These gluten free and keto ricotta gnocchi are a classic favorite here at gnom-gnom! Expect pillowy-soft gnocchi, perfect to pair with a classic marinara or a refreshingly simple mediterranean yogurt sauce.
Gluten Free & Keto Ricotta Gnocchi
Pillowy-Soft!
These keto ricotta gnocchi, sans the wheat flour, are different from the original. But (and it’s a big but!) I like to think they’re just as good. And given that the Italian work gnoccho literally translates as lump, gnocchi are actually made out of a wide variety of ingredients (not just potato and flour); so I’m still confident in calling these guys gnocchi (😜!).
Also, while traditional ricotta gnocchi are boiled in water and sometimes subsequently lightly fried in sage butter, these go straight for the frying (grain-free flours turn to mush in water!). This way you’ll get a nice bottom crust, a pillowy-soft center and ridiculously aromatic results (on account of the sage).
And the ideal pairing? A fresh mediterranean yogurt sauce. It’s for real one of the best sauces for these guys, creating a beautiful and refreshing contrast against the cheesy gnocchi. The other highly suggested pairing is steamed spinach, and if you’re looking for even more freshness add-in a handful of cherry tomatoes.
Oh, and these guys also freeze great. So think meal prepping ideal.
The Flours
These keto ricotta gnocchi, aside from the cheeses and egg, also require a mixture of almond flour, coconut flour and a touch of xanthan gum.
In terms of brands, for the almond either Anthony’s or WellBees work great. Both are super fine grinds. And for the coconut, we always favor Anthony’s (honestly best taste by a mile!)
The Method
Making these keto gnocchi couldn’t be simpler. All the ingredients are mixed together until they form a (rather sticky!) ball, refrigerated for an hour, formed into rounds, flattened with a fork, and cooked in sage butter.
I also find that these work best when fried only on one side, forming a bottom crust and keeping the rest pillowy-soft. You will, however, want to baste them with the sage butter throughout cooking. Couldn’t be simpler really.
Gluten Free & Keto Ricotta Gnocchi
Ingredients
For the keto ricotta gnocchi
- 128 g almond flour
- 14 g coconut flour
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 210 g ricotta cheese
- 75 g Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- kosher salt to taste
- 1 egg lightly beaten
For the sage butter
- 3-4 tablespoons grass-fed butter as needed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil for cooking
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 8-10 sage leaves
- black pepper freshly ground to taste
For the mediterranean yogurt sauce (two servings)
- 140 g Greek-style yogurt
- 1 clove garlic ran through a press
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2-1 teaspoon red wine vinegar to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground to taste
Serving suggestions
- spinach steamed
- cherry tomatoes
Instructions
For the keto ricotta gnocchi
- Add almond flour, coconut flour and xanthan gum to a medium bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- Add ricotta and parmesan to a large bowl and mix with a spoon until well combined. Add in flour mixture and mix well. Season to taste with salt and mix in the egg. The dough should be sticky, but form into a ball easily. If it doesn't (different moisture levels in cheese etc), feel free to add in more almond flour a little at a time. Wrap in cling film (saran wrap) and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Remove dough from the fridge and form into rounds (roughly 1 inch big). The dough will be soft and still lightly sticky, but should form into rounds with ease. Place in a tray and press down with a fork to lightly flatten them. Freeze for 15 minutes before frying, and the gnocchi can be frozen at this point for up to two months.
- Heat up butter and oil in a skillet or pan over medium/low heat. Once warm, add in garlic slivers and sage leaves. When the garlic is just lightly golden, add in the chilled gnocchi flat-side down along some freshly ground black pepper. Move the pan around to keep them from sticking, basting them throughout the cooking. They will be fragile, so handle with care. When ready, the bottom will have formed a deep-golden crust (see pictures), about 4-5 minutes.
- Serve right away atop a bed of steamed spinach, yogurt sauce and a handful cherry tomatoes (optional).
For the mediterranean yogurt sauce
- Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Can these be put into a soup like olive gardens gnocchi soup after frying?
What a winner, i didnt even realise keto gnocchi was possible! A little fiddly but not difficult, and well worth the effort. I also fried both sides for extra crispy goodness, and served on the yoghurt sauce topped with a fried chorizo, tomato and spinach mix… plus a good drizzle of the sage butter. Yummo!!
Loved these, a little annoying to roll but definitely worth the effort! Thank you Paola! Your recipes are top notch.
I love to make a big batch of gnocchi-spinach-sausage soup for lunch meal prep, but it’s a no-no on keto. I know you can’t boil these as you mentioned they’ll fall apart. Do you think they can be cooked in the microwave by themselves? If so, I’m thinking I could make the soup without gnocchi and pack a serving of soup + a small bag of frozen gnocchi to be microwaved at the office & just pop in the soup at the last minute?
Did you ever try this? I am making a soup as well and wondering~
Anyone have advice on how to make these without egg? Gnocchi are my FAVORITE food but I dont eat eggs. I feel like flax or chia would be weird here…
Thanks.
Can we cook these in an air fryer?
Had it tonight. Delicious and very satisfying.
Hi can you please advise if the gnocchi ban be baked instead of fried. Many thanks.
What would the Carbs be for just the Gnocchi? I’m interested in using them for other dishes as well!
Oop, nevermind. I just read the fine print.
What would happen if I made these without the xzantham gum? Not a fan of it so I don’t use it, but I want to make these
They were pillowy soft and fluffy as promised. I served them with broccoli, cauliflower and mushroom, bacon and keto cheese sauce.
I made a double batch last week. The other dough ball is sitting in my fridge and awaiting my attention. I followed the US conversion exactly and had no issues. I did do each batch separately though. I’ve found doubling keto recipes together doesn’t turn out well usually. It’s delicious. I did not do this sauce though, I made my own pesto and tossed it with roasted asparagus and blistered tomatoes. I only had shredded parm, and it still worked wonderfully, though I will definitely get grated next time I make it to do it the “right” way once at least. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
These were excellent. I cooked 1/2 of the batch as gnocchi. The rest of it, I added finely chopped bacon and carmelized onion as they reminded me of perogees. I ended up freezing them and only cooked tonight. I browned on both sides with butter and served with sour cream. They were soooo good. Tasted just like I was eating perogees. Will definitely make both ways again!
Pierogi!
I am going to make these today 😁😁
I want to make these for a dinner I’m going to, is there anyway to make ahead and then reheat when I’m there?
These were delicious! I made the dough a day before and forgot to freeze them before cooking. It was no problem. Decided to brown them on both sides, ummy! Served with Chicken Paprikash and htey were so good swished through the savory sauce.
Have hou found a way to use this dough for other pastas?
OMG soooo yummy! When I started on the keto diet I was really bummed at the thought of giving up gnocchi, one of my very favourite meals. Paola your recipes make it so very easy to stay on track… can’t thank you enough!
(I had mine with sautéed asparagus, cooked that in the butter and oil first then did the gnocchi. it was great!)
Simply OMG!!!!!! I just made these and they taste wonderful. Bad part is I could probably eat the entire batch in 1 sitting!!!!! I cooked some Italian sausage in butter to have with the Gnocchi and then cooked the Gnocchi in the same pot. It was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!
Lol!! And omg on the sausage!!! Hadn’t thought about that YUUUM!! I’m totally doing that 😜
After the sausage was cooked, I added minced garlic to the butter and cooked the gnocchi in that. Holy smoley!!!
I have all the components in my freezer! Its happening this week 😍!!
Just made ANOTHER double batch. I don’t even defrost them before cooking since I brown them on both sides. I’ll just brown them in butter sprinkled with garlic salt. This recipe should be condemned, it’s soooo addicting!!! 🙂
Looooool! And yup, when I’m in a hurry (or I forgot to defrost a bit!) I just put them straight in the oil too- such nifty advice 😉 xo Mary!
I am making these now and am wondering if I can freeze them after they are cooked and warm them up in the microwave later.
Thanks you.
The US Cups link does not seem to work … nothing changes. Any chance you could look into it and have it fixed?
Were looking into it since Friday! Could you tell me what browser and operating system you’re on? We can’t figure it out, but I know it’s a problem for a few of you 🙈
I’m using Mozilla Firefox 64.0.1 and the conversion to cups works perfectly.
what can be subbed for the xantham gum that is not a gum or a starch?
Do you think these would hold up in a soup? My favorite zuppa recipe calls for gnocchi
Could I use another cheese? Finely shredded…I’m low on parm ?? I have mozzarella ~
Gnocchi came out perfect. Only thing I did differently was brown them on both sides. Did a sample of both hubs enjoyed browning both sides better.
After mixing all ingredients my mixture never got sticky. I haven’t cooked them yet resting in fridge. Is there something i shud do prior to cooking??
Same happened to me. I added another 1/3 cup ricotta and 1 egg. Got to a sticky dough consistency. Maybe the conversions aren’t perfect?
COULD I MAKE REG. NOODLES INSTEAD?. TRYING TO FIND JUST A COCONUT FLOUR REG. PASTA NOODLE RECIPE.
I am so excited about this recipe since I have been Grain-Free for a decade, I am going to try this, thank you.
I made this as my first gnom-gnom recipe. It was awesome and made me so happy! Anything with brown butter and sage is my friend.
I have a question that is non-gnocchi related, and I’m asking it here in case you see it! Sorry to be obnoxious and feel free to ignore haha.
What keto friendly ingredients make keto breads “crispy” or “crunchy”? I’m having fun experimenting since starting Keto, and want to know what you (or others!) use to get pizza doughs, bread crusts, cookies, etc. to crisp.
THANKS! Can’t wait to make 50 more of your recipes!!
So yummy. I made them with cottage cheese and had a bit of a sticking to the pan issue but they were really really good.
This looks so wonderfully simple! I do wonder. Xantham gum. Having Candida and having heard that gums are not good for the GI tract unless hydrolyzed, do you recommend an alternative or two? Thanks