A simple but tasty recipe for vegan gnocchi with sage butter and roasted mushrooms. It's a dinner anyone would love!
There are so many delicious ways to prepare gnocchi, a potato-based Italian pasta, but this vegan sage butter gnocchi is my favorite---and one of the easiest.
I make the vegan gnocchi myself because store-bought gnocchi more often than not tends to have eggs in it. It is a really simple dough that comes together in minutes, although it does take some time to actually make the gnocchi (not too much, though).
As a mom, I also love gnocchi because I know Jay will eat it. In this recipe the gnocchi nuggets cook up golden and crispy while still soft and chewy on the inside. He loves it so much, in fact, that he even eats the mushrooms without batting an eyelid.
The butter and sage are an addictive combo and they infuse the gnocchi with tons of flavor. Sage is an early bloomer in the spring garden, so it's a great herb to use this time of year, although I love using it year round because of the incredible smoky flavor it adds to vegan foods.
You can use storebought gnocchi to make this dish, and that would cut down the time for making this dish to under 15 minutes. But if you plan to prep the gnocchi from scratch, make it on a leisurely weeknight or save it for the weekend. When you do, be sure to let me know!
What is gnocchi?
Gnocchi (pronounced nyokki) is a pasta made with potatoes and wheat flour. Gnocchi nuggets look like shells with an indentation on one side and ridges on the other, to better hold on to sauces.
You can serve gnocchi with all sorts of sauces (thick sauces are good, pestos are my favorite), or you can serve them crispy and dry, as I do in this dish. Because they are so tasty on their own, they are also great sauteed with just a little bit of vegan butter or olive oil and tossed with veggies.
How to make vegan gnocchi
Intimidating though handmade pasta might sound, gnocchi is one of the easiest pastas you can make.
All you need to do is make a dough with baked or roasted potatoes, flour, salt and a fourth of a cup of vegan yogurt or aquafaba (to replace the eggs).
But you need to take some steps to make sure you don't make your flour too sticky or soggy. And here they are:
- Dry out the potatoes. Whether you bake your potatoes in the oven or in the microwave, grate them and then let them stand on a baking sheet for a bit so any residual moisture evaporates.
- Add about a cup of flour first, then add the rest in small batches until you have a smooth dough. Too much flour will make your gnocchi chewy but you also don't want a sticky flour that will be hard to form into cylinders.
- Put a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Pinch of a piece of the dough and roll into a cylinder about ½ an inch thick. Using a knife, cut the cylinder in ½-inch pieces. These are your gnocchi.
- You can get a gnocchi board to shape them, but the simplest way to do this is to use a fork. Press each gnocchi, cut side down, on the tines of the fork, making an indentation with your finger on the other side as you do this. Roll it off gently. Repeat for each piece.
- Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add the gnocchi to the pot, a few at a time. Stir gently. The gnocchi will cook quite fast and tell you when they are done by floating up to the surface. You can then fish them out with a slotted spoon.
How to make Vegan Sage Butter Gnocchi
- Heat a skillet with 2 tablespoon vegan butter, 3 minced cloves of garlic and 1 tablespoon of fresh, chopped sage,
- Once the butter melts, add the mushrooms, if using, season with salt and pepper, and let them cook until slightly tender, a couple of minutes. Then add the gnocchi to the pan.
- If you are not using mushrooms, add the gnocchi to the butter, sage and garlic directly.
- Pan-fry the gnocchi, stirring them ever so occasionally, until they start to brown. You can let them brown as much as you like. If you want the gnocchi to be a little bit saucy, add a cup of the pasta cooking water. Otherwise serve them just as they are after seasoning with salt and ground black pepper.
Yes. Cooked gnocchi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want to freeze them, flash-freeze them first by placing them a little apart on a baking sheet in the freezer. Once they freeze, you can place them in a freezer-safe bag.
Uncooked gnocchi can be refrigerated for a few hours before cooking, but dust them with flour first to stop them from sticking.
If you like your gnocchi with lots of sauce, here are some great options:
Creamy Vegan Mushroom Sauce
Vegan White Pasta Sauce
Vegan Marinara Sauce
Vegan Basil Pesto
Yes, absolutely. Just use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose. The gnocchi won't be as light, but it'll be delicious.
Again, yes. Sub with an all purpose gluten-free flour and add half a teaspoon of xanthan gum if your flour doesn't already contain some.
A simple, fresh green salad is ideal. You can also serve gnocchi with these lemony Greek roasted potatoes or these garlic butter beets on the side
More tasty vegan pasta recipes
- Vegan Spinach Ricotta Dumplings in Marinara
- Vegan Butternut Squash Pasta Bake
- Vegan Pasta Amatriciana
- Vegan Pasta Puttanesca
Vegan Sage Butter Gnocchi
Equipment
- Large pasta pot
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
For vegan gnocchi
- 2 large russet potatoes (approx 1.5 pounds, baked, then peeled and grated or put through a potato ricer)
- 2 cups all purpose flour (approx)
- ¼ cup vegan yogurt (or aquafaba)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For sage butter sauce
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter (or extra virgin olive oil)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon sage (finely chopped, divided)
- 8 oz crimini mushrooms (sliced, optional)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
For serving
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Peel the cooked russets and grate them. Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet for a few minutes for any moisture to evaporate.
- Place a large pot of salted water to boil for cooking the gnocchi.
- Place the russets in a bowl and add the yogurt or aquafaba and salt. Mix until everything's evenly dispersed, then begin kneading in the flour. First add a cup and knead, then add a bit more as needed until you have a smooth dough.
- Pinch off a portion of the dough and use your palms to roll it into a ½ inch thick cylinder.
- Use a knife or bench scraper to cut off ½-inch lengths of the cylinder.
- Press each piece of the dough, cut side down, on the tines of a fork, while pressing with your thumb on the other side of the dough to make an indentation. Roll it off gently and place in a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- To cook the gnocchi, let the water come to a rolling boil. Add the gnocchi, a few at a time, and stir gently. The gnocchi will let you know they are done by floating to the top. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Make the sage butter sauce
- In a saucepan, heat the butter with the garlic and 1 tablespoon sage.
- When the butter melts, add the mushrooms, if using, and season with salt and ground black pepper. Saute the mushrooms until they begin releasing their juices, a couple of minutes. If not using mushrooms proceed directly to next step.
- Add the gnocchi to the pot with the remaining sage and cook, stirring frequently, until the gnocchi begin to turn golden-brown. You can let them brown as much or as little as you like.
- Season with salt and ground black pepper as needed.
- Serve hot or warm with vegan parmesan for sprinkling.
Nutrition
Love this vegan gnocchi? Check out more easy vegan dinner recipes on Holy Cow Vegan!
Jamie
Awesome recipe, we loved the nutty flavors of the butter and sage. Will definitely make this again.
Letitia
When does second tablespoon of sage get added?
Vaishali
When you add the gnocchi to the pot. Step 3 under "sage butter sauce". Thanks!
Marty
If you were using store-bought gnocchi, could you cook it entirely in the saucepan and skip boiling it first in a pot of water?
Vaishali
Yes, absolutely. No need to cook first if using store-bought. Just pan-fry them until golden, it might take a little longer, about 10-15 minutes until they are cooked through, but will taste great.