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    Home » Recipes » Gnocchi

    Light and Fluffy Italian Homemade Gnocchi

    Published: Sep 23, 2017 · Modified: Mar 24, 2025. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Recipe Jump to Video
    Light and fluffy homemade gnocchi
    Light and fluffy homemade gnocchi pin

    These homemade Italian gnocchi are known for their light and fluffy texture. This authentic Italian recipe, one I've been using since the 1970s in Rome, is made with no eggs and minimal flour. This approach results in gnocchi that are not only exceptionally light and fluffy, but also traditionally smaller than classic versions, and they do not require the typical indentation. This distinctive style allows the potato flavor to be prominent and is suitable for vegan diets. These gnocchi are a versatile base for a variety of sauces.

    fluffy italian potato gnocchi served with pesto
    Jump to:
    • My secret ingredient
    • Choosing the Potatoes
    • Cooking them
    • Top tips
    • Sauces you can use
    • Making them chunkier
    • Fancy type of gnocchi
    • 📋Light and Fluffy Italian Homemade Gnocchi

    Gnocchi have always been part of my Italian kitchen.

    Growing up in Rome, my mother taught me this recipe for Italian gnocchi, a technique I have been using since the 1970s. 

    In Italian cooking, there are really two ways to make gnocchi – with egg, and without. 

    This recipe uses no egg, and I strongly prefer this eggless approach because for me, it's all about the taste.

    Making gnocchi this way lets the pure potato flavor shine through.

    It also creates a lighter, more versatile texture that perfectly complements different sauces.

    original italian recipe

    You can change the flavor and color of your gnocchi by using different potatoes or add other vegetables.

    You can make this same recipe using purple potatoes, sweet potatoes or chestnuts gnocchi.

    While potato-based gnocchi is the most common, other variations exist in the Italian cuisine like ricotta cheese gnocchi, breadcrumb gnocchi, and semolina gnocchi.

    mixed vegan potatoes gnocchi

    My secret ingredient

    To make fluffy and light homemade gnocchi I have 1 special secret, keep the flour in the dough to a minimum.

    For 1 lb - 500 gr of potatoes, I use around 100 / 120 gr ( 1 cup) of flour not more (plus 3 teaspoon of salt).

    Once the potatoes are mashed and completely cold I add only 100 gr (¾ cup) of flour and I add more only if necessary.

    adding flour to the potatoes

    Choosing the Potatoes

    Use old big potatoes with thick skin that are rich in starch and don't have too much water. Choose potatoes for mash like Russets, Yukon golds, Desiree in France Amandine, Chérie or Pompadour.

    ingredients to make fluffy gnocchi

    Tricks for making them fluffy

    Unfortunately, there is an undesirable consequence for not adding too much flour to the dough, humidity.

    Once the gnocchi are ready on the tray and you try to pour them in the boiling water, they will be stuck to the tray and mash as soon as you touch them.

    Any humidity in your kitchen will soften the gnocchi, they will soak the vapour from your boiling pot of water while they are laying on the table before they reach the pot.

    cutting the small gnocchi from the dough

    To avoid this problem I make sure that:

    1. Once I shape the gnocchi I put them on a well-floured tray and add more flour on top.
    2. I make sure the kitchen is well aired and does not have too much humidity.
    3. I don't let them rest for too long, usually, I make them only 1-hour max 2 hours ahead, no more.
    gnocchi laid on a try with lots of flour

    Time-saving tricks

    Have you noticed that my gnocchi do not have an indentation?

    They do not need it.

    The indentation helps the sauce stick to the gnocchi, but because my gnocchi do not have a lot of flour they absorb the sauce anyway. 

    They are smaller and soft and will melt in your mouth.

    But if you like the shape and have time on your hands, use a fork and add the indentation.

    classic gnocchi vs fluffy gnocchi

    Cooking them

    The gnocchi are cooked in hot salted boiling water, but they do not get drained like pasta or vegetables.

    Once cooked they float in the boiling water, you can then remove them with a strainer ladle.

    That is why it does not matter how much flour you are pouring over the shaped gnocchi to keep them loose on the tray.

    The four will drop to the bottom of the boiling water, and when you drain the gnocchi with the ladle the flour will remain at the bottom of the pot.

    cooking gnocchi in salted water

    Top tips

    Follow the recipe below and remember:

    Dos:

    • Boil the potatoes with their skin for max 20 minutes
    • When making the dough add just enough flour until the dough is smooth
    • Once the gnocchi are ready, cover the prepared gnocchi with a lot of flour so they will not stick to the tray
    boil the potato with their skin

    Don'ts:

    • Don't peel the potatoes before boiling them
    • Don't use a blender to mash them otherwise they will become waxy
    • Don't mix the mashed potatoes with the flour when they are still warm
    Homemade gnocchi kitchenaid

    Sauces you can use

    You can serve gnocchi in 3 different ways:

    1. As a main dish: use sauces with meat like Ragu for example. My favourite ragu to serve with gnocchi is Lamb ragu. For main dish gnocchi I rather use chunkier gnocchi and you can find the recipe here
    2. As a side dish: like potatoes served as a side dish for meat or fish. You can simply flavour the gnocchi with some herbs and butter or Genovese pesto.
    3. As a starter: in Italy this is what we would call Primo Piatto, like pasta or risotto. You can use any pasta sauce you like. For a special meal I use truffles. We usually have it as a starter for our Christmas lunch.
    Creamy truffle gnocchi sauce with Parmesan

    Making them chunkier

    If you want to use a rich sauce, you can make chunkier gnocchi by adding some semolina flour in the mix.

    Here you can find the recipe for chunkier homemade Italian gnocchi with cherry tomatoes sauce.

    You will find it also in the video below.

    classic chunky gnocchi

    Fancy type of gnocchi

    If you want to make something very special, you can mix other vegetables to the potatoes and change the colour and flavour.

    Here I mixed some cooked chestnuts.

    Other vegetables often used are with sweet potatoes, squash, and why not trying with pumpkin.

    You can experiment what you fancy, on 1 kilo of potatoes substitute 100 gr with your favourite vegetable. Though make sure it is a dry vegetable otherwise you will have to add too much flour.

    You can find the recipes here:

    • Rainbow vegan gnocchi recipes
    • Pumpkin Gnocchi With Cinnamon and Brown Butter
    rainbow vegan gnocchi recipes

    For a complete view of all the gnocchi recipes, check the web story: 9 Gnocchi recipes made from scratch

    Happy homemade gnocchi making !

    pumpkin gnocchi with cinnamon

    Looking forward to hearing your fluffy gnocchi experience in the comments below. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.

    Fluffy Italian potato gnocchi

    📋Light and Fluffy Italian Homemade Gnocchi

    4.80 from 10 votes
    Laura Tobin
    Servings 6 people
    Prep Time 1 hour hr
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe
    The traditional Italian homemade gnocchi are light, fluffy, they melt in your mouth and you can actually taste the potatoes. No eggs, they are vegan ! #yourguardianchef #italianrecipe #vegan
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    Equipment

    • KitchenAid Mixer
    • Vegetable Strainer
    • Pasta pan 8-Quart 3-Piece
    • Silicone Pastry Mat
    • Colander Strainer Spoon
    • All-Clad Fry Pan

    Ingredients
     

    • 4 large potatoes about 1 lb - 500 g
    • 1 cup flour
    • salt & pepper

    For a simple sauce

    • ½ cup butter
    • 10 sage leaves

    Instructions
     

    • Clean the potatoes making sure all earth is removed
      4 large potatoes
    • Boil 1 kilo of potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes
    • Strain off the water and while the potatoes are still hot pass through the strainer, I use kitchenaid vegetables strainer
    • If you don't have a vegetable strainer, peel the potatoes while still hot and mash them with a fork or a potato masher
    • Let the mashed potatoes cool down completely
    • Add only 100 gr of flour and the salt, mix and add more flour only if necessary
      1 cup flour, salt & pepper
    • Once the dough has a nice consistency, roll it and cut the gnocchi into shape
    • Spread them on well floured tray and cover with flour so they do not stick to the tray and to each other
    • Boil them in salted water and when they start floating remove them from the water with a strainer ladle
    • Pour the cooked gnocchi in a pan and mix them with the sauce of your choice. Here I mix it with butter and sage
      ½ cup butter, 10 sage leaves

    Video

    Notes

    • Keep the flour in the dough to a minimum, add more only if necessary.
    • Once I shape the gnocchi I put them on a well-floured tray and add more flour on top.
    • I make sure the kitchen is well aired and does not have too much humidity.
    • I don't let them rest for too long, usually, I make them only 1-hour max 2 hours ahead, no more.
    • Use old big potatoes with thick skin that are rich in starch and don't have too much water. 
    • Don'ts:
      • Don't peel the potatoes before boiling them
      • Don't use a blender to mash them otherwise they will become waxy
      • Wait until the mashed potatoes are completely cold before adding the flour to make the dough
      • Do not make the mash the day before as the texture of the potatoes becomes dry, grainy, and loses the right kind of moisture and creaminess

    Nutrition

    Calories: 277kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 146mgPotassium: 490mgFiber: 3gVitamin A: 475IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 4.6mg
    Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!
    important notes on ingredients

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Patty

      September 24, 2017 at 8:22 am

      5 stars
      Great tutorial Laura, I tried to make my own gnocchi only once and my dough was far too soft, I'll try your method and see how I manage

      Reply
      • Laura

        September 25, 2017 at 2:51 am

        Let me know, looking forward to your photos

        Reply
        • Paddy

          April 13, 2023 at 2:35 pm

          Hi, could you clarify whether to let the potatoes cool down completely before adding flour? You say to do so in the recipe, then it's listed under "don't" as well.
          Thanks

          Reply
          • Laura

            April 13, 2023 at 4:47 pm

            Yes, that is a fair point. It was confusing so I rephrase it. Don't mix the mashed potatoes with the flour when they are still warm

            Reply
    2. Kathryn @ FoodieGirlChicago

      October 18, 2017 at 10:57 pm

      5 stars
      I love gnocchi! I'm going to have to try your recipe.

      Reply
      • Laura

        October 19, 2017 at 1:31 pm

        5 stars
        Thank you Kathryn, let me know how it goes

        Reply
    3. Kelly

      October 22, 2017 at 1:52 am

      Looks great! I've always been so intimidated by gnocchi!

      Reply
      • Laura

        October 22, 2017 at 7:06 am

        Thanks, you shouldn t be

        Reply
    4. Jenn

      October 09, 2018 at 11:55 pm

      Can you post your results from the pumpkin cinnamon gnocchi!?

      Reply
      • Laura

        October 11, 2018 at 6:33 am

        Certainly, on my to-do list

        Reply
    5. Beth Neels

      October 29, 2018 at 4:51 pm

      5 stars
      Well, after watching your video, I think I finally have the courage to give gnocchi a try! Love your new video! I may give them both a try!

      Reply
      • Laura

        October 29, 2018 at 4:53 pm

        That would make me so happy Beth. I made it thinking of you, they are very easy to make.

        Reply
    6. Michelle

      April 28, 2019 at 3:31 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you! Was looking for a fix to my gnocci which had come out far too chewy. I've found my answer here (way too much flour) and will be making better gnocci going forward.

      Reply
      • Laura

        April 28, 2019 at 5:32 pm

        I am delighted to hear. Let me know how it goes

        Reply
    7. Mk

      July 18, 2019 at 5:31 pm

      Hi. Up above you contradict yourself. Do you wait for mashed potatoes to cool before adding flour or no? Thanks!!!
      Mk

      Reply
      • Laura

        July 19, 2019 at 9:23 am

        Hello, you should mash the potatoes while they are still hot, but they have to be at room temperature when you add the flour. Hope that helps

        Reply
    8. Bernadette Scavo

      December 10, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      No egg?? You need to add an egg

      Reply
      • Laura

        December 11, 2020 at 5:46 am

        Nope, I never did and you don't need to.

        Reply
    9. Sarah

      March 22, 2021 at 1:07 am

      You say 1 kilo in the instructions for the potato’s but 1lb in the recipe (and 500g which is more than an lb?)
      Is 500g the correct amount?

      Reply
      • Laura

        March 22, 2021 at 5:32 am

        Yes, it is 500g. I corrected it in the text as well. Thank you for letting me know

        Reply
    10. Kathleen

      April 28, 2021 at 1:37 pm

      I tried this recipe step for step and the gnocchi was amazing! So light and fluffy, it’s a perfect recipe thank you. I mashed with a masher and fork but could still taste some lumps so o will definitely invest in a ricer for next time I can see it would make a big difference. Thanks again!

      Reply
      • Laura

        April 28, 2021 at 1:47 pm

        Thank you so much for your message. I am so glad you like them. They are my sons' favorite.

        Reply
        • Mary Ientilucci

          March 14, 2023 at 10:32 pm

          Hi Laura can I make these and freeze them for a nother day?

          Reply
          • Laura

            March 15, 2023 at 9:14 am

            Hi Mary, I have never done it, but you can try. They will not taste as good as the fresh ones. Potatoes tend to change their structure when frozen; they will not be as smooth.

            Reply
    4.80 from 10 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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    Laura Giunta Tobin

    Hi, I’m Laura. Welcome to my blog! While many talk about Italian food, I’ve lived it firsthand. Here, I share real Italian home cooking, just as it’s made in Italy. Won’t you join me?

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