Potato Gnocchi From Scratch

Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings made with eggs, flour, and potatoes. Our homemade gnocchi recipe is freezer-friendly and delicious when topped with all kinds of sauces.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated September 13, 2022
Elise Bauer
Potato Gnocchi being shaped on a floured countertop

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

My parents took their first trip to Europe a couple of years ago, spending a week in the Tuscany region of Italy. They both came back inspired by the Italian food they enjoyed and, as a result, started to make many of the Italian dishes they had while in Italy. This gnocchi is one of the dishes we started making as a result of their trip.

A Classic Italian Gnocchi Recipe

To make the best gnocchi, we've experimented with various ratios of potato to flour. It took several attempts to achieve what we've found to be the perfect ratio: What you want is a minimal amount of flour; too much and the gnocchi will be too dense.

The Trick to Making the Best Potato Gnocchi

The other trick to gnocchi, we've learned, is to use older potatoes, and to bake them, not boil or steam them, so that they get pretty dried out. Also, it helps to put them through a potato ricer for a smoother consistency. Gnocchi goes well with practically any good pasta sauce.

A bowl of Potato Gnocchi made from scratch

Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

What Are Gnocchi?

Although gnocchi are associated with pasta, they are not pasta. Gnocchi are dumplings, most commonly made with potatoes. Their origin goes back to Roman times without potatoes, but somewhere around the 16th century, cooks in northern Italy added potatoes to the mix.

Many varieties now exist, including pumpkin ricotta, spinach ricotta, and semolina gnocchi. Note that sometimes when there is no potato in a gnocchi recipe (such as the ricotta versions), you may see the term gnudi used instead of gnocchi.

Why Use Egg Yolks, Not the Whole Egg?

You can make gnocchi with a whole egg, but using just the yolks from two eggs make them more tender and a little richer.

Troubleshooting Tips for Potato Gnocchi

  • Use a potato ricer; otherwise, you’ll have gluey potatoes.
  • Don’t overwork the dough.
  • Don’t have the water at a rolling boil. Have it at a hard simmer (medium bubbles, not huge busy ones). A simmer will keep the delicate gnocchi more intact and keep them from being mushy.
  • Use russet potatoes, which have more starch.

How to Make Gluten-Free Gnocchi

Potatoes have no gluten, but this recipe includes flour, so it does have gluten. For gluten-free gnocchi give our Cauliflower Gnocchi a try.

How to Freeze Gnocchi

Freeze gnocchi uncooked. Place the uncooked gnocchi on a lightly floured cookie sheet in a single layer and put in the freezer until the dumplings freeze. Remove from the freezer and place the gnocchi in a freezer-safe zipper bag with the air squeezed out or a freezer-safe tightly sealed container for up to three months.

Do not defrost frozen gnocchi before cooking. They can go straight from the freezer into the simmering water, following the directions in Step 6.

The Best Sauces to Serve With Gnocchi

More Classic Italian Recipes to Make

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Potato Gnocchi From Scratch

Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Baking potatoes 60 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings 6 servings

This recipe is adapted from one by Lorenza de'Medici in her book "Tuscany The Beautiful Cookbook."

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds whole russet baking potatoes

  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 egg yolks, beaten (see How to Separate Eggs)

  • Pinch kosher salt

  • Your favorite pasta sauce (for example, this basic, delicious tomato sauce)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven:

    Preheat the oven to 350°F.

  2. Bake the potatoes:

    Spear the potatoes with fork tines in several places around each potato to vent moisture as the potatoes cook.

    Bake the potatoes in their skins until tender, about an hour. Let cool on a rack, cutting them open to help cool and let more moisture escape.

    Baked russet potatoes cooling on a rack to make Potato Gnocchi

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
  3. Mash and fluff the potatoes:

    Work with the potatoes when they are still warm. Scoop out the potatoes from their skins. Mash the potatoes and fluff them up with a fork into a large bowl.

    (It works great to pass the potatoes through a potato ricer if you have one.)

    Riced potatoes in a bowl to make a Potato Gnocchi recipe

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
  4. Add the flour, egg, salt and mix into a ball of dough:

    Add the flour, beaten egg yolks, and pinch of salt. Mix by hand until you have a nice pliable ball of dough. Do not overmix.

    How to make Potato Gnocchi dough with eggs, cooked mashed potatoes, and flour

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
    Potato Gnocchi dough in a bowl for homemade gnocchi

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
  5. Roll pieces of the dough into long cylinders:

    Prepare a work area and dust it with flour. Take the dough, a piece at a time, and roll it out gently with your hands until you have rolls about 3/4 inch in diameter.

    It is very important to keep a light touch while you are rolling the dough! Gently roll the dough with your fingertips while exerting the lightest pressure outwards, not down, to draw the dough out.

    Hands showing how to shape logs of dough to make potato gnocchi

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
    Rolling snakes of dough to make into homemade Potato Gnocchi

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
  6. Cut the dough into pieces and form indentations:

    Cut the tubes of dough into pieces about 1 inch long. Using either the tines of a fork or your fingertip, press against a piece of the dough and roll it slightly to form an indentation (good for catching the sauce).

    As you make the gnocchi, place them on a flat baking pan that has been lightly dusted with flour or lined with waxed paper.

    Potato Gnocchi begin cut by hand on a floured board

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
    Hands putting dimples in cut Potato Gnocchi and shaping them with a fork

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    Simple Tip!

    At this point, you can freeze the gnocchi ahead of time. Freeze them first on a floured or lined tray; once frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag for more easy storage. To cook, just put the frozen gnocchi into the simmering water for the next step.

  7. Drop the gnocchi into simmering water:

    Bring 4 quarts of salted water (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water) to a boil in a saucepan.

    Gently place the gnocchi, a few at a time, into the water. As soon as the gnocchi rise to the surface, remove them with a slotted spoon or spider strainer, shaking off excess water.

    Place the gnocchi on a warm serving dish. Cook the remaining gnocchi the same way.

    How to cook Potato Gnocchi

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
  8. Serve with sauce:

    Top the gnocchi with your favorite (heated) pasta sauce and serve immediately.

    Potato Gnocchi tossed with pesto sauce in a serving bowl

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
293 Calories
3g Fat
56g Carbs
10g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 293
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 4%
Saturated Fat 1g 4%
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 69mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 56g 21%
Dietary Fiber 4g 15%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 13mg 63%
Calcium 45mg 3%
Iron 3mg 19%
Potassium 891mg 19%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.