How to make gluten-free gnocchi
Homemade gluten-free gnocchi are soft little potato dumplings made from just potatoes, gluten-free flour, water and salt — no eggs and no pasta machine required. The trick is choosing the right potatoes and handling the dough gently, and this easy step-by-step method gives you tender, pillowy gnocchi every time. They are completely vegan, and you can keep them plain or fold in wild garlic for a version that tastes incredible even without a sauce.
I just discovered a new passion: gluten-free pasta making. I never thought making homemade pasta could be so fun and relaxing! I can’t wait to buy myself a pasta machine so I can try other kinds of pasta as well. Until then, I make pasta recipes that don’t require owning a pasta machine, like these gluten-free gnocchi. In this recipe I also added wild garlic, which made them taste absolutely incredible even without a sauce. I am a huge wild garlic fan and I am sure you’ll love it too.
Why these gnocchi don’t need eggs
Gnocchi are small pasta dumplings made of potatoes and flour, and the basic Italian recipe doesn’t contain any eggs, so it is naturally vegan. I get really annoyed when I see gnocchi recipes using eggs. Eggs aren’t part of the original recipe, and they aren’t needed. If you choose the right type of potatoes, the starch in the potato does all the binding for you. Adding eggs only makes the dumplings denser and rubbery, which is the opposite of what you want.
The ingredients that matter
This is a short list, so each ingredient pulls its weight. Russet potatoes are the best choice because they are starchy and low in moisture, which gives you a dry, fluffy interior that binds without eggs. Waxy potatoes hold too much water and force you to add extra flour, which makes the gnocchi heavy. For the flour, I used a gluten-free universal mix (Dr. Schar MixIt Universal), and any good all-purpose gluten-free blend will work the same way. The wild garlic is optional but worth it: blended into a green puree and worked into the dough, it perfumes the gnocchi from the inside out. If you want plain gnocchi, simply leave it out and add a little water to bring the dough together.
Tips for tender, pillowy gnocchi
A few small habits make the difference between light gnocchi and gummy ones. Boil the potatoes whole and unpeeled so they don’t soak up water — peel them afterwards under cold running water once they are cool enough to handle. Grate them or pass them through a potato ricer rather than mashing hard, because a ricer keeps the texture airy and lump-free. When you add the flour, mix just until a dough forms, then knead by hand for about 5 minutes; over-kneading develops a tough, sticky dough. Keep your work surface and hands well dusted with gluten-free flour while you roll and cut. To shape, roll each slice into a thin sausage, cut into roughly 2 cm pieces, and press each one with a fork or a honey dipper. I recommend using a honey dipper because the gnocchi will look a lot better, and those little ridges hold sauce beautifully.
How to cook them and know when they’re done
Cooking gnocchi is quick, so have everything ready before they go in. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop the gnocchi in. You don’t need a timer here — the gnocchi will float to the surface when they are cooked, which usually takes a couple of minutes. As soon as they rise, lift them out with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with a sauce on top, while they are still hot and tender. Don’t overcrowd the pot; cook them in batches so the water stays at a boil and they don’t stick together.
What to serve with gluten-free gnocchi
The wild garlic version is so flavorful it can be served with just a drizzle of olive oil, but a good sauce takes them over the top. I love them with the creamy wild garlic and tofu pasta sauce I made specifically for this dish. If you are building a fully gluten-free spread, they sit nicely alongside gluten-free bread for mopping up sauce, and for dessert you could keep the homemade-dumpling theme going with these vegan Hungarian plum dumplings.
Make-ahead and storage
Gnocchi are easy to make in advance. Once shaped, lay them in a single layer on a floured tray so they don’t touch, then freeze them on the tray until firm before transferring to a bag or container — this keeps them from clumping. Cook them straight from frozen, adding a minute or so to the time, and wait for them to float as usual. Cooked leftovers keep in the fridge for a day or two and reheat best gently in a pan with a little sauce. If you enjoyed this, you might also like my gluten-free vegan pizzas for another no-machine homemade staple.
If you try these gluten-free gnocchi, I’d love to know how they turned out — did you go for the wild garlic version or keep them plain? Please rate the recipe below and leave a comment with your favorite sauce pairing so other readers can try it too.
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How to make gluten-free gnocchi
Ingredients
- 3 Old Russet potatoes medium
- 250 g gluten-free flour universal mix I used Dr. Schar MixIt Universal
- 3 bunches wild garlic chopped (optional – if you want to make simple gnocchi, skip this)
- water
- salt
Instructions
- Gnocchi dough:
- Put potatoes just as they are in a large pot. Cover them with water. Boil them for about 25 minutes,
- Drain potatoes and fill the pot with cold water. Peel potatoes under cold water.
- Grate potatoes or mash them using a potato ricer.
- Put grated potatoes in a large bowl and add flour.
- Separately, put chopped wild garlic leaves in a blender and puree them.
- Pour wild garlic puree in the bowl.
- Start mixing using a wooden spoon.
- When the dough starts forming, use your hands and knead for 5 more minutes.
- Form the gnocchi:
- Dust your working area with gluten-free flour. Dust your hands too.
- Roll the dough in the form of a bread loaf, like in image Step 1.
- Cut dough in 3 cm thick slices, like in Step 2.
- Take a dough slice and roll it into a long and thin sausage-shaped piece of dough.
- Slice it in small gnocchi pieces, about 2 cm long, like in image Step 3.
- Shape gnocchi by either using a fork or a honey dipper. Dust the fork/honey dipper in flour before using.
- Place gnocchi on a tray,
- How to cook gnocchi:
- Fill a large pot with water.
- Add salt.
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add gnocchi.
- When ready, they will start rising to the surface. Get them out and serve them right away with a sauce on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. They are made only from russet potatoes, a gluten-free flour mix, optional wild garlic, water and salt, so every ingredient is plant-based. The traditional Italian recipe contains no eggs, which means well-made gnocchi are naturally vegan.
Starchy, low-moisture potatoes like russets are best. Their dry, fluffy flesh binds with the flour without needing eggs, so the dumplings stay light. Waxy potatoes hold too much water and force you to add extra flour, which makes the gnocchi heavy and gummy.
No. Gnocchi are shaped entirely by hand, which is why they are a great starter pasta. You just roll the dough into a thin sausage, cut it into small pieces, and press each one with a fork or a honey dipper to make the ridges.
Eggs are not part of the original Italian recipe and they are not needed. The starch in russet potatoes binds the dough on its own, and adding eggs only makes the gnocchi denser and rubbery rather than soft and pillowy.
Drop them into a large pot of boiling salted water and watch for them to float. Gnocchi rise to the surface when they are done, usually after a couple of minutes. Lift them out right away with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with sauce.
Yes. Arrange the shaped gnocchi in a single layer on a floured tray so they don’t touch, freeze them until firm, then transfer to a bag. Cook them straight from frozen, adding a minute or so, and wait for them to float as usual.
Jeanine, I have made GF gnocchis before but they didn’t come out well. I just found your gnocchi recipe and can’t wait to try it.
Try Garlic Chives if you can’t get wild garlic leaves very similar flavour and colour!
Great idea! Thanks, Sarah!
I can’t believe how easy these were to make and and how well the dough held up. I added minced garlic to the dough. I sauted them in butter without boiling first and they were light , fluffy and delicious. I will definitely be making again!
So happy to hear you liked the recipe! Sauteeing gnocchi is just as good as boiling them, or even better actually because they turn slightly crispy. 🙂
I’d like a more flavorful gnocchi but don’t have access to wild garlic. What would you substitute? It sounds yummy, can’t wait to try!
You could try scallions – green parts- mixed with some minced garlic. It will taste like both onion and garlic. Alternatively, make them with spinach + minced garlic. It will have the garlic flavor and green color of the spinach.
you should sell this 🙂
:))
Thanks for this recipe. I have made gnocchi before with normal flour and egg before realising from extensive research that gluten is a nightmare to my medical condition of hypothyroidism from hashimoto disease. I tried using coconut flour and i laugh now but i can tell you that this type of flour wont work….my gnocchi dissolved. Running out of potato and time i had to make something else for dinner that night but resorted back to using normal flour. After 4days of eating no gluten at all i was feeling great till tonight after eating gnocchi with normal flour so i will be trying your recipe next time round and without the egg. I won a pasta machine recently but i decided as i was not going to eat gluten anymore i attempted to sell it but now seeing this recipe being ideal for pasta i will keep it because my children said they not happy we wont be eating pasta much anymore. Gluten free pasta very expensive and small amount in packet so again big thanks. I lived in Milano for two years and travelled all over Italy. Loved it. Italian people are fantastic and so is the cuisine.
You’re welcome, Alli! Gluten is horrible! My mom had undiagnosed celiac disease for years! She also has Hashimoto’s disease. She got rid of gluten recently and her health drastically improved. I’m happy to hear you’re feeling better without gluten. Don’t go back to eating it again! Have you tried buying rice pasta? Here it’s rather cheap. Also, corn pasta is quite cheap. Maybe you can find an affordable brand.
I lived in Milano for 4 months. The people are lovely, indeed! 😀
Can this be frozen? I’ve made too much, it’s lovely but very filling.
Sure! Glad you liked it! 🙂
I just made this recipe with a mushroom stroganoff type sauce and omg it was amazing! Just two ingredients and so easy, they were gorgeously soft! I was amazed at my culinary skills, but I should really give the credit to you! I even messaegd my Italian friend straight after. This will turn my friends Vegan 😉 thank you.
The mushroom stroganoff sauce idea sounds so good! I will give it a try too. 😀 So happy you liked it! 😀
This looks like such a great recipe, I’m surprized I’m the first person to leave a comment! I just picked up a bag of Bob’s Red Mill “All Purpose Baking Flour,” made of Garbanzo Beans, Potato Starch, Tapioca Flour, White Sorghum Flour, and Fava Bean Flour. There was another gluten-free flour product from Bob’s that contained xanthum gum. I hope I made the correct choice. Thanks again.
Thank you, William! 🙂 Any kind of GF flour mix should work. 🙂