World of Gnocchi

Vegetable Gnocchi

Vegetables do more than color gnocchi. Beets bring earthiness, squash adds sweetness, and leafy greens give the dough a fresher, more savory edge.

A rustic kitchen arrangement of cut orange squash, dark green spinach leaves, a cut beet and three separate small mounds of orange, green and pink gnocchi dough.

The vegetable belongs to the dough

A plate of potato gnocchi with roasted carrots is different from carrot gnocchi. Here, the vegetable is part of the dumpling. Potato still appears in many of these doughs, giving structure to a softer vegetable puree.

A wider range of flavors

Sweet potato and winter squash suit browned butter, nuts and salty cheeses. Greens and zucchini lean toward herbs, lemon and tomato. Cauliflower is mild enough for either approach, while beets have a more pronounced flavor that holds its own beside sharp cheese or citrus.

Recipes to try

Explore the variations

Carrot Gnocchi

Carrots give gnocchi a warm orange color and a sweetness that stays gentler than the flavor of sweet potato.

A few carrots with short green tops, one carrot cut to show its orange center, and several pale-orange uncooked gnocchi on a simple kitchen board.

Sweetness with a savory edge

Carrot shares the dough with potato, so its flavor is noticeable without dominating the dumpling. Thyme's woody aroma and the saltiness of Parmesan give that sweetness a savory setting. The result is a gentler root-vegetable dough than beet or parsnip gnocchi.

Parsnip Gnocchi

Parsnip gnocchi are pale in color but have a more pronounced flavor than plain potato. Their sweetness comes with an earthy, slightly spicy edge.

Cream-colored parsnips with one cut piece showing the pale center, a small dough mound and ivory uncooked gnocchi on a flour-dusted board.

A root vegetable with character

Parsnip and potato share the dough, bringing the root's distinctive flavor into a familiar texture. Cider adds acidity, bacon brings salt, and toasted nuts echo its earthy side. It is a more assertive combination than a plain potato dough with butter.

Kale Gnocchi

Kale brings a more assertive leafy flavor to gnocchi than spinach, with green flecks through a potato-based dough.

Dark curly kale leaves in a small basket next to green-speckled gnocchi dough and a few uncooked dumplings, pale stone worktop, soft side light.

A green that stands up to bold flavors

Tomato and chile can match kale's robust flavor, while lemon and pine nuts give it a brighter setting. A crisp surface adds a toasted contrast to the greens. The recipes include different flour mixtures, including a vegan gluten-free dough, rather than one kale recipe with several sauces.

Ube Gnocchi

Ube gives gnocchi a purple color and a gently sweet flavor. It is a purple yam, distinct from the purple sweet potatoes used in other doughs.

One true purple yam (ube) with rough brown skin cut open to show deep violet flesh beside a small mound of purple gnocchi dough on a pale wooden worktop.

A savory setting for ube

Ube shares the dough with potato here. Coconut echoes its mild sweetness, while calamansi, a tart citrus, and chile add sharper contrasts. The combination has a different character from orange or purple sweet potato gnocchi, despite the similar colors.

Sources

Butternut Squash Gnocchi

Butternut squash gives these gnocchi their main flavor and warm color. The dough has no potato, keeping the squash at the center of the dish.

A butternut squash cut lengthwise, its small seed cavity visible, alongside a few orange uncooked gnocchi and a folded oatmeal linen cloth on a pale kitchen counter.

A squash dough in its own right

Roasted butternut has a sweet, rounded flavor that suits sage, butter and salty cheese. Pumpkin gnocchi on this site combine canned pumpkin with potato; this version is built around the squash itself. The distinction matters to both the flavor and the texture of the dumpling.

Keep exploring

Find a gnocchi recipe

Make the dough

Shape gnocchi on a board