Easy two-ingredient potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate)
These easy, two-ingredient potato gnocchi are light, fluffy and couldn’t be simpler to make. Using baked semi-starchy potatoes and Tipo 00 flour, once the potatoes are cooked they are quick to make and work wonderfully with any sauce pairing.
This is my favourite way to make gnocchi. You only need two ingredients; potato and flour – and what’s really wonderful about this recipe is that it’s incredibly easy to scale and adjust because the amount of flour you use depends on the weight of cooked potatoes that you have to work with.
This kind of gnocchi is perfect simply boiled and added directly to your sauce, rather than pan-fried. They’re incredibly light and fluffy – cloud-like, if you will. Not to mention they’re simple to make with minimal mixing, kneading and shaping. Personally I like to serve these lisce or smooth, but of course you can roll them along the back of a fork or gnocchi board to create ridges if you please.
Why you’ll love these easy, two-ingredient potato gnocchi
- Only two ingredients – potato and flour are all you need to make these incredibly light and fluffy gnocchi.
- Minimal kneading and rest time – unlike pasta dough, gnocchi only require a light knead and can be made right away, without resting the dough.
- Easy to scale – the amount of flour you need depends on the amount of cooked potato weight, making this recipe easy to scale depending on how much potato you have!
- Vegan – these gnocchi are egg-free making them suitable for a vegan diet.
Ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe
- Potatoes – preferably a semi-starchy variety, like Yukon Gold or Désirée are my go-to choice
- Flour – Italian Tipo 00 flour which is finer milled than regular all-purpose flour and is perfect for making the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi! You only need one quarter of the weight of your cooked potatoes.
How to make these easy two-ingredient potato gnocchi (step-by-step)
Bake the potatoes
Preheat your oven to 180c (160c fan-forced/360f). Place the potatoes as they are on a baking sheet and put them straight in the oven – no need to add anything to them – and bake for 70 minutes or until fork tender.
Weigh your ingredients
Scoop the cooked flesh out from the potatoes and weigh to find the total weight. Measure one quarter of that amount of flour.
Mash the potatoes
Using a potato ricer, mash the potatoes directly onto your work surface – I like to use my wooden pasta board.
Add the flour
Spread the mashed gnocchi out into a single layer on your work surface, then sprinkle over the flour. Use a bench scraper to cut the flour into the potato until you have a crumbly mixture.
Kneading the dough
Bring the mixture together in your hands and gently knead until you have formed a ball of gnocchi dough, being careful not to overwork the dough – it doesn’t need to be smooth like pasta! Less is more when it comes to gnocchi.
Shaping the gnocchi
Divide the ball into 8 equal parts. Dust your work surface then roll each out to a long and thick sausage using a gentle touch. Use a knife to cut thumb-sized pieces off each rope of dough to form your gnocchi. If you like you can use a finger to gently roll each one individually for a more rounded, barrel shape, or alternatively roll them along a gnocchi board for ridges.
Cooking the gnocchi
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a gentle boil (this is important) – and cook the gnocchi in small batches. Keep your eye on them for as soon as they float, they’re done. Use a slotted spoon to collect floating gnocchi and transfer them directly to your chosen sauce.
Tips and tricks
- Cook in simmering water – these gnocchi are fluffy and delicate, so cooking them in simmering water/water that’s come to a gentle boil is the best way of ensuring they don’t fall apart when cooking.
- Bake the potatoes – I find this is the best way to ensure the potato doesn’t absorb any extra moisture (like when you boil or steam). Baking them keeps the flesh dry which is best for gnocchi.
- Scoop the gnocchi out as they float – once gnocchi float that’s when you know they’re done! Scoop them out as and when they float so they don’t overcook, and add them directly to your sauce.
FAQs about these easy, two-ingredient potato gnocchi
Can you freeze fresh gnocchi?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing these gnocchi as the texture can become compromised after freezing. These are best made and cooked on the same day – but good news is they’re quick to make!
What varieties of potato can I use?
Choosing the right potato is important for gnocchi. Avoid waxy potato varieties like Dutch Cream or Kipfler, and instead look for a semi-starchy variety like Yukon Gold or Désirée, or a starchy variety like a Russett, King Edward or Maris Piper.
I hope you love these gnocchi as much as I do! They’re so easy to make, and with only two ingredients they are a wonderful affordable option for feeding the family or a crowd! If you’re looking for some inspiration for a sauce pairing, check out my recipe for pesto genovese, vodka sauce, this sorrentina sauce or even carbonara!
Easy two-ingredient potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate)
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg potatoes the variety does matter I like to go with a semi-starchy potato that work well for mashing, like Yukon Gold or Désirée, or alternatively a starchy spud like King Edward or Russet.
- Tipo 00 flour the amount will depend on the cooked weight of the potato see recipe for details
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c/160c fan-forced/360f
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and do nothing to them. Once the oven is preheated, bake for 70 minutes or until very fork tender.
- Carefully cut the potatoes in half to aid the release of any steam as they cool, and when cool enough to handle scoop the flesh out from the skins into a bowl set on scales so you measure what the cooked weight of the potatoes are.
- If using a semi-starchy potato, measure 1/4 of the potato weight of tipo 00 flour (e.g. if your cooked potatoes weigh 800g, measure 200g tipo 00 flour). If you are using a very starchy potato, consider adding up to 1/3 of the potato weight in tipo 00 flour.
- Pass the potatoes through a ricer and spread out on your work surface – a wooden board is great if you have one as it’ll continue to absorb extra moisture from the potatoes.
- Sprinkle over the flour and use a bench scraper to cut it into the potato. Continue to do this around all sides until you have a crumbly, sand-like mix.
- Start bringing the crumbly potato dough together with your hands as gently as possible so as not to overwork the gluten – it doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth like a pasta dough – and we certainly don’t want to knead the dough.
- Once you have formed a ball, divide this into 8 equal parts. Dust your work surface in flour and roll each out to a long and thick sausage – again, make sure to use a gentle touch.
- Use a knife to cut thumb-sized pieces.
- Dust in more flour and gently toss the gnocchi around to coat evenly.
- Set aside on a baking tray lined with a clean tea towel or lightly dusted with flour until ready for use.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a gentle boil (this is important) – and cook the gnocchi in small batches. Keep your eye on them for as soon as they float, they are done. Use a slotted spoon to collect floating gnocchi and transfer them directly to your chosen sauce.
