Gnocchi is one of my favorite dishes to make ever since I worked sauté station many years ago. I never really loved restaurant work; it was late hours and very physically draining, and I especially hated the sauté station. I am accident prone, which really doesn’t mix well with hot burners and pans, and I was constantly burning myself. But even though I loathed that position on the line, I did love a few of the dishes that I made.

One of my favorites was a brown butter sage gnocchi. The simple brown butter sage sauce came together in under five minutes and resulted in a dish that highlighted how amazing the ingredients are.

I’ve been making my own version at home ever since, and I’ve landed on sweet potato gnocchi as my absolute favorite. The sweetness of the potato pairs perfectly against nutty brown butter and earthy sage. It tastes like something you’d order at a nice Italian restaurant.

What even is gnocchi?

Gnocchi are Italian potato dumplings. Many people think it is pasta, but the addition of potato plus flour technically makes it a dumpling. Traditional gnocchi are made with russet potatoes and all purpose flour. Mine swap in sweet potatoes and a gluten free 1 to 1 flour, and honestly? You won’t miss a thing. Unlike pasta, gnocchi is very easy to make gluten free. The potatoes help bind the dough together since the gluten isn’t there to do it.

The 1 to 1 swap is the reason this recipe is so approachable for anyone cooking gluten free. You don’t need to mess with xanthan gum or blend five different flours. Just use a good gluten free flour. I personally use Bob’s Redmil 1 to 1 for this recipe, but King Arthur’s works well too.

Tips for the Best Gnocchi

• Roast your sweet potatoes instead of boiling them. Boiling adds moisture to the potato, which means you’ll need more flour to compensate, and more flour means denser gnocchi. Roasting evaporates excess moisture and concentrates the flavor. Just pierce them, roast at 400°F until tender, and scoop out the flesh.
• Don’t over flour your dough. Add flour gradually until the dough just comes together and isn’t sticky. It should feel soft and pillowy, not stiff. Overworking or over flouring is the number one gnocchi mistake and can make your gnocchi tough.
• You’ll know they’re done cooking when they float. Drop your gnocchi into salted boiling water and wait. When they rise to the surface, give them about 30 more seconds, then pull them out. They’re telling you they’re ready.
• Freeze the dough before cooking if you want to meal prep. Roll your gnocchi, place them on a parchment lined sheet pan, freeze until solid, then transfer to a bag. Cook straight from frozen, just add a minute or two to the boil time.
• Try both orange and Japanese sweet potatoes. Orange sweet potatoes give you that classic sweetness and color. Japanese sweet potatoes are drier and slightly less sweet, which actually makes them easier to work with and gives the gnocchi a more subtle, nutty flavor and better texture. Both are delicious, just slightly different results.

• Yams – The star of the gnocchi, adding natural sweetness and color. You can also use Japanese sweet potatoes here, they will just be white in color.
• Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour – Binds the dough together. Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 or King Arthur 1-1 are great here. You can also use AP flour if you can have gluten.
• Butter – Browns into a nutty, rich sauce base. You can use a vegan butter if dairy free.
• Garlic – Adds depth and aroma to the sauce. Omit if needed.
• Sage Leaves – The signature flavor of the sauce. Make sure to use fresh only here. Rosemary is also delicious in place.
• Parmesan –  Add umami to the dish. Pecorino Romano is a great substitute.