Vegan Gnocchi Recipe
Vegan gnocchi recipe for fluffy, delicious potato dumplings you can enjoy immediately or freeze later. This recipe cuts out the eggs but none of the flavor and enjoyment!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 800 grams Starchy Potatoes About 3 large potatoes
- 3/4 Cup All Purpose Flour Plus more for dusting your work bench
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
Baking the Potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 475 °F (250 °C)NOTE: If you have a fan setting reduce the temperature 40 °F (20 °C).
- Wash potatoes to remove any dirt from the exterior.Dry the outside of the potatoes with a clean kitchen towel.
- Poke holes in the potatoes with a fork in order to allow steam to escape during baking.Place your potatoes on a lined baking tray and sprinkle generously with salt.Bake salted potatoes in the oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted into the potato with little or no resistance. Note: Flip the potatoes over after 20 minutes so they evenly bake. The final baking time will depend on the size of the potatoes.
Making the Gnocchi Dough
- As soon as the potatoes are removed from the oven cut them in half to allow steam to escape.
- While holding the hot potato halves with a kitchen towel, scoop the flesh of the potatoes out into a potato ricer, mill, or sieve. Press the potatoes through the selected tool into a thin layer on a floured work surface. NOTE: Be sure to keep the potato layer thin in order to allow more steam to escape.
- Sprinkle 1/4 cup sieved flour on top of the potatoes.Cut the flour into the potatoes with a bench scraper/pastry knife or pastry cutter. Don't kneed the dough. The less you handle the dough the better. We want to prevent the dough from becoming gloopy.
- Fold the dough in to start forming it into a mound. If the dough comes together and is slightly sticky don't add more flour. If it is crumbly or too wet, add more sieved flour 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a soft and slightly sticky dough.NOTE: The dough should have enough flour to hold together, yet it should still be soft. It should not be as firm as pasta dough but not too soft that you can't roll it into a log (next step) without it falling apart.
- Form the dough into a log. Try to do this as delicately as possible.Cut the log into four sections. Roll each section of the dough into long snake shaped pieces that are approximately 3/4 inch thick.Cut the rope crosswise into 1 inch long pieces with a bench scraper/pastry knife and place on a floured baking tray. Repeat with the remaining three sections of dough.
- If you want to create a textured gnocchi you can roll each piece against a gnocchi board, or the tines of a fork to create ridges. Alternatively, you can press a dimple into the center of the gnocchi with your finger. NOTE: This step isn't required.
- Allow the gnocchi to rest for approximately 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking to completely cool down and firm up slightly.
Cooking the Gnocchi
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a strong rolling boil.
- Add the gnocchi in batches (don't overcrowd them) to the boiling water.
- Once the gnocchi float to the top (about 2-3 minutes), remove them with a slotted spoon. They are ready to eat as is.
- If you prefer a crispy gnocchi add the boiled gnocchi to a very hot pan coated with olive oil. Allow the gnocchi to cook for approximately 2 minutes without disturbing them. Once a golden crust has formed they are ready.
Serving Ideas
- Enjoy gnocchi with any of the following combinations, or any other combo you can think of:- Tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper, and topped with vegan parmesan and fresh basil or parsley.- Tossed in tomato sauce and topped with vegan parm and frehs basil. - Vegan pesto- Vegan cream sauce with roasted Brussels sprouts.
Notes
This homemade vegan gnocchi recipe can be frozen! Just pop the raw gnocchi into the freezer on a floured baking tray. Make sure there is space between each piece to prevent sticking.
After about 30 minutes to an hour remove the gnocchi from the tray and add them to a freezer bag or container and return to the freezer.
When you're ready to use them, cook as instructed above. They will take about an addition 30 seconds to a minute more to float than fresh gnocchi.