How to Make Cauliflower Gnocchi {Video!}.
Making cauliflower gnocchi is going to turn this weekend into the best ever!
Yessss, it is happening. I’ve been making cauliflower gnocchi at home and oh my gosh – it’s so good.
I wasn’t initially sold on the whole cauliflower gnocchi thing. I mean, I thought it was okay?
Then I really got into it when I was testing the sheet pan gnocchi recipe. Like, loved it.
And! The thing is that my TJ’s is not super close and almost every single time I go, the gnocchi is sold out. I have to pull an Eddie and buy eight bags at a time.
Seriously, when he finds something he likes, he buys a ton and works through it. We currently have 30 pitaya packs in our freezer. I asked him to get waffles for Emilia last week and he came home with six boxes. I mean… what?!
That’s what I will have to do next time with the cauliflower gnocchi, I suppose.
Until then… I’ll just make my own.
YES.
I could NOT stop eating these straight from the pan. Because, spoiler alert: I prefer roasting them to boiling them.
Then eating them straight from the bowl. They are so, so, so good and taste exactly like the popular frozen ones. They look and feel the same too!
The crazy thing is that they are pretty easy. Easier than I assumed. The recipe works with most flour. All-purpose, whole wheat, gluten free baking mixes, cassava, chickpea – I didn’t test it with coconut or quinoa flour but I think it will work!
You just really have to watch the flour ratio. I suggest trying to stick to the 2/3 cup measurement and not adding much more – otherwise, these will taste like the flour that you use, even after you cook them. Eeeek.
I mean, just look at that golden crisp down below! How could you NOT roast these?
The true test of cauliflower gnocchi? I actually want to eat these with marinara sauce or bolognese. My first choice for pasta sauce tends to be anything BUT tomato sauce.
However, this bowl was screaming for some. Lots of shaved parm, some fresh herbs.
Give me!
If you’ve never tried the cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s, there are a few things to keep in mind:
First, it definitely tastes like cauliflower. This is important! It’s not really cauliflower in disguise.
The frozen version from the store tastes like cauliflower, as does this gnocchi that you can make at home. When I first tried the TJ’s version, I was actually a little shocked at how much it tastes like cauliflower (which sounds insane, since it IS cauliflower) but it wasn’t bad. It just… really tastes like cauliflower! In a good way. I promise.
Next, the texture is different from regular gnocchi, but it’s not bad. I find the frozen version (even when you toast or saute it) to be a little sticky and chewy. Not in a bad way though! I actually love the texture. And it’s crazy, but these homemade ones are the exact same way. They have a chewy, slightly sticky texture.
Also important: the smaller, the better! The frozen TJ’s gnocchi is much tinier than traditional gnocchi. I suggest cutting these into small pieces – small than you’d think.
And finally, as mentioned above, my favorite way to cook this is to roast it in the oven or toast it in a skillet. It adds the golden, slightly crunchy crisp to the outside and tastes SO good.
So now that your weekend plans are set…
Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe Video
Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2/3 cup of all-purpose or whole wheat flour OR all-purpose gluten free flour mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- olive oil for spritzing or misting
Instructions
- Remove the stem from the cauliflower and cut it into florets. You want 4 to 5 cups of florets. If you have a lot more, just set it aside to use for another recipe. This is important! You need to have that exact measure so you know how much flour to use. If you keep adding flour to "fix" the dough, this will just taste like flour!
- Put the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse until crumbs remain – you want it to almost look like snow. Place all of the cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a paper towel. Microwave for 5 minutes. Remove the cauliflower and spread it on a towel to cool.
- Once cool, wrap the cauliflower in a towel and squeeze every last bit of water and liquid out of it over your sink. When you think you’re finished, squeeze again! You want all of the moisture out.
- Place the cauliflower back in the food processor. Pulse and blend it again until it begins to get creamy. Sprinkle in the flour and salt and blend again until a dough comes together. It will be super sticky, but resist the urge to add in more flour!
- Transfer the dough to a floured workspace. Have a little extra flour on hand because this is where you can work in a little bit as you roll the dough. Shape it into a ball, then slice it into 4 equal sections.
- Roll each section out until you have a rope that is about 1-inch thick. Slice the dough into squares with a sharp knife – I like to make cuts every ½ inch or so. Repeat with each rope of dough. Cook as desired!
- To boil: bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float to the top, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and serve as you wish!
- To roast: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with olive oil. Place the gnocchi on the foil in a single layer and spray with olive oil. Sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. (At this point, you can also add veggies if you want, like in my sheet pan gnocchi!) Roast for 15, then flip and roast for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until golden brown and crispy on the edges.
- To sauté: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add the gnocchi in a single layer (you may need to do two batches!) and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. If you feel that it still tastes a bit “floury” this way, use the boil method first, then sauté like this.
- To freeze: Cut the gnocchi into pieces a place them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Freeze for 60 minutes, then place the gnocchi in a ziplock bag. They will stay great in the freezer for a few months! You can cook any of the above ways from the frozen state. No defrosting necessary.
- Once the gnocchi are cooked, serve them however you'd like. Here, I used marinara sauce, fresh herbs and shaved parmesan. Super simple and delicious!
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to follow @howsweeteats on instagram and tag #howsweeteats. You can also post a photo of your recipe to our facebook page.
I appreciate you so much!
In.love.
90 Comments on “How to Make Cauliflower Gnocchi {Video!}.”
Pingback: Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe - How to Make Cauliflower Gnocchi - Kitchenpedia.co
I am so intrigued by this recipe! My sister and I took a gnocchi cooking class at King Arthur Flour and Iwas blown away with how simple it is! Just to clarify, the cauliflower goes into the food processor raw?
it really is!! i do the cauli in the food processor twice – first raw, to pulse it into crumbs, then after, to make it more creamy!
What if u don’t have a microwave how do u cook it after u blend it
This looks awesome and super easy.
But you don’t cook the cauliflower first? before zipping in through in the food processor??
Looking forward to trying this Saturday night!!!
i pulse it before and after!! putting it through the processor first makes it small enough so it cooks super quickly. this is what i do with my cauliflower pizza crust and it yields great results!
Do you cool the cauliflower before adding it to the food processor?
yes! before you add it back to the processor, you let it cool a bit then squeeze all the liquid out through a towel!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! So excited to try this!!
thanks ladonne!
OMG get out of my head!! I was thinking to myself that I should be able to make cauliflower gnocchi after becoming addicted to the Trader Joe’s packages (PS I am that person that buys a ton of them each time they are at the store) Can’t wait to try this recipe!
you can definitely do it! and i swear after making it a few times, it’s get SO easy. i’m also convinced that i don’t even need to buy it from TJs anymore!
I have been dying for you to post this recipe after you hinted at it a while back.
The first time I made your sheet pan gnocchi, I used the mini potato gnocchi so when I tried the TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi, they seemed perfect. I like the small size…they are kind of like mini savory marshmallows.
I assume I can use frozen/riced cauliflower for this recipe…and proceed from middle of the second step in your directions. I have not checked the package but I am hoping it has the right amount of cauliflower…if it has less I guess I will just have to adjust the amount of flour down.
I am so excited to try these…they could become my new obsession for sure.
Thanks for taking the time to develop this recipe!!
hi nancy! yes, you can definitely use riced cauliflower! so i tested it with riced cauliflower many times and the thing i found was that it was too hard to measure exact amounts for writing a thorough recipe. so many brands are different! but the flavor result is still the same if you use it and get a good dough.
that’s why i went with the whole cauliflower. i would say if you’re using the riced, you want to about 2 1/2 cups (approximately) before microwaving. after squeezing out, you should have 1 1/2 or so cups. let me know if this works!
Ooooh la la, FINALLY a replicate! Thank you! Do you know if these would freeze well if I wanted to make a giant batch? From the uncooked state?
yes they do!! i have instructions in the recipe on freezing. i hope you try!
oh gosh, you do. sorry!
looks great. can you share what GF flour you used.
Wow this seems totally doable! Totally trying it this weekend!
My husband overbuys random crap too. This is why he doesn’t get to go to Costco anymore. These look so tasty, and thanks for mentioning they are freezable!
My husband is on a very low carb diet and I’ve been making everything cauliflower. These look amazing and will try it this weekend. I’m hoping almond flour will work the same.
Can’t believe I’ve missed these at TJ’s.
Can coconut flour be used to make this keto friendly?
it can, the only concern with coconut flour is that it’s a little bit sweet with that natural flavor! it might change the flavor slightly.
what about almond flour
If you use already riced cauliflower how much do you use
Pingback: How to Make Cauliflower Gnocchi. – recipequicks
How much would the cauliflower weigh, before I put it in the food processor to grate? This would be a more accurate measurement, I wouldn’t be concerned about having the wrong amount then. Weighing is so much easier. I can’t wait to try!!!
How many cups of cauliflower “snow” do you need? I bought some frozen riced cauliflower and am wondering if I can use that instead? (Went to Target in a pinch and they didn’t have whole cauliflower). Looking forward to trying this recipe!
I just realized you answered the question above! I’ll try that. Thanks!
let me know how it turns out cryss!
I used the riced cauliflower from Simply Balanced (I found at Target). Two bags were equivalent to about 5 cups before microwaving and 4 cups after microwaving. I also used Bob’s Red Mill potato flour to make it completely gluten-free. The recipe came out great! Very tasty and even my husband enjoyed it. I can’t wait to make a larger batch to freeze and store away. I am currently doing Whole30 and this was perfect for a compliant meal. Thank you for a great and simple recipe.
Made this the other day and it turned out amazing! I forgot to measure the florets before grating them (my food processor is teeny) so I used 4.5 cups of cauliflower pebbles and 100g of flour, though I think I could’ve gotten away with the 80g called for in the recipe. They have a great flavor (not too cauliflower-y) and texture, although the leftovers became a little firmer than traditional gnocchi in the fridge. I used the sheet pan roasting method with a bunch of veggies, then added tomato sauce and parm, and it was absolutely delicious!
Pingback: This and That - Two Peas & Their Pod
I don’t have a microwave, so should I just steam the riced cauliflower for 5 minutes?
I had the exact same question. No microwave for me either. Any suggestions?
Pingback: Lovely Links - Heather's Dish
Wondering what the yield is for this recipe? I know it says serves 4 but how many cups of gnocchi does it make? Wondering if I should double…
This did not work! I have a feeling my cauliflower was not steamed enough? It never formed a dough 😣
There’s no Trader Joe’s in my state, so I’m definitely DEFINITELY going to be using this recipe to try and taste what everyone’s been fussing about! Haha. Thanks so much for the recipe!
WOW, Really its looking is very good. I think this recipe will be very delicious also. I will try to make this at my home. I can’t wait to try. Have you plan to make another recipe for us. Because I like very much to your instruction Thank you so much for your recipe.
Do you think this would work with chickpea flour?
Hi 👋🏼
Do you think almond flour would work instead of all purpose? Or any other low carb flour suggestions? I made it with cassava flour, it was great but I can’t have that much carbs unfortunately…
Thank you!
Dear Jessica,
thank you very much for your inspiring recipe! I have followed your instuctions and created my first cauliflower gnocci with teff flour and they are soooo good! I must admit that I might overdone a little bit at the squeezing stage or my teff flour is more water adsorbing than a normal one. So, I must add a table spoon of almond oil to get my dough as one piece but not as crunches at foodprocessor :)))) Probably next time I will add less flower or will try with another one because the teff flower tastes quite intensively.
I have immedialy roasted one portion in a pan and frozed the rest. It is really very convenient thing to have in the fridge since it is really fast to prepare it!
I think I will translate you recipe in my native language and share it with my friends!
Many thanks!
Olga
Pingback: Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi with Grapefruit Pesto | Hunger|Thirst|Play
After finding this recipe I couldn’t resist giving it a try and I’m so glad that I did! I made a tiny batch just to go safe on my first time and I wish I had done more – used rice flour and they turned out amazing. Followed the baking method and they were super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Perfection! The flavour was also great. Thank you so much for the recipe x
I don’t have a microwave, how would you suggest cooking this differently?
**Disclaimer: I have not made this recipe.** When I make cauliflower mashed potatoes, I rice the cauliflower in the food processor. I take a steamer and line it with a flour sack towel. I add the cauliflower rice, cover with the flour sack towel, and steam it for 45 minutes. [Just to clarify, I drape the flour sack towel so that it holds the cauliflower rice like a bag.]
The cauliflower never came to a “creamy” consistency in the food processor after following your instructions. So I added an egg to bind, then the flour and salt. I knew it wasn’t going to have the consistency of my homemade potato or ricotta cheese gnocchi but this was a lot of work for an “easy” recipe. Anyway, I’ll probably refine the recipe until I’m happy with it. I can’t give up! I’m curious why the riced cauliflower wouldn’t cream in the food processor. I gave it quite a long whir. Any suggestions?
I just made this for my lunch. OMG loveeeeeee. I will definately make again but maybe boil next time. I put them in the oven but still delicious, I added a pesto sauce to mine, Just love. Thanks so much for the recipe
Pingback: Cacio e Pepe Brussels Sprouts Recipe - Cacio e Pepe Brussels
Made these tonight using the America’s Test Kitchen gluten-free flour. They. Are. AWESOME!
We baked them and served with Foods of Jane’s Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower sauce!
Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I love gnocchi and have been trying low carb versions for Chicken and Gnocchi copy cat soup, they all disintegrate in the broth, do you think these would hold together if you put them in soup??
i haven’t tried them in soup, but i do think that if you cook these first – either roast them in the oven or pan-crisp them, then you could add them to soup and they’d be great! unlike regular gnocchi, i wouldn’t cook them in the soup. but i think you could add them later for the same idea! let me know if you try it!
This is almost exactly like the Trader Joe’s version! A tiny bit less fluffy in texture maybe, but tastes the same. And it’s a lot easier (fewer ingredients) than other cauliflower gnocchi recipes I found online. I like to saute mine. I will definitely make this again. I might double the recipe. I ate half myself but it was a smallish helping in my opinion. Thanks for the recipe!
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! Thank you so much for this! I ended up using half regular flour and half quinoa flour (because I ran out of regular) and it was still so great.
OMG, I JUST MADE THEM….. INCREDIBLE. Thank you so much!!!! Will definitely follow more of your recipes.
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe - Pinch of Yum
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi – The Cookbook Network
Pingback: Do-it-yourself Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe – Pinch of Yum – 1Recipes
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi | Good Kitchen Blog
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi - Prosperity
Pingback: Hausgemachtes Blumenkohl-Gnocchi-Rezept – Prise Yum – Taste
Pingback: Hausgemachtes Blumenkohl-Gnocchi-Rezept – Prise Yum – Historische Sehenswürdigkeiten
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe – Pinch of Yum – Molly Cakes
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi - Daily Wooz
Pingback: Homemade Cauliflower Gnocchi - Healthy and in Shape
Hi there, I see that this is said to serve “4”, however that is all kinda relative. So in regards to the TJ bags…would you say this makes 1 bag? 2 bags? Thanks looking forward to making this.
I tried this and I thought it was going great I had some cute little dumplings- then I put them in the pot to boil and they DISAPPEARED LOL. what went wrong???