An easy homemade gnocchi recipe made with butternut squash and potato tossed in a browned butter sage sauce topped with fresh sage leaves, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese for a delicious gluten-free, vegan dinner!

updated: 4/1/24

Fall food is in full bloom at my house right now. After this super hot summer, I was so excited to start making fall comfort foods and this Butternut Squash Gnocchi was one of the first recipes on the menu to try.

Now the thing about gnocchi… I’ve never actually made it, and to be completely honest, I’ve only had it maybe once or twice. I know, I know. Weird. Guys, I’ve been missin’ out! My Italian family would be so ashamed of me… not really, but an Italian who’s never made gnocchi?! Gasp. So here we are.

The Ingredients

• 1 medium butternut squash, (peeled and cut into 2″ pieces- about 2½ cups)
• 1 large russet potato, (peeled and cut into 2″ pieces- about 1½ cups)
• 2 cups gluten-free flour, (I used Bob’s Redmill 1:1 baking flour or use cassava flour for grain-free!)
• 1.5 tsp salt, (divided)
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese, (I used Violife)

Admittedly, I was nervous to try this recipe. I’ve been putting it off for a couple of weeks now. Silly, isn’t it? Well obviously I worked up the courage to try it, and wow did it turn out amazing! Now I am kicking myself for waiting so long. Guys, gnocchi is surprisingly easy to make! Check it out!

How To Make Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Heat the oven to 425° F. Toss butternut squash and potato with 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet along with the minced garlic. Place in oven and roast until vegetables are pierced easily with a fork, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
**NOTE: alternatively to save a little time, you can use frozen butternut squash, but I do recommend fresh.

Attach KitchenAid® Metal Food Grinder Attachment with fine grinding plate to Stand Mixer. Position mixer bowl under attachment. Turn mixer to speed 4 and grind squash, potato and garlic. Remove food grinder and attach flat beater and mixer bowl to mixer. Add ¼ cup Parmesan cheese and remaining salt to squash-potato mixture. Turn to Stir speed and gradually add flour, ¼ cup at a time, until dough holds together and is almost smooth. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time if dough is sticky.
**NOTE: if you don’t have a KitchenAid mixer or metal food grinder, you can still make this recipe using a hand blender.

I’ve literally been wanting a Kitchen Aid mixer for YEARS and I am so grateful to have one now. I can say confidently now that they are the best mixers out there and truly live up to their reputation (and I can’t believe I’ve ever cooked/baked without one!). You are able to make this recipe without the metal grinder and the fancy mixer, but it does help in making this recipe easy breezy.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently a few times. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each portion of dough into a ½-inch thick rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces. Transfer to baking sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper) and repeat with remaining dough. Cover and let it rest in refrigerator 45 minutes- 1 hour (optional). 

How To Cook Gnocchi

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook gnocchi in batches for 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep gnocchi from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Gnocchi is cooked when it floats to the surface.

Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon, drain in a colander, and transfer to a baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining gnocchi. I cooked all the gnocchi in 2 batches.

The Sage Butter Sauce

After the gnocchi is cooked, it’s tossed in a sage butter sauce and garnished with fresh sage leaves, vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes!

• 4 tbsp vegan butter
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 6-7 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnishing (if desired)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat until bubbly. Add red pepper flakes and sage. Cook until butter begins to turn golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add cooked gnocchi to skillet and toss. Season with sea salt and black pepper, if desired. Continue to cook the gnocchi, tossing occassionally until all the butter is soaked up and the gnocchi is nice and crispy on the outside.

Serve immediately with fresh sage leaves and remaining vegan Parmesan cheese.

Gnocchi is it’s super filling. I wasn’t sure that it was going to be enough for us, but it surely was.

Now I can’t take total credit for this Butternut Squash Gnocchi recipe, it is adapted from a recipe by KitchenAid from the Sur La Table website, I just modified it to make it gluten-free and vegan. And speaking of which, I could not have made this recipe quite as easily without my new KitchenAid mixer and Metal Food Grinder attachment that was gifted to me from Sur La Table!

If you’re a first time home gnocchi maker (or a well seasoned one), let me know how you like this Butternut Squash Gnocchi recipe below in the comments section, as well as giving it a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover this gluten-free, vegan gnocchi recipe! Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!