll the dough into ropes, cut into bite-sized pieces, and shape the ridges on a gnocchi board or fork. Boil the gnocchi in salted water for 1 to 2 minutes until they float, then toss with your favorite sauce.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Baking the potatoes keeps the dough dry. Baking instead of boiling means the potatoes never soak up water, so you need less flour and the gnocchi stay light and tender.
- A potato ricer is the secret to fluffy gnocchi. Ricing the warm potatoes creates a fine, lump-free texture that no masher can match, which keeps the dough pillowy.
- Just four ingredients let the potato shine. Potatoes, flour, egg, and salt are all you need, so the flavor is pure and comforting without anything getting in the way.
- A gentle hand prevents tough gnocchi. Mixing and folding the dough just until it comes together stops the gluten from overdeveloping, which is what keeps them soft.
- They cook in about two minutes. Fresh gnocchi float to the top of the boiling water the second they are done, so dinner comes together fast.
- They freeze beautifully. Make a big batch and freeze them raw, so a homemade Italian dinner is always just a quick boil away.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are unbelievably light and pillowy, soft little potato dumplings that practically melt in your mouth.
- They use just four pantry ingredients and pair with any sauce, from our marinara to a quick brown butter and sage.
- They are a fun, hands-on recipe the whole family can help shape, and they freeze perfectly for an easy dinner later.
Key Ingredients
You only need four simple ingredients to make the most tender homemade potato gnocchi. Here is what each one does.
- Russet potatoes: Starchy russets are the best choice because their dry, fluffy flesh makes light gnocchi that hold their shape.
- Flour: A light hand with flour binds the dough just enough. Italian 00 flour gives the silkiest texture, but all purpose works great too.
- Egg: One egg adds richness and helps hold the delicate dough together so the gnocchi do not fall apart in the water.
- Salt: A little salt in the dough seasons the gnocchi from the inside out for the best flavor.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These homemade gnocchi are a blank canvas, so have fun making them your own:
- Make them gluten free: Swap in a one-to-one gluten free flour blend, adding it slowly until the dough just comes together.
- Add flavor to the dough: Work in a little grated parmesan, lemon zest, or chopped spinach for a fun twist, like the cheese in our broccoli gnocchi bake.
- Crisp them up: After boiling, pan fry the gnocchi in a little butter or olive oil until golden and crisp on the edges.
- Change the sauce: Toss them in our marinara, a creamy alfredo, or a rich beef short rib ragu.
How to Make Potato Gnocchi
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Poke the russet potatoes all over with a fork and bake them directly on the rack for about 1 hour, until very tender. Let them cool slightly, peel, then press the warm potatoes through a potato ricer into a bowl.
- Let the riced potatoes cool for a few minutes, then add the flour, salt, and egg. Mix gently with a fork just until the ingredients come together into a soft, shaggy dough.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Use a bench scraper to fold and press the dough together just until it forms a cohesive mass, being careful not to over knead so it stays light and pillowy.
- Divide the dough in half and roll each portion into a long rope about 3/4 inch thick. Cut the ropes into bite-sized pieces with a bench scraper or a knife.
- Roll each piece down a gnocchi board, or the back of a fork, with your thumb to create the classic ridges. Dust the shaped gnocchi lightly with flour so they do not stick together.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the gnocchi in small batches until they float, about 1 to 2 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and toss with your favorite sauce.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Bake, do not boil, the potatoes, so they stay dry and you can use less flour for lighter gnocchi.
- Rice the potatoes while warm, which gives the smoothest, fluffiest texture for the dough.
- Use a light touch with the flour, adding just enough to bring the dough together, since too much makes the gnocchi dense.
- Do not over knead, fold the dough just until cohesive to keep the gnocchi soft and pillowy.
- Test one first, boil a single gnocchi to check it holds together before cooking the whole batch.
- Freeze them raw, on a floured tray until solid, then bag them up and boil straight from frozen.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These tender potato gnocchi are incredible tossed in our easy homemade marinara sauce with a shower of parmesan, or in a rich beef short rib ragu for a special Sunday dinner. A simple brown butter and crisp sage is another classic that lets the gnocchi shine.
Round out an Italian feast by serving them alongside a batch of our baked homemade meatballs and a bowl of Italian wedding soup to start. A crisp green salad and warm bread are all you need to finish the table.
For a lighter meal, toss the boiled gnocchi with a little olive oil, garlic, and fresh vegetables, or pan fry them until golden and crisp for a fun new texture. However you serve them, homemade gnocchi turn an ordinary night into something special.
Potato Gnocchi FAQs
Starchy russet potatoes are the best choice for potato gnocchi. Their dry, fluffy flesh means the dough needs less flour, which keeps the gnocchi light and tender. Yukon golds can work in a pinch, but waxy potatoes hold too much moisture and make the dough gummy.
Tough or gummy gnocchi almost always come from too much flour or over kneading the dough. Add just enough flour to bring the dough together, and fold it gently only until it is cohesive. Boiling the potatoes instead of baking them can also add extra moisture that forces you to use more flour.
Yes. You can shape the gnocchi a few hours ahead and keep them on a floured tray in the fridge, or freeze them for longer storage. Freeze them in a single layer on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag. Boil them straight from frozen, adding an extra minute to the cook time.
Fresh potato gnocchi are done the moment they float to the top of the boiling water, which usually takes just 1 to 2 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon right away, as overcooking can make them mushy. Work in small batches so they cook evenly.
No, a gnocchi board is helpful but not required. The ridges it creates help sauce cling to the gnocchi, but you can get the same effect by rolling each piece down the back of a fork. You can even leave them as smooth little pillows if you prefer.
Potato gnocchi are wonderful with almost any sauce. Classic pairings include homemade marinara, a creamy alfredo, brown butter and sage, or a hearty meat ragu. Their soft, mild flavor makes them the perfect base for whatever sauce you love most.
Craving more cozy Italian dinners? Try our bucatini all amatriciana and spaghetti aglio e olio next.
Toss our pillowy potato gnocchi with a few spoonfuls of this fresh basil pesto sauce.
Start an Italian dinner with our vegetable tortellini soup, then serve homemade gnocchi as the main.
Toss them in our deeply flavored roasted tomato sauce for a garden fresh dinner.
Homemade Potato Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 pound russet potatoes about 2 medium
- ¾ cup ’00’ flour plus more for dusting
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Bake the Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Rinse the russet potatoes with water and pat dry with a paper towel.1 pound russet potatoes
- Poke several holes in each potato with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking.
- Place directly on the oven rack and bake for 1 hour, until very tender.
- Let them cool for 5-10 minutes, until they are warm but easy to handle.
- To peel the potatoes, wrap in a clean kitchen towel for a better grip. The warmth will help loosen the skin, making it easier to remove. Alternatively, gently squeeze the potato with your fingers. Start peeling from one end, pulling the skin away as it separates from the flesh.
Make the Fluffy Gnocchi
- Cut potatoes in half and press through a potato ricer.
- Allow them to cool a few minutes before mixing in the flour.
- Add the flour, salt, and egg to the bowl with the riced potatoes.¾ cup ’00’ flour, 1 large egg, ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix gently with a fork until the ingredients just come together.
- Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Use a bench scraper to fold and press the dough together until it forms a cohesive mass. Be careful not to over-knead. The goal is to keep the dough light and pillowy.
- Divide the dough into two portions. Roll each portion into long ropes about ¾ inch thick.
- Cut the ropes into bite-sized pieces using a bench scraper or a knife.
- To shape the potato gnocchi, use a gnocchi board to create ridges by rolling each piece down the board with your thumb. If you don’t have a gnocchi board, you can use the tines of a fork in the same way.
- After shaping, dust the fluffy gnocchi lightly with flour to prevent them from sticking together.
Finish and Serve
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Cook homemade potato gnocchi in small batches until they float, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove with a slotted spoon, use as desired.
Notes
- Weigh your flour: If you can, use a kitchen scale. Too much flour leads to dense gnocchi dough. Start small and add more if needed for the right consistency.
- Keep the potatoes hot: Ricing or mashing them while hot allows steam to escape, reducing moisture and leading to fluffier dough.
- Handle the dough lightly: Overworking the dough can make it sticky and tough. Fold it together, but don’t knead a bunch.
- Cook small batches: When boiling, do a couple of minutes for each batch. They’re done when they float. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out gently.
- Taste-test one: If the first time you drop a piece in the water it falls apart, add a touch more flour. That’s your sign you didn’t add enough flour.
- Serve immediately: Homemade potato gnocchi is best eaten fresh; let them hang out too long and they can get gummy. So toss them with sauce ASAP, or freeze them for future use.
Nutrition
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