Spinach Gnocchi
Ligia Lugo
Published:
August 24, 2025
Last Modified:
November 26, 2025
Fluffy mashed potato, vibrant spinach, and a drizzle of olive oil create perfectly soft and pillowy gnocchi. A shower of nutty vegan parmesan cheese is a simple and savory finishing touch.
It has been my experience that the best (and easiest!) way to wow a dinner party crowd is to serve a steamy bowl of this homemade gnocchi with spinach.
There’s just something about handmade pasta that impresses the heck out of people! And while gnocchi is technically a type of dumpling, their impressiveness is by no means inferior.
Sure, it takes a little time up front, but I always do my gnocchi-making the day beforehand, popping on my current favorite tv show or podcast to keep me entertained while I cut and shape each little pillow. Don’t worry about making them too perfect! A little bit of variation in size and shape is a telltale sign that these are homemade.
Just before your guests are ready to eat, all you need to do is send your gnocchi for a quick swim in boiling water and finish each bowl off at the table with a cascade of vegan parm. How’s that for wow!
Ingredient Notes
- Potatoes – You’ll need to use starchy potatoes for these gnocchi to turn out. Russet and Idaho varieties work best.
- Olive oil – For sautéing the spinach! Use whatever type you have on hand.
- Fresh spinach – I like baby spinach leaves for this recipe, as it cooks quickly and blends easily. You could also use mature spinach leaves, but you will need to chop it before sautéing and it will take a bit longer to cook.
- All-purpose flour – Vital for holding your spinach gnocchi together! Without flour, this recipe would essentially just be spinach mashed potatoes.
- Salt – I strongly advise the use of salt here, as without it, your gnocchi will taste very bland.
- Vegan grated parmesan cheese – A little savory, cheesy sprinkle on top makes a bowl of these little pillows all the better! Use homemade vegan parmesan cheese, or your favorite store bought version.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Bake potatoes. Preheat your oven to 400℉ and place whole potatoes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use a fork to pierce each potato in several places, then bake for 45-50 minutes until tender. Remove them from the oven and very carefully (they will release a lot of steam!) slice the potatoes open to begin cooling off.
- Cook spinach. Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add fresh spinach leaves and cook, stirring often, until wilted. This usually only takes a couple of minutes. Transfer the cooked spinach into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and press gently to remove any extra liquid.
- Blend spinach. Transfer the cooked spinach to a blender and blend until the spinach breaks down into a puree. It’s okay if it’s still a bit piecey, but we’re looking for the overall texture to be cohesive.
- Mash potatoes. Once they are cool enough to handle, scoop the insides out of the cooked potato skins into a bowl. Mash until mostly smooth.
- Add flour. Sprinkle all-purpose flour into the mashed potatoes and stir just until smooth. Careful not to overmix here as the mixture can become too gluey.
- Add spinach and season. Add the spinach puree to the potato mixture and a generous pinch of salt.
- Mix. Stir the mixture until your gnocchi dough just comes together. I like to do this with my hands as it is easier to get everything mixed in evenly. Plus I get to feel like a kid playing with play dough!
- Roll the dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and cut the mass into 4 portions that are roughly the same size. Roll each portion into a thin log, about ½ inch thick.
- Shape the gnocchi. Slice each log into individual gnocchi. I do mine about ½ inch long, but you could make them smaller or larger if you prefer. Roll each gnocchi over the tines of a fork, pressing as you do so, in order to get that classic gnocchi shape. See the video below to watch me do this part. If you happen to have a gnocchi board, by all means use it!
- Cook. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook the gnocchi for just a few minutes. They’re done when they float to the surface! Fish them out with a slotted spoon or drain in a strainer.
- Garnish and serve! Allow excess water to drain from your cooked spinach gnocchi, then immediately transfer to serving bowls and enjoy sprinkled with a shower of vegan parm!
Watch Us Make Spinach Gnocchi
How To Store
Refrigerating. Store leftover spinach gnocchi in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing I don’t recommend freezing cooked gnocchi, but uncooked potato gnocchi freezes well. Place the gnocchi on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet or freezer-proof tray, then arrange the gnocchi in a single layer. Freeze until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe zip top bag or other container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thawing You can cook frozen gnocchi straight from frozen. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and toss the frozen spinach gnocchi straight in. It will take just a couple of minutes longer to cook as compared to fresh.
Reheating To reheat refrigerated gnocchi, just warm it gently in a skillet over medium heat until hot. If it seems dry, you may want to add a few drops of water or splash of vegetable broth.
Spinach Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb. starchy potatoes (either Idaho or Russet varieties work best)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 10 oz. fresh spinach leaves
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Salt, to taste
- Grated vegan parmesan, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400℉. Place the whole potatoes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use a fork to pierce each potato in several places, then bake for 45-50 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven and carefully slice the potatoes open to release steam.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add fresh spinach leaves and cook, stirring often, until wilted, usually 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and press the spinach gently to remove extra liquid.
- Transfer the spinach to a blender and blend until broken down into a puree.
- Once they are cool enough to handle, scoop the potato insides into a bowl. Mash until mostly smooth.
- Sprinkle the all-purpose flour into the mashed potatoes and stir just until smooth, taking care not to overmix.
- Add the spinach puree to the potato mixture and add a generous pinch of salt.
- Stir the mixture until your gnocchi dough just comes together.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and cut into 4 equal portions. Roll each portion into a thin log, about ½ inch thick.
- Slice each log into individual gnocchi. I do mine about ½ inch long, but you could make them smaller or larger if you prefer. Roll each gnocchi over the tines of a fork, pressing as you do so, in order to get that classic gnocchi shape, or, use a gnocchi board if you have it.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water, then reduce the heat to simmer and cook the gnocchi for just a few minutes, until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon or strainer.
- Drain any excess water, then transfer your cooked gnocchi to serving bowls top with grated vegan parmesan.
