Vegan gnocchi is a super simple three-ingredient recipe that pairs absolutely deliciously with a roasted onion cream sauce. If you’ve never made gnocchi before you’ll be surprised by how easy it is – I certainly was, and no egg is necessary for these tasty little potato pillows!
Although I do fancy myself to be quite the homemade pasta chef (fresh beet pasta, spinach pici pasta, homemade ramen noodles), I’ve been weirdly intimidated by gnocchi. I think one failed attempt at sweet potato gnocchi several years ago tainted my confidence and left me too traumatized to try again.
Until now, that is. Wow, have I ever been missing out! Gnocchi is really easy – so easy I can whip it up in 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner!
Turns out that the secret to a beautiful vegan gnocchi dough that doesn’t resemble wallpaper paste is simply to microwave (or bake) the potatoes instead of boiling them.
The reason is to keep the potatoes as dry as possible so that they don’t turn into a gooey mess when you add the flour. Not only that, microwaving them will save you time, too.
Once you’ve got your vegan gnocchi sorted, you can choose your sauce. There are lots of different sauces that pair nicely with vegan gnocchi from a simple tomato sauce to a vegan pesto to cream sauces. I got the idea for this roasted onion cream sauce after discovering this vegan cream substitute on food52.
They suggest using it to finish dishes, like drizzling a little over soup. I wondered if it could be used as a creamy pasta sauce. The answer, for me, turned out to be yes and no.
I found it to be a little too sweet and onion-y to stand alone as a pasta sauce, but blending it with some cashews beefed up the consistency a bit and added just the right amount of sweetness to make a tasty roasted onion cream sauce perfect for vegan gnocchi.
I’m intrigued enough by this onion sauce to experiment and find new uses for it. If you’ve ever tried this roasted onion cream sauce before let me know in the comments below what you used it for.
Vegan Gnocchi with Roasted Onion Cream Sauce
Vegan gnocchi is a super simple three-ingredient recipe that pairs absolutely deliciously with a roasted onion cream sauce. If you’ve never made gnocchi before you’ll be surprised by how easy it is.
Ingredients
For the roasted onion cream sauce
- 2 medium-sized onions
- 65 grams (2.3 oz) raw cashews, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
- The juice of a quarter lemon
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
For the vegan gnocchi
- 500 grams (18 oz) potatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup flour
Instructions
For the roasted onion cream sauce
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F)
- Place the onions is a baking dish and roast until the skins are blackening and the insides are very soft – 30 – 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Once cooled, peel the onions and put them in a high-powered blender* or food processor with the remaining sauce ingredients. I didn't add any olive oil, but you can add a tablespoon or two if you like. Blend until creamy. You can adjust the amount of liquid until you get a consistency that you like.
For the vegan gnocchi
- Poke holes all over the potatoes with a fork and microwave on high for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the potatoes are totally soft.
- Bring a pot of salted water to the boil.
- Allow the potatoes to cool slightly to the touch but are still warm. Peel and mash them along with the salt. Add about ½ a cup of the flour and mix well. I like to knead it with my hands. I also like to test my gnocchi for consistency by making and boiling just one. If it needs more bite, add more flour to the dough. I added ¾ of a cup in total but you may need more or less depending on the consistency that you like.
- Once you’re happy with the potato-flour ratio, take a chunk of dough and use your hands to roll it into a rope. Cut the rope into gnocchi-sized pieces. Working in batches, drop the gnocchi into the boiling water and allow to cook for a minute or two until they float to the surface. Skim them out and drop them into a strainer until you’ve boiled all the gnocchi.
- Serve immediately tossed with the roasted onion cream sauce, freshly ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil if desired.
Notes
*My blender is NOT high powered, which is why my sauce is not totally smooth. It's still good, though, but it's better if you have a strong blender.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 816Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1700mgCarbohydrates: 126gFiber: 10gSugar: 24gProtein: 19g
Trish says
I've attempted making gnocchi twice in my life and both times it was an utter disaster! Once I popped them in the boiling water they completed disintegrated - urgh! I'd always boiled my potatoes first though so I'm excited to know there's hope for me and my so-far doomed gnocchi-making 🙂 Will try this after the holidays and report back 😉