Easy Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi

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These homemade ricotta gnocchi are so light and fluffy, and much quicker and easier to make than potato gnocchi!

A portion of fried ricotta gnocchi with mushrooms and pine nuts.

Ricotta gnocchi are light, fluffy little cheesy dumplings that can be whipped up in 45 minutes or so. They’re much quicker to make than regular potato gnocchi, and in my opinion, they’re even tastier. Here’s how you make them!

A bowlful of ricotta gnocchi with mushrooms and fresh basil.

What is gnocchi?

Gnocchi are (is?) little dumplings that are generally served in a similar way to pasta – usually as a meal in their own right with some kind of sauce, but also sometimes as a side dish.

Usually, the base of gnocchi is mashed potato (sounds weird; makes a great dumpling), but these ricotta dumplings have no mashed potato at all – they use (you guessed it) ricotta cheese instead. It doesn’t sound like ricotta and potato should ever serve the same purpose, but somehow it works!

One other fun fact about gnocchi: You know those words that stop making any sense when you look at them for too long? Gnocchi is one of those words. Nyocky. Nuuyooockiiii. It can’t be right.

Uncooked ricotta gnocchi scattered across a white surface.

Is ricotta gnocchi better than potato gnocchi?

I’ve made homemade gnocchi a few times in the past, but the potato version can be a bit of a faff. Before you can even start on the gnocchi itself, you have to peel and boil the potatoes, and then mash everything to within an inch of its life (nobody likes lumpy gnocchi). I did discover that frozen mashed potato makes great homemade gnocchi and cuts out a lot of the prep time – but ricotta gnocchi is even quicker still!

Ricotta gnocchi are also lighter and fluffier than potato gnocchi, as you might expect. I think I like them even more, if that were possible.

Is ricotta gnocchi low-carb?

It might sound like swapping potatoes for ricotta cheese is an effort to make low-carb gnocchi… but that’s not really the case. These ricotta gnocchi contain about 36g of carbohydrates per serving, so although they’re not as carb-heavy as potato gnocchi, they’re far from low-carb.

Luckily, I’m very much in favour of carbs in all their beautiful forms.

How to make homemade ricotta gnocchi

Ricotta gnocchi dough in a bowl.

Step 1: Mix up the gnocchi dough

Here’s where ricotta gnocchi are so much quicker to make than potato gnocchi:

Mix together ricotta, parmesan, eggs, and flour.

That’s it – no peeling, no boiling, no mashing, no faffing with potatoes at all, just straight to mixing. In fact, you don’t even need to do much mixing – just enough to bring it all together into a fluffy dough.

A circle of ricotta gnocchi dough cut into eighths.

Step 2: Shape the gnocchi

Next, split the dough into a few chunks. I find 8 pieces is pretty easy, as you can quarter the ball of dough, and then cut each piece in half one more time. It doesn’t matter if they’re not perfectly even.

Using a little more flour to stop it sticking to your worktop, roll each piece into a snake. Try to make them a similar thickness, but it doesn’t matter if some of your snakes end up longer than others (you’ll just get slightly more dumplings from that snake!).

Long snakes of ricotta gnocchi dough.

Then just cut them into chunks! The size doesn’t matter – it just depends on how big you want your dumplings to be. And don’t worry too much if they’re not quite even – I definitely ended up with a few piddling little ones from the ends of the logs!

Uncooked ricotta gnocchi scattered across a white worktop.

Step 3: Boil the gnocchi

Add the dumplings to a pan of boiling water. You can cook them in a couple of batches if needed, so you don’t overcrowd the pan.

Gnocchi (both potato gnocchi and ricotta gnocchi) cook really, really quickly – maybe a minute or two in boiling water. You’ll know they’re cooked when the dumplings begin to float – just fish them out of the pan with a big slotted spoon.

A pile of boiled ricotta gnocchi on a plate.

At this point, your gnocchi are edible. In fact, most of the times I’ve ordered gnocchi at a restaurant, they’ve just been boiled. But personally, I find that boiled gnocchi can be pretty dense and claggy – much like you would expect boiled dough to taste, really. The cheesy flavour is nice, but the texture leaves a lot to be desired. Which brings me to…

Ricotta gnocchi cooking in a frying pan.

Step 4: Sauté the gnocchi

The difference in texture between gnocchi that have just been boiled, and gnocchi that have been boiled and then sautéed, is pretty incredible. They’re immediately transformed into light and fluffy dumplings, and the crispy bits round the edge are an amazing bonus. I never, ever skip this step.

I’ve actually written a whole blog post all about how to fry gnocchi, so check that out if you’d like more detailed instructions. It applies to all sorts of gnocchi – shop-bought gnocchi, homemade potato gnocchi, and even this incredible ricotta gnocchi.

Just shallow fry the gnocchi in a bit of oil (or even better, melted butter), until they’re golden brown and crispy.

Crispy fried ricotta gnocchi in a frying pan.

Step 5: Add your choice of sauce / extra bits

Just like pasta, you can serve your ricotta gnocchi with any kind of sauce or veggies that you like. A tomato and mascarpone sauce would be amazing!

How to serve gnocchi

Since gnocchi dumplings themselves are quite filling, I usually avoid adding a sauce that’s too heavy or rich. I’m not a fan of gnocchi in thick sauces, for example – they just end up too heavy and stodgy.

In my opinion, a thin sauce tends to be better. I love something light and buttery – even just some garlic butter and fresh herbs works wonderfully.

This time, I went for garlic mushrooms and a dollop of basil pesto – so simple, but so effective.

And that’s all there is to it – about 45 minutes start to finish, including adding your sauce. As much as I love potato gnocchi, I think ricotta gnocchi is the way to go when you’re making it at home – so much less faff!

Can you freeze ricotta gnocchi?

Yes! Ricotta gnocchi freeze really nicely. Just lay the uncooked dumplings in a single layer on a baking tray, and freeze. Once they’ve frozen, you can transfer them into a ziplock bag. This stops them from freezing together into one big lump.

When you’re ready to cook the dumplings, put them into the pan of water straight from frozen. Since they’re frozen, they’ll just take an extra minute or two to cook. Then, you can continue as normal.

Since homemade gnocchi do take a little time to make, it’s a great idea to make an extra big batch, and freeze some of it for later.

Have you ever made homemade ricotta gnocchi? If you have any other top tips to add, let me know in the comments below!

Homemade ricotta gnocchi

These homemade ricotta gnocchi are so light and fluffy, and much quicker and easier to make than potato gnocchi!

If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!

4.89 from 17 votes
Print Pin Comment
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 3 people
Calories: 462kcal
Author: Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 250 g (~ 1 cup) ricotta cheese
  • 80 g (~ 3/4 cup) finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • 120 g (~ 3/4 cup) plain flour (plus more for dusting)
  • Salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp oil for frying

Instructions

  • Add the ricotta cheese, grated parmesan and eggs to a mixing bowl, and mix well. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix again until just combined into a light dough. If the dough seems too wet, add another tablespoon of flour.
  • Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured worktop. Using a little more flour, bring the dough into a ball, and flatten it into a disc. To divide the mixture into 8 even pieces, cut the disc into quarters, then cut each quarter in half again (no need to be too accurate) – see the blog post for a photo.
  • Roll each piece of dough into a thin snake (using more flour if needed to stop it sticking), then cut into chunks. The exact size doesn’t matter – mine were around 2cm long.
  • Bring a large pan of water to the boil, and drop in the dumplings. Cook until the dumplings float to the surface of the water (1-2 minutes), then remove them from the water with a slotted spoon.
  • Heat some butter and oil in a large frying pan (you need plenty of fat to stop the gnocchi from sticking), and add the dumplings. Don’t overcrowd the pan – it’s better to cook them in batches if you need to. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until golden brown and crispy underneath, then carefully turn the dumplings over to cook the other side (ricotta gnocchi are a bit more delicate than potato gnocchi, so be gentle!).
  • When the ricotta gnocchi are crispy, add your choice of sauce, and serve immediately. I served mine with garlic sautéed mushrooms and basil pesto.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Homemade ricotta gnocchi
Amount Per Serving (1 portion)
Calories 462 Calories from Fat 216
% Daily Value*
Fat 24g37%
Saturated Fat 11.9g60%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 164mg55%
Sodium 471mg20%
Potassium 188mg5%
Carbohydrates 36g12%
Fiber 1.1g4%
Sugar 0.6g1%
Protein 25.9g52%
Vitamin A 0IU0%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 488mg49%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.

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If you sometimes find gnocchi a bit heavy, why not try lightening them up by tossing them through this toasted gnocchi salad:

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36 Comments

  1. I grew up in an Italian community and haven’t had gnocchis since I was little. Since I’d just bought some ricotta, I thought I’d give this recipe a try. It was SO easy! The gnocchis turned out super. I took the suggestion and crisped them in melted butter. Oh, my. Unreal. I’d never heard of doing that; however, I’m glad I gave it a try.5 stars

  2. Could you make the dough the day before and just keep it in the refrigerator as a ball until you are ready to roll out and cut?

  3. Yummy !I loves these as a dumpling with chopped up chicken in a cream sauce. It can be messy to make ,but fun.I admit thee Parmesan and just add more ricotta cheese along with some seasons.I will most definitely be making this recipe again.4 stars

  4. I made these for dinner last night and they were delicious. I deep fried the left overs tonight to use them like mini roast potatoes and they were equally delicious.
    I have an elderly Italian friend who first taught me to make gnocchi and I wanted to pass on her tip she gave me. Never ever boil your potato. You should bake the potato, use a roasting tomato that is fluffy and floury. Bake the potato and when it comes time to mash them, you won’t find making it smooth very difficult at all.
    Although I cheat when it comes to mashing up any potato as I hate even tiny lumps. So I bought a potato ricer from an online shop for under a tenner, and it makes the smoothest gnocchi with very little effort, the smoothies, creamiest mashed potatoes, great for making croquettes and even bubble and squeak too. It is such an easy tool to use as well. Hubby rolled his eyes when it arrived thinking it a waste of money as many kitchen gadgets often turn out to be. But this one is not a waste in our family as we eat a lot of potatoes and sweet potatoes and it works great for chickpeas too rather than a form when making chickpea mock “tuna” sandwiches.

    Anyway, thank you for the recipe! The whole family loved it! It will be something I make regularly but think I will make a triple batch to have a few lots frozen for quick meals.4 stars

  5. I love gnocchi, tried making them with potatoes. It didn’t turned out as good as those from my favorite shop. So I stopped. You inspire me to try this. Will come back with result.

  6. Can you use ricotta gnocchi in soup? I love my fried gnocchi and think this would work in my soup as well

  7. I made this early on in quarantine and it was wonderful. Three questions though please:
    1. why vegan parmesan instead of real?
    2. Could I add ready-made pesto, or at least herbs to the batter before cooking, or do you think it would change the texture too much and maybe make them fall apart when boiling?
    3. Have you ever added shredded zucchini, or chopped kale or other vegetables to the batter? Same question as #2.

    Thanks!

    1. Hi Shayla, glad you enjoyed it! :)

      To answer your questions –

      1. You don’t need to use vegan parmesan, just vegetarian. ‘Real’ parmesan uses animal rennet, which isn’t vegetarian as it comes from a cow’s stomach. Vegetarian parmesan still contains dairy, but uses a vegetarian form of rennet.

      2. I’m not sure actually! Too much pesto would make the dough wetter, but you might be able to bring it back with a bit more flour. Finely cut fresh or dried herbs should be fine though I would have thought!

      3. I’ve never added extra veggies, but if you do experiment please do report back! :)