Air Fryer Gnocchi will be your new go to way of cooking potato gnocchi. The sure fire way to get it hot and crispy, yet soft on the inside and melt-in-your mouth is with an air fryer. Whether we're eating it as a snack or making it for a skillet meal, this recipe is quick and simple and our new go-to way to make gnocchi. We have included how to make it plain and with yummy seasonings.
This recipe was inspired by our homemade Parmesan Gnocchi, and is delicious with our kale pesto on top and pairs well with our Caprese Pasta Salad. Try our other air fryer sides like Air Fryer Smashed Potatoes, Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks or Air Fryer Zucchini Fritters.
For more air fryer recipes and tips be sure to check out our How To Use an Air Fryer guide.
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What I Love About This Recipe
I love that the gnocchi isn't mushy and that is has this amazing crunchy shell and that the inside is soft. They're easy to make and don't make a mess. I love how delicious they are seasoned and I also really love using them in different dishes that call for gnocchi.
Ingredients
Below is a list of ingredients needed for this recipe. Follow our tips on each ingredient for best results.
- potato gnocchi - I usually buy mine at Wal-Mart, but you can buy it at most grocery stores.
- olive oil- any oil is fine here other than coconut oil and melted butter, they have too low of a smoke point for the air fryer and can be problematic. You'll also want to be careful with olive for this reason
- salt- table or your favorite freshly ground. When recipe testing, we found we like Pink Himalayan for the gnocchi.
Optional: Seasoned- Perfect for snacking on or dipping in Marinara. We did a lot of recipe testing to get the perfect blend of spices for a delicious snack or side.
- salt- table salt or freshly ground Himalayan Pink Salt
- garlic powder - gives it nice garlicky undertone and lots of flavor and goes great with the potato.
- parsley - the perfect pairing that adds a nice Italian type flavor
- paprika - smoked is best, as it adds a subtle smoky flavor, but regular is great too
- basil - I LOVE basil with almost anything garlic and basil is such a great flavor on this gnocchi
- red chili pepper flakes - completely optional, but we love the slightly spicy flavor and the way that it enhances all the other flavors.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Air Fryer Gnocchi
We've created 2 versions, one unseasoned and one seasoned. For unseasoned for use in recipes:
1. Preheat air fryer to 400*F. Put potato gnocchi in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over top then mix until well coated.
2. Sprinkle salt over the top. Mix until well combined and well coated. Note: Some gnocchi comes with salt. If yours comes salted, skip the salt.
3. Place in air fryer basket. Stir or shake every 3 minutes. Cook for 9-11 minutes, or until desired crispiness is achieved. Cook time may take longer if they don't fit in a single layer in your basket.
4. We found that air frying them until they were a deep golden brown was too much and made them a little tough and chewy inside (this happened at 13 minutes in our air fryer).
For seasoned for snacking or dipping:
1. Follow directions above: Place gnocchi in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil over top, then stir until well coated. Add spices and stir until well combined and well coated.
2. Place in air fryer basket and cook 9-11 minutes until hot and crispy. Note: If they don't fit in one layer in your basket, cook time may take an additional couple minutes. Serve with tomato sauce, if desired
Hint: Be careful not to overcook the gnocchi! Test it when it's a light golden for doneness. We found that waiting until it was a deep golden made them tough and chewy. You really want to find that balance of hot and crispy on the outside and still soft and tender and melt-in-your-mouth on the inside.
Substitutions and Variations
We love switching things up when we're in the kitchen. Try any of these variations for something a little different.
- Avocado Oil - feel free to use another oil like canola or vegetable oil.
- Cauliflower Gnocchi in the air fryer - use frozen cauliflower gnocchi like this one from Trader Joe's instead of potato. Cook for 14-16 minutes. Instead of shaking every 3 minutes, don't shake until after the first 8 minutes, then shake/ stir every 3 minutes after that.
- Kale Gnocchi - Cook for 8-10 minutes, shaking every 3 mintutes after the first 4 minutes.
- Refrigerated- Cook an additional 1-2 minutes, using the same method as above.
- Freezer- Cook an additional 2-4 minutes, waiting until 6 minutes in to shake for the first time.
Storing Air Fryer Gnocchi
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, place in the air fryer for 3-4 minutes until hot.
It isn't recommended to freeze these after they've been cooked.
Helpful Hints
These can be easy to overcook and make into little rocks (believe us, we did it while recipe testing more than once!) that are really hard to eat. Check for doneness after the amount of time suggested, even if they still look a little blond.
All air fryers are not created equally, unfortunately. Recipe temperatures and times can vary depending on your air fryer. These were made in a NINJA foodi grill XL.
Top tip
If serving inside a sauce, serve immediately for maximum crispness. The sauce will soften up the gnocchi as it sits in it for awhile.
Recipe
Air Fryer Gnocchi
Equipment
Ingredients
Plain:
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt is using unsalted gnocchi. If your gnocchi contains salt, omit the salt
Seasoned:
- ingredients above PLUS
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon salt total
- ⅛ teaspoon chili pepper flakes
Instructions
For shelf stable:
- Preheat air fryer to 400*F.
- Place shelf stable gnocchi in a bowl and drizzle olive oil over top. Mix until well coated.
- Add salt if doing plain, and all spices if doing seasoned. Mix until well combined.
- Place in air fryer basket and cook for 8-11 minutes, shaking or stirring every 3 minutes.
- When they start to turn light golden start checking for doneness. We found that cooking until deep golden, they were tough and chewy on the inside. You really want that perfect balance of hot and crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside. See pictures above for a visual.
For refrigerated:
- Increase cook time by 1-2 minutes, following the directions above.
For frozen:
- Increase the cook time by 2-4 minutes total. Make as directed above, except wait until minute 6 to start shaking/ stirring every 3 minutes.
- Note on cooking time: If your gnocchi does not fit in a single layer in your air fryer basket, cook times may take a little bit longer.
Notes
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It will dry out a bit, even in an airtight container.
- Reheat in the air fryer at 400*F for 3-4 minutes until hot.
- We do not recommend freezing gnocchi after it has been cooked.
- Be careful not to overcook this gnocchi. It might still be pretty blond when it's done cooking. Check for doneness at the suggested times or you might end up with little gnocchi rocks that are very difficult to chew.
- All air fryers are not created equally. These were made in a NINJA foodi grill XL. Times and temperatures may vary between air fryers.
Nicole says
OH these are GOOD!! I needed some gnocchi for a skillet dish I was making, and decided to make some plain and some seasoned. HOly COW these are delicious. Great seasoning and cooked to a crispy perfection!! Great recipe- Thank you!
April says
What a neat way to cook gnocchi! I've always been a bit intimidated by gnocchi, not sure why, but this is so good and so easy!
JC says
Oh my gosh, I can't believe how good these are. I keep making them for a snack because they're so yummy and fast and easy. We make the seasoned ones and they're so crispy and so flavorful. yum! Thanks for a recipe
Mariana says
What a delicious recipe I loved to share with my family. Thank you for sharing, we love gnocchi but don't always love how mushy it is, so this was perfect!