Sweet Potato Gnocchi

This sweet potato gnocchi is cheesy, creamy and super easy to make- perfect for anyone who’s making their own gnocchi for the first time.

It is a great recipe to try out on a weekend when you’re in the mood for a good pasta, but don’t want to indulge.

It truly is a restaurant worthy dish you need to try out!

What I Love About the Recipe

This has to be one of my favorite gnocchi recipes of all time, and for many good reasons.

Not only is the sweet potato mixture super easy to make, but the recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients.

Plus, it is super customizable too! You can totally add your favorite sauce to it to jazz it up.

Ingredients For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe

You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make the sweet potato gnocchi.

Sweet potato: Regular gnocchi calls for the use of potatoes, usually Russet potatoes, but we’ll be making this with sweet potatoes to make it healthier.

Egg: Egg acts as a binding agent for the sweet potato gnocchi dough.

Cheese: Like most other pasta recipes, you’ll need to add some cheese to this dish too. The only difference is, here we’ll be adding it to the flour mixture.

Flour: You’ll need a fair bit of flour prepare the gnocchi dough.

Olive oil: Olive oil forms the base for the simple sauce that coats the gnocchi. You can also use unsalted butter to make a nice brown butter sauce if you want to.

Herbs: We’ll need a few springs of thyme, a bay leaf and some fresh chopped coriander to add some more subtle flavor to the gnocchi.

Seasonings: I seasoned the gnocchi recipe with some salt and pepper to keep things simple.

How to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s how to make the homemade sweet potato gnocchi from scratch.

Step 1: Bake Sweet Potatoes or Steam Them Until Fork Tender

Wash sweet potatoes and cut into finger-thick circles. Bake the potatoes in the oven or steam them. you will need about 50 minutes. The slices should pierce easily with a fork.

Step 2: Peel and Mash the Potatoes with a Fork

Peel the potatoes from their skins. Mash the potato slices with a fork in a large bowl.

Step 3: Add Seasonings & Knead Until Soft Dough Forms

Add salt, pepper, egg, grated cheese. Pour in flour. Knead into a soft, tender dough.

Step 4: Roll the Dough into a Thick Rope

Roll out a piece of dough into a finger-thick rope on a lightly floured surface.

Step 5: Cut into 1 inch Length Pieces

Cut into 1-inch lengths using a sharp knife and shape with a fork or gnocchi board. We used a metal vegetable slicing holder – it’s very handy.

Step 6: Add to Boiling Water and Cook Gnocchi

Boil water in a saucepan, add salt. Add uncooked gnocchi to the salted water and cook until the gnocchi floats. Drain in a colander or use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate.

Step 7: Prepare the Sauce & Add Gnocchi In

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large skillet with the spices and pour over the gnocchi. Cook over medium high heat until slightly golden brown. Sprinkle over the thyme leaves and serve.

Tips & Tricks to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Making this sweet potato gnocchi might seem easy, but here are a few extra tips and tricks you might want to have handy to nail the recipe.

• If you’re making homemade gnocchi for the first time, I would recommend using a potato ricer to work with the potato flesh.
• I used all purpose flour for this gnocchi recipe, but you can also use wheat flour if you want to try out a healthier variant.
• Remember to cook the sweet potatoes all the way through- regardless of whether you’re baking them in a sheet pan or boiling them in a large pot.
• To add some more flavor to your homemade sweet potato gnocchi, I would recommend using some fresh herbs and Kosher salt.
• You can also add garlic and sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper, grated Parmesan cheese or ricotta cheese towards the end, right before you serve.
• Traditional gnocchi is usually served in a sage butter sauce, and if you’ve got some fresh sage, you can totally do that with this homemade sweet potato gnocchi too.
• Butternut squash can also be a great addition to this gnocchi recipe.

How Do I Fix Sticky Gnocchi Dough?

To avoid a sticky gnocchi dough, I would recommend keeping two simple steps in mind.

First, make sure you’re working with cooled potatoes. Give the sweet potatoes a bit of time to cool down after they’re out of the boiling salted water, and then peel them and rice them.

Also, add more flour if necessary. You can also melt butter and add some of it to the gnocchi mixture if you want to.

Can I Make this Vegan?

You sure can! I’ve used olive oil for this homemade gnocchi recipe, but you can use dairy free butter, and skip adding the egg while making gnocchi.

How Can I Store the Leftover Gnocchi?

If you have any leftovers, you can actually store them for later too. I would not recommend refrigerating or freezing fresh gnocchi though.

Remember to cook it first, allow it to cool down and then freeze it in a baking sheet lined with parchment paper until it is solid.

After that, transfer it to a freezer safe container or bag, and you’ll have your frozen gnocchi ready to be used!

More Recipes to Try

If you enjoyed this sweet potato recipe, and are inspired to try some more healthy recipes, here are a few good ideas to try out.

• Purple Cauliflower Recipe (Mashed Cauliflower)
• Are Frozen Vegetables Healthy?
• Mediterranean Green Bean Salad
• The Best Gnocchi Recipes To Try