Thanis Lim

All Rounder Chef and Food Journalist

How to make Gnocchi: Step by Step Guide

Gnocchi is a small dumpling. In fact, the word gnocchi in Italian means "lump". Gnocchi is most often made with potatoes, though it can also be made from flour, semolina, cheese or even polenta. Gnocchi is served much in the same manner as pasta, with sauce or some butter and herbs or parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi recipes date back to the twelfth century and are most common in the Northern regions of Italy. Believe it or not, gnocchi is very popular in Brazil, where people enjoy Italian food in general. While it's not as popular as pasta is in the United States, Americans enjoy gnocchi as well. In fact, most fine Italian restaurants have at least one gnocchi dish on the menu.

For this version of gnocchi, I use 2 pounds of russet potatoes, 2 cups of flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1 large egg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake potatoes until easily pierced with a fork (about 45 minutes). You can also boil the potatoes, but baking creates a drier dough and a lighter, fluffier gnocchi. Let the potatoes cool slightly, then peel.

Pass the potatoes through a ricer or grate them into a large bowl.


Add the egg (slightly beaten)to the potatoes. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the flour to potatoes a little at a time, mixing well with a wooden spoon. Add just enough flour so that the dough doesn't stick to your hands.

When all the flour has been incorporated, bring the dough together with your fingertips. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a slightly floured surface. Knead the dough as you would bread dough. Press down and away with the heel of your hand, fold the dough over, make a quarter turn, and repeat the process. Knead for about 5 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and then divide it into 6 smaller balls.


On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough using your fingertips. The rope of dough should be about 3/4 inch thick.


Cut the dough into 1 inch pieces.


You can cook the gnocchi as it is now, but traditional gnocchi has ridges. To create the ridges, press each piece of dough against the tines of a fork.


With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This takes a little practice. If you find the dough sticking to the fork, dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it.


Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a lightly floured dish.

To cook the gnocchi, place the dough into a pot of boiling water. After a few minutes the gnocchi will float to the top. Continue to cook for one minute then remove and set aside.

Serve the hot gnocchi immediately, tossed with butter and a little Parmesan cheese or with the sauce of your choice. You can serve them with tasty tomato based pasta sauces or white creamy sauces as well. They go very well also with pesto. Check the pictures below for different sauces. Recipe for the sauces will follow soon ;)

Before boiling.

Pesto Sauce

Creamy Cheese Sauce

Tomato based pasta sauce

Baked with tomato based pasta sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese

Note: Gnocchi will not keep for long after they are prepared and they must be cooked soon. They can be kept covered on a floured cloth for few hours. Soon after they may start releasing their moisture content and become gummy and sticky. Placing them in the refrigerator will not help since the humidity present there may cause additional damage.

Gnocchi instead can be easily frozen. Drop frozen gnocchi directly in the boiling water without defrosting: they will be ready when they surface like indicated in the recipe.


5 comments

5 comments :

  1. The photos are only to give the readers a good idea of what gnocchi is. I did not take the photos :)

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  2. Anonymous2:02 PM

    Excellent guide! My potatoes are in the oven as I comment! Will let you know how it went. :D

    This is the second recipe of yours I've attempted. First one was the Ginger Milk and it turned out delish! Keep it up!

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  3. Glad you are trying out gnocchi. There are many other types of Gnocchi. Once you like this one, you can try and be creative and add in other stuff into the dough.

    There's even a dessert gnocchi but I'll try it next time. It's called Gnocchi Di Latte or Milk Gnocchi.

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  4. You cook for me can?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nonnie: Mebbe Maurina can make it for you at the next girl blogger's night :)

    ReplyDelete