I always see so much stress around making gnocchi—people saying it’s difficult, messy, and full of pitfalls. Then there are the so-called gurus who insist on a foolproof method, often treating it like a science: the perfect potato, the right tools, always baking the potatoes instead of boiling them.
At the start of my cooking journey, I bought into all of it. But then I thought back to my mother and grandmother, who would simply take a leftover boiled potato from the fridge and turn it into perfect gnocchi—no fuss, no overcomplication. That’s when I realized the true foolproof method: not following rigid rules, but learning how to work with any type of potato, cooked in almost any way. Hot or cold, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is practice—developing a feel for the dough, understanding the moisture level, and adjusting the flour accordingly.
I also see a lot of fear around kneading. While you don’t want to overwork the dough, you do need to knead it enough to give the gnocchi some chew and structure. Finding that balance comes with experience.
At its heart, gnocchi isn’t supposed to be a complicated, fussy dish—it’s simple, adaptable, and meant to be made with whatever you have on hand. So just keep making them, experimenting, and trusting your instincts.
rubikscanopener
I just made gnocchi this weekend! I had some russets that I needed to use up and I’d been jonesing for some homemade pasta. I agree with you that people make way too big of a deal over the degree of difficulty. Nothing about making gnocchi is hard but it is time consuming from start to finish.
I baked the potatoes until they were tender then peeled them when they were cool enough to handle. I couldn’t find my ricer (I still don’t know WTF it is) so I ran the spuds through a box grater (which worked surprisingly well). Add an egg, a big pinch of salt, and then enough flour to hold it all together. I have a gnocchi board somewhere, which of course I couldn’t find, (probably hiding with the ricer) so I just used a fork to form them. It made just under 100 gnocchi. I froze 3/4 of them and we had the rest for dinner.
The one tip I do think is valid is that making gnocchi with the potatoes while they’re still warm makes them fluffier. I have no idea why. They just always seem more dense when I make them with leftover baked potatoes. Maybe it’s just me.
OkArmy7059
Yeah I don’t understand how exactly people struggle with gnocchi. The easiest “pasta” to make. One time I didn’t have the right flour and it made it a bit difficult, so maybe that’s the problem? Or over kneading?
ChooCupcakes
I did gnocchi alone only once (but many times as an “assistant ” of more experienced people) and since kneading was a bit hard I added too much flour, and they ended up being too firm. Not bad, but far from ideal. I think that’s the main risk of gnocchi, but once you get the doses right it’s easy enough. Also something something about mashing versus using a blender for potatoes?
4 Comments
I always see so much stress around making gnocchi—people saying it’s difficult, messy, and full of pitfalls. Then there are the so-called gurus who insist on a foolproof method, often treating it like a science: the perfect potato, the right tools, always baking the potatoes instead of boiling them.
At the start of my cooking journey, I bought into all of it. But then I thought back to my mother and grandmother, who would simply take a leftover boiled potato from the fridge and turn it into perfect gnocchi—no fuss, no overcomplication. That’s when I realized the true foolproof method: not following rigid rules, but learning how to work with any type of potato, cooked in almost any way. Hot or cold, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is practice—developing a feel for the dough, understanding the moisture level, and adjusting the flour accordingly.
I also see a lot of fear around kneading. While you don’t want to overwork the dough, you do need to knead it enough to give the gnocchi some chew and structure. Finding that balance comes with experience.
At its heart, gnocchi isn’t supposed to be a complicated, fussy dish—it’s simple, adaptable, and meant to be made with whatever you have on hand. So just keep making them, experimenting, and trusting your instincts.
I just made gnocchi this weekend! I had some russets that I needed to use up and I’d been jonesing for some homemade pasta. I agree with you that people make way too big of a deal over the degree of difficulty. Nothing about making gnocchi is hard but it is time consuming from start to finish.
I baked the potatoes until they were tender then peeled them when they were cool enough to handle. I couldn’t find my ricer (I still don’t know WTF it is) so I ran the spuds through a box grater (which worked surprisingly well). Add an egg, a big pinch of salt, and then enough flour to hold it all together. I have a gnocchi board somewhere, which of course I couldn’t find, (probably hiding with the ricer) so I just used a fork to form them. It made just under 100 gnocchi. I froze 3/4 of them and we had the rest for dinner.
The one tip I do think is valid is that making gnocchi with the potatoes while they’re still warm makes them fluffier. I have no idea why. They just always seem more dense when I make them with leftover baked potatoes. Maybe it’s just me.
Yeah I don’t understand how exactly people struggle with gnocchi. The easiest “pasta” to make. One time I didn’t have the right flour and it made it a bit difficult, so maybe that’s the problem? Or over kneading?
I did gnocchi alone only once (but many times as an “assistant ” of more experienced people) and since kneading was a bit hard I added too much flour, and they ended up being too firm. Not bad, but far from ideal.
I think that’s the main risk of gnocchi, but once you get the doses right it’s easy enough.
Also something something about mashing versus using a blender for potatoes?