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A side shot of potato gnocchi on a white marble cutting board
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4.80 from 5 votes

Potato Gnocchi

How to make super soft, light and delicious Homemade Potato Gnocchi from scratch with this easy step by step guide. This guide will take you through the whole process from making the gnocchi to what sauce to pair it with and it couldn't be easier.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 8 - 10 servings
Calories: 234kcal
Author: Emily Wyper

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs floury potatoes Yuokon Gold, Russet or Maris Piper (1 kg)
  • 2 cups flour Italian 00 flour or all-purpose (plain) (250g)
  • 1 medium egg
  • Salt

Instructions

How to prepare the potatoes

  • Clean the potatoes but do not peel them and place them in a large pot of cold water. Bring it to a boil and boil the potatoes until tender, about 30 minutes.
  • To check the potatoes are cooked try inserting a knife into the centre of the largest one, if it enters with ease it’s cooked. Try not to do this too often as the incisions will let water in.
  • Once cooked, drain the potatoes. Peel the potatoes when they are cool enough to touch. The skin should just rub off easily.
  • When the peeled potatoes are still warm place them through a potato ricer.

How to make potato gnocchi dough

  • Tip the flour onto a clean work surface and place the potatoes on top. Start to incorporate the flour into the potatoes then add the beaten egg and salt.
  • Knead the mixture until the dough is smooth and soft to touch without being sticky. Be careful not to overwork the dough or it’ll become tough. Leave out any extra flour that doesn’t incorporate, if you need more flour add a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky.

How to cut and shape the gnocchi

  • Cut the dough into 4 then working with one quarter of dough at a time, shape it into 2cm / 1 inch thick logs. Cut each log into 1 inch / 2 cm pieces.
  • You can use the gnocchi as they are or you can shape them using a gnocchi board or cheese grater.
  • To shape the gnocchi, sprinkle some flour or semolina onto a gnocchi board. Place one piece of dough on the board and roll the dough over the board away from you whilst pressing firmly with your thumb.

Cooking the gnocchi

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, once they float on the surface of the water they are cooked.
  • Remove from the water with a slotted spoon straight into your prepared sauce, toss the gnocchi to coat in the sauce and serve.

Video

Notes

  • Potato type - As already mentioned you must use a floury potato such as Yukon Gold, Russet or Maris Piper. New or waxy potatoes will just not work and the dough won't come together.
  • Peeling the potatoes - DO NOT peel the potatoes before boiling or they will absorb too much water which will affect your gnocchi dough.
  • Boiling Potatoes - add the potatoes to a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. If you add them to already boiling water it can shock the potatoes causing the skin to split and let in too much water.
  • Flour - Using Italian 00 Flour will give you a lighter texture but you can also use all-purpose (plain) white flour

Nutrition

Calories: 234kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 53mg | Potassium: 635mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 24052IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg