Pillowy soft homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi, golden brown on the outside and bathed with a simple, stunning Sage Butter Sauce…. an EASY homemade gnocchi recipe, this is the stuff food dreams are made of!
Homemade Pumpkin Gnocchi
The first gnocchi I ever made turned out black. Wait – not even black. If it was black, you might get away with claiming that it’s exotic, or coloured with squid ink. Mine were grey.
I had slaved over them for hours. Made the classic way using mashed potato, I painstakingly followed every step in the lengthy recipe. I could envisage how impressed my family would be when I serenely placed the gnocchi in front of them, how they would praise me and exclaim how perfectly pillowy they were.
My vision did not come true. They were grey and they were hard. I am sure I remember my brother trying to bounce one off the table like a rubber ball.
Oh – just for clarity, this was back when I was in school. Did you think it was last week? 😉
Classic gnocchi made with potato is a recipe for more capable cooks. And while I have actually made it successfully since my first dismal effort, I’m still not always happy with the way they turn out.
Enter: the EASY way to make gnocchi. The secret? Ricotta!
Yes it really is this easy to make Pumpkin Gnocchi: just use a wooden spoon to mix mashed pumpkin, flour, parmesan, ricotta and egg, turn it out, no kneading, roll into ropes then cut.
And if you want to make your gnocchi look like what you get at restaurants, all you have to do is use a fork to press lines onto the cut side of the gnocchi. Worth the effort? I think so. It creates ridges which = more crispy golden surface + the butter sauce clings to it better.
Plus, it just looks pro, doesn’t it? 🙂
I shared a plain Ricotta Gnocchi recipe a couple of years ago. I really wanted to take the basic gnocchi up a notch so I decided to make this a pumpkin gnocchi.
I wasn’t 100% sure I could make it work, and truth be told it took quite a few batches to get it exactly right. I even dragged my mother in for recipe testing.
I am so glad we persevered though, because in all honesty, the pumpkin totally makes this gnocchi. Besides making it a beautiful bright orange colour that looks so spectacular when tinged with golden brown, it adds sweetness and moisture into the gnocchi. You can’t actually taste the pumpkin – much like you can’t actually taste potato in classic potato gnocchi – but you know it’s there. You can’t miss it!
The little trick I found that really makes a difference is to extract some moisture out of the pumpkin simply by putting in on paper towels in a colander for a few minutes. Doing this reduces the amount of flour required by almost 1/3 cup which = softer gnocchi.
As for the sauce….well, I could have gotten more creative but the fact is, Sage Butter Sauce is always my first choice for gnocchi. It’s simple but luxurious, and let’s the Pumpkin Gnocchi shine through.
And if we’re going to make homemade gnocchi, let’s make sure we do it justice by making the sauce using a great quality butter. Hands down, my favourite butter has always been Lurpak. It is without a doubt the best butter that is sold at supermarkets here in Australia. In my humble opinion. ❤️
I almost fell off my chair when I was asked if I would create a recipe for them. I started babbling with excitement, exclaiming how Lurpak has always been my butter of choice. The ideas just rolled off my tongue, I just kept saying I couldn’t believe this was happening, it was meant to be!!
I worked really hard on this recipe, and I truly hope I’ve done Lurpak proud. I’m certainly proud to have been selected to work with them, and I’m really proud of this recipe.
Oh! And just one more thing I want to mention – you don’t need an insane amount of butter to make the sauce for this Pumpkin Gnocchi. In fact, I think you’ll be surprised how little is required. Just enough to coat the gnocchi and have some drizzled on the plate. You don’t want the gnocchi swimming in butter – it’s just too rich.
One more thing I remembered – THIS FREEZES GREAT. The gnocchi cooks from frozen in about 1 1/2 minutes and takes about 5 minutes to pan fry and make the sauce.
Just think – the next time you’re cooking to impress, can you imagine the reaction you’ll get if you serve them homemade gnocchi? That don’t look like grey rubber balls??? – Nagi xx
Gnocchi Lovers!
-
Easiest homemade gnocchi ever – Ricotta Gnocchi
-
Pan Fried Gnocchi with Pumpkin & Spinach – quick and easy, made with store bought gnocchi
-
Malfatti – Cousin of the gnocchi, made with spinach and ricotta
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ready to see how easy it is to make Pumpkin Gnocchi? 🙂
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Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce
Ingredients
Gnocchi Dough
- 300 g /10oz fresh pumpkin , steamed or boiled then mashed or 2/3 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup ricotta , full fat (Note 2)
- 1 1/4 cup plain flour (all purpose flour), plus more for dusting
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese , finely grated
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Sage Butter Sauce:
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 50g / 3.5 tbsp butter (Note 3)
- 20 fresh sage leaves
To serve:
- Black pepper (and salt if needed)
- Parmesan
Instructions
- Line a colander with 4 sheets of paper towel. Spread the fresh mashed pumpkin or canned puree onto the paper towel (see photo in post) then leave for 5 minutes.
- Measure out 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (scale up if you scaled recipe, Note 6).
- Place pumpkin and remaining Gnocchi ingredients in a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mix well - it should be a soft dough. (Note 4)
- Dust a work surface with flour, tip dough out, sprinkle with flour then pat into log shape.
- Cut into 6 pieces. Roll into 1.7cm / 2/3" ropes, then cut into squares (Note 5).
- Optional: Use a fork to press down lightly on the cut side of the gnocchi.
Cooking
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
- Scrape gnocchi onto parchment paper, then tip into water. Cook for 1 minute or until all the gnocchi rises to the surface (means it is cooked), then drain.
- Meanwhile, melt about 1 teaspoon of the butter plus oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add gnocchi and cook, shaking the pan, until the gnocchi is just starting to turn brown (about 1 1/2 minutes).
- Add remaining butter, once it melts, add sage leaves. Stir and cook for 2 1/2 minutes or until gnocchi is golden, sage is crisp and butter is slightly browned. Add salt if you used unsalted butter.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parmesan and pepper.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This fabulous Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter Sauce is brought into this world with many thanks to Lurpak which has been my butter of choice for as long as I can remember. If you make your own homemade gnocchi, it deserves the very best butter!!! N xx ❤️
LIFE OF DOZER
Post Pumpkin Gnocchi snack nap.
The flavour was definitely there and they tasted beautiful, however they were like rubber, not soft and fluffy? Where did I go wrong? Please help.
Any chance of dairy free alternatives for the ricotta and parmesan?
Love your recipes but Bub is allergic and we are feeling it with her!
Do you think this recipe could also be be used with sweet potato to make sweet potato gnocchi?
Gah, delicious! I’ve made this twice now. I roasted the pumpkin and used a supermarket tub of soft ricotta. My dough did seem quite sticky at first, but I found that if I used plenty of flour on my work surface and hands when rolling and cutting, it was fine to handle and I didn’t need to stir any extra flour into the dough itself. The first time I made it, I used thyme instead of sage and it was good – but the sage butter is amazing.
I also loved this recipe and your tip really helped — I trusted that the extra flour on the work surface would be enough, and the gnocchi were perfect!
I cooked this last night and followed your suggestion re the ricotta – “Woolies and Coles in Australia sell the firm ricotta over the deli – it is best to purchase one of the tubs in the refrigerator section.”
However in Jan 2022 you added a comment in response to a reviewer – “You need the good ricotta from delis that is sold in a basket so the liquid drains off. The grocery store tubs won’t work well.” – and I suspect this is why my dough was sticky and super wet. I wish I’d seen that comment earlier. I think I need to let this recipe go, but have enjoyed many of your other ones.
This is a great recipe, I roasted my pumpkin didn’t need to drain it, everything came together easily, also used 00 flour. This was a great way to use up ricotta I didn’t know what to do with. I’m freezing the dough for more meals later, since I’m single, so great all the way around!
Great tips Jacob! I am happy that you liked it! N x
Hi Nagi,
I too have made this recipe 3 times. I roasted the pumpkin instead of steaming it. No need to drain the pumpkin. Shared with many and loved by all.
Thank you
Lisa
Great tip Lisa!! N x
How far in advance can you make the dough before boiling it? For example, could I make it midday and leave it out and boil it a few hours later?
Also, if all you can find is store bought ricotta, can you strain it a little to get the wetness out? Thanks!
I e tried this recipe three times and it’s my dough is so wet. I’ve tried three times with three different methods of cooking the pumpkin, allowing it to dry over night and still no luck. Desperate for it to work as it seems like a winner of a recipe! I’ve even reduced the amount of pumpkin.
Hi Lisa – I suspect it might be your ricotta that’s too wet. You need the good ricotta from delis that is sold in a basket so the liquid drains off. The grocery store tubs won’t work well. N x
I suspect my ricotta was too wet too because it was so sticky (I haven’t tried to cook it yet but I’m not optimistic). You did say in your notes that you could use supermarket ricotta, but here you said a good one from a deli is needed.
I’m confused!
The recipe notes say to use the ricotta in a tub, and not the ricotta sold in the deli.
Would you mind clarifying?
I think this point might be the common stumbling block.
Try roasting the pumpkin instead of steaming it. 🙂
Very delicious! I made it with king arthur gluten free AP flour and it still turned out beautifully. I also cooked some sausage and kale up and added it to the gnocchi at the end and it worked very well together.
This is what I was wondering. Gluten-free options. Thanks
I used the wrong ricotta (didn’t read the notes), didn’t dry out the pumpkin with paper towels and it still worked beautifully. Thanks for another great easy recipe. How is your book coming along?
It’s a BIG project – thanks for asking!! But we are powering through!! N x
Can you used canned pumpkin in place of fresh? If so, how much would you suggest using?
Hi Catherine, you can – I mention this in the ingredients list 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, Correct me if I’m wrong but I think there might be a typo? – Under the instructions it says to measure out half a cup (125g) – which I’m assuming is the correct amount, but in the ingredients list it says to use 300g pumpkin which is more than double.. This might be why some people are getting it wrong and it being too sticky?
Hi Dimi, yes that’s because you start with 300g of pumpkin, steam and mash it – then you get rid of the excess water. Out of this you want to use 125g. I hope that clears it up for you. N x
Hi Nagi, do you know if this would work with wholemeal plain flour? Thank you! Keep up the amazing work you do x
Hi Annie, wholemeal flour has a different absorption rate so ay need a little more liquid. N x
Can this be made gluten free?
Has anyone made this pumpkin gnocchi using pumpkin they had boiled and mashed the day before making the gnocchi? Just thought having the mashed pumpkin in fridge overnight might help take some excess moisture out of it as well as the paper towel in colander process.
Hi Nagi
This recipe looks great, thank you, I’m wanting to make a healthier version and replace the white flour with something else, could I use whole meal flour or almond meal or coconut flour ? What do you think .
I absolutely love this recipe! I’ve made it several times already and the gnocchi always come out delicious. I usually double the recipe and freeze some gnocchi for quick meals later on. I have never had any issues with this recipe so would not change a thing! I sometimes put some sage leaves in ice cube containers and fill them with olive oil, so I always have “fresh” sage on hand. Thank you for this great recipe, Nagi!
That’s a great idea about the sage Ella, thank you !
Great recipe for perfect pumpkin gnocchi.
I feel your potatoe gnocchi pain (and still have my grandmother’s tirades about Australian potatoes (among other things) ringing in my ears,
The secret to good gnocchi is the right potatoes – I’ve never found them in Australia where potatoes mostly have names such as red and white brushed, washed, boiling and microwaveable.
I won’t start on finding good ricotta down under.
Hi Laura,
Join the Diggers club and grow your own potatoes in a bag. Huge variety.
Make your own ricotta too 🙂
Cheers
Lisa