Chewy and subtly sweet gnocchi made with sweet potatoes and tossed with a freshly made kale and walnut pesto! Nothing beats making meals from scratch and being rewarded with a delicious and original dish to enjoy.
Have you seen many sweet potato gnocchi products, let alone dairy and egg-free ones sold in supermarkets? Neither have I. If you’ve been curious to try, this is your sign to make them at home!
Ingredients
To make the sweet potato gnocchis, you only need sweet potatoes, all purpose flour, salt, and olive oil. You can serve your gnocchis with any sauce you’d like, but my personal favourite is my Vegan Kale and Walnut Pesto! The flavours come together so elegantly.
How to make the gnocchi
Start by boiling your cubed sweet potato until soft. Drain, and let it cool down in a large mixing bowl. Mash the sweet potato and combine with the flour, olive oil, and salt. Start by using a fork to combine all the ingredients, then use your lightly floured hands to knead together a ball dough.
Now here’s the fun part. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface to start making the gnocchi dumplings! There are a few ways to do this, but I like to divide the dough into smaller, more manageable pieces, and rolling out each dough into a long worm.
How thick you roll out the dough also depends on how big you want your gnocchis. Keep in mind that they’ll expand once boiled.
Use a knife to cut the rolled out dough into even pieces, and roll each gnocchi down the back of a fork to give it the ribbed texture. If you have a gnocchi board, even better! Don’t worry if the gnocchis look a little funky, we’re not professional pasta makes here.
Once all the gnocchi are made, you can either (1) cook them right away (2) or refrigerate/ freeze them. See notes at the bottom of the recipe card for storage instructions.
Sweet potato gnocchi serving suggestions
- boil and toss with freshly made vegan pesto (such as my Kale and Walnut Pesto) and grilled cherry tomatoes
- boil and simmer in red pasta sauce (such as marinara) with vegetables
- half boil and pan fry with vegan butter, garlic, and fresh herbs
What are some other ways you like to enjoy your gnocchi? Let me know!
More savoury dishes on the blog
Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- water to cook the sweet potatoes
- ¾-1 cup all purpose flour, plus more for kneading
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Kale and Walnut Pesto
- 1 heaping cup fresh kale leaves, stems removed
- ¾ cup toasted walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To make the Kale and Walnut Pesto
- Pulse all the pesto ingredients together using a food processor until the desired consistency is reached. If you prefer your pesto runnier, add an extra tbsp of olive oil. Store in a jar or a container in the fridge for up to 5 days.1 heaping cup fresh kale leaves, stems removed, ¾ cup toasted walnuts, 1 garlic clove, peeled, ¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to taste
To make the sweet potato gnocchis
- Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add the peeled and cubed sweet potatoes and boil uncovered for 15-20 mins, or until the sweet potato pieces are easily pierced by a fork. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl to cool.2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed, water to cook the sweet potatoes
- Once the sweet potatoes are less than warm to touch, mash them until smooth with a potato masher or a fork. Mix in the flour and olive oil using a fork, and eventually use your lightly floured hands to knead everything into a ball of dough.¾-1 cup all purpose flour, 2 tbsp olive oil
- Transfer the dough to a clean and lightly floured surface and divide into 2-4 manageable chunks. Roll each chunk of dough into a long "worm" that is even in width throughout. Cut the rolled out dough into even pieces using a floured knife or pastry cutter. Each gnocchi is typically 2cm in width.
- Use a floured gnocchi board or a fork with long prongs/ teeth to shape each piece of gnocchi. If you really don't care about the shape of the gnocchis, you can skip this step.
Assemble the dish
- Bring another pot of water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add the fresh gnocchis and cook until they float to the top, about 5 mins. Drain immediately and toss with the pesto or any other sauce. If you're pan frying the gnocchi, reduce the cook time to 3 mins.
