The best recipe for Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi with only 3 ingredients. It’s so easy to make, gluten-free and incredibly delicious! Serve them crispy pan-fried with oven roasted tomatoes for a perfect comfort meal!
Is there anything more heavenly than enjoying some delicious Gnocchi that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside? This Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi served with flavorful roasted tomatoes and dairy-free parmesan cheese is the ultimate comfort food! I absolutely love making them for lunch or dinner or as a simple side dish. Gnocchi is also a perfect food you can make ahead and freeze in batches, so you can have homemade gnocchi any time you want!
Enjoy gnocchi as a cozy weeknight dinner or share with your family on festive days
I’ve always been a big fan of dumplings, such as Ravioli, Pierogi and Gnocchi. When I was a child my grandma made potato dumplings every Sunday for the whole family. It was kind of our family tradition and everyone was looking forward to this special day over and over again. We loved sitting together while enjoying these delicious pillowy potato dumplings. For some reason, we always made Gnocchi with regular potatoes but today I want to show you another version made of sweet potatoes instead.
How to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi from scratch
Making gnocchi with sweet potatoes is easier than you might think. First, microwave or bake a pierced sweet potato until soft. Once the sweet potato is cool enough to be handled, start making the gnocchi because the hotter potato will require less flour, making a lighter gnocchi. Peel the hot potato and mash. Add flour, nutritional yeast (optional) and a pinch of salt. Knead just until a dough forms but please do not over knead it, or the dough will get sticky and you have to add more flour. It’s just that, the more flour you have in your gnocchi, the denser. So the goal is to use as little flour as possible.
How to form Gnocchi
The Gnocchi dough made of sweet potatoes has a different texture than made of regular potatoes, so they usually don’t look that pretty and perfect. But it doesn’t matter because I think they taste even better.
First of all, on a floured surface roll out the dough into logs about 2cm (3/4 inch) thick and cut them into pieces. You can either cook them this way or create the distinctive ridges. Place the gnocchi at the top of the fork tines and gently press down, rolling it across the fork with your thumb. It will be slightly curled with the indentations on the opposite side.
How to cook Gnocchi
To cook the sweet potato gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the gnocchi. As soon as the gnocchi start floating, they are ready (usually it takes 2-3 minutes). Remove them with a slotted spoon and put them in the pan with the sauce/ pesto of your choice, or roast them crispy in vegan butter and serve with your favorite vegetables. They taste also very delicious then served with my Vegan Mac and Cheese sauce.
I hope you’ll like this Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi. They’re:
- Vegan
- Plant-based
- Dairy-free
- Eggfree
- Healthy
- Soft & Pillowy
- Easy to make
- Crispy roasted
- Incredibly delicious!
Making Gnocchi ahead or freeze
If you‘d like to make gnocchi ahead, you can refrigerate the uncooked gnocchi in an airtight container. When ready to serve, simply boil the gnocchi according to the recipe below. Feel free to double the amount of the recipe to make more gnocchi, because they freeze very well. You can spread them in a single layer on a floured baking sheet or freezing box so they don’t stick together. Put it into the freezer for 1 hour or so. Once frozen, you can put the gnocchi into a freezer bag to save room. To cook them, just drop the frozen gnocchi directly in the boiling water without defrosting.
I hope you’ll enjoy these delicious Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi! Have fun trying!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi (vegan, easy recipe)
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
- 1 large sweet potato (about 600 g)
- 1 1/3 cup (gluten-free) flour* (170 g) (+more for dusting)
- 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes or vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp vegan butter (to pan-fry)
Oven roasted tomatoes:
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper to taste
- 3-4 garlic cloves
Topping:
- 4 tbsp pine nuts
- fresh herbs of choice
Instructions
Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
- Prick the sweet potato a few times with a fork and microwave until soft, for 7-10 minutes. (Optionally, bake the sweet potato in the oven for about 50-60 minutes).
- Peel the sweet potato, scoop the flesh into a bowl and mash until smooth. Add nutritional yeast/ parmesan + salt and mix until combined. Add the flour and knead gently but don’t over knead it or the dough will get sticky. Add more flour if needed but try to add as little as possible to get fluffy and soft gnocchi.
- Transfer the dough to a floured working surface, form it into a flat ball and cut into quarters. Take a piece and form a long rope, rolling it along your floured surface. Cut the rope into 3/4-inch (2 cm) pieces and either cook them this way or create the distinctive ridges.
- To create the typical gnocchi ridges, place the gnocchi at the top of the fork tines and gently press down, rolling it across the fork with your thumb (see pictures in the text above).
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the gnocchi, and cook until the gnocchi float to the top of the water. Drain and optionally, toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Now you can continue making the recipe to serve them immediately, or refrigerate the gnocchi to serve them later, or freeze them for further meals.
Pan-fried Gnocchi with roasted Tomatoes:
- Put the tomatoes onto a baking sheet or baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle garlic cloves throughout. Season with a little salt & pepper and toss to coat. Spread out into a single layer and roast in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 15-20 minutes.
- Toast pine nuts in a small pan without additional oil. Then set aside.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly bubbling. Add the gnocchi and roast until golden-brown and crispy on the outside. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve your crispy Gnocchi with roasted tomatoes and toasted pine nuts and sprinkle over vegan parmesan cheese and fresh chopped herbs, if you like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use regular wheat flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
- Water will absorb more flour, resulting in a denser gnocchi. So please do not boil the sweet potato.
- You can find suggestions about the storage etc. in the text above.
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Great recipe. Used it tonight, had regular pre-made gnocchi on standby due to past disasters with other recipes and fear of dumpling disappearance during drainage. Were my fears ever ungrounded! These worked perfectly. My gnocchi board was happy to come out of the cupboard again.
Once cooked, we baked the gnocchi in a dish with spinach and kale with cheddar, parsley and nutmeg sauce. Towards the end of baking we sprinkled the top with smoked paprika and shredded sage and put the dish under the grill for a crispy finish. Handy hint: if you need wilted spinach to go with your gnocchi, simply add your spinach leaves to a colander, then drain the cooked gnocchi through it. Hey presto, two jobs done in one go!
I think the nutritional yeast helped these stay together better. Or maybe it’s because I let the gnocchi rest a while on the counter before adding to the water? Perhaps I overcrowded the pan last time? Either way, I’ll be using this recipe in the exact same way every time now.
Hi there, so glad you’re gnocchi turned out amazing! Honestly, I have no idea what went wrong last time but happy to hear that they turned out great now! Thank you for your amazing feedback! 🙂
could you freeze this ? if yes how would you recommend doing that and how long you could keep it in the freezer. thanks !
Hi Paulina, yes they freeze very well! I’ve mentioned that in the blog post + freezing instructions 🙂
I made it with Cassava flour and I don’t know if I didn’t boil it long enough even after pan frying they were chewy
Hi Kathryn, I haven’t tried making gnocchi with cassava flour so maybe it comes from the flour? I suggest using a gluten-free flour blend or all-purpose flour 🙂
SO easy to make and so freaking delicious! It was a favorite on my Thanksgiving table and I happen to be the only vegan. Making this recipe again on Friday.
Hi Paulina, so glad you enjoyed these sweet potato gnocchi on your thanksgiving table! Thank you for your amazing feedback! Lots of love, Bianca 🙂
Can’t wait to make this recipe 🙂 was wondering if I can use regular white flour instead of GF flour. Thanks
Hi Ashley, yes, sure! You can also use regular white flour or all-purpose flour! 🙂
Can you use Almond Flour? or Coconut flour?
If so, do you know the measurements?
Hi Amanada, I’m sorry but I don’t recommend using these flours. I think it won’t work.
Hey Bianca, thanks for sharing your homemade sweet potato gnocchi recipe. It taste really good, the texture are really good. Never in my whole life felt so good eating gnocchi after couple years not eating actual gnocchi (that aren’t vegan). So, once again, Thank you!
Hi Jacqueline, thank you so much for your feedback! So glad that you enjoyed these gnocchi! 🙂 Lots of love, Bianca <3
Me and my 7 year daughter had so much fun making the gnocchi and was so delicious! She has not had sweet potato since being a toddler but loves this.thank you and so easy to make
Awww, so happy about that! Love that your daughter helped you 🙂 Lots of love to you <3
amazing pictures of food. it so amazing . can’t resist to try it right now
Thank you! Hope you’ll like it 🙂
I’ve never made gnocchi before, but I’ve had this recipe saved for a loong time. Finally decided to make it today and I’m for sure doing it again! So simple and absolutely delicious! I served it alongside some sauteed mushrooms, tofu and soinach with a homemade pesto and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe Bianca 😍
So happy that you liked this homemade gnocchi recipe too! It’s really one of my favorites and so much better than store-bought ones, right? Love your combination with spinach, tofu, and mushrooms! Sounds so yum! Thank you for your feedback 🙂 <3
Megaaa lecker:)
Vielen Dank 🙂
I made these tonight and they were delicious! They were super easy to make too. Will definitely be my go-to recipe from now on. I made them crispy after boiling with some vegan butter and garlic! Thank you for sharing your recipes!
So glad you like this recipe! Thank you 🙂
This recipe was so easy and delish! Definitely making again!
So glad to read this. Thank you 🙂
Loved the Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe! I am an avid cook and don’t mind complex recipes, but I was pleasantly surprised at how simple this was! Very tasty. Normal gnocchi has a slightly bitter after taste, but the sweet potato made this very gentle on the palate. I will be using this recipe again. Thank you Bianca! -Francesca H 🙂 P.S. bacon adds a very flavorful touch with either fresh basil or even cilantro as a garnish.
Thank you! ? So glad that you liked it! I absolutely agree with you. Love sweet potato gnocchi so much <3
I made this gnocchi yesterday. As we have no microwave we put the sweetpotato in the oven. It took longer than 60 min but that was fine. All in all it was really delicious. And I am a sucker for any type of sauce but I didnt need any.
So glad that you liked this recipe 🙂 The baking time varies depending on the size of your sweet potato. Thanks for your feedback <3
Can I make this recipe with regular flour??
Yes, sure! 🙂
Very yummy! I used a gluten free flour and they turned out good, not quite as pretty but still yummy. Definitely recommend pan searing them. The flavor and texture from roasting was perfect.
I LOVE roasting them! It’s so delicious. So happy you liked this recipe too 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Bianca,
I made the sweet potato gnocchi, inspired by your recipe.
They are sooooo good.
Made them with some corn flour and sage.
Served with a creamy cashew tomato sauce.
Heaven.
Thanks a lot for all your great Vegan recipes!!
This sounds so good to me! Love cashew tomato sauce! Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
I tried this recipe and it turned out very good, but I have just one tip for all of you – if you wait until the sweet potatoes are cold, the gnocchi dough would be easier to cope with and gnocchi would be softer!
According to my grandmother, you always have to use cold potatoes and it works a lot better!
So glad that you liked this recipe! ?
I‘ll try your tip next time too.
Thank you so much! ❤️
I did the gnocchis yesterday and they turned out super amazing!
First time I’m doing gnocchis and I’ll definitely do it again ??
Thanks for the good recipe ?
So glad that you liked this Gnocchi recipe ?
Thank you so much!
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Love this recipe! Really easy to make and super tasty! ??
So glad that you liked it! 🙂
OMG!! I’m so in love with this recipe! ? So tasty and beautiful ? Actually I’m in love with all your recipes to be honest. I want to make all of them ? You’re an artist!!! From your recipes to your pictures!!!
Thank you very much for sharing ❤️?❤️
So glad that you like my recipes and photos! ?
Thank you sooooo much!
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️❤️❤️
The photographs showing the technique are especially good and clear, as are the instructions. I look forward to trying this, and will be checking out your other recipes as well!
Thank you, Mary!
So glad to read this.
Have fun trying my recipes ?
Lots of love to you!❤️
Super easy to make and absolutely delicious! Definitely a new dinner staple! Thank you!
So glad that you liked it!
Thank you for your feedback! ?❤️
I made it and it was delicious, but the gnocchi started to dissolve when I boiled them, as soon as I put them in the water. Any tips for me?
Alexandra
Hi Alexandra,
So glad that you liked the gnocchi!
It never happened to me, so I don’t know what you did wrong. Did you add vegan parmesan cheese? Maybe this would help the gnocchi to hold together.
Lots of love,
Bianca ?❤️
Try using cold potatoes instead of warm ones! Works way better!
I‘ll try it. Thank you! ?
The same happened for me – i am curious if you tried the recipe again with any adjustments that prevented it from dissolving? Half our gnocchi dissolved into nothingness, the half we didn’t put into the pot we just tried to bake for a bit. Would love to attempt it again but have no clue where we went wrong.
Hi Nikki, I have no idea what you did wrong because I’ve never had this problem. Which kind of flour did you use? Please also make sure to just simmer the gnocchi on low heat and not boiling on high!
Love this recipe! Making gnocchi can be intimidating, but this was super easy and delicious!
Thank you!
Thank you, Talia! I’m absolutely in love with Gnocchi too. So glad that you liked this recipe. ?
Lots of love, Bianca
This recipe was simple and delicious ? I will definitely be making this again and soon ???
Thank you! So glad that you liked this recipe. ?
Lots of love, Bianca
Made this recipe already 3 times! I sooo loved it! Very easy to make and absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!
Thank you for your feedback!
So happy that you liked this recipe.
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️