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Introducing this simple 2 ingredient Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi. Yes… you can make your own gnocchi with just 2 ingredients you’ll most likely have in the cupboards at home!
Recipe Difficulty – Very Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
Not only are these gnocchi gluten-free, dairy free and vegan (no egg needed) and simple to make, they taste delicious and I can guarantee you’ll be making them time and time again!
My favourite ways to serve them up is either simply fried in a large skillet with butter/vegan butter (or sage butter if you’re feeling fancy) or served mixed through my Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce or use it in my Gnocchi Bake.
Whether your looking for a quick and simple mid-week dinner recipe, or simply bored of your meals on a current weekly rotation and fancy some comfort food, I’ve got you covered. This hassle-free, sweet potato gnocchi recipe is going to transform your meal tonight!
Ingredients to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Sweet Potato – I love the flavour that sweet potato adds! It is mild and sweet yet starchy enough to work as substitute for the standard white potatoes that are normally used when making gnocchi. If you have any spare then make my Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Soup or Sweet Potato Brownies.
- Flour – this helps bind the sweet potato gnocchi dough together and stops it from sticking. I’ve used gluten free white flour, but if you aren’t gluten free, then standard plain white flour would also work well.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Sweet Potato – You could use standard white potato instead (this is usually how gnocchi is made) but will need less flour as white potatoes have less water content.
- Flour – I’ve used gluten free white flour as I am gluten free. However, if you aren’t gluten free, you could use standard plain all purpose flour and this would work exactly the same.
Variations
- Kid-friendly – most children tend to love sweet potato so this is a great family recipe! However if the bright orange colour puts your child off, feel free to make this recipe using standard white potatoes instead. You could serve this gnocchi with the sauce from my Vegan Mushroom Pasta.
- Spicy – These Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi are mild and sweet. If you wanted to up the heat, add some chilli flakes or freshly chopped chillies to the recipe below.
- Deluxe – To take these homemade gnocchi’s to the next level, toss through your favourite tomato sauce, cream sauce, sage sauce, or simply a whipped ricotta cheese and top with parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, black pepper and crispy sage leaves. You could also serve it on a bed of cauliflower mash with grilled chicken for a complete meal.
How to make Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Step 1: Firstly, pre-heat your oven to 180C (360F). Prick 2 sweet potatoes with a fork and place in a baking dish. Place in the oven for 60 minutes (turn after 30 minutes).
Hint: Alternatively, you can microwave each potato for 8 minutes if you prefer. Once cooked, remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully peel off the skin.
Step 2: Then add the sweet potato flesh to a large mixing bowl and mash with the back of a fork, potato masher or potato ricer. Once mashed, allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes.
Step 3: Then, slowly add in the flour and gently kneed with your hands until a gnocchi dough has formed.
Step 4: Once formed, transfer the gnocchi dough to a floured worktop and form a ball.
Hint: you may need extra flour!
Step 5: Cut the dough into 4 parts, hand pressing each part into a flatbread shape.
Hint: The parts should be about ½ inch thick.
Step 6: Then cut into small square pieces as seen in the photo above.
Step 7: Finally, roll with your hands into gnocchi shapes. Now place into a large pot over a medium heat with salted boiling water and boil the Sweet Potato Gnocchi until they start to float off the bottom (roughly 2-3 minutes)
Hint: don’t add them all at once, give them space to boil.
Once boiled remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl lined with kitchen roll, this helps to absorb any leftover liquid.
Leftovers
These Homemade Gnocchis are perfect for batch cooking as they freeze really well. I personally prefer to freeze my gnocchi after boiling. Allow the gnocchi to dry and cool before adding to an air tight container and place in the freezer. Allow to thaw completely and then pan fry before mixing into sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this recipe would also work with white potato. As white potato isn’t as “wet” you may need less flour.
Absolutely, I personally prefer to freeze my gnocchi after boiling it. Allow the gnocchi to dry and cool before adding to an air tight container and place in the freezer. Allow to thaw completely and then pan fry before mixing into sauce.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges
- Sweet Potato Satay Curry
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Stew
- Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry
You might also like…
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Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Equipment
- roasting tin
- large mixing bowl
- fork
- Knife
- large saucepan
- Colander
- kitchen roll
- Chopping Board (if making Homemade Gnocchi Sauce)
- large non stick frying pan (if making Homemade Gnocchi Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 Sweet Potatoes , (680-700g)
- 180g Plain white flour + more for dusting, (Roughly 1 ½ cups) I use gluten-free
- Pinch Salt, (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C (360F).
- Prick your 2 sweet potatoes with a fork and place in a baking dish. Place in the oven at 180C for 60 minutes (turn after 30 minutes). You can microwave each potato for 8 minutes if you prefer.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully peel off the skin and place the inside flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Slowly add in the 180g flour and gently kneed with your hands.
- Transfer the dough to a floured worktop and form a ball (you may need extra flour!). Cut into 4 parts, hand pressing each part into a flatbread shape (½ inch thick). Cut into small pieces and roll with your hands into gnocchi shapes (follow the photo above in the blog post)
- Now place into a large pot with salted boiling water, don't add them all at once (give them space to boil) and boil until they start to float off the bottom (or 2-3 minutes).
- Once boiled remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl lined with kitchen roll, this helps to absorb any leftover liquid.
- Finally, you can either fry them in a pan with butter or olive oil to make them crispy or just add directly into your favourite pasta sauce!
Hi probably a silly question, I am not a cook. Can you use ground almonds instead of flour for this recipe?
Hey Sandra, no I don’t think so for this as it won’t bind as well as flour
Hello,
Would it work with pumpkin instead of sweet potato, please?
TY, Magdalena
Hey Magdalena, I think that should work well (not personally tested this though) let me know!
Tried it with roasted pumpkin flesh. Conclusion – pumpkin’s flesh is more moist than sweet potato’s therefore more flour was required till the point that it started to taste too floury. So instead of rolling a dough I had been dropping bits picked up with teaspoon on boiling water/soup and it worked well.
Must try with sweet potatoes next time 🙂
Could these be made with rice flour or brown rice flour instead of GF white four?
Yes, that should also work 🙂
Thank you James! Tasty quick dinner tonight. I made the sweet potato gnocchi and fried them and served with home made tomato sauce and green garden salad. I microwaved the sweet potato as the oven was harbouring cooling aquafaba mini pavlovas. And I rolled out the mixture into snakes then cut them and used the tines of a fork to mark them.
Hello James,
I’m going to try the gnocchi, can you send me some sauce recipe ideas that compliment the the gnocchi? my family doesn’t like dry pesto like dishes and/or butter
Thanks a bunch
Hey Sila 🙂 if you look near the bottom of this post there is a tomato sauce recipe. Or there is a link to my “warming pasta sauce” recipe. Let me know how you get on!
Could I make them with Coconut flour?
Hi Julia, you could. I am a little concerned how well they would bind together with coconut flour though. Not tried it myself.
I tried it with coconut flour and it didn’t work. As James said they didn’t bind well and went to mush in the pan.
Hi tried it with coconut flour and you are right James it didn’t bind at all or in 30 and pulled out 10 survivers.
Treated good though
Thanks
Karen
I could not believe this recipe and prepared myself for a soggy lumpy fail. However, instead I had a mass of delicious orange nuggets of gnocchi. They are so simple, cheap and easy to make and extremely healthy. All time win. As someone with MANY intolerances and digestive issues, I struggle to find easy good stuff I can afford. Thank you James. This is my favourite food.
Thanks Luka 🙂
Hi! This recipe looks great! Would it be possible to use chickpea flour? Amy
Hey Amy, yes chickpea flour should also work with these 🙂 let me know how you get on!
At first I didn’t think I did it right, but they turned out so yummy! I made my own blend with GF flours I had on hand, and it worked just fine. I did have some trouble with them sticking while browning, but think I just need to add more oil next time. My bf even thought they were great! Thanks for another great recipe James.
Just wanted to say that I made your sweet potato gnocchi tonight and wow, it tasted so authentic! Got quite messy in the process of making it but it was well worth it and even my husband was impressed with my #meatfreemonday cooking! Thanks James, love all your recipes!