My keto gnocchi are fluffy, soft and pillowy - just like the real deal! I make them with ricotta and coconut flour instead of potato and wheat. This means they are gluten free, low carb gnocchi with just 4.8g net carbs per portion!
I love Italian food, I miss pasta and gnocchi have been on my to-make list for ages.
There are several ways to make a keto gnocchi recipe:
- Fathead gnocchi with a mozzarella cheese & almond flour dough. Yummy and very filling.
- Cauliflower gnocchi. Very delicious, just a little work intense as you have to squeeze all water out of the cauliflower. I will post my recipe soon.
- Ricotta gnocchi!
My friends, these keto ricotta gnocchi are a total treat. They turned out so fluffy and pillowy that you'll think you're eating gnocchi with potatoes and wheat.
READER REVIEW
"Thank you for this delicious recipe. I had no trouble with the dough and used the classic rolling-on-the-fork technique to get ridges on my gnocchi. These are so good that I now make double the recipe and keep some in the freezer for a quick dinner. I've done them with the browned butter and sage, and also with some crisped prosciutto, a little sauted kale and some cream." (Kathi S)
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Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients you'll need for low carb gnocchi.
- Egg - I used a large egg.
- Ricotta cheese - This is an Italian soft cheese that's great for cooking and baking. Must be firm and full fat.
- Coconut Flour - We are using this instead of wheat flour. And no, you cannot taste the coconut!
- Xanthan gum - Non-negotiable. It acts as a binder in place of gluten. Guar gum could used as an alternative but I have not tried it myself.
- Psyllium husk powder - Helps the gnocchi to puff up and also binds. Use the powder and not whole psyllium husks (which, confusingly, also looks like powder at first glance, but is coarser).
- Parmesan cheese - Best grated freshly.
- Salt
For the Browned Butter Sauce:
- Butter
- Garlic
- Sage leaves - must be fresh!
- salt & pepper
Instructions
This section contains step-by-step instructions and photos that show how to make this recipe. See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities
Before we get started, a BIG request: I'd like you to make this recipe EXACTLY as I've written it down to ensure it works perfectly. No substitutions or experiments, at least the first time round!
Step 1: Place the egg in a food processor or mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk until frothy.
Step 2: Add ricotta, grated parmesan cheese and salt and whisk once more until smooth.
Step 3: Add coconut flour and sprinkle evenly across the surface the xanthan and psyllium husk powder.
Step 4: Whisk to combine then stir with spatula to bring together. Cool the dough in the fridge for 1 hour. You can speed this up by placing it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Alternatively, this can be made the night before and kept covered in the fridge overnight.
Step 5: Roll the dough into a ball and cut into quarters. The dough will be a little sticky.
Step 6: Oil your hands and roll into a thin log. Cut into 1 - 1.5 inch pieces.
Step 7: If using a gnocchi board, slightly round the edges then press down and roll using your thumb. As the dough is more fragile than a regular dough you don't push away hard, more, press and gently roll.
Repeat for all the pieces.
Don't have a gnocchi board? Just use a fork! Roll each piece into a ball and press with a fork.
Step 8: Now that all your keto gnocchi are prepared, place them on a tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for 20 minutes, or until firm, but not totally frozen. This makes them firmer and easier to fry.
Almost there now!
Step 9: Heat the butter in a pan. Fry the gnocchi shapes and garlic on one side for about 1.5 minutes, then carefully turn each piece over with a spoon, add the sage and cook for another 1.5 minutes or until golden on both sides.
Serve with cracked black pepper.
Katrin's Top Tips
Gently does it. If using a gnocchi paddle, press each piece gently with your thumb and roll just a little. The dough is more fragile than normal gnocchi dough. Alternatively, roll each piece into a little ball and press with a fork.
Cool the dough. Don't skip this step! If you accidentally leave low carb gnocchi in the freezer for too long (spot the person who did this!) and they set rock hard, simply defrost them slightly before proceeding with the recipe.
Psyllium husk - Some brands turn dough purple when it is baked or fried. This does not affect the taste. I have used BonPom, Green Origins and Just Natural without issues. The NOW brand in the US is also supposed to be fine.
Other Cooking Methods
Air Fryer / Oven: You can cook the gnocchi in an air fryer at 160C / 320F or bake them in the oven at 180C / 250F. Spray them with olive oil or brush with melted butter so they can crisp up and don't dry out. Also, use parchment paper so they don't stick.
Do Not Boil! You cannot boil keto gnocchi in water as you would regular gnocchi. They are more fragile and would disintegrate.
Sauces
In my opinion, nothing beats gnocchi with sage and garlic butter. You can also use olive oil instead of butter.
Other sauces that work well:
- Carbonara
- Marinara sauce
- Homemade pesto
Recipe FAQs
Yes, but you need to pan-fry the gnocchi first. Drop them into the soup right before serving.
Probably (but I have not tried it yet). Triple the amount as almond flour is less absorbent than coconut flour.
A reader has successfully swapped the psyllium husk 1:1 for egg white protein powder. She said the gnocchi turned out extra puffy. I also think that 1.5 teaspoon of ground flaxseed would be a good alternative.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost before frying. The gnocchi should be really cold and firm to fry but not frozen solid.
The gnocchi dough can also be prepared and shaped and then frozen raw for up to 3 months.
More Italian Keto Recipes
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Recipe
Low Carb Keto Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup ricotta 120g
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon psyllium husk powder
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour 20g
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan 42g
- Salt to taste
SAUCE
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 10 sage leaves
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the egg in a mixing bowl and whisk with an electric whisk for 1 minute.
- Add ricotta, parmesan and salt and whisk once more until smooth.
- Add coconut flour and sprinkle evenly across the surface the xanthan and psyllium husk powder.
- Whisk to combine then stir with spatula to bring together. Place in the fridge for 1 hour. You can speed this up by placing in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Alternatively, this can be made the night before and kept covered in the fridge overnight.
- Roll the dough into a ball and cut into quarters. The dough will be a little sticky. Oil your hands and roll into a thin log. Cut into 1 - 1.5 inch pieces.
- If using a gnocchi board, slightly round the edges then press down and roll slightly using your thumb. As the dough is more fragile than a regular dough you don't push away hard, more, press and gently roll. Repeat for all the pieces.
- If using a fork, roll each piece into a ball and press with a fork.
- Place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and freeze for 20 minutes, or until firm, but not totally frozen.
- Heat the butter in a pan. Fry the gnocchi and garlic on one side for about 1.5 minutes, then carefully turn each piece over with a spoon, add the sage and cook for another 1.5 minutes or until golden on both sides.
- Serve with cracked black pepper.
GrammyNZer
These look yum! So would cottage cheese not work instead of ricotta. Ricotta is 8-10 bux for 250g in NZ
Katrin Nürnberger
I think it would work. Make sure it is firm.
Nzjo
You can make ricotta reasonably easily from milk.
Leia
We followed the recipe completely. The taste was nice, a bit too cheesey maybe.
The texture was pretty good.
I think def closest version to the real thing u can get with keto ingredients.
The frustrating part was the preparation. We were super hungry and it says 23 minutes total. It's completely misleading... with the freezing part it took about 1 hour total. So we became quite hangry towards the end.. But I would try the recipe again now that I know how long it actually takes I'll be better prepared next time.
Alexandra
This was INCREDIBLE! I did miss having a sauce, but I'm definitely going to remake this over and over again. Thank you!
Jessica
Could these gnocchi be used in a soup? I have a sausage gnocchi soup recipe that I LOVE, but as a Type 2 diabetic, I am looking to be more careful with my carb intake. I am also very new to using gnocchi and have never made it before, so would love an opinion from someone who has more experience than I do!
Katrin Nürnberger
I have never tried them in a soup. My guess is that these gnocchi are a little more fragile than regular ones made with potato, flour or semolina. If you add them to a soup, drop them in right before serving.