Answer: Yes.
Are you a pasta fan? Suppose pasta forms a staple dish for you, and you are a vegan. You might want to know which vegan pasta you can eat. Plus, if gnocchi is your favorite, you might wonder, “Is gnocchi vegan?”
Fret not. This article will solve your doubts. Moreover, you will know everything there is to know about gnocchi. You’ll also learn the nutritional content of this delicious lip-smacking pasta.
Simply put, gnocchi is vegan, as no egg, milk, or cheese is used while making the dough. If you are buying gnocchi, you must check the ingredients. However, if you make it on your own, gnocchi is vegan.
Read on to have a detailed explanation on whether gnocchi is vegan or not. You’ll find it heart-warming to know that you can enjoy delicious pasta and yet follow veganism to the tee.
Table of Contents
What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi literally means lumps in Italian. It is an Italian pasta dish made up of potatoes and flour. Essentially, gnocchi is a mashed potato shaped into a lump. Often gnocchi is referred to as dumplings too.
The origin of gnocchi dates to Roman times. It was introduced all over Europe by the Roman legions. What’s more, the word gnocchi is derived from the Italian word nocchio, meaning knot of wood.
Initially, the roman recipe used a semolina porridge-like dough with eggs. It was not a vegan option. However, with potato’s introduction to Europe, Gnocchi could become a vegan dish.
Gnocchi with potato is a popular dish in Abruzzo, Veneto, Lazio, and more places. Nowadays, gnocchi has become a popular dish worldwide. Its combination with delicious sauces and vegetables makes it a delicacy for entrees or side dishes in restaurants and homes.
Ingredients of Gnocchi
For confirming gnocchi is vegan, you might want to know its ingredients completely. Below, you’ll find the list of ingredients listed to make vegan gnocchi.
- Potato
- Flour
- Salt
- Yeast (optional)
Some manufacturers and restaurants do make gnocchi with egg, cheese, and milk. You must read the ingredients or ask the restaurateur to skip those ingredients to have vegan gnocchi. To have vegan gnocchi, you must limit the ingredients to starches like potato, semolina, polenta, or rice flour.
Did you know your gnocchi has some complimentary ingredients to make it the delicacy it is? You need to watch out for those ingredients too. Often gnocchi is made with a sauce. The most vegan sauce for your gnocchi is the Tomato sauce. However, if you want white sauce, use plant-based milk to make it.
How to Make Vegan Gnocchi?
Are you thinking about how to make delicious vegan gnocchi? Here’s a simple recipe for delicious vegan gnocchi that you can make at home.
To make gnocchi, you need your ingredients in place. Plus, it is straightforward to make gnocchi. All you need to do is have the right proportion of the ingredients and start the cooking process.
Potato gnocchi gets started by mashing potatoes completely and mixing them with flour. You knead until the dough is soft and sticky. After that, you cut out lumps of dough and use a fork to shape it. Your gnocchi is almost ready at this stage. Finally, to make it edible, you put it in boiling water and wait for it to float.
Mix it with your favorite vegan sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. You can enjoy delicious and savory gnocchi pasta with vegan garlic bread. What’s more, if you cannot forgo cheese, you can purchase vegan cheese and add it to your gnocchi to add to its deliciousness.
Nutritional Content of Gnocchi
Potato gnocchi is not explicitly known for its nutritional content.
Nevertheless, a guide to whether gnocchi is vegan or not will be incomplete without having an insight into its nutritional content. Typically, the nutritional content of gnocchi looks somewhat like this.
- Calories – 180
- Carbohydrates – 40g
- Protein – 3g
- Fat – 3g
- Dietary Fiber – 2g
- Sodium – 20mg
Gnocchi also contains 6% Vitamin C along with 2% of calcium and iron. The additional sauces and vegetables will potentially increase the nutritional content of gnocchi.
Is Gnocchi Healthy?
Note gnocchi is high in carbohydrates and low in other nutrients and proteins. Moreover, it doesn’t give you enough minerals and vitamins.
Plus, gnocchi is high in sodium and glycemic index. It is because gnocchi uses potato that has the potential to skew your blood sugar levels.
Moreover, gnocchi, while a delicious dish, is not something you can consume every day. It is starchy and can make you feel bloated.
However, gnocchi made using sweet potato could offer you some health benefits as listed below. That is because sweet potato:
- improves your digestive health
- is high in nutrients
- improves your brain power
Note that even sweet potato gnocchi can become unhealthy with high sodium, processed additives, and refined flour.
While the gnocchi is not entirely healthy, it is more nutritious than other forms of pasta. That is because gnocchi uses less flour compared to other pasta forms. Plus, the inclusion of potatoes adds to its nutrients.
So, gnocchi is essentially healthy only if you consume it in moderation. Eat it once in a while to merely satisfy your cravings.
Recipes You Can Try For Gnocchi
Now you know is gnocchi vegan and is gnocchi healthy. Here is a list of recipes you can try to enjoy vegan gnocchi.
- Vegan gnocchi with creamy lemon garlic sauce
- Vegan gnocchi with tomato cream sauce
- Crispy pan-fried vegan gnocchi
- Vegan gnocchi with mushroom Florentine
- Tuscan vegan gnocchi
- Vegan chickpea gnocchi soup
- Vegan gnocchi with spinach and garlic
- Vegan gnocchi with pumpkin sauce
- Vegan sweet potato gnocchi with veggies
- Baked vegan gnocchi with nuts and pumpkin
These are some recipes you can find online to try out yourself. Moreover, even when you go to a restaurant, you can request your chef to make vegan gnocchi with plant-derived ingredients to ensure you follow your veganism diet.
The Best Vegan Gnocchi Brands
Suppose you lack time and patience to make gnocchi at home. You need to know whether the gnocchi you buy from the store is vegan. Luckily for veganism followers, there are quite a lot of options available. So, you can procure vegan gnocchi from your nearby grocery store or amazon too. Here’s the best vegan gnocchi you can experiment with.
De Cecco Pasta, Potato Gnocchi
De Cecco Potato gnocchi is made in Italy. It contains 80% mashed potato, 14% potato starch, and 6% other ingredients like wheat flour, rice flour, salt, and lactic acid. Don’t worry; the lactic acid is not milk-derived. Instead, it is a product of fermentation by bacteria.
So, De Cecco potato gnocchi is vegan and gets ready in 2 minutes.
Le Veneziane Gluten-Free Potato Gnocchi
Le Veneziane Gluten-Free potato gnocchi is made using 70% rehydrated potatoes, maize flour, rice flour, potato starch, lactic acid, and sorbic acid. Moreover, this gnocchi claims to be vegan on the package itself. It doesn’t use egg or milk. Plus, it is Sulphites-free too.
Le Veneziane is gnocchi that claims itself to be gluten-free too. It means this gnocchi is made with wheat flour that doesn’t have protein content.
Gia Russa Whole-Wheat Sweet Potato Gnocchi
The Gia Russa Gnocchi is made using 70% mashed sweet potato. It is a much healthier alternative to potato-made gnocchi. Moreover, the Gia Russa gnocchi is made using wholewheat and cooks in 2-3 minutes. This gnocchi is readily available in Walmart and is a safe vegan solution for gnocchi.
Unless you have gluten allergens, this gnocchi could probably prove the healthiest for your diet.
Sanniti Potato Gnocchi
Sanniti Potato Gnocchi comprises 80% potatoes, cornflour, rice flour, potato starch, salt, lactic acid, and natural flavors. This potato gnocchi is supposed to be the ultimate comfort food in Italian cuisine. It is vegan gnocchi that can get used in making delicious recipes.
Moreover, they have made the gnocchi packaging match the climate-friendly standards to remove excess air and water from the packaging. It ensures a reduced carbon footprint while shipping.
These are just some vegan gnocchi brands. However, you can easily find more options on Amazon or your grocery store. Plus, you can find semolina, cauliflower, or polenta-based gnocchi too in the market. Of course, as mentioned above, you can make your own version of gnocchi to ensure it is vegan.
Endnotes
So, is gnocchi vegan? The answer is a big yes. Suppose you are buying gnocchi from the store; ensure your gnocchi doesn’t contain eggs, milk, or other animal-derived ingredients. If you are making it at home, you could probably use plant-based milk or plant-based cheese to improve the flavor.
However, it is essential to skip eggs to ensure vegan gnocchi.
Moreover, gnocchi is an interesting, flavorful, and delicious Italian dish you do not want to miss out on. Note you must ensure that the accompanying ingredients like sauce are vegan too.
