If you want to learn how to make traditional Italian ricotta gnocchi from scratch then this easy recipe is for you. Impress your friends and family with this delicious and comforting dish! Perfect for family dinners, weekend meals, and special occasions.
Inspiration For This Recipe
During my last trip to Italy, I came across a dish of gnocchi di ricotta with a Pomodoro sauce at a restaurant where my husband and I ate. I grew up with potato gnocchi and had to give this one a try. It is now my new favorite type of gnocchi.
It is all of the good parts of potato gnocchi but lighter and it does not weigh you down. I also love how easy it is to make ricotta gnocchi so this has been on constant rotation in our house. While I was in Italy, I gathered as much information on how to make this style of gnocchi as I could then I adapted it to suit my taste.
It really is so delicious. If you love potato gnocchi, you will love this ricotta version even more. I will walk you through all the steps to make this homemade gnocchi at home and give you tips to help you master this so you can make this with confidence.
Is Ricotta Gnocchi The Same As Potato Gnocchi?
Potato gnocchi is the most well-known Italian gnocchi and what most people think of when they hear the word gnocchi. Gnocchi in Italian simply means knuckle or knot. So it refers more to the shape.
In Italy, there are other types of gnocchi that are not made with potatoes, and ricotta gnocchi is one of them. This type of gnocchi with ricotta is popular in Lombardy and the Tuscan regions of Italy.
Gnocchi is really a style of making this classic Italian dumpling. The ingredients for gnocchi will always have flour, eggs, seasoning, and one additional binder (sometimes two). That can be potatoes, ricotta, pumpkin, spinach or so many other ingredients. The size can vary from small tiny gnocchi to really large ones, although ½ inch-sized pieces are most common.
What You Will Need
- Whole milk ricotta: This produces the best results.
- Large Eggs
- "00" Flour: This type of flour is a finely ground (milled) flour that will produce the most tender gnocchi. If you cannot find this, all-purpose flour will work but just make sure to sift it.
- Parmesan
- Kosher salt
- Nutmeg
- Semolina for dusting: Semolina is a coarsely ground flour that is perfect for preventing the gnocchi from sticking together.
How to Make Gnocchi di Ricotta (Ricotta Gnocchi)
- Prepare the ricotta: Push the ricotta through a fine mesh strainer or pulse it in a food processor to make it light and smooth.
- Mix the ingredients: In a large bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan, salt, and ¼ of the flour and mix until smooth.
- Make a well for the ingredients: With the remaining flour, make a well shape on the counter with it. Then pour the ricotta mixture into the center.
- Mix the dough: Gradually pull the flour into the center where the ricotta mixture is until all the flour is incorporated.
- Knead the dough: This is where you may or may not need more of the flour. Start kneading the dough by pushing it with the palm of your hand, then folding and repeating this. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Keep doing this kneading until the dough is smooth.
- Rest: Place a bowl over the dough on the counter and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Sprinkle on the semolina: Generously sprinkle semolina over the work surface. Place the dough on top of the semolina.
- Roll: Roll the dough to about ½ inch thick and about 14 inches in diameter on all sides. Now cut strips of the dough that are about ½ inch thick.
- Cut gnocchi: Now with a knife or a pizza cutter, cut ½ inch pieces of dough from the strips. With each piece you cut, roll it in semolina to prevent it from sticking. Continue this until you use all the dough.
- Refrigerate: Place the semolina-coated gnocchi onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for one hour.
- Cook: Place the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 3-4 minutes or until they float to the top and have been floating for about one minute. Toss with your favorite sauce, or use it in soup.
Using A Gnocchi Board For The Homemade Gnocchi
If you have seen gnocchi with ridges in it, it was most likely made with a gnocchi board (sometimes with a fork as well.) A gnocchi board (pictured below) is used to add ridges to homemade gnocchi.
To do this you follow the steps all the way through cutting the pieces of gnocchi. Then, gently roll the gnocchi pieces one by one off the board to imprint little ridges. It is almost a gentle flinging motion to do this.
The advantage of this is the ridges help hold more sauce (ridges create more surface area). This step is not necessary and totally optional when making homemade gnocchi. If you have a gnocchi board then by all means use it. If you don't, it will still be delicious.
Tips For Success!
- Easy on the flour: The recipe calls for 2 cups of flour plus more as needed. I wish I could produce a magic number for all pasta recipes that was exact but humidity, the moisture content of the flour you are using and so many other factors affect how much flour you need to make these. Start with the 2 cups then after kneading the dough, if it is just too sticky, add a little more flour until the dough becomes workable.
- Knead just until the dough is smooth: You only want to knead the dough until it is smooth since the dough has flour which has gluten. If you over-knead, you will toughen up the gnocchi.
- Use plenty of semolina flour for dusting: You cannot use too much of this. The semolina will stick to the outside of the gnocchi to prevent them from sticking so make sure you use plenty. You can discard any excess semolina that did not stick.
Recipe Faqs
Ricotta gnocchi has a delicate flavor which tastes like pasta with a slight flavor of ricotta.
Yes. You can make this gnocchi a day ahead of time and store it in the fridge or you can freeze the gnocchi and cook it from frozen.
The secret to soft gnocchi is to not use too much flour in the dough and to cook the gnocchi long enough so that it is cooked all the way through. The longer you cook the gnocchi, the softer it will become.
No. A gnocchi board is a great way to add ridges to the outside of the gnocchi by rolling the gnocchi dough across it. These ridges help the sauce cling to this dumpling. This step is not necessary to make homemade gnocchi and is an optional step.
Yes. Gnocchi is a wonderful recipe that you can make gluten-free and not sacrifice on the results or flavor. Just use a 1:1 gluten-free flour alternative.
Ricotta gnocchi goes well with sauces that are not too overpowering in flavor since it is a lighter-flavored gnocchi. Butter sauce, olive oil-based Italian sauces, cream sauce, or light tomato-based sauces are some of the best options.
If you end up with mushy gnocchi, that means you cooked the gnocchi for too long. Start checking the gnocchi for doneness at around 2 minutes. The gnocchi are ready when they float to the top of the boiling water and when they are tender, but not mushy.
What To Serve With Ricotta Gnocchi
Storage And Reheating
- Refrigerating: This gnocchi is stored well in the fridge for 24 hours covered. Make sure to store the gnocchi lying side by side and not stacked on top of each other.
- Freezing: If you want to make some for the freezer, make the recipe without cooking it then place the gnocchi on a sheet pan and place in the freezer for 4 hours. Once the gnocchi are frozen, remove them from the sheet pan, place them in a freezer-proof container, and store them in the freezer for up to one month.
- Reheating: To reheat cooked gnocchi, place in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium heat for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.
More Italian Gnocchi Recipes
How To Make Gnocchi Di Ricotta (Ricotta Gnocchi)
Ingredients
- 2 cups "00" flour plus more as needed.
- 1 ½ cups ricotta
- ½ cup Parmesan
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- Semolina for dusting
Instructions
- Push the ricotta through a fine mesh strainer or pulse it in a food processor to lighten it up.1 ½ cups ricotta
- In a large bowl, add the ricotta, eggs, nutmeg, Parmesan, salt, and ¼ of the flour and mix until smooth.½ cup Parmesan, 2 eggs, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, 2 cups "00" flour
- With the remaining flour, make a well shape on the counter with it. Then pour the ricotta mixture into the center.
- Gradually pull in the flour into the center where the ricotta mixture is until all the flour is incorporated.
- Start kneading the dough by pushing it with the palm of your hand, then folding and repeating this. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Keep doing this kneading until the dough is smooth.
- Place a bowl over the dough on the counter and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Generously sprinkle semolina over the work surface. Place the dough on top of the semolina.Semolina for dusting
- Roll the dough to about ½ inch thick and about 14 inches in diameter on all sides. Now cut strips of the dough that are about ½ inch thick.
- Now with a knife or a pizza cutter, cut ½ inch pieces of dough from the strips. With each piece you cut, roll it in semolina to prevent it from sticking. Continue this until you use all the dough.
- Place the semolina-coated gnocchi onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for one hour.
- Place the gnocchi in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 3-4 minutes or until they float to the top and they have been floating for about one minute.
Angi says
My family loved this!
kisitalian says
Love hearing that!