Homemade Vegan Gnocchi (3 Ingredients!)
Mar 12, 2019 • Updated Jun 20, 2023
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My version of Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi! A homemade, lower-carb, vegan gnocchi recipe made with cauliflower, oat flour, and tapioca starch. Oil-free, sugar-free, fat-free, gluten-free, and surprisingly quick and easy!
What is Cauliflower Gnocchi?
Traditional potato gnocchi is a famous recipe using cooked potato, flour, egg, and salt. It’s a famous Italian dish, but it’s high in carbs, full of gluten, and not vegan!
This Vegan Gnocchi recipe is inspired by the one and only Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi that you may have seen all over Instagram or heard the buzz about. Trader Joe’s created a lower-carb, frozen vegan gnocchi that basically broke the internet, in grocery store form.
When it first came out, it was truly a product that created a craze and became difficult to find in New York City to the point where people would share on Instagram when they did find a Trader Joe’s branch with lots of cauliflower gnocchi in stock (it used to go out of stock almost instantly at the beginning of the day), and friends of mine would call in advance to put it on hold at 7:59AM.
You guys, I didn’t want to like it, but I actually did. The only thing about it is that when you make it, you should prepare it by broiling it on a baking sheet or pan frying it (not following the directions on the packaging) in order to get the best results. You can check out the cooking process in my YouTube video for a better explanation.
After trying it for the first time, I thought to myself, it can’t be that difficult to make at home right? And this vegan gnocchi recipe was born!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Making vegan gnocchi at home, as with most homemade recreations, means you’ll save money, be able to control the ingredients, leave out some of the not-so-great fillers, and not have to jump through the hoops to try and find it in stores.
For this recipe, I adapted my tried and true sweet potato gnocchi recipe to use cauliflower, and it was such an easy swap! The best part, I think, is being able to play around with the shapes. You can make them round with a fork imprint, or a sort of rectangular shape, or opt for a sort of ball-like shape like the store-bought TJ’s ones.
This cauliflower gnocchi is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free, fat-free, and fun to make. The ingredients we’re using are of course cauliflower, a blend of 2 flours-oat, and a little bit of tapioca. The tapioca starch is optional but I find that it gives it back a little bit of that bounce, like the TJ’s original version, and makes it a bit more light and fluffy.
Whether you’re a Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi fanatic or not, these little babies are delicious served with your favourite marinara sauce, basil chiffonade, and a grating of your favourite vegan parmesan. Healthy comfort food at its finest! E N J O Y ! And remember: if cauliflower can become gnocchi, then you can become anything you want to be.
Ingredient Notes
- Cauliflower: You’ll need about ½-1 head of cauliflower for this vegan gnocchi recipe.
- Oat Flour: I used super fine oat flour, but you can use the gluten-free flour blend of your choice.
- Tapioca Flour/Tapioca Starch: You can swap this for another version like arrowroot or cornstarch, but results may vary a bit. I tested this recipe with tapioca flour and it turned out really well!
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep your oat flour and tapioca flour so it’s ready to go, while you boil water to prepare to steam cauliflower.
- Chop cauliflower into florets and steam until fork tender.
- Drain cauliflower and immediately blend or process until a very smooth purée is achieved.
- Sift in your oat and tapioca flour blend and combine with 1 cup of cauliflower purée. Start with a spatula and then use your hands to knead the gnocchi dough. Try not to over-knead as it will result in tough gnocchi.
- Sprinkle a little oat flour onto a cutting board or surface, roll the dough into a long strand about 1/2 inch thick, or desired size, and use a knife to cut small gnocchi pieces. You can press with a fork to add texture or shape as you’d like.
- To cook, boil water, and then add gnocchi into the pot until it floats to the top of the water. I recommend heating your sauce in a pan and adding the freshly cooked gnocchi to toss for a few minutes.
- Serve with marinara sauce, basil, and a grating of vegan parmesan, or any sauce of choice. It also goes well with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and black pepper.
Expert Tips
- I have seen cassava flour used in many sweet potato AND cauliflower gnocchi recipes, and it would make a great substitute in this recipe (sub for all the flour).
- As an alternative to tapioca starch, you may use arrowroot starch, potato starch, or corn starch. Results may vary.
Recipe FAQs
Well, it’s texturally a little bit different as it isn’t made with the same starches and gums, and only 3 ingredients, but I’m happy to say that if I’m ever unable to find it in stores, or perhaps I’m out of the country, I can make it at home myself. It’s not very much effort either, so if you appreciate quality ingredients and more natural ones, then I’d say give it a try. I will personally still probably pick up a bag of TJ’s gnocchi every now and then, but there’s something fun about making something yourself, and health-ifying it right?
Actually, yes! It’s so similar to potato gnocchi. It has the same texture, and fluffy potato-ey middle, but is completely dairy-free, gluten-free, and plant-based, which I love!
More Vegan Pasta Recipes
Baked Feta Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
If you make this Vegan Gnocchi Recipe please let me know with a comment below! And follow me on Instagram for more vegan recipes!
Homemade Vegan Gnocchi Recipe (3 Ingredients!)
Ingredients
- about 1/2 to 1 head of cauliflower
- 1 1/4 cup of fine oat flour or gluten-free flour blend of choice
- 3-4 tbsp tapioca flour/starch
Instructions
- Prep your oat flour and tapioca flour so it's ready to go, while you boil water to prepare to steam cauliflower.
- Chop cauliflower into florets and steam until fork tender.
- Drain cauliflower and immediately blend or process until a very smooth purée is achieved.
- Sift in your oat and tapioca flour blend and combine with 1 cup of cauliflower purée. Start with a spatula and then use your hands to knead. Try not to over-knead as it will result in a tough gnocchi.
- Sprinkle a little oat flour onto a cutting board or surface, and roll dough into a long strand about 1/2 inch thick, or desired size and use a knife to cut small gnocchi pieces. You can press with a fork to add texture or shape as you'd like.
- To cook, boil water, and then add gnocchi into the pot until it floats to the top of the water. I recommend heating your sauce in a pan, and adding the freshly cooked gnocchi to to toss for a few minutes.
- Serve with marinara sauce, basil and a grating of vegan parmesan, or any sauce of choice.
Notes
Expert Tips
- I have seen cassava flour used in many sweet potato AND cauliflower gnocchi recipes, and it would make a great substitute in this recipe (sub for all the flour).
- As an alternative to tapioca starch, you may use arrowroot starch, potato starch or corn starch. Results may vary.
Storage Tips
- Store leftover vegan gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, pan-fry to get the right texture.
- To freeze, cool completely. Then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and pan-fry or broil to reheat.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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