This sweet potato gnocchi comes out beautifully pillowy and soft, light and tender with the loveliest texture. The secret is my light handed flour technique, which keeps the dough delicate and gives the gnocchi that soft, fluffy bite everyone loves. They’re at their absolute best pan-fried for a little golden crisp on the outside. Finish with a quick crispy sage brown butter and you’ve got the coziest Fall pasta.
Hi! I’m so happy to finally be sharing this sweet potato gnocchi after MANY rounds of testing. As I explain further below, I ended up using a piping bag to pipe the dough straight into a big pot of salted water, and honestly it changed everything. It’s a much neater method and it lets you use far less flour, which is key to getting that soft, pillowy texture.
If you’ve tried the Trader Joe’s version, this homemade one is on a completely different level in both flavor and texture. And if you’re after something more traditional, make sure you check out my Homemade Potato Gnocchi. I also have a recipe for Gnocchi Sardi, a gnocchi shape made from just flour and water and it's perfect for beginners.
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Ingredients
Sweet Potato - It doesn't matter what size they are but make sure they are all roughly the same so they cook evenly.
Flour - I just use plain flour (all purpose flour). Use 00 if you prefer. I use a smaller amount of flour for a super tender dough.
Egg Yolk - You could leave this out if you want to make the gnocchi vegan.
Sea salt - Use closer to 2 teaspoons if using a kosher salt.
Special equipment
Potato ricer - It isn't compulsory but if you have made your own gnocchi before you'll know it does a much nicer job than a masher.
Piping bag - I use a reusable one, but disposable piping bags are inexpensive and totally fine. You can even use a zip-top bag with the corner snipped off, though it won’t be quite as sturdy.
Slotted spoon or spider strainer - For scooping the cooked gnocchi out of the water and onto a tray.
How to make light and fluffy gnocchi
Traditional gnocchi usually involves mixing and kneading the dough, then rolling it into ropes and cutting it into pieces. That method needs a lot more flour to make the dough workable.
The more flour you add, the firmer the gnocchi becomes. With this sweet potato version, my piping-bag method means you can work with a much softer dough and use far less flour, which is exactly why the texture stays so light and pillowy. You simply pipe the dough over the pot of boiling water and snip off little pieces with scissors. It’s strangely satisfying.
I also think it’s easier and there is no guessing how much flour to add, no messy bench top, and far more consistent results. Even if it takes a touch longer, the final texture is completely worth it.
How to make sweet potato gnocchi
The full ingredient measurements and more detailed instructions as well as a tutorial video are in the recipe card below. The video will be really helpful to watch!
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Making the dough
ONE: Bake the sweet potatoes in the oven until a knife slides in, then peel and scoop out the potato flesh while still warm.
TWO: Use a potato ricer and make an even layer on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Use a potato masher if you don't have a ricer and make a nice even thin layer on paper towels or tea towel.
THREE: Leave to cool completely then transfer to a large bowl.
FOUR: Mix in the egg yolk just very briefly then sprinkle the salt and flour on top. Use a fork and with a cutting back and forth motion mix together.
FIVE: It won't be a smooth mixture, don't overwork, mix until just combined and a soft dough forms. It might not seem like enough flour once mixed in but it is.
SIX: Transfer to a piping bag. If you aren't ready to boil them it can go in the fridge like this for 1 - 2 hours.
Cooking the gnocchi
This does have to be done in batches, which I know is slightly annoying but I stand by it! Lighter gnocchi wins!
SEVEN: Push the dough to the bottom of the bag and twist the top. You want to squeeze from the top of the bag, not near the tip. Get a large pot of water boiling.
EIGHT: Continuously squeeze the bag and cut 2cm pieces off (they can be any size!) with sharp scissors. Do that for about 30 seconds then let them float to the top, giving them an additional 30 seconds before removing with a slotted spoon to a sheet pan.
Expert tips
- Bake the sweet potatoes, don't boil. You want them as dry a possible.
- Don’t overcook them. A knife should slide in easily, but they shouldn’t be collapsing or mushy.
- Use a potato ricer if you can. It helps get rid of the stringy, fibrous bits sweet potatoes naturally have.
- Mix the dough gently. Mix until just combined and then stop.
- Boil in batches. A spider strainer is the easiest way to lift the gnocchi out without breaking them.
- Aim for even pieces, but don’t stress. If a few are bigger or smaller, it won’t matter once they’re in the pan.
Crispy sweet potato gnocchi
If you want to take these to the next level, crisping them up is the way to go. Once they’re all boiled, sauté the gnocchi in a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium–high heat until golden. It adds the perfect crisp contrast to that soft, pillowy center. It’s especially good with a brown butter sage sauce and plenty of parmesan. If you want more detail on the technique, check out my Pan Fried Potato Gnocchi in Brown Butter.
Another Fall Favorite!
Check out my delicious butternut squash mac and cheese next!
Recipe FAQs
You don’t have to use one, but it does make the dough smoother by getting rid of the stringy bits sweet potatoes can have. If you’ve got one, use it.
Absolutely. Once boiled, spread the gnocchi out to cool, then refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze. They hold up really well when you pan-fry them later.
The classic pairing is a brown butter sauce with crispy sage. They will work with any sauce you like.
This usually means too much flour was added. Sweet potatoes vary in moisture, which is why my light handed flour technique and piping method help keep the dough tender and pillowy.
Boil your gnocchi first, then sauté in olive oil over medium–high heat turning until golden and crisp. It adds the perfect contrast to their soft centre.
Some other pasta shapes to try
If you loved making this sweet potato gnocchi, you’ll have so much fun with my other homemade pasta recipes. Head to my pasta shapes collection on my site for lots of step-by-step guides. My Homemade Pasta Dough is the perfect place to start, and from there you can try everything from hand-rolled shapes to filled pasta.
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Recipe
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
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Equipment
- Potato ricer (or potato masher)
- Baking tray
- Piping bag
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram sweet potatoes (try and use ones the same size to make the weight up)
- 1 egg yolk (leave it out to make it vegan!)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 150 grams plain flour
Instructions
- Check out the step by step photos above and more importantly the video below, it will help a lot! Halve the dough for two people.
- Preheat your oven to 400f (200c).
- Pierce each sweet potato with a sharp knife a few times on all sides.
- Bake in the oven for 45 mins - 1 hour, turning half way through until a knife slides through. Don't overcook as they can go mushy.
- When still warm scoop the insides out. I usually just cut a slice down the middle and the skin comes away easily.
- Pass through a potato ricer onto a tray lined with paper towels. If you don't have a ricer then mash with a potato masher and lay in an even thin layer on the paper towels.
- When the sweet potato has completely cooled, transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Add the egg yolk and mix through roughly.
- Add the salt and flour and with a fork mix it through (watch the video below!) I use the fork to cut back and forth through the mixture to keep it light.
- Transfer to a piping bag or snaplock bag with a hole about 1.5cm. It can be refrigerated like this in the bag if you are making dough ahead.
- Get a big pot of salted water boiling. Hold the bag so the tip is over the water (just the tip, not your hand or else the water will splash up on it)
- Continuously squeeze the bag and using a pair of sharp scissors, cut the gnocchi off so they drop into the water. Do any length gnocchi you like, I normally aim for about 2cm.
- This will have to be done in batches, I normally squeeze and cut for about 30 seconds then let them boil. You'll get faster the more you do it.
- Let each batch boil until they float to the top then give them another 30 seconds before removing with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. Transfer to a tray and continue with the rest of the dough.
- The gnocchi might seem slightly fluffy on the outside but that is because there is minimal flour used, it's a good thing!
- Add them to any pasta sauce you like. I love crisping them up in a little olive oil in a non stick pan first then serving with a crispy sage brown butter. Check out my pan fried gnocchi in brown butter recipe!
Jen Layman says
Love all of her recipes, always my go to website for pasta dishes!
Emilie Pullar says
So kind, thank you Jen!
Tsakie Sombhane says
I absolutely loved making this and it actually introduced me to sage in my pasta dishes! Easy to follow recipe. My go to for a quick dinner meal ??
Emilie Pullar says
I can't live without crispy sage! Thanks so much for making 🙂
Anna says
This was surprisingly straight forward to make. So much lighter than store bought ones and was fun to make!