Homemade Fluffy Vegan Gnocchi Recipes

These homemade vegan gnocchi recipes are fluffy, tasty, colorful, and easy to make. The gnocchi dough is egg-free and made with different types of potatoes to change flavor and color. These authentic Italian recipes are made from scratch with all-natural ingredients and can be served with any gnocchi sauce, vegan, vegetarian, or regular. So festive on the plate, they are a healthy option for light, fancy dinner ideas.

Jump to:

• The ingredients
• Vegan Sweet potato gnocchi
• Vegan Chestnut gnocchi
• Vegan Purple potato gnocchi
• Preparing the chestnuts
• Boiling the potatoes
• Mashing the potatoes with a hand ricer
• An easier way to mash potatoes
• Preparing the gnocchi dough
• Shaping the gnocchi
• Cooking the gnocchi
• How to serve them
• Non-vegan version
• Choosing a vegetable to add to the gnocchi dough
• 📋 Rainbow Vegan Gnocchi Recipes

Gnocchi are mashed potato pillow dough shaped into balls. They are boiled in water and served with a sauce, just like pasta.

The classic Italian gnocchi are made with mashed potatoes mixed with flour; some add eggs, but I don't.

These traditional Italian egg-free gnocchi can be:

• light and fluffy, made with potatoes and all-purpose flour, or
• firm and chunky by adding some semolina flour.

Gnocchi is a plural Italian name, so you don't need to add an "s" at the end.

By changing the combination and/or the ingredients in the dough, gnocchi can have a completely different taste, color, and consistency.

Here I use purple potatoes, sweet potatoes, and chestnuts.

These three different types of gnocchi can be served together or separately.

The ingredients

The dough is made with the following potatoes:

• Sweet potato gnocchi: 1lb - 500 g of sweet potatoes and 1 lb - 500 g of Russell potatoes
• Chestnut gnocchi: 1lb - 500 g of chestnuts and 1 lb - 500 g of Russell potatoes
• Purple potato gnocchi: 2 lb - 1 kg of purple potatoes

The measurements of the ingredients for each version are enough for six people, so if you make all 3 of them, you can use half or even a quarter of the ingredients listed in the recipe card.

As the base of the gnocchi mix, I suggest using old Russell potatoes. You can find more information on making Italian gnocchi in the article: How to make Italian gnocchi.

Vegan Sweet potato gnocchi

These vegan sweet potato gnocchi are a must-have for the holidays; the color, the flavor, everything fits with the holiday season.

However, the sweet potatoes do not have enough starch to hold the gnocchi dough, so they must be mixed with regular potatoes.

As sweet potatoes tend to have higher humidity, I add more flour to this gnocchi mix to achieve the right dough consistency.

Vegan Chestnut gnocchi

Vegan Chestnut gnocchi are perfect this time of the year when chestnuts are in season and fresh.

Peeling and cleaning the chestnuts is a long and laborious task. You can buy the chestnuts already peeled and boiled if you are not up to it.

However, the final taste is definitely better if you make them fresh.

Vegan Purple potato gnocchi

If you have never eaten purple potatoes, you need to find them now!

Their color is so beautiful, they taste slightly nuttier than regular potatoes.

They are purple on the outside and inside, like in the picture below.

I checked on Amazon, and they sell them mixed with other potatoes this is the link: Potato Medley Pack, 16 oz.

I saw other purple but sweet potatoes, which are not the ones I am using in this recipe. You can use those, but the quantity of flour needed may be different.

Preparing the chestnuts

1. Remove the hard chestnut shells
2. Place them in a pan and cover them with water
3. Boil them until the skin comes off easily, about 20 to 30 minutes
4. Drain them
5. Remove the skin while they are still warm
6. Remove any bad chestnuts

Boiling the potatoes

1. In a large pan, boil for 20 to 25 minutes all the regular potatoes for both chestnut gnocchi and sweet potato gnocchi (2 lb - 1 kg total)
2. Pierce one of the potatoes with a knife to check if they are done. The knife should pierce the potato smoothly into the center.
3. Drain them
4. Boil the two sweet potatoes for 20 minutes
5. Drain them
6. Boil the purple potatoes for 20 minutes
7. Drain them

Mashing the potatoes with a hand ricer

Mashing the potatoes can be a long and hard process:

1. They need to be peeled when they are still warm.
2. Then you can mash them one by one using a hand ricer

An easier way to mash potatoes

I am so glad I have my KitchenAid and its vegetable strainer, I can just put the potatoes in without peeling them and the skin is automatically removed by the machine. I also use it to make tomato sauce and jams.

Preparing the gnocchi dough

Here is the easy way to prepare the gnocchi dough using Kitchen Aid. You can find more about the tools I use in the recipe card below.

Preparing the sweet potato gnocchi dough

1. Strain the sweet potatoes and ½ of the regular potatoes while still warm
2. Wait until the mashed potatoes have cooled down
3. Once they are cold, mix them with 1 cup - 170 g of semolina flour, 1 cup - 120 g of the regular All-purpose flour, and ½ tablespoon of salt

4. Place the sweet potato gnocchi dough on a well-floured surface and cover with flour

Prepare the chestnut gnocchi dough

1. Strain the chestnuts with the other half of the regular potatoes while they are still warm
2. Wait until the mash has cooled down
3. Once it is cold, mix it with 1 cup - 170 g of semolina flour, ½ cup - 60 g of regular All-purpose flour, and ½ tablespoon of salt

4. Place the chestnut gnocchi dough on a well-floured surface and cover with flour

Preparing the purple potato gnocchi dough

1. Strain the purple potatoes while still hot
2. Wait until the mash has cooled down
3. Once it is cold, mix it with 1 cup - 170 g of semolina flour, ½ cup - 60 g of regular All-purpose flour, and ½ tablespoon of salt

4. Place the purple potato gnocchi dough on a well-floured surface and cover with flour

Shaping the gnocchi

1. To shape the gnocchi, take a piece of dough the size that fits in your fist.
2. Roll it into long strips
3. Cut the logs into small pieces the size of a grape
4. Roll each piece of dough over the back of a fork to indent them

Shaping sweet potato gnocchi

Shaping chestnut gnocchi

Shaping purple potato gnocchi

Cooking the gnocchi

1. In a large pasta pan, bring to boil salted water
2. Pour the gnocchi into the boiling water, a batch of 10 or 20 at a time, depending on how big the pan
3. When the gnocchi float, they are ready
4. Remove them with a colander strainer spoon
5. Place them in a pan with the sauce; here, I used sage and butter. For a vegan version you can substitute butter with extra virgin olive oil

6. Keep them warm until all the gnocchi are cooked
7. Place them on a serving dish and serve

How to serve them

These gnocchi can be seasoned with a simple sauce of olive oil and sage, so the taste of the chestnuts, sweet potatoes, and purple potatoes remains the primary flavor.

You can either serve that gnocchi together or separately, they can be used as a primo piatto for an Italian meal, as a side dish, or as a vegan main.

Gnocchi is nicer when served freshly, but you can prepare them in advance and warm them up in the oven before serving them.

Gnocchi can be frozen, although I have never done it myself.

You have to freeze them spread on a tray and seal them in a container once they are frozen, so they keep separate.

Non-vegan version

Even if these gnocchi are suitable for a vegan diet, they are served at regular meals in Italy.

The most common sauce for gnocchi is a simple sage and butter, but you can also use almost any pasta sauce in the gnocchi and sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan on top.

Just ensure that the sauce you use does not overpower the vegetable mix you use in the gnocchi dough.

You can serve them with a classic Bolognese, a lamb ragu, a simple tomato sauce, or a classic pesto. You can check my Pasta category for more inspiration.

Another good source of ideas is the combination of vegetables and cheese I use for my vegetarian pizza topping. You can use the same ingredients as a sauce for gnocchi.

However, if you want to make a special sauce for gnocchi, I would highly recommend serving them with a truffle sauce and plenty of freshly grated Parmesan.

Choosing a vegetable to add to the gnocchi dough

Depending on the color or taste you want, you can make many vegan gnocchi recipes with any ingredient you like just by adding a different vegetable to the potato mash.

• Do you want red? Add beetroot
• Do you want pink? Add less beetroot
• Do you want green? Add peas

Why peas and not spinach? Because peas are less watery and are a better fit for a mash.

However, you can add spinach to make gnocchi, but you will need to add more flour. Take the gnudi, for example, a mix of ricotta and spinach. However, gnudi do need eggs to keep a firm shape.

When you want to add a new ingredient to gnocchi, it is important to consider the amount of humidity you add to the dough.

So if the vegetables you add are very watery, add more flour. That is what I did for the sweet potato gnocchi.

How much flour? You will have to get the feeling by practicing. Don't attempt a new mix when you have guests for dinner.

Do some testing during the weekend, and serve it once you have it right.

Although, gnocchi are not only made with potatoes.

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

If you are making these vegan gnocchi recipes, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.