Easy step-by-step recipe for making a small batch of light and tender potato gnocchi. Made with just 4 ingredients, this incredibly delicious Italian dish can be enjoyed with many different sauces.
Potato gnocchi are the perfect comfort food! These small, fluffy dumplings pair well with many different sauces and toppings. From rich and creamy Alfredo sauce to tangy tomato sauce, potato gnocchi can be customized to satisfy a variety of palates. One of my favorite ways to eat potato gnocchi is very simple, with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil and fresh Parmesan cheese - heavenly!
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What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi (pronounced nyo-key) are a type of Italian "pasta" resembling a small dumpling. This traditional Italian dish can be found throughout many regions of Italy and is also enjoyed in many parts of the world. The most popular type of gnocchi is a classic potato gnocchi, Gnocchi de patate. These little dumplings are made from cooked potatoes, flour, and egg which are made into a paste-like dough that is then rolled into ropes, sliced into pillow-like squares, and cooked in boiling water until they float to the surface.
Why This Recipe Works
- Making gnocchi is easy: If the thought of making pasta is intimidating, this small batch gnocchi recipe is for you. It's a foolproof recipe and calls for using pantry staples, comes together quickly, and is very easy to make.
- Recipe doubles well: If you'd like to make gnocchi for two, or simply have a little extra for another meal, just double the ingredient amounts.
- Light and delicious: This potato gnocchi is light and airy with a subtle potato flavor.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Potato: The secret to making great gnocchi is to use the right potato and we recommend using either Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. We tested baked and boiled potatoes for our gnocchi recipe and both methods for cooking the potatoes work great. You will need 1 cup of cooked and mashed or riced potatoes. Weighing the cooked potatoes is helpful here but I realize that not everyone has a kitchen scale. We used 1 cup of tightly packed mashed potatoes which is 200 grams. This is roughly 1 medium-sized russet potato or 2 small/medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes. If you don't have a weight scale, just measure out 1 cup of cooked and mashed potatoes, tightly packed in a measuring cup, and understand that you may need to add more flour to get the dough to come together.
- Egg yolk: One egg yolk helps to bind the ingredients together so that the dough is easy to work with and the gnocchi holds their shape without falling apart in water. The yolk helps the gnocchi become light and tender and gives them a beautiful golden color. I do not recommend using the entire egg.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour. Some recipes call for only using Italian "00" flour or cake flour but I wanted to create a gnocchi recipe using the type of flour most people keep in their pantries. You can make great gnocchi with all-purpose flour. This gnocchi recipe has not been tested with other types of flour.
- Salt: Salt adds necessary flavor. I use Diamond Crystal brand of kosher salt.
This is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why I used them. For the full recipe please scroll down to the recipe box at the bottom of the post.
How To Cook Potatoes For Gnocchi
There are two ways that you can cook potatoes for gnocchi:
- To bake the potato: Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Scrub a russet potato and pierce it all over with a fork to allow moisture to escape while baking. Bake for 45 minutes and use a paring knife or fork to test for doneness. The potato should be soft and completely cooked. Remove from the oven and slice the potato in half lengthwise to release its steam. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the potato flesh and transfer it to a bowl.
- To boil the potato: Place a single potato (or two if you are using small potatoes) into a medium-sized pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook at a gentle boil for about 12-15 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. Test with a fork. Remove the potatoes from the water. Peel the potatoes and transfer them to a bowl.
How To Make Potato Gnocchi For One
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Cook the potatoes: Bake or boil a medium-sized russet potato or one to two small Yukon Gold potatoes.
Note: Our preferred method is to boil the potato. See the section above for boiling and baking directions.
- Peel the potatoes. If boiling the potatoes the skins should peel right off. Spoon the potato flesh into a potato ricer or use a potato masher and mash the potatoes in a bowl.
Pro Tip: I don't have a ricer in my kitchen and found that a potato masher worked just fine for the small number of potatoes needed.
- Make the gnocchi dough: Measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes (200g).
Pro Tip: Use the back of a spoon to press the potatoes into the measuring cup. You need to use 1 cup of mashed potatoes, packed.
- Transfer the potatoes to a clean work surface. Drizzle the egg yolk over the potatoes and season with salt.
- Scoop the flour into a mesh sieve and tap to dust the flour over the potatoes.
Pro Tip: I use ½ cup of flour in this small batch gnocchi recipe. Because the moisture content of the potatoes may vary, you may find that you need to add a little more flour. If so, add a teaspoon or so of flour until you are able to work the mixture into a dough.
- Use either a pastry cutter or a bench scraper to cut the flour into the potato. Chop all over the mixture until you have a fairly uniform mixture of flour and potato.
Pro Tip: A pastry cutter works great here because its multiple wires bring the dough together with each downward cut. You want to initially cut the flour into the potatoes before working the dough with your hands. The idea here is that the cutting motion helps to mix the ingredients together with very little development of gluten. Kneading the pasta dough together too much can cause the gnocchi to become dense and chewy. This is why we use a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients together first.
- Collect the dough and gently form it into a rectangular-shaped log. Begin to fold the dough over itself and then gently press down flat with your hand. Repeat until the flour is completely mixed in. You may need to add additional flour if the dough becomes too sticky.
- Divide the dough into 3 balls.
- On a lightly floured work surface and working with one piece of dough at a time, gently roll the dough into a long rope about ½ to ¾-inch in diameter.
Pro Tip: If the dough falls apart, it may need a little more flour and you may need to work the dough more.
- Cut each "rope" into ¾-inch pieces and then very gently slide each piece on a fork to make little grooves. Transfer the uncooked gnocchi to a rimmed baking sheet and lightly dust with flour to prevent the gnocchi from sticking together.
- Cover the uncooked gnocchi with a clean towel to rest for 10 minutes.
- While the gnocchi dough is resting, bring a 3-quart pot of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Pro Tip: When using a 3-quart pot, I add ½ tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water. Stir once very gently with a slotted spoon to prevent sticking. When the gnocchi begins to float to the surface, they are done. It doesn't take long for them to cook, usually 1-2 minutes. Remove them from the water and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate or bowl to drain.
- Toss with olive oil and refrigerate for up to 3 days or add to tomato sauce or sauté in butter or olive oil until heated through and lightly browned. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Expert Tips
- Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section of the post and gather your ingredients. Although gnocchi is easy to make, you might have questions about the process and many of your questions may be answered in this section and from the process photos and pro tips above. Homemade gnocchi comes together quickly so it's a good idea to have everything ready before beginning.
- The best potatoes to use for gnocchi are either Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.
- You will need 1 cup of cooked and mashed or riced potatoes. Weighing the cooked potatoes is helpful here but I realize that not everyone has a kitchen scale. We used 1 cup of tightly packed mashed potatoes which is 200 grams. This is roughly 1 medium-sized russet potato or 2 small/medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes. If you don't have a weight scale, just measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes, tightly packed in a measuring cup, and understand that you may need to add more flour to get the dough to come together.
- Warm potatoes make fluffier gnocchi. For best results, make the gnocchi dough while the potatoes are still warm.
- Don't skip resting the dough. Once you shape the gnocchi, be sure to let it rest on a baking sheet dusted with a little flour for at least 10 minutes. This dries the gnocchi and helps ensure they keep their shape when dropped in hot water.
- To make vegan potato gnocchi, leave out the egg yolk. I recommend adding a tablespoon or so of olive oil to the dough to help the gnocchi dough come together.
- To make gnocchi for two, simply double the ingredient amounts.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most popular gnocchi are made from potatoes but there are many gnocchi variations that do not include potatoes.
Traditional gnocchi are ridged which can be done either on the tines of a fork or using a little wooden paddle called a rigagnocchi, which is specially designed for this purpose. Some say the ridges help the sauce cling to the pasta better.
Cooked potato gnocchi should have a light, spongy texture and should not be tough and chewy.
Although gnocchi is often served as pasta and pre-made gnocchi can be found next to pasta in most supermarkets, traditional gnocchi is made from potatoes and are considered more of a dumpling than pasta.
Yes. We tested this recipe with leftover mashed potatoes and they made delicious gnocchi! We found that we needed to add a bit more flour to the mixture because true mashed potatoes are softer than ones mashed with a potato masher or a potato ricer and more flour is needed to bring the dough together.
How To Serve Potato Gnocchi
There are so many ways to enjoy a bowl of gnocchi!
- Enjoy them with tomato sauce or Pomodoro sauce.
- Make a Gnocchi Alfredo with our small batch Alfredo sauce recipe.
- Make Pesto Gnocchi using store-bought or homemade pesto.
- Pan fry gnocchi with a little butter and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Add them to a chicken soup recipe and make a delightful Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
Storing Instructions
- If you have leftover gnocchi, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- To freeze uncooked gnocchi, spread the gnocchi out on a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 2 hours and then transfer the gnocchi to a freezer bag or airtight container. They keep well in the freezer for 2 months.
- Thaw frozen gnocchi in the refrigerator before boiling them.
- I do not recommend freezing cooked gnocchi because the texture will change after freezing and thawing and they become mushy.
Ways To Use Leftover Potatoes
If you have any potatoes leftover from this small batch gnocchi recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Colcannon
- Scalloped Potatoes
- Potato Soup
- Potato Salad
- Twice Baked Potato
- Hash Browns
- French Fries
- Zuppa Toscana
Ways To Use The Leftover Egg White
Leftover raw egg whites should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should be used within 3 days. Egg whites can be frozen by transferring them to a freezer-safe container. Label the container with the date frozen and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place frozen egg whites in your refrigerator overnight.
Use the leftover egg white in any of these small batch recipes:
- Mini Texas Sheet Cake
- Two Vanilla Cupcakes
- Small Batch Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Mini Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Two Chocolate Cupcakes
Other ways to use the egg white:
- My favorite way to use extra egg whites is to add them to scrambled eggs. Whisk in one or two egg whites into whole eggs. It increases the volume of the eggs without adding very many calories.
- Make an egg wash to brush on baked goods to provide color and shine. An egg wash acts as a natural adhesive. If you want seeds to stick to bread before baking, brush the dough with an egg wash before topping it with seeds. To make an egg wash, beat the egg white and mix with a teaspoon of water for a light shine.
- Make a meringue topping as we do with our lemon meringue pie.
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
If you’ve tried this easy potato gnocchi recipe or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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Recipe
Potato Gnocchi For One
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Equipment
- potato masher or potato ricer
Ingredients
- 1 medium Russet potato (or use 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes)
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
Cook the potato
- Scrub the dirt off the skin of the potato under cool running water.Place the potato in a medium-sized pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and boil the potato until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the potato from the pot and let it cool, then remove the skin. It should peel right off.* Another method is baking the potato - see the notes below.
Make the gnocchi dough
- Spoon the potato flesh into a potato ricer or use a potato masher and mash the potatoes in a bowl.
- Measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes (200g).Pro Tip: Use the back of a spoon to press the potatoes into the measuring cup. You want to use 1 cup of mashed potatoes, packed.
- Transfer the cooked and mashed potatoes to a clean work surface. Drizzle the egg yolk over the potatoes and season with salt.
- Scoop the flour into a mesh sieve and tap to dust the flour over the potatoes.Pro Tip: I use ½ cup of flour in this small batch gnocchi recipe. Because the moisture content of the potatoes may vary, you may find that you need to add a little more flour. If so, add a teaspoon or so of flour until you are able to work the mixture into a dough.
- Use either a pastry cutter or a bench scraper to cut the flour into the potato. Chop all over the mixture until you have a fairly uniform mixture of flour and potato.Pro Tip: A pastry cutter works great here because its multiple wires bring the dough together with each downward cut. You want to initially cut the flour into the potatoes before working the dough with your hands. The idea here is that the cutting motion helps to mix the ingredients together with very little development of gluten. Kneading the pasta dough together too much can cause the gnocchi to become dense and chewy. This is why we use a pastry cutter to blend the ingredients together first.
- Collect the dough and gently form it into a rectangular-shaped log. Begin to fold the dough over itself and then gently press down flat with your hand. Repeat until the flour is completely mixed in. You may need to add additional flour if the dough becomes too sticky.
- Divide the dough into 3 balls.
- On a lightly floured work surface and working with one piece of dough at a time, gently roll the dough into a long rope about ½ to ¾-inch in diameter.Pro Tip: If the dough falls apart, it may need a little more flour and you may need to work the dough more.
- Cut each "rope" into ¾-inch pieces and then very gently slide each piece on a fork to make little grooves. Transfer the uncooked gnocchi to a rimmed baking sheet and lightly dust with flour to prevent the gnocchi from sticking together.
- Cover the uncooked gnocchi with a clean towel to rest for 10 minutes.
Cook the gnocchi
- While the gnocchi dough is resting, bring a 3-quart pot of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.Pro Tip: When using a 3-quart pot, I add ½ tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water. Stir once very gently with a slotted spoon to prevent sticking. When the gnocchi begins to float to the surface, they are done. It doesn't take long for them to cook, usually 1-2 minutes. Remove them from the water and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate or bowl to drain.
- Toss with olive oil and refrigerate for up to 3 days or add to tomato sauce or sauté in butter or olive oil until heated through and lightly browned. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Read through the entire recipe and the Ingredient Notes section of the post and gather your ingredients. Although gnocchi is easy to make, you might have questions about the process and many of your questions may be answered in this section and from the process photos and pro tips. Homemade gnocchi comes together quickly so it's a good idea to have everything ready before beginning.
- The best potatoes to use for gnocchi are either Russet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes.
- You will need 1 cup of cooked and mashed or riced potatoes. Weighing the cooked potatoes is helpful here but I realize that not everyone has a kitchen scale. We used 1 cup of tightly packed mashed potatoes which is 200 grams. This is roughly 1 medium-sized russet potato or 2 small/medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes. If you don't have a weight scale, just measure out 1 cup of mashed potatoes, tightly packed in a measuring cup, and understand that you may need to add more flour to get the dough to come together.
- Warm potatoes make fluffier gnocchi. For best results, make the gnocchi dough while the potatoes are still warm.
- Don't skip resting the dough. Once you shape the gnocchi, be sure to let it rest on a baking sheet dusted with a little flour for at least 10 minutes. This dries the gnocchi and helps ensure they keep their shape when dropped in hot water.
- To make vegan potato gnocchi, leave out the egg yolk. I recommend adding a tablespoon or so of olive oil to the dough to help the gnocchi dough come together.
- To make gnocchi for two, simply double the ingredient amounts.
- Enjoy them with tomato sauce or Pomodoro sauce.
- Make a Gnocchi Alfredo with our small batch Alfredo sauce recipe.
- Make Pesto Gnocchi using store-bought or homemade pesto.
- Pan-fry gnocchi with a little butter and top with grated Parmesan cheese.
- Add them to a chicken soup recipe and make a delightful Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Mousewoman says
Has anyone made this with gluten free flour? If so is the amount needed the same?
J. Hegyi says
Good recipe.