6 Tips for The Best Gluten-Free Ricotta Gnocchi Ever

If you love homemade pasta, but have never had the confidence to try making it-our gluten-free ricotta gnocchi recipe is the perfect place to start. Unlike potato gnocchi, which tend to be a bit heavy and gummy, ricotta gnocchi are soft, pillowy dumplings that are full of flavour. They are also very easy to make and, if you follow our tips, they are pretty fool-proof too.

Made from a mixture of simple ingredients like fresh ricotta, gluten-free flour, parmesan cheese, eggs, and salt/pepper, ricotta gnocchi can be topped with any sauce for a dish sure to make any meal special. Plus, they don’t require any machines or techniques – heck they don’t even need a rolling pin. All you need are your (very clean) hands, our tips and recipe, and you are set.

Once you have your ingredients ready, roll up those sleeves, wash your hands and dive in. You are going to love making them and enjoy eating them even more 🙂

6 Tips For The Best Gluten-Free Ricotta Gnocchi:

1) Additional Grated Parmesan Cheese:

These gluten-free ricotta gnocchi are the most flavourful gnocchi you’ll ever have. The recipe was inspired by Gimme Some Oven. Though their recipe is similar to my traditional family recipe, the addition of parmesan cheese makes a huge difference. The cheese allows the gnocchi to not be so reliant on the sauce for flavour. 

2) Caputo Gluten-Free 00 Pizza Flour: 

The Caputo gluten-free pizza flour is what makes our gluten free pizza dough recipe light and fluffy like a traditional pizza dough. It is also, what helps to keep these gnocchi light and tender. These gluten-free ricotta gnocchi stay together very well when boiled. 

3) You Don’t Have To Have a Gnocchi Board:

I have a gnocchi board and it’s great to use. They are usually inexpensive and easy to find. However, if you don’t have one, then you can either use the back of a fork or just nothing at all. The board or fork are used to gently roll your the rectangular pillow of dough down and it creates a small divot in the gnocchi and markings on the back. If you don’t have a board and would rather not use a fork, the soft pillowy ricotta dumplings will still taste delicious and still be just as impressive. Don’t sweat it.

4) Boil A Tester Or Four: 

Once you’ve made your dough, make 4 tester gnocchi and boil them. Gnocchi are generally cooked in 1 to 2 minutes or until they float to the top. You do this for two reasons: 1) To ensure that you have enough flour. As there is a chance your ricotta and/or eggs will have extra liquid and you don’t want your gnocchi (gluten-free or otherwise) to turn to mush in the water; and, 2) You want to check the flavour. Maybe you want them cheesier, more peppery, or saltier depending on how you serve them – this step allows you to ensure that they are to your liking. 

5) Gnocchi Go Well With Many Sauces:

You can serve them with a basil pesto, using some of the basil paste we wrote about in the summer. You just add toasted pine nuts, garlic, cheese, salt, pepper, and oil in the food processor.  A sage and brown butter sauce is a great companion. And of course the classic tomato basil sauce, which we used. You can use your favourite recipe or store bought sauce. 

6) Gnocchi Freeze Well: 

If you have the time, make a larger batch and freeze some. To freeze them, they must be on a wax paper lined pan that has been dusted with flour. Line your gnocchi up in rows and once the pan is full or you’ve finished the dough, dust the top lightly with flour. Then cover with Saran Wrap and place in the freezer for a minimum of two hours or overnight. Once frozen solid, you break them up and put them in a labelled freezer bag. They will keep for up to three months. Don’t forget to add them to your freezer inventory list to keep you organized. When you want to use the frozen gnocchi make sure they are all separated (even with the flour they can fuse together in the freezer) then drop them into a pot of boiling salted water and enjoy. They may take a few more seconds to cook. Try one when you see them floating to ensure proper doneness. 

Now let’s get to the recipe so you can start gnocchi making. 

The Best Gluten-Free Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 kg ricotta 
• 7C  Caputo gluten-free flour 
• 3C grated Parmesan cheese 
• 3 tsp salt 
• 1 1/4 tsp pepper 
• 9 egg yolks 

Directions:

1. Drain the ricotta. Open the plastic on top of the ricotta container just to break the seal. Then tip slightly to allow excess water to drain out of ricotta. In most cases, this will remove most of the excess liquid. If when you put your ricotta in a large mixing bowl there is still a lot of liquid then put it in a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth for 10 minutes to drain. If you accidentally leave water in, you can just add a little extra flour… so don’t be too concerned. 
2. Place your ricotta in the bowl and add egg yokes. Mix well. 
3. Then add in the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper once again mixing well. 
4. Now slowly incorporate the 6 cups flour. Start by using a silicone spatula to mix so you can scrape the sides. Once the dough starts to form keep an extra cup of flour at the ready on your workspace.
5. Get your hands in the dough.  Start mixing and kneading the dough. It should be slightly tacky, but not overly wet. If the dough seems too mushy add in your last cup of  flour. You may need more – it’s why we boil the gnocchi for testing. I haven’t had to go over 7 1/2 cups for 1kg of ricotta. The only tricky part of making gnocchi is adding the perfect amount of flour. You want to add enough flour so the dough is easy to work with, but not so much that the dough is tough at all.
6. Once your dough is mixed set aside. 
7. On a clean workspace or cutting board dust with gluten-free flour. Also, dust your fork or gnocchi board (if using them) to prevent sticking. 
8. Grab a small piece of dough. Work it into a ball on your floured work surface and then roll it into a log about 1/4 inch thick.  Using a pairing knife, butter knife, or bench scrapper cut the log into 3/4 inch rectangles for the individual gnocchi.  Any left over dough can be thrown back into the bowl of dough to be reused. 
9. Take 4 of the gnocchi that you just cut and boil them. You want to test them before forming the rest. If any modifications are needed, you want to do it before proceeding. Once tester is complete and dough is ready, proceed to next step.
10. If using a gnocchi board or fork, take the individual gnocchi and gently (using middle and index fingers) roll them down the board or the back of a fork. If you see the dough sticking, take the time to re-dust your board or fork with flour. You want to keep everything lightly dusted so you are preventing stickiness without adding too much flour at the same time. 
11. Cover a baking tray (with edges) with wax paper. Lightly dust the wax paper with gluten-free flour.  Place finished gnocchi in rows on the tray.  
12. Now you can either gently put them into a pot of boiling salted water or go to Tip #6 on how to freeze them. Freezing allows them to be made ahead of time for an occasion or even just put half the recipe away for another time. 

Additional Information:

1 kg of ricotta will feed about 4 people as a main or 6 people if serving as a first course. Also, the recipe works with regular non-gluten-free flour too. I sometimes make two batches, gluten-free (making the gluten-free first to prevent cross contamination), and a regular flour batch for those who aren’t gluten free even though the gluten-free are on par with the others. Keep in mind, this recipe can be scaled up or down easily to meet your quantity needs. 

Buon Appetito!

The Best Gluten-Free Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe

Print Recipe/Tips

Serves: 4

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 1 kg ricotta 
• 7C  Caputo gluten-free flour 
• 3C grated Parmesan cheese 
• 3 tsp salt 
• 1 1/4 tsp pepper 
• 9 egg yolks 

INSTRUCTIONS/NOTES/TIPS

1. Drain the ricotta. Open the plastic on top of the ricotta container just to break the seal. Then tip slightly to allow excess water to drain out of ricotta. In most cases, this will remove most of the excess liquid. If when you put your ricotta in a large mixing bowl there is still a lot of liquid then put it in a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth for 10 minutes to drain. If you accidentally leave water in, you can just add a little extra flour… so don’t be too concerned. 
2. Place your ricotta in the bowl and add egg yokes. Mix well. 
3. Then add in the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper once again mixing well. 
4. Now slowly incorporate the 6 cups flour. Start by using a silicone spatula to mix so you can scrape the sides. Once the dough starts to form keep an extra cup of flour at the ready on your workspace.
5. Get your hands in the dough.  Start mixing and kneading the dough. It should be slightly tacky, but not overly wet. If the dough seems too mushy add in your last cup of  flour. You may need more – it’s why we boil the gnocchi for testing. I haven’t had to go over 7 1/2 cups for 1kg of ricotta. The only tricky part of making gnocchi is adding the perfect amount of flour. You want to add enough flour so the dough is easy to work with, but not so much that the dough is tough at all.
6. Once your dough is mixed set aside. 
7. On a clean workspace or cutting board dust with gluten-free flour. Also, dust your fork or gnocchi board (if using them) to prevent sticking. 
8. Grab a small piece of dough. Work it into a ball on your floured work surface and then roll it into a log about 1/4 inch thick.  Using a pairing knife, butter knife, or bench scrapper cut the log into 3/4 inch rectangles for the individual gnocchi.  Any left over dough can be thrown back into the bowl of dough to be reused. 
9. Take 4 of the gnocchi that you just cut and boil them. You want to test them before forming the rest. If any modifications are needed, you want to do it before proceeding. Once tester is complete and dough is ready, proceed to next step.
10. If using a gnocchi board or fork, take the individual gnocchi and gently (using middle and index fingers) roll them down the board or the back of a fork. If you see the dough sticking, take the time to re-dust your board or fork with flour. You want to keep everything lightly dusted so you are preventing stickiness without adding too much flour at the same time. 
11. Cover a baking tray (with edges) with wax paper. Lightly dust the wax paper with gluten-free flour.  Place finished gnocchi in rows on the tray.  
12. Now you can either gently put them into a pot of boiling salted water or go to Tip #6 on how to freeze them. Freezing allows them to be made ahead of time for an occasion or even just put half the recipe away for another time. 

NOTES/TIPS

1 kg of ricotta will feed about 4 people as a main or 6 people if serving as a first course. Also, the recipe works with regular non-gluten-free flour too. I sometimes make two batches, gluten-free (making the gluten-free first to prevent cross contamination), and a regular flour batch for those who aren’t gluten free even though the gluten-free are on par with the others. Keep in mind, this recipe can be scaled up or down easily to meet your quantity needs.

Did You Try This Recipe or These Tips?

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