Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi Recipe - Grain Free + Paleo Option! (2024)

FAQs

Is sweet potato allowed in a paleo diet? ›

Yes — sweet potatoes are generally considered a paleo-approved food, however, some paleo dieters prefer to limit their consumption to avoid consuming too many carbohydrates that spike their blood sugar levels.

This vegan gnocchi recipe only requires three ingredients: Potatoes: I used Yukon Gold potatoes here, but you can also use russet potatoes if that's all that you can find in your stores! Flour: I recommend using Tipo 00 or oat flour (if you're gluten-free, use oat flour!).

The most common reason for mushy sweet potato gnocchi is boiling it too long; once it's floated for 30 seconds, it should be promptly removed and drained well. Drain Off as Much Water as Possible.

Carrots, beets, broccoli, winter squash, and more can easily become a bowl of perfect pillowy bites.

Paleo-Friendly Sweeteners

Raw honey might have been most prevalent to cavemen so this would be approved if you're going the paleo route! Maple syrup and molasses are also paleo. Maple syrup, in its purest form without any additives, is a naturally occurring sugar extracted from maple trees.

Unprocessed potatoes are paleo

Generally, unprocessed potatoes of all types can be part of a paleo diet. Similarly to grains, which are off-limits on paleo, potatoes are starchy and rich in carbohydrates. However, potatoes are actually a type of starchy vegetable that grows underground, known as a tuber ( 2 , 3 ).

Nutritional Value

Believe it or not, regular pasta is actually more carb-heavy than gnocchi, coming in at around 2 times the amount of carbs per serving. Gnocchi is also notorious for having a lot more sodium, with over 200 grams of it per serving. Regular pasta doesn't have nearly as high of a sodium content.

Tipo 00 Flour is a soft, fine milled flour from Italy. It's a must-have for light and tender gnocchi and homemade pasta. Small(er) Batch Recipe ensures a higher success rate with just enough practice.

Chewy gnocchi are the result of too much flour and over kneading the dough. It's important to knead the dough just until it comes together into a smooth ball and no more. This is because you don't want to encourage too much gluten development which makes them tough, chewy and rubbery.

Your gnocchi may be mushy because of any or all of the following reasons: boiled the potatoes instead of baked them. used waxy new potatoes with too much moisture in them. not used eggs to help texture.

How to make gnocchi firmer? ›

If the dough is too soft and floury, do not add more flour. More flour will transform your gnocchi dough into a cement brick! Instead, transfer your dough back onto the pastry board and continue to work the dough patiently until it dries out a little bit more.

Egg yolk added to your gnocchi dough helps improve texture, and keep it together while cooking. Gnocchi is traditionally made with eggs in Veneto and no eggs in Piedmont, the two Northern Italian regions famous for gnocchi. We vote for egg yolks at the rate of 1 per (500g) 1 lb of uncooked potatoes used.

The secret to the lightest, most tender potato gnocchi is to bake the potatoes instead of boiling them. A baked potato is dryer than one that has been boiled, which means you avoid having to add more flour to the dough to account for excess moisture, a practice that leads to over-kneaded, tough gnocchi.

Comparatively speaking, ricotta gnocchi are quicker to prepare (just mix everything together- no potatoes to boil here!) and the texture is light and fluffy, in a unique “spongey” type way. As for the taste, potato gnocchi taste like…. potato, whereas ricotta gnocchi are more mild in flavor.

These are beans, lentils, and peas. Legumes are not paleo because they were only introduced into the human diet about 5,000 to 7,000 years ago. Legumes are difficult to digest and can contain unhealthy fats.

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes has been shown to fight inflammation, and eating them regularly can help ease joint pain and other symptoms of inflammatory conditions like arthritis. If you're looking for a delicious way to reduce inflammation, add some sweet potatoes to a salad or bake alongside protein!

Foods to avoid on the paleo diet

Grains: bread, pasta, wheat, cereal, spelt, rye, barley, etc. Legumes: beans, lentils, and many more. Dairy: most dairy, especially low fat dairy (some versions of paleo do include full-fat dairy like butter and cheese)

Non-starchy vegetables are generally free to eat on a paleo diet. These include lettuce, spinach, kale, green beans, cabbage and celery. Some starchy vegetables are allowed every now and then, such as sweet potato and butternut squash, but their higher carb content means they are best eaten in smaller quantities.