Homemade gnocchi sounds fancy, but is incredibly easy to make from scratch. This 2-ingredient vegan gnocchi uses just potatoes and flour - no eggs, no dairy! Soft, pillowy, and hearty, these little dumplings are so cozy and comforting.
It's a wonderful weeknight dinner, easy to make, but satisfying enough to feel like a proper meal. Double the batch and freeze half for later. Perfect for stress-free entertaining! This homemade gnocchi is fabulous with any sauce. Toss them in a simple tomato sauce, a rich brown butter and sage, a herby basil pistachio pesto, or a creamy cashew sauce with roasted red peppers - every combination is a winner!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This recipe uses just 2 ingredients - potatoes and flour. Not counting salt and pepper!
- No eggs, no dairy, no substitutes required.
- Easy-to-follow steps. No complicated technique or equipment is needed, making this a perfect beginner-friendly recipe.
- Soft, pillowy, and tender every time.
- Make a big batch and freeze half for later - frozen gnocchi cooks straight from the freezer, in minutes!
- Great for weeknight dinners, meal prep, and entertaining guests with minimal effort
The secret that makes this vegan gnocchi recipe work without eggs? Baking the potatoes instead of boiling them. They stay dry and starchy, which means the dough comes together easily with just flour - no eggs needed for binding!
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Recipe Ingredients
Potatoes: Use a starchy variety - Russets or Yukon Gold. Waxy potatoes retain too much moisture, making the dough sticky and dense. In India, look for an older, floury variety rather than fresh new potatoes.
Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is the best to use here.
Salt and Pepper: for flavor
Please see the recipe card below for full information about the ingredients and quantities.
How To Make 2-Ingredient Vegan Gnocchi
Step 1: Scrub the potatoes well. Don't peel them. Prick all over with a fork and bake for 45-50 minutes (or until cooked through) at 200 C/ 400 F.
Step 2: As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and mash them using a potato ricer or a box grater.
Step 3: Sift flour, salt, and pepper over the potato pile and, with your hands, bring it together to form a soft dough that's not sticky. It comes together rather easily, like pastry dough.
Step 4: Cover the dough and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
Step 5: Divide the dough into pieces and, working with one piece at a time, roll it back and forth under your hands to form a rope. Cut each rope into small equal-sized pieces.
Step 6: Roll each piece over a fork or a gnocchi board to give them a ridged surface. You can also leave the dough pieces as is. If you use a fork, push the fluffy dough piece into the tines with your thumb very gently. And you’ll see those signature ridges forming. They help the sauce cling to the gnocchi!
Step 7: Lightly sprinkle the gnocchi with flour and let them rest for 20 minutes.
Step 8: Bring salted water to a rolling boil and slide your gnocchi into it. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. Mine could comfortably hold about 15 at a time.
Step 9: Cook until the pieces float to the surface. I like to use a slotted spoon and put the vegan gnocchi straight from the pot into the sauce. You can choose to transfer them on a tray greased with olive oil till all the gnocchi are cooked.
Step 10: Toss with some delicious homemade tomato sauce. Top with cheese and parsley and serve!
Top Tips
For making homemade gnocchi that's creamy, light, and fluffy, follow these tips.
- Pick potatoes of the same size so they bake evenly. How long it takes to bake them will depend upon their size.
- Bake the potatoes; don’t boil them. It’ll keep them starchy, which helps hold the dough together.
- You can steam them (unpeeled) in your microwave or stovetop if you like.
- As soon as the potatoes are cool enough that you can handle them, peel them. You don’t want them to get completely cold because then they clump together!
- Don't mash your potatoes using a food processor or a potato masher when making homemade gnocchi. You’ll end up with a gummy mass. What you’re looking for is light and fluffy gnocchi. That’s why I recommend a grater or ricer. It helps aerate them. If you don’t have either, use a fork.
- While grating or pressing, spread out the potato strands on the work surface so they don’t stick to each other.
- The quantity of flour should always be less than the quantity of mashed potatoes. The trick I used was to add a bit and wait for it to be completely combined before sprinkling more.
- Avoid overworking the dough. Else, it’ll develop the gluten network, making the gnocchi hard and chewy.
How To Serve
Gnocchi is very versatile; it goes well with any sauce. Here are four of my favorites:
Tomato sauce: The classic simple tomato sauce clings to the ridges and makes for a hearty, satisfying meal.
Pesto: Toss warm gnocchi with store-bought or homemade basil pesto and a squeeze of lemon. Ready to eat in 5 minutes after the gnocchi is cooked!
Brown butter and sage: Heat butter in a pan until it turns golden and nutty. Add fresh sage leaves and cook until they are crispy. Toss the cooked gnocchi through and serve immediately. Simple and delicious.
Creamy tomato sauce: Add a splash of cream into your tomato sauce for a richer taste. Great for weekend dinners!
Can Vegan Gnocchi Be Made Ahead Of Time?
Refrigerator: You can store the uncooked gnocchi in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Dust them with flour and place on a greased or parchment paper-lined tray in a single layer. Cover tightly and refrigerate. You can also refrigerate cooked gnocchi a day before. Reheat briefly in the sauce.
Freeze: After shaping the gnocchi, place them on a tray and freeze for 2-3 hours. Then transfer the frozen gnocchi into a Ziplock and freeze them for later use.
Whenever you’re ready to make the gnocchi, simply drop them into simmering water. You don’t need to thaw them.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing cooked gnocchi. The texture becomes quite gummy.
Recipe FAQs
Traditional homemade gnocchi usually contains eggs. This recipe skips the eggs, making it fully vegan. Most store-bought gnocchi is also egg-free, but always check the label.
It could be because there was too much flour in the dough or the potatoes were too wet. Make sure you bake ( not boil) your potatoes and add the flour gradually - just enough for the dough to stop sticking. Overworking the dough can also make it dense, so keep it gentle.
No, a fork works perfectly. Press each piece against the tines of the fork and push gently with your thumb. This will give you the signature ridges that help the sauce cling to the gnocchi.
Yes, you can use any of your favorite gluten-free flour blends. For a naturally gluten-free version, try my sweet potato gnocchi recipe - it works beautifully.
More Easy Dinner Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear how it turned out. Please drop a comment below or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this easy 2-ingredient vegan gnocchi as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Easy 2-Ingredient Vegan Gnocchi (No Eggs!)
Ingredients
- 6-7 Medium/ 1.6 lbs/ 730 g Potatoes Please note the weight of the potatoes after baking and cooling was 1.1 lbs / 500g.
- 2/3 cup All-purpose flour Plus extra for flouring the work surface and sprinkling on top
- 3/4 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes well. Don't peel them. Prick all over with a fork and bake for 45-50 minutes (or until cooked through) at 200 C/ 400 F.Please note that the baked and peeled potatoes weighed 1.1 lbs / 500g.
- As soon as the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and mash them using a potato ricer or a box grater.
- Sift flour, salt, and pepper on top of the potato pile, and with your hands, bring it together to form a soft dough.If your dough is very sticky, add extra flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- This comes together very easily, but please work on this dough very gently as you would for a pastry dough. A light touch ensures soft and pillowy gnocchi.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Divide the dough into pieces and working with one piece at a time, roll it back and forth under your hands to form a rope.
- Cut each rope into small equal-sized pieces.
- Roll each piece over a fork or a gnocchi board to give them a ridged surface. you can also leave the dough pieces as is.
- Lightly sprinkle the gnocchi with flour and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Cook the gnocchi by adding them to salted boiling water. Cook them in batches; don't overcrowd your pan.They will be done when they float to the top.
- Add to your favorite sauce and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- Please note that potatoes lose weight as they get baked. I started with 1.6 lbs / 730 g of potatoes, and after baking and peeling, they weighed 1.1 lbs/ 500g. So this recipe uses 1.1 lbs / 500 g of cooked and peeled potatoes.
- Pick potatoes of the same size so they bake evenly. How long it takes to bake them will depend on their size.
- Bake the potatoes; don’t boil them. It’ll keep them starchy, which helps hold the dough together.
- You can steam them (unpeeled) in your microwave or stovetop if you like.
- As soon as the potatoes are cool enough that you can handle them, peel them. You don’t want them to get completely cold because then they clump together!
- Don't mash your potatoes using a food processor or a potato masher when making homemade gnocchi. You’ll end up with a gummy mass. What you’re looking for is light and fluffy gnocchi. That’s why I recommend a grater or ricer. It helps aerate them. If you don’t have either, try a fork.
- While grating or pressing, spread out the potato strands on the work surface so they don’t stick to each other.
- The quantity of flour should always be less than the quantity of mashed potatoes. The trick I used was to add a bit and wait for it to be completely combined before sprinkling more.
- Avoid overworking the dough. Else, it’ll develop the gluten network, making the gnocchi hard and chewy.
EASYFOODSMITH says
So good! ????
Natasha Minocha says
Thank you Taruna! xx