These easy pumpkin gnocchi need just a few ingredients to create a delicious autumnal meal. This recipe will show you how to make your own gnocchi, and a simple vegan sage butter to cover them in.
Table of Contents
The thought of making pasta or gnocchi at home used to intimidate me. But it's actually really easy and fun, and now I love it!
In this recipe, we've added an autumnal twist to classic gnocchi by using pumpkin in place of most of the potato.
The flavour is awesome and it also gives the gnocchi this attractive orange colour.
Let us show you how easy and fun it is to make these beautiful and tasty pumpkin gnocchi!
You'll find lots of tips and step by step pics to help you make soft and tender gnocchi every time.
Ingredient tips
You only need six ingredients to make these vegan pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter. Here’s our tips for choosing your ingredients:
- Pumpkin - As the star of the dish you’ll want to use a flavourful pumpkin. Bland, watery pumpkin will make the finished gnocchi less flavoursome. Squash such as butternut or hokkaido is great too.
- Potato - It’s important to use floury/starchy potatoes, such as Russets, Maris Piper, Yukon Gold or King Edward, for this recipe. They really help the gnocchi to bind together, without having to add too much flour.
- Vegan butter - If you want to brown the butter you’ll want a vegan butter with a high protein content, such as a soy or nut based butter. We used Naturli Vegan Block. Miyokos Cultured European Butter is a good option if you are in the US. Alternatively, you can use a tasty olive oil.
- Sage - We usually use fresh, but dried will work too.
- Flour - Just plain or all purpose flour.
- And a bit of salt for seasoning.
How to make
Ok, so gnocchi can seem a bit fiddly to make at first.
And they can take a bit of experience to get right. Because the moisture content of your pumpkin and potato can vary, you’ll need to use your judgement on how much flour to add.
But trust us, once you’ve nailed the art of gnocchi making - it’s a super fun process, with a delicious reward at the end!
And they taste so much better than any store bought gnocchi!
Here’s a visual overview of how you do it:
Step 1 - Dice your peeled pumpkin and potato into cubes, and boil until fork tender (10-15 minutes)
Step 2 - Drain the pumpkin and potato and then mash until smooth and lump free.
Step 3 - Mix in the salt and just enough flour to form into a soft dough.
Step 4 - Cut the dough into quarters and on a floured board roll them with your hands into logs about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick.
Step 5 - Cut them into pillowed shaped pieces. You can either cook them like this, or give them their characteristic shape.
Step 6 - To give them a ridged surface, lightly roll each piece over the back of a fork or use a gnocchi board.
Step 7 - Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add some of the gnocchi. Cook until they float on the surface, and set aside with a slotted spoon.
Step 8 - In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter with the sage and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the sage is crisp and butter is browned.
Top tips!
Add only just enough flour to the dough for light and tender gnocchi. Adding too much flour will make the gnocchi harder and more rubbery in texture. Use the amount in the recipe as a guideline, but be prepared to add less or more.
When shaping, you can be a bit more generous with flour. Keeping the dough and surfaces gently dusted prevents the gnocchi from sticking during and after shaping.
Have a light touch. Bring the dough together gently and don’t overwork it or handle unnecessarily, as this can lead to tougher gnocchi.
If in doubt, do a quick test. Before you take the time to shape all your gnocchi, you can quickly cook a couple to see if they come out the right texture. If they don’t hold their shape, you can add a bit more flour to the dough.
Don't skip the salt in the cooking water. We've done a direct comparison: The gnocchi hold together so much better in lightly salted water. You can get a way with less flour in the dough, and thus, more flavour!
Don’t overcook. Your gnocchi are done as soon as they start to float on the surface of the water. Quickly skim them off with a slotted spoon. If you leave them in for too long, then can go mushy. Not overcrowding the pan helps too.
Variations and substitutions
No vegan butter? Use a tasty olive oil instead.
For extra indulgence, and a slightly crispy crust, you can pan fry your gnocchi after boiling.
Want to change up the flavour? Add some finely chopped garlic or chilli flakes into the vegan butter.
Instead of pumpkin, you could also make some yummy sweet potato gnocchi.
Serving
Instead of the sage ‘butter’, you could also serve the gnocchi with our red pepper and tomato sauce, a creamy vegan sauce or some sauteed greens.
You can also add some toasted pumpkin seeds/pepitas for some crunchy texture.
Our easy vegan parmesan goes great on top!
- Looking for more seasonal vegan recipes? Check out our collection of delicious vegan pumpkin recipes for dinner and dessert!
Storage
They are best served fresh, but if you have leftover cooked gnocchi you can store them in a container in the fridge. A light coating of sauce or oil will help them not stick together. Reheat either by pan frying until crisp, or in a dish in the oven or microwave.
You can freeze gnocchi before cooking them. After you have cut and shaped them, lay them in a single layer on a tray. When frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag for longer storage.
To cook from frozen there's no need to defrost first. Cook the gnocchi directly from frozen.
We hope you enjoy these pumpkin gnocchi! Try these other tasty vegan fall recipes inspired by harvest time:
These Chanterelle Mushroom Ravioli are another fun pasta to make from scratch.
This hearty one-pot Lentil Risotto with Butternut Squash
And our Vegan Pumpkin Curry is perfect for using up the rest of your pumpkin!
📖 Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 2 ⅔ cups (300 g / 11 oz) pumpkin cubed
- ⅔ cups (100 g / 4 oz) starchy potato cubed
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup (95 g) flour
Sage butter
- 2 tbsp (25 g) vegan butter
- 2 tsp sage densely packed
Instructions
Make the dough
- Dice your peeled pumpkin and potato into cubes, and boil in a saucepan until fork tender (10-15 minutes).2 ⅔ cups (300 g / 11 oz) pumpkin, ⅔ cups (100 g / 4 oz) starchy potato
- Drain the pumpkin and potato and then mash until completely smooth and lump free.
- Gently mix in the salt and just enough flour to form a dough. Depending on the moisture content of your ingredients, you will need to adjust the amount of flour. Handle gently and try to add only as much as you need to form it into a soft ball. At this point you can also test cook a few pieces, to see if you need to adjust the dough.¾ cup (95 g) flour, ½ tsp salt
Shape & cook
- Prepare a well floured board or work surface.
- Divide the dough into quarters and roll with your hands into several logs about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick.
- Cut them into pillowed shaped pieces. You can either cook the gnocchi like this, or give them their characteristic ridged shape.
- To form ridges, lightly roll each piece over the back of a fork or use a gnocchi board.
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add some of the gnocchi. Cook until they float on the surface, and set aside with a slotted spoon. Continue until all the gnocchi are cooked.
Sage butter
- In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter with the sage and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until the sage is crisp.2 tbsp (25 g) vegan butter, 2 tsp sage
- To serve, divide the gnocchi into portions and drizzle with sage butter and crispy sage leaves.
Notes
Top tips
Add only just enough flour to the dough for light and tender gnocchi. Adding too much flour will make the gnocchi harder and more rubbery in texture. Use the amount in the recipe as a guideline, but be prepared to add less or more. When shaping, you can be a bit more generous with flour. Keeping the dough and surfaces gently dusted prevents the gnocchi from sticking during and after shaping. Have a light touch. Bring the dough together gently and don’t overwork it or handle unnecessarily, as this can lead to tougher gnocchi. If in doubt, do a quick test. Before you take the time to shape all your gnocchi, you can quickly cook a couple to see if they come out the right texture. If they don’t hold their shape, you can add a bit more flour to the dough. Don't skip the salt in the cooking water. We've done a direct comparison: The gnocchi hold together so much better in lightly salted water. You can get a way with less flour in the dough, and thus, more flavour! Don’t overcook. Your gnocchi are done as soon as they start to float on the surface of the water. Quickly skim them off with a slotted spoon. If you leave them in for too long, then can go mushy. Not overcrowding the pan helps too.Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Gaby says
can we freeze the dough?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Gaby, Yes you can freeze the dough in an airtight container. What I typically do to freeze gnocchi is to shape them, then flash freeze them on a tray for about 1 hour until firm, then transfer to a container or freezer friendly bag. You can then conveniently cook the gnocchi directly from frozen.
Auletta says
Great recepie, thanks heaps.
I had some leftovers and fried them in a pan with olive oil the next day. Super yummy!!!!
Sophie and Paul says
Thanks Auletta! They're so delicious aren't they.
Toni says
Can I used canned pumpkin if fresh is not available?
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Toni, Research suggests you should be able to use canned pumpkin, but I am not sure of the precise measurements without testing it myself - another recipe suggests using 2/3 cup pumpkin puree as a substitute for 300g fresh pumpkin. Because of the possibility of extra moisture, another source also suggests leaving canned puree in a colander lined with paper towels for 5 minutes so you do not have to use so much flour to bring the dough together. Hope that helps and let us know if you are successful! Sophie 🙂