These homemade grain-free sweet potato gnocchi use just three simple ingredients, are irresistibly tasty and surprisingly easy to make. Serve them with a pan of garlicky mushrooms for a cozy, satisfying meal or toss them with your favorite sauce. The gnocchi can be made ahead, are paleo-friendly and won’t leave you feeling heavy or bloated.
Ingredients You Need for Sweet Potato Gnocchi
These gnocchi are made with only three core ingredients:
- Sweet potato: Roast whole sweet potatoes in the oven or on a grill until completely fork-tender, about 1 hour. Slice them open after roasting and let the steam escape so the flesh dries slightly. For a very smooth texture, pulse the flesh briefly in a food processor or push it through a fine wire rack. Properly cooked sweet potato will mix easily with the flour and egg.
- Cassava flour: Cassava flour gives the gnocchi a light, springy texture after boiling. Some brands can be slightly grainy raw, but once mixed with the sweet potato and cooked, the texture is pleasantly soft. Cassava flour is made from the whole cassava root and is naturally grain-free and gluten-free, making it ideal for paleo-style recipes.
- Egg: Use one large egg for every 1.5 cups of cassava flour. If you need an egg-free option, you can omit the egg and mix only sweet potato and cassava flour; the dough will be a bit crumblier but still workable.
What You Need for the Garlicky Mushrooms
- Assorted mushrooms: A mix of cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms works beautifully, but any variety will do—aim for about 12 ounces total.
- Garlic: Finely chopped garlic provides bright, savory aroma—add more if you love garlic.
- Fresh chili: Thinly sliced red finger chili adds color and mild heat. You can substitute crushed red pepper flakes or omit chilies if you prefer no spice.
- Fresh thyme: A few sprigs of thyme give a woodsy note that elevates the mushrooms; dried thyme can be used at half the amount.
- Butter: Use good-quality butter or ghee. Add it at the end with the garlic and herbs, then toss the gnocchi into the pan with some cooking water to form a silky sauce.
What Are Sweet Potato Gnocchi?
Gnocchi are small dumplings usually tossed with a sauce and enjoyed like pasta. These sweet potato gnocchi are a modern, grain-free take on traditional potato gnocchi: they use sweet potato and cassava flour instead of starchy white potatoes and wheat flour. The result keeps the familiar look and tender, pillowy texture of classic gnocchi while remaining gluten-free and lower on the glycemic scale—ideal for those following grain-free or paleo diets.
How to Make Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi
The method mirrors the classic technique for potato gnocchi and is straightforward:
- Bake: Roast sweet potatoes in the oven or on a grill until fork-tender, then slice them open and allow steam to escape.
- Combine: On a clean surface, form a well of cassava flour, press the roasted sweet potato flesh through a rack (discard skins), add the egg and fold until a smooth dough forms. If it feels too sticky, sprinkle in a little more cassava flour.
- Shape: Divide the dough into four pieces, roll each into a ¾-inch rope, and cut into 1-inch gnocchi. Dust lightly with cassava flour to prevent sticking and, if desired, press each piece with a fork to create ridges.
- Boil: Cook the gnocchi in salted boiling water until they float, then simmer 2–3 minutes more until just cooked and springy.
- Sauce: Sauté mushrooms in olive oil until golden, add butter, garlic, chilies and thyme, then transfer the cooked gnocchi to the pan with about 1 cup of cooking water. Toss vigorously to emulsify the butter and water into a creamy sauce. Season to taste.
- Serve: Divide among bowls, garnish with finely chopped chives and serve immediately.
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1.5 cups cooked)
- 1.5 cups cassava flour, plus extra as needed
- 1 large egg
- 4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 4 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 4 oz oyster mushrooms, torn
- 2 tbsp grass-fed butter (or ghee)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ red finger chili, thinly sliced (or ¼ tsp crushed red pepper)
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or grill to 450°F (230°C).
- Place sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined sheet pan or directly on the grill and roast until fork-tender, about 1 hour. Remove, slice open and let cool to room temperature.
- Scatter cassava flour on a clean board and make a well in the center. Press the sweet potato flesh through a wire rack into the well and discard the skins. Add the egg and fold the mixture with your hands or a bench scraper until it forms a smooth, soft dough. Add extra cassava flour if too sticky.
- Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll each into a ¾-inch rope, cut into 1-inch pieces and dust lightly with cassava flour. Optionally press each piece with the back of a fork to create ridges.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, add 2 teaspoons kosher salt and cook the gnocchi until they float, about 2 minutes, then cook 2–3 minutes more until just cooked through and springy.
- While the gnocchi cook, heat a skillet over medium with a splash of olive oil. Add the mushrooms in a single layer and cook undisturbed until golden, about 6 minutes, then toss and brown another 3 minutes. Add butter, garlic, chilies and thyme, season with salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to the mushroom pan with 1 cup of reserved cooking water. Toss vigorously to emulsify the butter and water into a silky sauce. Adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately, garnished with chopped chives.
These sweet potato gnocchi are a comforting, grain-free alternative to traditional gnocchi. They pair beautifully with the rich, garlicky mushrooms but will also shine with marinara, pesto or a simple brown-butter sauce. Make a batch ahead and reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water to revive their pillowy texture.