Gluten-Free Gnocchi (Vegan)

How to make gnocchi without gluten, eggs, or dairy! This gluten-free gnocchi recipe relies on just 3 simple ingredients (plus salt and water) for a simple, flavorful appetizer or main! Once shaped, boil, then fry or bake the vegan gnocchi to perfection!

Gluten-Free Gnocchi (Without Egg)

Just like so many potato-related recipes (like German potato dumplings, Schupfnudeln, and creamy mashed potatoes), this gluten-free gnocchi is hearty and comforting. More so, making homemade gluten-free, vegan gnocchi is surprisingly simple and less time-consuming than you’d think; just cook the potatoes, add the flours, roll, cut, shape, and cook!

Best of all, these little potato dumplings are gluten-free, egg-free, and vegan while still wonderfully pillowy. Once prepared, enjoy them immediately by boiling or pan-frying in just minutes. Alternatively, store them in the freezer for later, so you can enjoy the potato pasta/dumplings whenever the cravings hit!

What is Gnocchi?

Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling/ potato pasta (named after ‘nocchio’- which means a knot in wood or ‘nocca’ meaning knuckle) made up primarily of potato. In a classic gnocchi recipe, the potato is combined with wheat flour, egg, cheese, and sometimes semolina or cornmeal.

Obviously, as someone who eats neither dairy, eggs, nor wheat, that leaves me gnocchi-less. However, after months of recipe testing, I’ve finally found the perfect gluten-free, vegan gnocchi recipe. It’s light, doesn’t fall apart, and tastes delicious!

By substituting the wheat flour for chickpea flour (garbanzo bean flour) and tapioca flour (as I did for these homemade gluten-free tortillas), this vegan potato gnocchi is soft and flexible, yet firm enough not to be ‘sticky. Plus, the chickpea flour helps to add extra nutrients to the dish, including being protein-dense!

Best of all, though, this gluten-free gnocchi is freshly made with no preservatives, additives, tons of salt, etc. Instead, all you require is just a few wholesome ingredients!

The Ingredients

• Potatoes: I recommend using Yukon Gold potatoes or other floury potatoes that are dry and starchy – like Russet or Desiree’s (this will depend on where you live).
• Chickpea flour: Also called garbanzo bean flour. This flour is protein-dense and packed with vitamins and minerals.
• Tapioca flour: Also called tapioca starch. Alternatively, use arrowroot flour or cornstarch, though I’ve had the best results with tapioca.
• Sea Salt + Water

Read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.

How to Make Gluten-Free Gnocchi Without Egg?

I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the ingredients for this vegan gnocchi recipe.

Step 1 – Boil the potatoes

• First, peel and chop the potatoes before transferring them to a large pot with salted water. Bring to a boil and then cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, or until tender. Then drain the cooking liquid and mash the potatoes using a potato masher or ricer.

You can save the starchy cooking water to add to stocks, soups, etc. Store in the fridge for 2-3 days

Step 2 – Make the dough

• Then, add the chickpea flour and tapioca flour to the potatoes and knead the mixture with your hands until a dough forms.

The dough may still be a little sticky at this point, but fine to handle. If it’s too sticky, add a little more chickpea flour (1 tbsp at a time) and knead again – but try not to add too much, or the vegan potato gnocchi will become tough. Depending on the potatoes used, you may need anywhere between 1 ½-2 cups of flour.

Step 3 – Shape the gnocchi

• Roll the dough into a ball and then separate into 6 pieces and roll into 1-inch logs/ropes dusted with a little additional tapioca flour. To cut the gnocchi, I like to lay all the ‘ropes’ next to one another and use a long, sharp knife to cut across all the ropes 1-inch apart.
• Next, roll each piece into a ball/pillow shape and optionally roll it over the back of a fork or use a gnocchi board for the ‘ridges’ (for the sauce to cling to). Dust with a bit more tapioca flour if needed.

Step 4 – Cook the gnocchi

• To cook the vegan potato gnocchi, add them to a pot of salted boiling water (make sure it’s at a hard boil) and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Then remove with a slotted spoon.
• For fried gnocchi, you can transfer the boiled gnocchi to a pre-heated skillet with a little oil. Fry until golden-brown and slightly crispy. Alternatively, mix with the sauce of your choice – and serve!

How to Make Ahead and Store

Make ahead: This recipe makes a huge batch, but fortunately, the gluten-free gnocchi can be frozen. Lay the uncooked gnocchi on a tray (with space between) and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer to a large freezer bag/container for 2 months. You could also store the gnocchi covered in the fridge for 1-2 days.

You can then cook the gnocchi from frozen – but do so in smaller batches. Or allow it to thaw for a few minutes (not too long, or they’ll go mushy) first.

Store: Once prepared, this vegan potato gnocchi is best while fresh within a few hours. However, any leftovers could be stored for an extra day or so in an airtight container in the fridge.

Reheat: Reheat the vegan gnocchi either in a skillet (for crispier results) or the microwave until heated through.

How to Serve Gnocchi?

Like pasta, the options for serving this gluten-free gnocchi are plentiful. Here are just a few of my favorite suggestions:

• Combine the crispy gnocchi with roasted chickpeas, mushrooms, and drizzle with vegan cheese sauce.
• With tomato sauce like this gnocchi all’Arrabbiata
• Creamy mushroom Stroganoff
• Alfredo sauce
• Pesto or this kale avocado sauce
• Fried with butter (dairy-free) or olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs (like sage or basil)

No matter what sauce you use, it’s easy to pack in tons of veggies. Just chuck them in the pan and sauté until tender, then sprinkle with some vegan Parmesan. Delicious!

FAQs

How to pronounce gnocchi?

Gnocchi is pronounced in two main ways: nyow-kee (American pronunciation) with a long ‘o’ vowel sound and nyoh-kee/noh-kee, with a short ‘o’ (Italian/British).

Is gnocchi gluten-free/ vegan?

As mentioned before, traditionally, gnocchi is made with potato, wheat flour, egg, and sometimes cheese. So they are neither gluten-free nor vegan. However, this version omits all dairy, eggs, and gluten for delicious vegan, gluten-free gnocchi!

Can I use sweet potato?

I haven’t tried. Though a reader has below and stated, the dough ended up wetter, and so they added dehydrated potato flakes until it reached the correct consistency.

How long to boil potatoes?

This will depend on how large you cut the potato pieces. If you leave the potatoes whole, it can take between 20-35 minutes. For large pieces (like halved or quartered potatoes) 15-25, smaller 1-2 inch pieces around 15. Just check as you go until they’re fork-tender.

Can I use GF AP flour?

I haven’t had brilliant results with other flours. However, readers have reported success using Bobs Red Mill all-purpose GF flour – though slightly more gummy/dense.

Recipe Notes and FAQs

• Bake the potatoes instead: Instead of boiling, you can oven-bake the potatoes. Scoop out the flesh from the potatoes (and save the skins for stuffed potato skins) and reduce the amount of chickpea flour (as they will naturally be less watery when not boiled). Alternatively, boil the potatoes whole (skin on) – then use a ricer to filter out the skins.
• Adjust the flour if needed: It’s hard to control precisely how much water is absorbed by the potatoes while cooking. So the amount of chickpea flour will vary somewhat. Just add the flour until it feels right – when you can handle and shape it without It being super sticky.
• For slightly firmer gnocchi: Immediately after boiling, the gnocchi will be at its ‘gummiest.’ If you’d prefer them firmer, either pan fry until crispy OR allow them to cool for a bit before enjoying (or prepare several hours in advance).

More Vegan Potato Recipes

• Hasselback Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Pan-Fried Potatoes (Bratkartoffeln)
• Vegan Hash Browns
• Scalloped Potatoes
• Oven-Baked Wedges
• Vegan Potato Salad

If you try this simple gluten-free gnocchi recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in re-creations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan and #elavegan – I love seeing them.

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