Easy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Perfect for the fall season and so easy to make: homemade pumpkin gnocchi drizzled with a sage brown butter sauce.

Slightly sweet pumpkin gnocchi drizzled with a simple sage butter sauce are showcasing all the fall season’s best flavors.

In this post, I am showing you that this is such an easy homemade gnocchi recipe! All you need is 5 everyday ingredients!

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Why you’ll love this pumpkin gnocchi recipe

Homemade gnocchi are easier to make than you think! They are a great way to bring out the best flavors of pumpkin. By combining them with brown butter and fresh sage we are adding a super quick sauce. All in all, you can make this great recipe in under 40 minutes.

It is also one of those flexible recipes in which you can play with the ingredients. I will also give you another idea for an equally easy sauce at the bottom of this post.

What are the ingredients for the pumpkin gnocchi

Here are the ingredients for the pumpkin gnocchi. The good news is that you probably have everything at home already:

• Pumpkin puree: This is the star of this recipe. I will show you that it’s very easy to make your own but you can always use canned pumpkin, too.
• Ricotta: I love adding this for flavor and softening the texture of these gnocchi
• Egg: Adding an egg makes sure that these gnocchi hold together
• Flour: The fun part is that you can use different flours here but any all purpose flour is perfect
• Salt: This lets the flavor of the gnocchi shine

For the brown butter sage sauce you only need two ingredients:

• Butter: Melted butter already has a nice flavor but we are browning it to take it to the next level
• Sage: We always love to add fresh sage to fall recipes

Useful tools and equipment

Luckily, you will not need much in the way of special equipment. However, here are my recommendations:

• Big stainless steel pot: You want to make sure that the gnocchi can freely ‘swim’ in the water
• Slotted spoon: I find removing the gnocchi from the pot with a slotted spoon easier than draining them into a colander. That way you are not squishing them.
• Cast iron skillet: I like using a small cast iron skillet to melt and brown the butter.

How to make the pumpkin gnocchi

Follow these simple steps to make the gnocchi:

1. Make the sage brown butter sauce:

Place butter in a small skillet over low heat. While gently stirring, cook the butter until you see little brown specks form at the bottom. Remove the butter from the heat and add the fresh sage leaves. Set the brown butter sauce aside and keep it warm.

2. Cook the pumpkin:

You might have some leftover pumpkin puree from another recipe. Or you have your favorite way of cooking the pumpkin. However, I love to simply steam the pumpkin. For that, I cut the pumpkin in half or quarters (depending on size), scoop out the seeds and pulp, and place them face down in my steamer basket. Again, depending on the size, the pumpkin should be very soft after about 15 mins. Once cooked and soft, puree the pumpkin either with a fork, potato masher or in a blender.

3. Make the gnocchi dough:

Now add the mashed pumpkin, ricotta cheese, and egg to a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients well. Add the salt and enough flour to create a soft dough.

4. Roll the gnocchi dough:

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and with floured hands, roll it into a long rope, about ½” thick. With a knife, cut off equal pieces of about 1″ and form them into little pillows. You can use the tines of a fork to press a pattern on the surface. Or you can use butter paddles. Place the uncooked gnocchi onto a lightly floured plate or cutting board.

5. Cook the gnocchi:

Over medium heat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently slide the gnocchi into the water, ideally keeping the gnocchi in a single layer. You might have to work in small batches. Boil them for 3-4 mins or until they float to the surface of the water. With a slotted spoon, remove the gnocchi from the boiling water. You can place them in a colander, or onto a plate.

How to serve your homemade pumpkin gnocchi

Simply place the pumpkin gnocchi onto pasta plates and drizzle them generously with the brown butter sage sauce. Your homemade gnocchi will taste even better with a good helping of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some black pepper. To add some crunch you can top them with some lightly roasted pine nuts.

Substitutions and variations

This pumpkin gnocchi recipe is pretty basic and you can easily vary it:

• Pumpkin: The traditional pumpkin for this recipe is Hokkaido pumpkin. Actually, my favorite squash variety for this recipe is butternut squash. However, you can use other fall squashes, too, such as acorn squash or even sweet potato.
• Flour: if you’d like to replace the AP flour, you can use spelt flour, einkorn flour, whole wheat flour, and even gluten-free flour
• Ricotta: you can easily replace the ricotta with some (non-dairy) milk, just use a little less. You could also use sour cream if you like that flavor.
• Sage: for crispy sage, you can fry this herb in a little bit of olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Drain them on a paper towel.
• Egg yolk: instead of using one whole egg, you can also make this recipe with 2 egg yolks.

Make ahead of time?

There are different ways you can make your homemade gnocchi ahead of time.

• Uncooked gnocchi: you can make them and keep them in the refrigerator for a few hours. If you’d like to make them last longer, I suggest placing them on a baking sheet and freezing them for a few hours. Then you can transfer them to a ziplock bag. When you are ready to cook them, simply place the frozen gnocchi directly into the boiling water until they float.
• Cooked gnocchi: should you have any leftover gnocchi, you can place them in your refrigerator in an airtight container. That way they should last about 4 days. To reheat them I suggest that cook them in butter until golden brown before serving.

Other pumpkin recipes you might like

Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte

Pumpkin Sourdough Bread Pudding

How to Make a Pumpkin Face Mask

Sourdough Pumpkin Bread

Shop this post:

Einkorn AP Flour

Stainless steel pot

Slotted spoon

Butter paddles/Gnocchi Boards

Small cast iron skillet

Let me know if you have any questions or comments!

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