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This Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi is soft, tender, and perfectly pillowy with a natural sweetness that makes it extra cozy and comforting. It’s surprisingly simple to make from scratch and pairs beautifully with everything from butter and herbs to your favorite sauce!
And if you like this recipe, check out my Spinach Gnocchi, this Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce, my Easy Pesto Gnocchi, and my Baked Gnocchi Casserole!
Why you’ll love this top recipe of mine!
This has been one of my most popular recipes for well over 10 years and today it’s getting a much needed update! The recipe is still the same but now it comes with process shots to help you make it and a lot more tips and tricks!
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Only 3 simple ingredients 🙌
- Soft, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth texture
- Naturally slightly sweet + super cozy
- Freezer-friendly and great for meal prep!
In this post…
Ingredients needed
The ingredient measurements for this sweet potato gnocchi recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Sweet potatoes – roasted until soft for natural sweetness and structure
- All-purpose flour – brings the dough together; add gradually to avoid a dense texture!
- Salt – enhances flavor
- To serve – I like to keep it simple and serve mine with olive oil and fresh herbs. I also have a delicious gnocchi sage sauce you should try!
Optional notes/subs:
- You can use gluten-free 1:1 flour if needed
- A potato ricer gives the best texture, but mashing very well also works
How to Make It
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written homemade gnocchi recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)
- Roast your sweet potatoes on a baking sheet until fork tender, about 45-60 minutes depending on size. Let cool and then peel off the skin.
- On a clean work surface, combine the flour + salt. Make a well in the center and rice the sweet potatoes right into the middle. If you don’t have a potato ricer, simply mash the potatoes with a fork or a potato masher and then add them to the flour.
- Using clean hands, work the dough together until a dough forms. Add more flour as needed so that the dough isn’t stick to the touch.
- Work the sweet potato gnocchi dough into a round disk and cut into 8 even pieces. Have extra flour readily available.
- Roll each of the 8 pieces into a long log, about 1 inch thick. Lay on a floured surface and cut it into inch pieces. Roll each piece into a little flour so the the cut edges have flour on them.
- Optional: using a gnocchi board to roll each piece and create grooves for the sauce to stick. You can also do this by simply pressing the back of a fork into 2 sides to create the grooves.
FINAL STEP: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Drop in the gnocchi and cook for a few minutes until the start to float to the top. Remove the cooked gnocchi from the water with a slotted spoon and toss with your favorite sauce.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overwork the dough or the gnocchi can become dense
- Add flour gradually! You want a soft dough that isn’t sticky
- Rice or mash the potatoes while still slightly warm for best texture
- Lightly flour each piece to prevent sticking
- Test one gnocchi in boiling water before cooking the whole batch – if it floats, it’s ready.
- Use a bench scraper for easier cutting
Why is my gnocchi falling apart in the water?
This usually means the dough is too soft or doesn’t have enough structure. The most common cause is not enough flour, especially since sweet potatoes can vary a lot in moisture.
To fix it:
- Add a little more flour until the dough is soft but not sticky
- Make sure your sweet potatoes aren’t overly wet (roasting helps reduce moisture!)
- Avoid overworking the dough, which can weaken the structure
Also, try testing one piece first in boiling water – if it falls apart, mix a bit more flour into the dough before cooking the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Your potatoes likely had more moisture – just add a bit more flour until the dough is workable.
This usually happens from adding too much flour or overmixing the dough.
Nope! A fork works great to create those classic ridges. Alternatively, you can skip this step altogether although the ridges do help the sauce cling to your gnocchi.
3 Ingredient Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Video
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork, and then bake them for 40-50 minutes or until tender. You’ll know they’re done when a fork can be pressed into the center rather easily. Set aside to let cool enough for you to handle them easily.
- Combine the salt and 2 cups of the flour. Flour a work surface and pour your flour mixture onto the surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and place them, one at a time, into the potato ricer.* Rice both of the potatoes right on top of the flour.
- Once all of the potato has been riced, flour your hands and begin working the sweet potato into the flour. Continue to work the mixture until it’s fully combined. You don’t want the dough to be sticky so keep adding flour until you get a nice dry dough. This *could* take a decent bit of extra flour if your potatoes were on the larger side.
- Once fully combined, roll the dough into a ball and cut it into eight even pieces. Roll each piece into a long log that's about 1/2 an inch thick. Cut pieces the gnocchi into 1 inch pieces. Gently toss each piece into flour to ensure that it's dry and not sticky at any edges. Continue until you've cut out pieces from all of the dough. Optional: using a gnocchi board or fork, press grooves into each piece of gnocchi.
- The gnocchi can be stored in the fridge for 3 days, the freeze for a few weeks, or cooked right away.
To cook the gnocchi:
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the gnocchi and let cook for a couple minutes. Once the gnocchi floats to the surface of the water, let it boil for 30 more seconds and then remove it from the water using a slotted spoon.
- Toss in your favorite sauce (I like toss mine in a bit of dairy free butter and fresh herbs) and ENJOY!
Notes
- Fridge: Store uncooked gnocchi for up to 3 days
- Freezer: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag for a few weeks
- To cook from frozen: Boil straight from frozen—no need to thaw
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So glad I found this! So easy and a great way to make food go further. I didn’t have plain flour so I had to switch for self raising (lockdown issues!)
I just cooked them for a little longer as they floated pretty quickly but weren’t quite done.
I also didnt have sage so decided to use up some pesto instead. Will definitely make these again!
Could I use sprouted whole wheat flour?
Hi there! Did you happen to try this recipe with whole wheat flour? I’m curious if it’ll work as that is the only flour I have right now! Thanks :)
I was hoping for a little more of a sweet potato flavor. Mine came out pretty bland. I’ve tried some different sauces on them, and my favorite so far has definitely been pesto. Great source of vitamin A and you did such a great job with the directions! Easy peasy! Thanks!
so glad that you liked them! Yea, it’s definitely not a strong sweet potato flavor which I think is why so many people like it lol. I agree with you though, almost wouldn’t mind if the sweet potato flavor came through a little more. I’ve never tried this with pesto and now I REALLY want to try that!
This was my first time making gnocchi! This recipe worked out wonderfully. Instead of baking the sweet potato in the oven I did it in the microwave and it turned out great. Thank you!
How long did you heat it up for in the microwave or how did you use the microwave to substitute the baking part? I am thinking of doing the same thing.
First time making this and although while not perfect, I personally thought it was DELICIOUS! I made these super late at night and I had to stop myself from eating them all! I’m making the sauce and cooking the rest today. I can’t wait!
This looks and sounds so tasty – now if I could only get my hands on these ingredients during this quarantine!
xx Kelly
Sparkles and Shoes
How much does a large sweet potato weigh?
about 8 ounces!
I had saved this recipe, excited to find something special for my gluten, dairy, egg-free kiddos to have when I cooked their Grandfather a special dish- German Strudel- which they can’t have because of their allergies. I printed off the recipe this morning and looked at it more carefully. I have a basket full of sweet potatoes. We eat them a lot. My biggest concern- what IS a large sweet potato? How much does it yield when baked and riced? I’ve been baking gluten/dairy/egg free over 7 years, and I’m familiar with making homemade dumplings so I know that the amount of flour to moist ingredients ratio is very important for this recipe. This recipe is promising, but without more specific ingredient amounts, I worry it is going to be difficult for new cooks or for those new to the GF lifestyle to be successful. I took it upon myself to weigh the ingredients needed for a successful dough. I did make a larger batch to be able to serve 5-6 people, but it could be scaled down now that the ratio has been determined. I whisked together 21g (3 tsp) table salt and 500g (3 cups) Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. I added 655g of riced sweet potatoes. I riced my sweet potatoes in a separate bowl and then scooped in the amount needed to make a good dough consistency. These amounts made an excellent dough with great turnout for me, but keep in mind your sweet potato may vary in moisture content. I had two VERY large sweet potatoes (probably around 600g each when raw with peels on) and I baked them about 1 hour at 400 degrees and then split them into thirds to release some steam and allow them to cool faster. I did have a little riced sweet potato leftover. Using more smaller sweet potatoes may or may not yield a different moisture content, I’m not at all sure, but at least now there are some more exact ingredient measurements for others who are/were wondering like I was. Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe with the world- I have never had gnocchi and wasn’t sure how my family would react to it, but they related it to dumplings and I’m sure I’ll be making it many more times in the future. It was a real hit, and the dough, unlike many gluten-free doughs, was a pleasure to work with! It rolled out into ropes so well and wasn’t crumbling or cracking for me like I often fight with when baking gluten-free, vegan. Absolutely delightful texture in the final product!
One last question! I’m hoping to make this for Xmas eve and I’m wondering if I made the dish ahead (with butter and sage sauce) would I be able to reheat and serve a few hours later? If yes, would I just put it in the oven to warm? Sorry for more questions! Thank you I’m advance :)
I made mine ahead of time, and when I scooped it out of the boiling water, I spread it out on cookie sheets. After letting it cool, I covered the sheets with saran wrap and set them in the fridge for several hours while I cooked other foods. Then, about 5-8 minutes before serving the meal, I pulled these out and reheated them by sauteing them in a bit of oil (you could use butter or a vegan buttery spread/stick) to reheat them. They were delicious.
Trying this tomorrow but just wanted to be sure about measurements- it’s 2 1/2 cups regardless of which flour I use? Or 2 cups if it’s gf and 2.5 if it’s all purpose?
I’ve made it with both flours and usually use right at 2.5 cups of either flour