This Light and Fluffy Gnocchi- A Gluten Free Favorite recipe makes for a cloud-like, tender, light, and delicious homemade pasta. So good your nonna will be asking you for the recipe!

This Light and Fluffy Gnocchi- A Gluten Free Favorite recipe is definitely a keeper. I’ve tested it with our neighbors and humbly received a near standing ovation upon first bite. When they found out this gluten-free jaws dropped – it’s THAT good. I’ve made great gnocchi before, but there is one trick that sets this recipe apart. I’ll tell you about it in a bit.

Gnocchi, for those who haven’t had it, are in a way these amazing little Italian pasta dumplings! Generally consisting of riced potato, flour (gluten free, of course), salt, and egg, they are absolutely addicting. After a couple tries, I realized the secret to adding lightness to these airy potato clouds is… you guessed it: Ricotta Cheese! That was a little tip I picked up from Gordon Ramsay’s Gnocchi Recipe, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Why Don’t I just Buy Pre-Packaged Gnocchi?

Why would you make homemade gnocchi? It seems like a lot of work, right? Truth be told, it’s a process, but it’s really not all that time consuming. Plus, there is a lot of down time while the potatoes cook and the riced potatoes cool, which allows you to work on the sauce or take a quick nap (just kidding… who has time for naps?!). Anyhow, the best best part is, you can freeze these!

Go ahead, make a double batch.

This recipe makes approximately 98 individual gnocchi dumplings, which I would generally say is about six servings. If you’ve ever eaten the vac-packed store gnocchi, eating sixteen of those would feel like a lead brick in your stomach. They’re heavy, dense, and just not what gnocchi was ever intended to be. The sentiment that gnocchi is a “heavy” dish is quite understandable if that’s been your experience with this Italian favorite. I dare you to let this Light and Fluffy Gnocchi- A Gluten Free Favorite recipe change your mind.

My first unassuming test subjects for this recipe were some good friends of ours. I may not have told them they were gluten free, but they were flabbergasted at how amazing this gnocchi was. Estimating the serving portions for that dinner based on store-bought gnocchi, plus cooking a few extras for good measure, I was pretty sure we’d have some leftovers. Yeah, that judgement was dead wrong – every single dumpling was eaten and I debated cooking some more!

How To Make Light and Fluffy Gnocchi- A Gluten Free Favorite

As mentioned, making potato gnocchi, gluten free or not, is a bit of a process to make (but well worth it) and it’s quite easy.

The Steps

Cook the Potatoes–

You can either bake your potatoes at 425°F for approximately 80 minutes (or until tender) or boil your potatoes whole for approximately 45 minutes on a steady simmer. Both ways work and I’ve found little difference. Either way, leave the skins on. My wife once got yelled at by her Italian grandmother for peeling the potatoes before cooking – they end up absorbing too much water in the process.

Rice the Potatoes–

Let the potatoes cool just enough to handle, but still hot! If you let the potatoes cool too much, they become gummy. Slice the potato in half, scoop the halves out directly into a potato ricer and rice (press) the potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Continue until all the potatoes have been riced, then let them cool! FYI-Save the skins and read in tips and tricks how to make amazing crisps!

Mix The Dough–

Next, in either a large flat salad bowl or directly on your counter, mix the ingredients until your dough loses its stickiness and is manageable to roll.

Shape the Gnocchi–

Using approximately a cup of dough at a time, roll the dough into a long 3/4 inch in diameter “snake”. Using either a knife or pastry scraper cut the gnocchi into approximately 1 inch portions and lightly pinch to add some shape. Indent as you see fit, I have more info below.

Cook the Gnocchi–

Fill a large pot with water and salt deliberately. Once boiling, carefully submerge the dumplings in the water. Add slowly to avoid sticking together and that your pot isn’t too full. Once the gnocchis float to the top (in 2-4 min) they are done! Carefully scoop them out of the water and place them on a pan (if sautéing in butter) or a plate. Proceed to boiling the next batch until you have enough for everyone! Toss in and lightly heat back up with sauce of choice.

How to Indent Your Light and Fluffy Gnocchi

Gnocchi comes in a few different shapes. Choosing one depends on how motivated and creative you feel… The point of the indentations are to absorb the sauce your gnocchi will be cooked in. Here are a few different suggestions.

1. The Fingerprint Method, literally pinching the sides slightly while pushing down with another finger to create a divot. This is the most basic shape, but also the least likely to absorb extra sauce.
2. Fork and Roll Method is where you literally use the tines of a fork and slightly roll the gnocchi to make indentations. This method works pretty well, but it does take a little practice. I tend to get sloppy and my gnocchis aren’t every uniform using this method.
3. The Gnocchi Paddle Method is for all the kitchen gadget and gizmo folks. This is literally a plain of wood grooved specifically for rolling gnocchi. It’s a neat and ver basic idea, you can see it one here on Amazon. These allows for max sauce saturation.
4. The Stevens Taped Skewer Method which is rather brilliant! :). I placed approximately 7-8 bamboo bbq skewers flat on my counter, then taped them flush on both sides using painter’s tape. Essentially, it’s the poor man’s gnocchi paddle and it works great in a pinch!

What About the Sauce for Light and Fluffy Gnocchi- A Gluten Free Favorite?

Gnocchi is great with just about any sauce, so I’m going to leave it up to you. My personal preference is for a creamy sauce. With all the grooves in a gnocchi, a thick, creamy sauce adheres well to all the grooves. I have my own sauces which I’ll eventually post, but this one from the blog Key To My Lime is a great easy pink sauce. Another amazing quick and easy way to enjoy these is browned butter sage sauce. Saute a half stick of butter until it starts to brown, then toss in some fresh garlic so it softens. Add the gnocchi and grind in salt and black pepper to taste (maybe some ground coriander too), finish with 1 Tbsp of Maple Syrup and fresh chopped sage. Plate it with a little more freshly chopped sage and parmesan and enjoy!

Tips and Tricks

• Make in Advance- this freezes great. Once the gnocchi is shaped and placed on a parchment lined baking sheet, dust the gnocchi with flour using a sieve, then freeze in a single layer. After about two hours the tray can be removed from the freezer and the gnocchi can be placed in airtight bags, then placed back in the freezer. Gnocchi cooks in minutes even from frozen. DO NOT THAW FIRST… They’ll fall apart.
• Stevens Taped Bamboo Skewer Method- If you didn’t read above, this is a great way to add grooves and indentation to your gnocchi, press the gnocchi gently on the taped skewers and roll forward and backwards.
• Pan Fry- You’re not required to, but I always pan fry my gnocchi in just a bit of butter or olive oil before tossing them with sauce. I think the caramelization adds a little extra flavor to the gnocchi.
• Save the Skins- Once you removed the potato’s insides, set the skins aside. Slice them into strips, toss them with salt, pepper, and some olive oil, canola oil, or my favorite La Tourangelle Roasted Peanut Oil. Air fry them or bake them until crisp, tossing them about halfway through. I usually fry for about 8-10 minutes in the air fryer or 30 minutes in the oven.

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Light and Fluffy Gnocchi-Gluten Free

5 from 3 votes

Course: Dinner, EntreeCuisine: Italian

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

50

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 2 Lbs 2 Russet Potatoes (Riced 6 Cups)

• 2 Eggs 2 Large Eggs-Beaten

• 1-3/4+ Cups 1-3/4+ Gluten Free Flour- 1/4 cup more if needed (I use King Arthur Measure for Measure)

• 4 tsp 4 Himalayan Pink Salt (1-½ tsp separated for boiling)

• 1/4 Cup 1/4 Ricotta Cheese

Directions

• Clean your whole russet potatoes. If you’re going to boil the potatoes, leave them as is. If you’re going to bake your potatoes, poke a couple small holes in the top.
• Place your potatoes in a preheated oven at 425°F for approximately 1.5hrs or boil on a medium simmer for approximately 45 minutes (or until tender).
• Once your potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven/water.
• Let the potatoes cool just enough to handle, but still relatively hot. (If the potatoes cool to room temp, they’ll become gummy.)
• Immediately slice the potatoes in half and scoop the potatoes into a ricer and rice the potatoes. If you do not have a ricer handy, you can also use a box grater on a finer grate. (Save the skins and read the tips and tricks for great potato crisps.)
• Let the riced potatoes cool completely. (I usually refrigerate them uncovered for a few hours to help pull excess moisture while they cool.)
• Once cooled, in either a large flat bottomed salad bowl or on a clean counter, spread your riced potatoes in a flat mound and pour throughout the two mixed eggs and dollops of ricotta cheese.
• Next sprinkle your salt and sift your gluten free flour on top of that.
• Using your hands mix all the ingredients together and knead the dough has formed into a contiguous ball with little to no stickiness, it should be less dense than Playdough. (If your dough is still sticky, add a ¼ cup more flour and continue kneading. If the dough is cracking, sprinkle 1 tsp of water at a time and knead.)
• Remove a handful or about ¾ cup of dough and roll into a long ½-¾ inch in diameter “snake”.
• Cut the dough into approximately 1 inch uniform pieces and give each one a light pinch to shape.
• Roll each piece of gnocchi using either a gnocchi paddle or skewers or the fingerprint method. Once shaped, set on a parchment lined baking sheet until all the dough has been formed into gnocchi. Lightly dust the dough with your gluten free flour and either boil or freeze the sheet of gnocchi.
• To boil your gnocchi, fill a large pot with 3/4ths with water and add approximately 1-½ tsp of salt. Bring the water to a light boil and add the gnocchi. The gnocchi should cook within 3-4 minutes. Skim the gnocchi from the water as soon as they float to the top and set aside.

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