• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Med Diet
  • Subscribe
The Matbakh
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Med Diet
  • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Med Diet
    • Subscribe
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Side Dish

    Sweet Potato Gnocchi

    By Lily・Published: Oct 7, 2020・Updated: Jun 2, 2021・Post may have affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This easy sweet potato gnocchi recipe is pillowy, flavorful, and only has four ingredients. Lately, I've been on a homemade gnocchi binge trying to find the easiest, healthiest, tastiest gnocchi recipe out there. There is a time and place for ricotta in my gnocchi, and I discovered through trial and error that I enjoy ricotta more in the white potato gnocchi than sweet potato gnocchi.

    I just feel like there is too much going on with the sweet potato and the ricotta, that it makes it difficult for a flavorful sauce. And while I can appreciate simple sauces, I really enjoy flavorful sauces with this pillowy sweet potato gnocchi recipe.

    Also, I've been trying to find ways to add more veggies to what I cook at home (aside from my homemade strawberry banana smoothie). My daughter is having a hard time with textures right now, so this recipe is a big win in that arena too!

    how to make sweet potato gnocchi pasta

    My First Gnocchi Experience

    The very first time I tried gnocchi, was in China, which, is not the normal place you'd imagine experiencing such a dish. I was working all around China and just so happened to be passing through Beijing. Anytime I went through a big city, I checked to see if there were restaurants that served CHEESE. My biggest craving while working in China was cheese and bread (that's the Middle Eastern part of me).

    Well, long story short, I stumbled across a restaurant with a waiter that told me I needed to try the homemade gnocchi with a creamy cheesy white sauce. Ever since that day, I've been hooked on gnocchi.

    To make matters worse, I decided to try making homemade gnocchi myself. Holy cow- it's not difficult, and it tastes so good!

    love sweet potato gnocchi

    Ingredients You'll Need

    • Sweet Potatoes: I use orange sweet potatoes for this dish because they are very soft and tender. I don't recommend using white sweet potatoes.
    • Flour: I use white all-purpose flour because it's what I have on hand.
    • Egg: I like to use free-range organic chicken eggs.
    • Salt: I use flaked sea salt, but any type of salt works in this recipe.
    • sweet potato gnocchi ingredients
    • smash the sweet potato

    Tips and Tricks

    1. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool once they have been cooked and drained. The sweet potatoes will be too hot to handle straight away.
    2. Flour the working surface where you will be making the pasta dough.
    3. The dough is a little sticky, so don't panic because this is normal. Just keep flouring the surfaces and your hands while working with the gnocchi dough.
    4. Homemade potato gnocchi cooks relatively fast compared to box pasta. The gnocchi is finished when it floats to the top.
    5. Cook the gnocchi in small batches (about 20 pieces) in boiling water, for the best results. Because the cooking time is only a few minutes, it doesn't add too much extra cook time.
    • smashed sweet potato for sweet potato gnocchi
    • easy sweet potato gnocchi pasta dough
    • sweet potato gnocchi without ricotta
    • easy sweet potato gnocchi recipe

    Making the Right Size Gnocchi Pasta

    The hardest part in this recipe is preparing the gnocchi pasta shape. I've found these tips to be helpful:

    1. On a floured surface, roll out the gnocchi pasta dough into a 1" thick rope (about 2.5 cm).
    2. Cut every 1" (about 2.5 cm) down the rope.
    3. Flour a fork, and lightly indent the top of the gnocchi with the fork.
    4. Flour the little pieces of gnocchi so they don't stick together
    • gnocchi recipe with sweet potato
    • sweet potato gnocchi recipe
    • how to make gnocchi
    • how to make gnocchi sweet potato

    Eat Pasta Like the Italians!

    Although this sweet potato gnocchi recipe is probably not what you would find in an authentic Italian restaurant, it has the Italian spirit. What I mean by that is my take on authentic Italian food is simple with few high-quality ingredients.

    Amazing Gnocchi Pasta Sauces

    • Homemade Pesto Sauce
    • Spicy Arrabbiata Sauce
    • Crock Pot Meat Pasta Sauce

    📋 Recipe

    sweet potato gnocchi recipe

    Sweet Potato Gnocchi

    Author: Lily
    Course: Pasta
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep: 30 minutes mins
    Cook: 15 minutes mins
    Total: 45 minutes mins
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate Email
    Servings 4 Servings
    This dairy-free sweet potato gnocchi recipe is made without ricotta with only 4 ingredients: egg, salt, flour, and sweet potatoes.

    Ingredients
     
    US Customary - Metric

    • 1 lb sweet potatoes
    • 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 egg
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • extra flour for working surfaces

    Instructions

    • Peel, chop and boil the sweet potatoes.
    • Drain the sweet potatoes and allow to cool down.
    • Mash the sweet potatoes really well with a potato masher or fork. Make sure the mashed potato is smooth without chunks.
    • Lay the mashed sweet potatoes on a floured surface. Top with the flour. Make a little crevice and add the cracked egg. Add the salt.
    • Mix the egg with the flour using a fork.
    • Mix the sweet potatoes, flour, egg, and salt using your hands.
    • Make a log, and cut the dough into 5 equal sections.
    • Roll out the section individually to form a long 1" (2.5 cm) rope. Cut every 1" (2.5 cm) to make gnocchi pieces.
    • Flour a fork, and lightly press on top of the gnocchi pieces to form an indentation.
    • Flour the gnocchi pieces lightly.
    • In a large pot, boil water with some salt.
    • Add about 20 to 25 gnocchi pieces into the boiling water. Remove the gnocchi with a strainer once it has floated to the surface (about 2 to 3 minutes).
    • Continue cooking the gnocchi until all gnocchi pieces have been cooked.
    • Serve with your favorite sauce of choice.

    Notes

    1. This gnocchi dough recipe can be batch prepared and frozen. Don't cook the gnocchi that's going to be frozen. Flour the gnocchi pieces individually prior to placing it into a freezer-friendly storage bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
    2.  This sweet potato gnocchi recipe can be reheated the following day.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 30 gnocchi pieces | Calories: 225 kcal | Carbohydrates: 45 g | Protein: 6 g | Fat: 2 g | Saturated Fat: 0 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g | Trans Fat: 0 g | Cholesterol: 47 mg | Sodium: 80 mg | Fiber: 5 g | Sugar: 5 g

    More Amazing Side Dishes

    • homemade Lebanese vermicelli rice.
      Lebanese Vermicelli Rice Pilaf
    • fire roasted eggplant dip with garlic and mint
      Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Dip
    • close up view of baked mac and cheese.
      Baked White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
    • easy homemade yogurt in a pot
      Easy Lebanese Homemade Yogurt (Laban)

    About Lily

    Howdy! My name is Lilian, but my friends call me Lily. I'm the founder and one of the recipe authors here at The Matbakh. I enjoy sunsets, long walks to the fridge, meaningful relationships, and anything related to food. I'm so happy you are here!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 4 votes

      Leave A Comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Amy

      June 11, 2023 at 9:04 pm

      5 stars
      Omg this is my third attempt at making gnocchi and this time I've used your tips and method and WOW !! Game changer, I've never had better texture and taste that this time around and it was so much easier and less painful . Thank you so so much

      Reply
      • Lily

        June 11, 2023 at 9:06 pm

        Hi Amy thank you so much for the comment! Sweet potatoes can be soft and difficult to work with for gnocchi, so I feel your pain lol!

        Reply
    2. Kylie Archer

      October 11, 2020 at 6:36 am

      Such a great gnocchi!The kids and I loved it!

      Reply
      • Lily

        October 11, 2020 at 5:11 am

        Great!

        Reply
    3. Valerie

      October 10, 2020 at 6:13 am

      I LOVE gnocchi made with white potatoes and ricotta, it's one of my favorites ever to eat. I like it super simple with butter, salt and pepper. I've never had sweet potato gnocchi, it sounds easy enough to make.

      Reply
      • Lily

        October 11, 2020 at 5:11 am

        If you like white potato and ricotta gnocchi, you will LOVE this!

        Reply
    4. Michelle

      October 10, 2020 at 5:08 am

      5 stars
      I've only tried once to make sweet potato gnocchi and it was an absolute failure! Thanks to all your excellent tips I now know exactly where I went wrong. I'm going to give it another try now that I have your recipe!

      Reply
      • Lily

        October 11, 2020 at 5:12 am

        Awesome! Yea sweet potato is a bit tricky because it's really soft. But the taste is amazing!

        Reply
    5. Jacqueline Meldrum

      October 10, 2020 at 3:29 am

      5 stars
      I keep meaning to try making gnocchi again (my first attempt) years ago was a failure). I've read all your tips (thanks) and feel ready to have another go.

      Reply
      • Lily

        October 11, 2020 at 5:12 am

        Let me know how it turns out!

        Reply
    6. Hamad Ali

      October 09, 2020 at 8:01 am

      Wow it was really easy. Nice recipe.

      Reply
    7. Shelley

      October 09, 2020 at 6:47 am

      5 stars
      So funny that the first time you tried gnocchi was in China! But I adore it, too - and homemade gnocchi is just simply unparalleled! What a wonderful idea to use sweet potato - nutritious and fantastic flavor! I could totally see serving this as part of a Thanksgiving feast!!

      Reply
      • Lily

        October 11, 2020 at 5:13 am

        I agree! Thanksgiving has to have sweet potatoes somewhere in the mix otherwise it's not Thanksgiving

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    lily at the matbakh

    I'm Lily

    I'm an American Lebanese living in Texas. My kitchen, or matbakh, is a hodgepodge of recipes from the U.S. and Mediterranean region.

    ABOUT ME

    Mediterranean Desserts

    • basbousa semolina cake with honey and yogurt
      Basbousa Semolina Cake
    • baklava rolls
      Walnut Baklava Rolls
    • mafroukeh close up
      Mafroukeh Pistachio Dessert With Cream
    • pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing.
      Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

    Footer

    Stay Connected

    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • X

    ↑ back to top

    Legal

    Privacy

    Terms

    Accessibility

    About

    The Matbakh

    About Me

    Med Diet

    Resources

    Shop

    Recipes

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2020 - 2025 Amooni Media LLC

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.