These crispy Pumpkin Gnocchi are made from scratch and served with wilted spinach. You won't need any eggs to make perfectly fluffy gnocchi - they are vegan and just as delicious!
You might remember the gnocchi I made a couple of months ago... I was amazed how easy it was to make gnocchi from scratch. I always imagined it to be way more time consuming and much more difficult. So obviously, they had to happen again.
But this time I've added pumpkin to the mix. I cooked the pumpkin together with the potatoes until soft and mashed everything up. But if you're lucky enough to live in a country where they have canned pumpkin purée (I envy you!), you could use that as well.
Unlike last time when I served the homemade gnocchi in a tomato sauce, this time I pan-fried them in olive oil and served them with wilted spinach. So good! I really liked the crispy bits of the gnocchi. Have you ever had crispy gnocchi? If not, you're missing out!
To make the iconic gnocchi shape, you could also roll each gnocco (that sounds funny) over a fork or a gnocchi board, but I was doing the lazy man's version and made gnocchi pillows (just as delicious but waaaay faster).
For mashing the potatoes and pumpkin, I’ve used a potato ricer. With that little help, making the potato-pumpkin-dough was a matter of 2-3 minutes and the dough was so smooth and soft.
Pro tip for perfectly fluffy gnocchi: I’d recommend cooking one test gnocchi first, that way you can try out the consistency and adjust the potato-pumpkin-dough as needed. If the test gnocchi is too soft, work more flour into the dough. Repeat the step until you’re happy with the consistency and until the gnocchi are fluffy and hold together nicely.
Gnocchi FAQ
Absolutely! After boiling them, drain them, rinse them under cold water, let them cool off, fill them into a ziplock bag or freezer-safe glass container and freeze for up to a couple of months.
If you want to use your frozen gnocchi, boil them in a pot of water again until they float on top (make sure to try one gnocchi so that they are not frozen in the middle), then pan-fry or add the sauce. They are good as new!
More Vegan Gnocchi Recipes
I hope you’ll enjoy this gnocchi dish as much as I do! You can always experiment with adding different herbs, spices, and add-ins!
Let me know if you give this recipe a try! I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.
If you don’t want to miss out on new recipes, subscribe to my weekly newsletter and follow me on Instagram and Facebook!
Cheers, Bianca
Crispy Pumpkin Gnocchi
Ingredients
Ingredients for homemade vegan pumpkin gnocchi from scratch
- 2 medium-sized starchy potatoes (russet potatoes are best!)
- ½ hokkaido pumpkin
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour + more flour for dusting the workspace
- ½ teaspoon salt
Additional ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Peel the potatoes and pumpkin, remove the seeds, cut them in cubes and boil them together until they're soft (it's better to overcook than undercook!).
- Drain the potatoes and pumpkin, let them cool down until cold enough to handle. Next you want to mash the potatoes and pumpkin. I used a potato ricer for that. You should have about 1 ½ cups of mashed potato and pumpkin together.
- Add the salt and flour and knead it with your hands until a smooth dough forms. You can add more flour here if you feel like it needs more, otherwise I'd recommend breaking off a small part of the dough and make a test round.
- Bring a large pot with water to a boil and add in the test-gnocchi. Let it cook for about 2-3 minutes. Once it swims on the surface, it's ready. Try it. If your test-gnocchi is too mushy and soft, add more flour to the dough and knead again until incorporated. If you're happy with the fluffiness and consistency, you can quarter your potato dough and roll it into a rope on a floured surface. Then cut them in individual pieces.
- Transfer the gnocchi into the boiling water (work in batches) and let them cook until they swim on top. Use a skimming spoon to drain them, rinse them under cold water and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan, pan-fry the gnocchi until crispy. Add dried oregano, baby spinach (until wilted) and salt to taste. And enjoy!
Crystal says
I thought this would be hard to make, but it was actually pretty easy. Omg they are so yummy for my tummy. I also made basil pesto for the first time today and I think they go together very well. Thanks for the great vegan recipe.
Bianca says
Yeay! Awesome! Oh my god, the basil pesto sounds amazing!