Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

What is Gnocchi?

One of the things that I grew to love after years of living in Buenos Aires, and then now in Italy, is gnocchi – little potato dumplings.

Gnocchi (which is literally plural for gnocco), basically refers to the family of dumplings in Italian cuisine.

The typical gnocchi dough recipe includes wheat flour, egg and mashed potatoes. Once rolled out into a smooth and pliable texture, the dough is cut into the size of a small wine cork, and is sometimes pressed against a textured object (such as the back of a fork) to make the traditional Italian ridged pattern.

While traditional gnocchi is made with potatoes, the potatoes can sometimes be substituted out with sweet potatoes, butternut squash or pumpkin (to make pumpkin gnocchi).

Amazing Sweet Potato Gnocchi

In today’s recipe, I decided to go with sweet potatoes (instead of the regular potatoes). I’m also using gluten-free flour in place of normal wheat flour (which is used in regular gnocchi dough).

My favorite way to eat potato gnocchi is with pesto sauce, but we’re giving this gluten free sweet potato gnocchi a twist with a buttery sauce flavored with sage, red onions and sun-dried tomatoes. You’re gonna love it!

Why This Recipe Works:

• Simple Ingredients: While this homemade sweet potato gnocchi is not the traditional potato gnocchi, the main ingredients are still simple and easily accessible at the grocery store.
• Easy to Make: First time making your own gnocchi? No worries! Forming the sweet potato gnocchi dough is just a matter of mixing the ingredients together and kneading them together until smooth and pliable, before cutting the dough into small pieces.
• Amazing Texture: This homemade gnocchi has a final texture that’s soft and pillowy, but with just the right amount of chew. Soooo good!
• Totally Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free and Vegan: The good news is that this sweet potato gnocchi recipe is 100% gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan, which means that even those with Celiac disease or gluten or lactose intolerances can still enjoy it without worries!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Here’s a visual overview of the ingredients required for this gluten-free sweet potato gnocchi recipe.

(For exact measurements, please scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

Recipe Notes + Substitutions:

• Sweet Potato Puree: Since we are making sweet potato gnocchi, sweet potato puree is a main ingredient. You can either make your own from fresh sweet potatoes, or use canned sweet potato puree. Alternatively, you can also use butternut squash puree or pumpkin puree.
• Mashed Potatoes: I recommend using mashed potatoes made from fresh potatoes (as opposed to the powdered version). For best results, use russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes for making the potato mash.
• Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour that is made of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch).
• Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps the ingredients to bind better together. If your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t already include xanthan gum, make sure to include it for best results.
• Vegan Butter: I used vegan butter, but you may also use coconut oil or olive oil if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you can also use normal butter or ghee instead.
• Red Onion: I like the color and taste of red onions, but feel free to use shallots or yellow onions too.
• Pine Nuts: Pine nuts taste great in this recipe, but you can also use chopped walnuts or cashews if you prefer.
• Fresh Sage: Fresh leaves are best for optimum taste.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adding sun-dried tomatoes gives the dish a little extra sweetness and flavor. But feel free to leave them out if you’re not keen.
• Dairy-Free Parmesan: I used dairy-free parmesan to keep this recipe dairy-free, but if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use normal parmesan cheese instead.

How to Make Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi (Step by Step):

1. Combine Gnocchi Ingredients

Combine the mashed potatoes, sweet potato puree, gluten-free all-purpose flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix to Get Homogeneous Dough

Mix well until you a homogeneous dough forms (the texture should be soft and pliable but not sticky).

3. Place Dough on Floured Surface

Dust your hands and sprinkle a smooth and clean surface with gluten-free flour, and transfer the sweet potato gnocchi dough from the large bowl to the floured surface.

4. Divide Dough into Portions

Cut the dough evenly into 5 equal portions (you can use a kitchen scale if you want to ensure the portions are the same weight).

5. Roll Dough

Using gluten-free floured hands, roll out each portion of gnocchi dough until you get a long and smooth cylinder roughly 1/2-inch thick.

6. Cut Dough into Pieces

Use a smooth sharp knife to cut the dough into equal thickness to get individual gnocchi pieces.

7. Create Gnocchi Pattern

Gently roll each piece of gnocchi against the back of a fork (or a gnocchi board) to create the characteristic Italian pattern of gnocchi.

Transfer the vegan sweet potato gnocchi to a floured baking tray. Repeat until all the dough is used up.

8. Chill Gnocchi

Chill the gnocchi in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.

9. Boil Water

While the gnocchi is chilling, bring a large pot of water to a boil (make sure the water is generously salted – it should taste like seawater as this will ensure the gnocchi doesn’t turn out bland).

10. Fry Sage Leaves

While the water is boiling, melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a large skillet and pan fry the fresh sage leaves until they are a darker green in color and crispy in texture. Set the fried sage leaves aside.

11. Toast Pine Nuts

In the same skillet, toast the pine nuts until they are a darker golden in color. Set the pine nuts aside.

12. Prepare Sage Sauce

Add remaining vegan butter to the same skillet and sauté the julienned onions until tender, before adding the sliced sun-dried tomatoes, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well and then remove from heat.

13. Cook Gnocchi

Once the water is boiling, let gnocchi cook into the pot of boiling water and gently stir so they won’t stick to the bottom.

Once the gnocchi starts floating to the surface (it takes 3-5 minutes), strain them with a slotted spoon and place the cooked gnocchi into the frying pan that you previously prepared.

Pan-fry the gnocchi over medium heat, tossing around all the ingredients until they mix well and the gnocchi fries enough to become slightly crispy.

14. Garnish and Serve

Top the gnocchi with the crispy fried sage and sprinkle with dairy-free parmesan.

Dish by Dish Tips/Tricks:

• No Sweet Potato Puree? If you don’t have sweet potato puree, feel free to use either pumpkin puree or butternut squash puree. Alternatively, you make this recipe with just mashed potatoes (substituting the sweet potato puree for extra mashed potatoes) to make gluten-free pumpkin gnocchi.

Recipe FAQs:

Sweet Potato Recipes to Enjoy:

• Moist Sweet Potato Bread (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Sweet Potato Casserole (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Sweet Potato and Kale Breakfast Skillet (Gluten-Free, Paleo)
• Spicy Cinnamon Sweet Potato Fries (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Wedges (Gluten-Free, Vegan)

Other Pasta Recipes You’ll Enjoy:

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

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Gluten-Free Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe (Dairy-Free, Vegan)

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Felicia Lim
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Soft, pillowy gluten-free sweet potato gnocchi tossed in a delicious sauce flavored with sautéed onions, sun-dried tomatoes and crispy sage. These gluten-free gnocchi are simple to make, even easier to cook, and taste amazingly delicious. This is the perfect main dish for the fall, but honestly they’re so good you’ll want to eat them all year round! Totally dairy-free and vegan too.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi:

• 1 1/3 cup sweet potato puree
• 2/3 cup mashed potatoes
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, + more for dusting the surface you’ll work on
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your gluten-free all-purpose flour blend already includes it)
• 1 teaspoon salt

For the Sauce:

• 5 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 medium red onion, julienned
• 3 tablespoons pine nuts
• 15 –20 fresh sage leaves
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper
• 3 tablespoons dairy-free parmesan

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Instructions

1. Combine Gnocchi Ingredients: Combine the mashed potatoes, sweet potato puree, gluten-free all-purpose flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Mix to Get Homogeneous Dough: Mix well until you get form a homogeneous dough that’s soft and pliable but not sticky.
3. Place Dough on Floured Surface: Dust your hands and sprinkle a clean and smooth work surface with gluten-free flour, and place the sweet potato gnocchi dough on the surface.
4. Divide Dough into Portions: Cut the dough evenly into 5 equal portions (you can use a kitchen scale if you want to ensure the portions are the same weight).
5. Roll Out Each Dough Portion: Using gluten-free floured hands, roll out each portion of gnocchi dough until you get a long and smooth cylinder roughly 1/2-inch thick.
6. Cut Dough into Pieces: Use a smooth sharp knife to cut the dough into equal thickness.
7. Create Gnocchi Pattern: Gently roll each piece of gnocchi against the back of a fork or gnocchi pasta board to create the characteristic Italian pattern of gnocchi. Transfer gnocchi to a floured tray. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
8. Chill Gnocchi: Chill the gnocchi in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes.
9. Boil Water: While the gnocchi is chilling, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
10. Fry Sage Leaves: While the water is boiling, melt 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in a large skillet and pan fry the fresh sage leaves until they are a darker green in color and crispy in texture.
11. Toast Pine Nuts: Remove the sage leaves and toast the pine nuts until they are a darker golden in color. Set the pine nuts aside.
12. Prepare Sauce: Add remaining vegan butter to the same skillet and sauté the julienned onions until tender, before adding the sliced sun-dried tomatoes, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix well and then remove from heat.
13. Cook Gnocchi: Once the water is boiling, place the gnocchi into the pot and gently stir so they won’t stick to the bottom. Once the gnocchi starts floating to the surface (it takes 3-5 minutes), strain them and place them into the frying pan that you previously prepared. Pan-fry into medium heat, tossing around all the ingredients until they mix well and the gnocchi fries enough to become slightly crispy.
14. Garnish and Serve: Top the gnocchi with the crispy fried sage and sprinkle with dairy-free parmesan.

Notes

Sweet Potato Puree: Since we are making sweet potato gnocchi, sweet potato puree is a main ingredient. You can either make your own from fresh sweet potatoes, or use canned sweet potato puree. Alternatively, you can also use butternut squash puree or pumpkin puree.

Mashed Potatoes: I recommend using mashed potatoes made from fresh potatoes (as opposed to the powdered version). For best results, use russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes.

Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour: I recommend using a good-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour that is made of lighter flours/starches (such as rice flour, tapioca starch, corn starch or potato starch).

Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is the replacement for gluten in gluten-free flours and helps the ingredients to bind better together. If your gluten-free flour blend doesn’t already include xanthan gum, make sure to include it for best results.

Vegan Butter: I used vegan butter, but you may also use coconut oil or olive oil if you prefer. Alternatively, if you are not lactose-intolerant, you can also use normal butter or ghee instead.

Red Onion: I like the color and taste of red onions, but feel free to use shallots or yellow onions too.

Pine Nuts: Pine nuts taste great in this recipe, but you can also use chopped walnuts or cashews if you prefer.

Fresh Sage: Fresh leaves are best for optimum taste.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adding sun-dried tomatoes gives the dish a little extra sweetness and flavor. But feel free to leave them out if you’re not keen.

Dairy-Free Parmesan: I used dairy-free parmesan to keep this recipe dairy-free, but if you are not lactose-intolerant, go ahead and use normal parmesan cheese instead.

Freezing: In a baking pan lined with parchment paper, carefully place the gnocchi pieces close to each other but avoid contact and prevent them from sticking. Place the baking pan in the freezer. Once frozen, remove the gnocchi and put them in a freezer bag.

Storing: It is best to eat freshly cooked sweet potato gnocchi. If you’ve cooked them in advance, place them in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Category: Main Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian