Soft, pillowy gnocchi made with roasted pumpkin, rice flour and potato starch. No egg, no gums, no fuss. Served with brown butter, crispy sage and toasted pecans.
These gnocchi have just three ingredients in the dough: roasted pumpkin puree, rice flour, and potato starch. No egg, no binder, no gums. The pumpkin does all the work — roasting it concentrates the flesh and removes the excess moisture that would otherwise make the dough sticky and unworkable.
The shaping technique here skips the rolling board entirely. The dough is shaped into a log and cut directly over the boiling water with scissors. It sounds unconventional and it works perfectly. Each piece drops straight in, no flour-dusted surface needed.
The sauce is brown butter with crispy sage and toasted pecans. Nutty, slightly bitter, fragrant. It’s the kind of combination that makes a simple bowl of gnocchi feel like a proper autumn dinner.
Nutrition at a glance
Per serving, based on 2 servings, including butter sauce and pecans, these are the nutritional values:
– 367 calories
– 3 g protein
– 45 g carbs
– 19 g fat
Quick Gluten-free Pumpkin Gnocchi
2
servings10
minutes5
minutes15
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Gnocchi dough
¾ cup Pumpkin, roasted ( 200g )
5 tbsp White rice flour (50g)
6 tbsp Potato starch (50g)
- Brown butter sauce
3 tbsp Butter (40g)
Fresh sage leavest: a small handful
¼ cup Pecans, roughly chopped (20g)
Fine salt and black pepper to taste
How to
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F. Place the whole pumpkin on a baking tray and roast for about 45 minutes, until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Leave to cool.
- Cut the pumpkin open, remove the seeds, and scoop out 200g of the cooked flesh. Mash thoroughly with a fork until completely smooth, or pass through a fine sieve for a silkier result. The puree must be dry — if it looks watery, place it in a clean cloth and squeeze out any excess liquid.
- Add the rice flour and potato starch to the pumpkin puree and mix until a soft, cohesive dough forms. It will be soft but should hold its shape. Do not add more flour — if it feels too sticky, refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Shape the dough into a thick log with your hands. Holding the log over the pot, use scissors to snip pieces directly into the boiling water, about 2cm / ¾ inch each.
- Cook the gnocchi until they float to the surface, then cook for one more minute. Remove with a slotted spoon.
- While the gnocchi cook, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and let them crisp up — 1 to 2 minutes. Add the pecans and toast for another minute, swirling the pan, until the butter turns golden and nutty. Watch it closely.
- Add the drained gnocchi to the pan, toss gently to coat, and serve immediately with a pinch of flaky salt and black pepper.
Write me on Instagram for real time support!
Follow me @martainthejar
Tips & variations
- Roasting the pumpkin whole (rather than in pieces) keeps the flesh drier, which gives you a better dough. Steaming or boiling adds moisture you’ll then have to compensate for.
- The scissor technique works best with a soft, slightly sticky dough. If it’s too firm, the pieces won’t release cleanly. Too wet, and they fall apart in the water — refrigerate briefly to find the right balance.
- For a dairy-free version, replace the butter with a good-quality vegan butter or olive oil. The sage and pecans still carry the dish.
- Butternut squash works in place of pumpkin — drier flesh, slightly sweeter result.
- Leftover gnocchi can be pan-fried in a little butter the next day until crispy on the outside. Even better than the first time.
