3 Ingredient Pumpkin Gnocchi with ‘Brown Butter’ Garlic Sage Sauce
These soft, pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are so easy to make for first-time pasta makers and are drenched in a rich ‘brown butter’ garlic sage sauce for the ultimate fall comfort food dinner! No eggs, no dairy, and SO easy!
Homemade pumpkin gnocchi- no eggs, no dairy!
I’m serious. It’s true.
These soft, pillowy, PLUMP pumpkin gnocchi are ridiculously delicious and savory, and they’re even easier than making classic gnocchi.
Don’t get me wrong, I love homemade gnocchi. I use them in my Marry Me Gnocchi dish, Gnocchi all Sorrentina, and even my Tuscan gnocchi soup.
But these pumpkins gnocchi are the epitome of fall. It’s everything that’s cozy and delicious about pasta with a creamy sauce and loads of warm, garlicky herb flavors.
Not the traditional method for gnocchi making…
This might shock you, but unlike my homemade gnocchi (which are ridiculously easy!) and even my sweet potato gnocchi, we’re straying from the traditional method.
Instead, we’ll use a food processor.
I’ve found it’s the best method for making this dough, as pumpkin puree is such a water-based component!
The dough will come together much more easily, and will form almost what looks like pie dough before chilling.
Pro tip: chill the dough!
This dough is quite a bit softer than regular gnocchi dough. That’s because pumpkin puree has a lot more water content in it than regular potatoes.
I’ve found that chilling the dough while you make the sauce (about 15 minutes) allows the flour to better absorb into the pumpkin, creating a more work-able dough.
Even still, the dough is soft. So remember that a floured surface is your friend!
Making the ‘brown butter’ sage sauce:
This is the same sauce I use with my sweet potato gnocchi, and my gosh, is it good. Like I can’t stop taking bite after bite, and it’s so simple.
You just need:
- Vegan butter: I like Miyoko’s because it browns best. However, Plant Crock also works well here!
- Garlic
- Sage
- Dairy free milk: Oat milk, almond milk, or even my homemade cashew cream is fantastic here.
Salt
What other sauces pair well with these homemade pumpkin gnocchi?
I recommend sticking to an autumnal herby sauce, so something with rosemary and thyme would be lovely.
If you want pumpkin on pumpkin, then check out this delicious cheesy pumpkin sauce here!
I also really like these pumpkin gnocchi with a simple pesto.
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3 Ingredient Pumpkin Gnocchi with ‘Brown Butter’ Garlic Sage Sauce
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These soft, pillowy pumpkin gnocchi are so easy to make for first-time pasta makers and are drenched in a rich ‘brown butter’ garlic sage sauce for the ultimate fall comfort food dinner! No eggs, no dairy, and SO easy!
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2–3 cups (250– 375 g) all purpose flour
- 2 small Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 tsp sea salt
Brown Butter Sage Sauce:
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted vegan butter
- 7–8 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped sage
- 3/4 cup (180 mL) dairy free milk or cashew cream
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Prep: Wash and boil the Yukon gold potatoes until fork tender soft. This will be about 20 minutes. Once boiled and soft, rinse them under cold water and carefully peel away the potato skin (being careful if they are still warm). Make sure the garlic is minced and the sage is chopped.
- Make the pumpkin gnocchi dough: In a food processor, add in the pumpkin puree, potatoes, flour, and sea salt. Blend and pulse until it’s a cohesive dough. It should start to bulk up like when making a pie crust. Add 1/4 cup extra flour if you’re struggling here.
- Chill the dough: Place the pumpkin gnocchi dough in the fridge and prepare to begin the sauce and boil the pumpkin gnocchi water.
- Heat a pot of water: Start to bring 4 cups of water to a boil. It will start to boil once you’ve finished the sauce.
- Brown the butter: In a large saucepan, heat the vegan butter until melted on medium heat. Then let the butter continue cooking on medium heat until it browns, stirring as you go. Be careful not to burn the butter. The flecks of the butter will turn a golden brown.
- Saute the garlic: Add in the minced garlic, and begin to cook the garlic until aromatic and lightly browned. Then add in the sage, and reduce the heat to low, sautéing the sage until aromatic.
- Finish the sauce: Add in the dairy free milk and sea salt, and stir. Bring the sauce to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off, and cover.
- Make the gnocchi: The pasta water should be near boiling. If it’s already start to boil, simply reduce the heat, and it will only take a minute or two to begin to boil again once ready. Take out the dough from the fridge, and flour a clean surface. Divide the dough into fourths, and set three pieces aside.
- Roll: Roll one fourth of the dough into a long strand, about 1″ thick. Slice the gnocchi with a clean knife into 1″ pieces. If it’s easiest, you can slice the gnocchi into large pieces, then divide those in half.
- Boil: Place the cut gnocchi carefully with a slotted spoon into the boiling pasta water. Allow them to cook until they float to the top, around 2-3 minutes.
- Cook: Once cooked, use the slotted spoon again to add the gnocchi to the sage brown butter sauce.
- Repeat: Repeat for all of the remaining gnocchi dough fourths, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water at the end for the sauce.
- Cook: Once the gnocchi are in the sauce, add in the 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, and bring the heat onto low. Gently toss the pumpkin gnocchi in the brown butter sage sauce, and reduce the heat to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy! Serve the gnocchi with fresh vegan parmesan and black pepper. Enjoy!
Notes
Gluten free: I have not tried this recipe yet with gluten free but I have tried it with einkorn flour. The einkorn flour needs a LOT of flour, and never really turns into a dough, so I would recommend sticking with the regular flour
