Homemade sweet potato gnocchi with browned butter sage sauce is a comforting appetizer or main entree that is equally delicious for a special occasion as it is for weeknight comfort food. The handmade gnocchi are light and fluffy with colorful sweet potato and come together quickly with a few simple ingredients. Made using the same process as traditional gnocchi, this recipe uses sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes for a twist on the classic potato dumpling.
Fresh herbs are a simple way to add lots of flavor to a dish– I love using fresh sage leaves in the creamy browned butter sauce. The sage leaves are cooked in the butter to become crisp and infuse the butter with delicious herbal notes, then the fried sage is set aside and added back to the dish as a crisp, beautiful garnish just before serving. You’ll love the stunning color of this dish and how satisfying it is to form each piece of gnocchi with a fork or gnocchi board before cooking. For more sweet potato recipes, try my mashed sweet potatoes, homemade sweet potato fries, or sweet potato casserole.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Sweet Potatoes – Savory sweet potatoes are the base of this recipe. Roast, peel, and cool the sweet potatoes before mixing them with the other ingredients. I used 2 medium potatoes.
Parmesan Cheese – Freshly grated Parmesan cheese adds creaminess and flavor to the gnocchi. I prefer to grate a block of parmesan cheese on the 2nd smallest holes of a cheese grater, but pre-grated cheese also works.
All-Purpose Flour – Classic white flour gives the gnocchi a wonderful texture. Use ½ cup initially, then add more flour as needed if the dough is too sticky to the touch. Additional flour is used to prevent sticking on the kneading surface as well.
Unsalted Butter – The butter is browned for a nutty sauce with sage and garlic. I like to opt for unsalted butter so I have full control over the final saltiness of the dish. Use the butter in two stages, one for cooking the sage and garlic, and the other to finish the sauce.
Fresh Sage Leaves – The browned butter sauce is made herbal and fragrant with fresh sage leaves. Fresh really is best for this recipe! Fry the leaves in batches, being careful not to burn them before setting them aside to use as a final garnish. If you don’t have sage, fresh thyme, rosemary, or tarragon are good substitutes.
How to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi
1. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a knife or fork a few times all over. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet for about an hour at 400°F, or place on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high heat until fork tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher and let cool completely.
2. Once the potatoes are cooled thoroughly, mix in the egg, parmesan, and salt until thoroughly combined.
3. Add ½ cup of flour, and stir to combine.
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, then knead gently 8-10 times, until the dough forms a cohesive ball and is no longer sticky to the touch. If the mixture is too wet, add the additional ¼ cup of flour a little at a time as needed.
5. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and cover 3 with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel so they don’t dry out.
6. Roll each piece into a thin log, about ½-inch thick.
7. Cut each log into ½-inch pieces.
8. Roll each piece of dough over a gnocchi board or over the tines on the back of a fork. Place the shaped gnocchi in a single layer on a well-floured sheet tray. Use a bench scraper to help gently transfer the gnocchi, if needed. Prepare a large pot of water, about three-quarters full, and bring to a boil over high heat. Season the water generously with salt.
9. While the water boils, add 4 tablespoons of the butter to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Once melted and bubbling, add the sage leaves. Cook until they are dark green, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Add the chopped garlic, stir to combine, then remove from the heat. The garlic will continue to cook, and the butter will continue to brown slightly with the residual heat. Carefully transfer the gnocchi to the large pot of salted water, shaking off excess flour as you take them off the baking sheet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they float to the top.
10. Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to the skillet with the garlic butter. Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Add ½ cup of pasta water, salt, black pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Gently fold together just until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat. Serve topped with fried sage leaves.
Pro Tips For Making This Recipe
- Mash the potatoes while they are hot. To achieve the smoothest texture, it is important to mash the potatoes while they are hot. Use a potato masher or potato ricer to mash the potatoes. Because sweet potatoes are more fibrous than regular potatoes, you may also use a food processor for perfectly smooth potato puree. After mashing, allow them to cool completely before adding the egg, cheese, and flour. Hot potatoes will absorb more flour, potentially leading to tough gnocchi.
- Freeze extra mashed sweet potatoes. If you have extra mashed sweet potatoes, freeze them for making gnocchi in the future or for another use. Place the cooled mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Knead the dough until just combined. Work the dough just until it comes together cohesively and a soft dough forms. If it’s falling apart, continue to knead once or twice more. If you don’t work the dough enough, the gnocchi will fall apart when boiled. If the dough is overworked or too much flour is used, the gnocchi will be tough.
- Cook butter until light golden brown. Watch the butter carefully to prevent burning as you make the browned butter sauce, and remove it from the heat as soon as it has turned golden brown. Reduce the heat if needed while cooking the sage leaves if the butter is spattering or is browning too quickly.
- Citrusy lemon juice and extra cheese variation. To add a little zing to the sauce, stir in the juice of ½ lemon and an additional ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese when the gnocchi is added to the garlic butter.
- Add some crunch with nuts. To add a bit of crunchy texture to this recipe, serve with chopped toasted walnuts, toasted pine nuts, or toasted pecans.
- Alternate potato cooking method. Instead of roasting the sweet potatoes, use my recipe for Instant Pot sweet potatoes for a quick and easy cooking method that frees up oven space.
- Make vegan sweet potato gnocchi. Swap the butter for olive oil or vegan butter, and use vegan parmesan cheese or leave it out altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat. Or make this recipe ahead of time and refrigerate the uncooked gnocchi for up to 2 days.
To freeze, prepare the dough, cut, and form the gnocchi. Before cooking, freeze the gnocchi in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap. Once frozen, transfer the gnocchi to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook the gnocchi from frozen until they float to the top of the boiling water.
This recipe is beautiful to serve in a small bowl with the crispy sage leaves and can be served with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, or toasted pine nuts. To serve as an appetizer or side dish, serve with your favorite protein, such as blackened salmon or roasted chicken. To serve as a main course, try pairing gnocchi with a caprese salad or cucumber salad.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this sweet potato gnocchi recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Large skillet
- mixing bowl
- Potato masher
- Baking Sheet
- Fork or gnocchi borad
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Gnocchi:
- 1 pound Sweet potatoes (450g)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup grated parmesan (20g)
- ½ – ¾ cup all-purpose flour (60 to 90g)
For the Butter Sauce:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85g)
- 8-12 fresh sage leaves
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Gnocchi:
- Pierce the sweet potatoes with a knife or fork a few times all over. Roast on a foil-lined baking sheet for about an hour at 400°F, or place on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high heat until fork tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Once cool enough to handle, remove the skins. Mash the sweet potatoes in a bowl with a potato masher and let cool completely.
- Once the potatoes are cooled thoroughly, mix in the egg, parmesan, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add ½ cup of flour, and stir to combine. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, then knead gently 8-10 times, until the dough forms a cohesive ball and is no longer sticky to the touch. If the mixture is too wet, add the additional ¼ cup of flour a bit at a time as needed.
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a thin log, about ½-inch thick, then cut each log into ½-inch pieces.
- Roll each piece of dough over a gnocchi board or over the tines on the back of a fork. Place the shaped gnocchi on a well-floured sheet tray.
For the Sauce and Assembly:
- Fill a large pot three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Season generously with salt.
- Meanwhile, add 4 tablespoons of butter to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Once melted and bubbling, add the sage leaves. Cook until they are dark green, 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the chopped garlic, stir to combine, then remove from the heat. (The garlic will continue to cook, and the butter will continue to brown slightly with the residual heat.)
- Carefully transfer the gnocchi to the boiling water, shaking off excess flour as you take them off the baking sheet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until they float to the top. Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi to the skillet with the garlic butter.
- Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Add ½ cup of pasta water, salt, pepper, and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Gently fold together just until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat. Serve topped with fried sage leaves.
Notes
- Mash the potatoes while they are hot. To achieve the smoothest texture, it is important to mash the potatoes while they are hot. Use a potato masher or potato ricer to mash the potatoes. Because sweet potatoes are more fibrous than regular potatoes, you may also use a food processor for perfectly smooth potato puree. After mashing, allow them to cool completely before adding the egg, cheese, and flour. Hot potatoes will absorb more flour, potentially leading to tough gnocchi.
- Freeze extra mashed sweet potatoes. If you have extra mashed sweet potatoes, freeze them for making gnocchi in the future or for another use. Place the cooled mashed sweet potatoes in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Knead the dough until just combined. Work the dough just until it comes together cohesively and a soft dough forms. If it’s falling apart, continue to knead once or twice more. If you don’t work the dough enough, the gnocchi will fall apart when boiled. If the dough is overworked or too much flour is used, the gnocchi will be tough.
- Cook butter until light golden brown. Watch the butter carefully to prevent burning as you make the browned butter sauce, and remove it from the heat as soon as it has turned golden brown. Reduce the heat if needed while cooking the sage leaves if the butter is spattering or is browning too quickly.
- Citrusy lemon juice and extra cheese variation. To add a little zing to the sauce, stir in the juice of ½ lemon and an additional ¼ cup of grated parmesan cheese when the gnocchi is added to the garlic butter.
- Add some crunch with nuts. To add a bit of crunchy texture to this recipe, serve with chopped toasted walnuts, toasted pine nuts, or toasted pecans.
- Alternate potato cooking method. Instead of roasting the sweet potatoes, use my recipe for Instant Pot sweet potatoes for a quick and easy cooking method that frees up oven space.
- Make vegan sweet potato gnocchi. Swap the butter for olive oil or vegan butter, and use vegan parmesan cheese or leave it out altogether.
Nutrition
