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.
Gluten-Free Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 lbs (1 kg) potatoes (e.g. Yukon Gold), peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups (180-240 g) chickpea flour
- 1 cup (120 g) tapioca flour + more for dusting (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- I recommend using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Check the video in the blog post for easy visual instructions.
- Peel and chop the potatoes, transfer them to a pot with salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes or until tender, then drain really well. Transfer them back to the pot and mash with a potato masher (don't use a food processor or blender).
- Add 1 1/2 cups of chickpea flour and the tapioca flour, and knead with your hands until a dough forms.
- The dough might still be a bit sticky, but it should be fine to handle. However, if the dough is too sticky, then add more chickpea flour and knead again. It depends on the type of potato whether you will need 1 1/2 cups or 1 2/3 cups or up to 2 cups of chickpea flour.
- Cut the dough into equally sized pieces and dust with a little bit tapioca flour.
- With your fingers, roll each piece to strands. Use a knife to cut the dough into 1-inch pieces and form them into small balls with your hands. You can roll every ball over the back of a fork if you want ridges on your gnocchi (this step is optional). Watch the video above to see how easy it is.
- Add the gnocchi to a pot of salted boiling water. Once the gnocchi rise to the surface (after only 2-4 minutes), remove them with a slotted spoon.
- You can now serve them with a sauce of choice (e.g. Mushroom Stroganoff / check the post for more serving suggestions) or fry them for a few minutes in a pan with a little bit of vegan butter or vegetable oil. They will turn crispy and even more delicious. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use arrowroot flour, potato starch, or cornstarch instead of tapioca flour. I had the best result with tapioca flour, though.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
Sherrie
I never made gnocchi. I followed your recipe…made my own chickpea flour. They turned out perfect. I was a bit intimidated but your recipe is a winner. Thanks.
Ela
So glad you liked the gnocchi recipe, Sherrie! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
Didier Dorga
Thanks for this recipe! I’m not vegan but I was looking to cut back on wheat flour and eggs. I appreciate the experimentation because I wouldn’t have the patience.
Ela
You are very welcome! 🙂
Nicole
So lovely Ela! Thank you for sharing your creativity. Trying for the second time ~ first time was amazing! Question, has anyone tried freezing the gnocchi before cooking? I tried and then cooked from frozen, but mush resulted 😛
I added spinach and brassica tops mmm! I also baked instead of fried the gnocchi as I found they liked to stick to the pan and i’d end up losing the crispy part to the bottom of my pan.
Ela
Thanks for your feedback, Nicole! I would suggest to let them thaw first but they turn out better made fresh! 🙂
Mike Summer
I made these gnocchi with a cream sauce with peas, asparagus and mushrooms. They were delicious. I put the recipe on my blog, but of course gave you proper credit! Thanks for helping so many of us!
Ela
Awesome! I am so glad you loved my recipe! 🙂
Anna
Hi Ela! I just made these gnocchi. They were excellent (I doubled the recipe and between my husband and I, we finished nearly all of the gnocchi in one sitting..)
I baked the potatoes instead of boiling and it worked out great too.
Love your recipes. Keep them coming.
Ela
That’s awesome! Thanks so much for your great feedback! 🙂
Sruthi
Hi , can we use store bought gluten free flour instead of chickpea flour and tapioca flour ?
Ela
Not sure and it really depends on the flour mix. I was tweaking the recipe for months, so I cannot say if it works with any other flour mix.
Taylor
About how many potatoes do I use? I buy my potatoes in 5lbs and dont have a scale. I cant wait to try!
Ela
One small/medium potato weighs about 150-200 grams and a large one approximately 300 grams. So it really depends on the size. 🙂
Shelby Bettencourt
Can u convert the potatoes to cups?
Ela
That’s not really possible, sorry. It’s important to measure the ingredients in grams or oz for this recipe.
Kelly-Lynne
How long should I boil them from frozen?
Ela
It’s best to let them thaw first and then boil for a few minutes. 🙂
Shen
Hey Ela,
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe. I froze a few batches, first was frozen and all stuck together, it was hard to pull them apart. Learnt. Second batch we let thaw, but it almost all turned into liquid. What are your steps at freezing and thawing them?
Ela
Hello! It works best to freeze them on a baking tray (in a single layer). Once they are solid, you can transfer the gnocchi to a container or freezer bag. You can cook them without letting them thaw but it’s also possible to let them thaw for some minutes (not for too long, otherwise, they get mushy). It’s important that the water reaches a hard boil before you put the gnocchi into the water. Hope this helps!
Helen
Excellent! I just made these for tea. They’re easily the best GF vegan gnocchi I’ve had and so easy to make! Thanks v much
Ela
Yay! That makes me so happy! Thanks for your feedback, Helen! 🙂
Megan
I love your recipes! This was great and so was the mushroom stroganoff! Thankyou 🙂
Ela
Great! I am happy you liked this recipe, Megan! 🙂
Assiya
Hi Ela! Great blog! My child is allergic to potatoes what can I use as substitute?
Ela
You could try using sweet potatoes but the result will be different as you probably will need more flour.
Diego
Hi this recipe looks amazing can’t wait to try it! I’m trying to eat oil free is there any other way to toast up the gnocchi that wouldn’t involve frying them?
Ela
Hm, that’s a difficult question. You could try to bake them in the oven for some minutes, but they probably won’t get crispy without oil.
Carrie
Could you use an air fryer?
Andres
Hi! The tapioca you have used is the dry or wet one?
Ela
Hi! It’s tapioca flour, so it’s dry. You can watch the video above the recipe. 🙂
Jess @choosingchia
Your gnocchi are perfect ela! Love that they are made with chickpea flour!
Ela
Thank you, Jess! Isn’t chickpea flour incredible? 🙂
Much love, Ela
Cyn
A wonderful recipe that I was able to her right the first time. A quick question though, when you freeze the uncooked gnocci do you defrost them before cooking or cook from frozen?
Cheers!
Ela
Hello Cyn! Both methods work, however, I prefer to cook them from frozen. If you defrost them, they will get very soft and won’t look as pretty anymore. I hope this helps! 🙂
Charp
Here you say you prefer to cook from frozen, but lower down the comments when someone says cooking from frozen didn’t work, it turned to mush, you say you prefer to defrost first before cooking. Which is it?
Ela
Hello Charp! I tried both versions and prefer cooking from frozen. It never turned to mush when I tried this method. Defrosting works too but the gnocchi will be quite soft and won’t look as pretty. 🙂
Bianca Zapatka
Gnocchi is one of my favorite comfort food ????
Yours look super delicious too!
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Ela
Thanks a lot, Bianca! Yes, gnocchi is great comfort food for sure.
Vanessa
Hi! What kind of potato do you used? I want to try tonight! Thanks for sharing
Ela
Hi Vanessa, I’ve made the recipe with Yukon Gold (all-purpose potato type) but once also with waxy potatoes (I had to use a bit more flour). Both worked fine. 🙂
Nancy
Can you use any other flour?
Ela
You can give it a try but the result will be different.