This delicious Cauliflower Gnocchi is made with cauliflower instead of traditional potatoes. No need for a Trader Joe’s run – make them from scratch with just three ingredients!
Cauliflower Gnocchi
Is there anything cauliflower can’t do? I use it as a low-carb alternative to make low-carb rice, low-carb potato salad, cauliflower mashed potatoes, and low-carb macaroni and cheese. And here, it’s amazing as gnocchi topped with marinara and Parmesan cheese. This healthy cauliflower gnocchi is lower in carbs and calories than traditional gnocchi and a great way to eat more cauliflower! This super easy recipe calls for just cauliflower, white whole wheat flour, and salt. If you want to try classic potato gnocchi, check out my Gnocchi with Grilled Chicken in Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
This recipe is slightly adapted from Joy Bauer’s Superfood!: 150 Recipes for Eternal Youth cookbook (affil link), but with less flour. Her cookbook includes indulgent foods like Buffalo wings, deep-dish pan pizza, salted caramel milkshakes, etc while boosting immunity. This recipe has less flour than her original recipe, but it worked perfect, the final product was tender, pillowy gnocchi that even my cauliflower-hating husband approved of! I even tested this with gluten-free flour (Cup4cup) and had great success.
The trick to cooking cauliflower gnocchi for best results is to pan-fry them with a little olive oil spray (or cook them in the air fryer). Boiling them like traditional gnocchi wouldn’t be as good. Then, simply add them to your favorite sauce and enjoy.
Sauce Variations:
You can use any type of pasta sauce on your gnocchi. Below are some suggestions.
- Pesto
- Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
- Butter and Sage
- Vodka Sauce
- Marinara Sauce
How to Freeze Cauliflower Gnocchi
I have made theses gnocchi several times and even froze a batch. To freeze, flash freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet and then transfer to a zip-lock bag. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you are ready to cook.
Refrigerate cooked gnocchi for up to four days. Reheat in a skillet or microwave.
More Cauliflower Recipes You’ll Love:
- Cauliflower Rice (Arancini) Balls
- Skillet Taco Cauliflower Rice
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Chowder
- Cauliflower Rice Chicken Biryani
- Cauliflower Nuggets
Cauliflower Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 3 pounds cauliflower florets, 12 heaping cups from 2 medium heads
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, or all purpose or gluten-free flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
- olive oil spray
- 2 cups marinara sauce, jarred or homemade
- Grated Parmesan cheese for topping, optional
- basil, optional for serving
Instructions
- Place the cauliflower in a large pot, cover with water (make sure veggies are submerged), and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 22 minutes, until the cauliflower is very soft. Drain and set aside to cool.
- Once cooled, in batches put 1/3 to 1/2 of the cauliflower in a dish towel and squeeze out as much excess water as possible then place in a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining cauliflower until all of it is well drained and squeezed of all liquid so the dough isn’t too sticky.
- Add the flour and salt into the bowl with the mashed cauliflower and mix with a fork at first, then using your hands to fold and squeeze everything together into a dough.
- Dust a work surface with flour, then separate the dough into 8 equal pieces, about 2 1/2 ounces each. One at a time, roll each ball into a ½-inch-thick rope 10 inches long and set aside. Continue until all the dough is used up.
- Next, cut each rope into 13 equal sized (gnocchi-like) pieces, slightly nudging the pieces apart so they’re not touching. You should get about 108 pieces total. If at any point the dough becomes too sticky to work with, add flour to your hands.
- In two batches, liberally mist a large a skillet with nonstick oil spray and warm over medium heat. Place half of the gnocchi on the hot skillet (if the pieces stick together just slice them apart in the skillet using the spatula). Do not overcrowd the pan; you’ll need to cook the gnocchi in two batches.
- Let the gnocchi sit in the hot pan undisturbed for 2 minutes, then gently flip using a spoon or tongs, being careful not to squish them. Sprinkle salt over the tops and continue to cook for another 2 to 4 minutes or until desired doneness.
- Set aside and repeat with remaining gnocchi, then add everything back to the skillet and pour the marinara over everything, give a stir and serve topped with optional grated cheese.
