Easy Potato Gnocchi Recipe (4 Ingredients) (2024)

Make these homemade potato gnocchi with only four ingredients — potatoes, flour, eggs, and salt. Ditch the pasta and enjoy pillowy soft gnocchi instead!

What Are Potato Gnocchi?

Gnocchi are a type of Italian dumpling. They are small lumps of dough made from a simple mixture of flour, potato, eggs, and salt. Compared to pasta, gnocchi are more chewy and gummy, yet still tender. They are often considered a “blank canvas” to dress up with various sauces, cheeses, veggies, and meats. Gnocchi are also similar to pasta nutritionally — they are full of crave-worthy carbohydrates.

How To Make & Cook Potato Gnocchi

Four ingredients, a few kitchen tools, and a hungry stomach is the recipe for the perfect homemade gnocchi. Let’s get started, shall we?

Making the Gnocchi

• Bake the potatoes: Bake the potatoes at 400°F for about an hour. Allow them to cool enough to safely handle them.
• Rice the potatoes: Cut the potatoes in half and spoon out the flesh into a large bowl. Run the potatoes through a ricer or grater.
• Make the gnocchi dough: Whisk the eggs in a separate small bowl, then drizzle them over the potatoes. Sprinkle the salt and flour over the mixture and knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
• Shape the gnocchi: Lightly flour a clean work surface, and place the ball of dough on it. Cut off a small piece of dough with a knife or bench scraper, roll it into a rope about 1/2 inches thick, then cut half-inch-sized pieces from the rope. Roll each gnocchi across the tines of a floured fork to create a ridge pattern.

Hot tip: We like to scoop the potato flesh out and save the skins to make a batch of crispy potato skins. If you want a faster option, feel free to simply peel the baked potatoes before ricing.

Cooking the Gnocchi

• Boil the water: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Add in the gnocchi: Toss about 15-20 gnocchi into the boiling water. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, and keep cooking until they begin to float to the top. Once they’ve been floating for 10-15 seconds, remove them with a slotted spoon.
• Serve the gnocchi: Place the gnocchi into a serving platter spread with olive oil or your choice of tomato sauce, pesto, or cream sauce. Bon appetit!

Hot tip: Some chefs like to give the gnocchi a little pan fry when they come out of the boil. If this sounds appealing, heat a skillet over medium heat with a little olive oil. Crisp up the boiled gnocchi to your desire, then toss them with your sauce as usual. (Avoid pan frying without boiling first — the texture won’t be right!)

6 Tips to Nail Homemade Potato Gnocchi

Say “arrivederci” to store-bought gnocchi and use these six tips to make restaurant-quality dumplings with the perfect “al dente” bite.

• Use the correct potato variety: Yukon gold potatoes are the base of any perfect gnocchi. They are most similar to the gold-fleshed potatoes native to Italy, plus they have a sweeter and nuttier flavor that elevates the gnocchi beyond a simple boiled ball of potato dough. If you must, use russet potatoes — just remember that they are a bit blander than Yukons.
• Bake the potatoes instead of boiling: Some chefs boil their potatoes for gnocchi, but we don’t recommend it. Why? Too much moisture may ruin the dough and the texture of the gnocchi. Baking or air frying the potatoes ensures you don’t run into this problem.
• Don’t over-rice your potatoes: With the help of a potato ricer or grater, rice the potatoes into tiny crumbles. If using a box grater, use the fine-medium grating side — not the coarsely grated side! Take special caution not to compress or smash the crumbles more than necessary. Mashing the potatoes will ruin the fluffy texture of the gnocchi.
• Layer the dough ingredients: For the perfect dough, layer the ingredients just as the instructions say. You may use a few more bowls than usual and it may take slightly more time, but you won’t regret it. Doing so creates a consistent dough with no lumps!
• Boil the gnocchi just until they float: Prevent overcooked gnocchi by boiling them only 10-15 seconds more after they begin to float. They cook quickly so keep an eye out!
• Purchase a gnocchi board. If you’re planning to be a master gnocchi-maker, opt for this gnocchi board instead of using the tines of a fork to get the ridged pattern on the gnocchi.

Serving Potato Gnocchi

The possibilities on how to serve gnocchi are endless. Toss them in our best sauces — basil marinara or alfredo sauce. Or, pair the gnocchi with a lean protein like creamy pan seared chicken breast. For a cozy and cheesy meal, make this creamy cheesy baked gnocchi or substitute the pasta with gnocchi in this pasta Bolognese sauce recipe. Gnocchi are also the star of our favorite chicken gnocchi soup.

Make Ahead, Storage, & Reheating Tips

Gnocchi is an easy food to make ahead of time and store for enjoyment later. Keep in mind there’s two main options — freezing the raw gnocchi or refrigerating cooked gnocchi. Storing in any other way may change the texture and color of the gnocchi.

Making Ahead & Storing

• Raw gnocchi: To store raw gnocchi for up to three months, freeze them. Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured surface (like a baking sheet). Generously sprinkle more flour on top of them to prevent sticking. Once the gnocchi harden at room temperature, transfer them to a freezer bag or an airtight container and pop them into the freezer.
• Cooked gnocchi: For a short-term storage option, store cooked gnocchi for up to five days in the fridge. Allow the cooked gnocchi to cool, then place them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Reheating

• Frozen raw gnocchi: When cooking frozen gnocchi, boil them in smaller portions than you would with fresh ones. Frozen gnocchi cool down boiling water quickly, so it’s best to leave extra room in the pot to prevent sticking.
• Refrigerated cooked gnocchi: Reheat refrigerated gnocchi on a skillet over medium heat, or in the microwave.

More Tasty Italian Recipes

• Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo – Creamy and cheesy white sauce pasta
• How to Make Homemade Pasta – A foolproof guide to making pasta noodles
• Creamy Spinach Tomato Tortellini – Creamy red sauce pasta with cheese stuffed shells
• Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan – Crispy chicken with marinara sauce & cheese

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