Vegan gnocchi is one of the simplest dishes to prepare and cook. You can add a few twists to make it even better. However, today I will keep things simple: Just potato, flour, and an easy to make a creamy sauce.
Ingredients For the vegan gnocchi
- Potato
- Flour – You can use gluten-free wheat flour, rice flour, gram flour (chickpea flour), or any healthy flour that can bind or stick together.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A pre-heated oven or a pot of boiling water to cook or oil for deep-frying if you love them crunchy
Bake the potatoes until they are soft and easy to mash. Most people boil in salted water until done. This is OK, but due to the extra water that the potatoes soak in, you’ll end up using more flour than if you had baked them. Baking also preserves the potato nutrients and flavor.
Mash them well before adding flour.
It’s now time to get your hands dirty. Knead the potato-flour mixture until you get a less sticky yet soft dough.
Divide into balls and roll them up into “sausages” of 1/2 inch size diameter.
Divide the “sausages” into 1-inch chunks. You can approximate but don’t make them bigger. They will take longer to cook. Moreover, sometimes the bigger the gnocchi, the more difficult it is to cook evenly (especially if you intend to freeze them for future use).
To cook our vegan gnocchi, you have a few options.
You can boil them in water, and once they float to the top, they are ready for the sauce.
For the extra crunchy gnocchi, deep-fry them in hot canola oil.
However, if you’re a bit health conscious (and you should be), bake them in a 220 degrees oven for 10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Spray the baking tray with a little vegetable oil to prevent them from sticking.
To Serve
You can make a simple sauce to accompany your vegan gnocchi. The white creamy sauce goes particularly well with them.
To Make the Creamy White Sauce
You need vegan butter, Vegan Cheese (if you can find the vegan parmesan, the better), vegetable stock, and non-dairy milk (unsweetened).
Melt the butter and add finely diced white onion or minced garlic.
Sweat the onion for a minute
Now add the stock (or any vegan white wine) and bring to boil.
Add the non-dairy milk and season with salt and pepper. Let it boil under low heat for 5 minutes or so to infuse the flavors.
Next, you add your vegan cheese, but if the sauce is still runny, add a little flour to make rue or let it boil for a little longer to thicken before adding cheese.
Once the cheese is gooey, toss in the cooked vegan gnocchi and stir well before serving.
Garnish with more vegan cheese shavings and a fresh basil leaf.
Enjoy!
Tip
If you don’t plan to eat the vegan gnocchi right away, you can always freeze them for 1 month. Just remember to re-heat them before serving.
Is gnocchi healthy?
Store bought gnocchi might not be as healthy as you would want it to. However, if you make yours at home, you have better control over the ingredients. Replace the conventional wheat flour with gluten-free options and go easy on the salt. Vegan gnocchi is particularly healthier than white pasta, but they are all high in calories.