This indulgent and creamy Pumpkin Gnocchi is what fall comfort food dreams are made of. Featuring pillowy soft potato gnocchi simmered in a rich pumpkin pasta sauce, it’s the best dinner for chilly autumn evenings.
Want more savory pumpkin recipes? You’ll love my Pumpkin Pasta Sauce and Pumpkin Pasta Bake as well!
What could be better than gnocchi for dinner? These pillowy and puffy potato pasta “nuggets” are quick and easy to cook and only get better when they’re surrounded by creamy and indulgent sauces. That’s why I’m always making my Tuscan Vegan Gnocchi and Creamy Pesto Gnocchi for comforting weeknight dinners.
Vegan Pumpkin Gnocchi, on the other hand, is perfect for fall and winter meals. Potato gnocchi simmers in an aromatic coconut milk and sage-infused pumpkin sauce before stirring in a handful of kale or spinach for some sneaky nutrients. Every bite is bursting with comforting fall flavors!
What’s even better is that this pumpkin gnocchi recipe is quick and easy, made with a handful of simple ingredients, and comes together in one pan. It’s the ultimate winter or fall dinner that’s best eaten after a long, cold day.
How to make pumpkin gnocchi
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the gnocchi to the pan, along with the coconut milk, vegetable broth, pumpkin puree, dried sage, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir well.
Bring the pumpkin cream sauce up to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
Stir the chopped kale/spinach into the pumpkin gnocchi and cook until the leaves wilt.
You’ll know the dish is ready to serve when the gnocchi is soft, but not mushy, and the sauce has thickened. Serve right away and enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
I was initially surprised when I learned that a lot of gnocchi pasta is vegan-friendly. Most dried gnocchi is made with just two ingredients: riced potatoes and flour. Some recipes also contain eggs but they’re easy to leave out.
If you’re up for the challenge of making your own gnocchi, go for it! The recipe won’t be as quick and easy with the homemade version but the flavors will be upgraded. Try this recipe for Easy Homemade Vegan Gnocchi or this gluten free version to make it yourself.
If you have an aversion to coconut or don’t have coconut milk on hand, make a batch of cashew cream as a replacement. It’s thick and creamy, and won’t affect the flavor of the pumpkin sauce. Unsweetened non-dairy milk, like oat or soy milk, will also work but the sauce won’t be as creamy.
This is a rich and filling dish on its own but you can make it part of a well-rounded meal by serving it alongside fresh bread and vegetable-forward side dishes. For a crowd-pleasing dinner, serve the gnocchi with freshly baked focaccia, Caesar salad, and roasted brussels sprouts on the side.
And if you want to give this dish an elegant presentation, garnish each bowl with vegan parmesan, shredded vegan mozzarella, and/or crispy sage leaves.
The gnocchi is best served when it’s freshly cooked, but the leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. They can also be frozen but the gnocchi will likely be mushy after it’s thawed.
Pumpkin Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces gnocchi
- 13.5 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- few shakes ground black pepper
- 2 cups loosely packed chopped kale or spinach
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.
- Add the gnocchi to the pan, along with the coconut milk, broth, pumpkin puree, dried sage, thyme, salt and black pepper. Stir everything together, breaking up the gnocchi if they're stuck together.
- Bring to a boil, them lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Stir in the kale or spinach and cook until wilted. The gnocchi should be cooked through but not mushy, and the sauce thickened.
- Serve immediately. Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, and if needed it can be frozen, though the gnocchi will get quite mushy so it's best eaten fresh.
Notes
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You could make your own homemade vegan pumpkin gnocchi instead of potato gnocchi, for an even more pumpkin dish!
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Optional: add 2-3 vegan sausages, sliced. Pan fry them in the olive oil before the garlic.
Quick question! Do you use frozen gnocchi? If so do you let it thaw before you add or just toss it right in? We get this really delicious Pierino Gnocchi but it comes frozen! Can’t wait to try this with my family tonight.
With frozen gnocchi, you don’t need to thaw first. It might take a few extra minutes to cook, but otherwise you can follow the recipe exactly. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
WOW this was an incredible recipe! At first I was worried because it was runny, but it thickened up perfectly by the end and was so creamy and delicious! I just read the note at the end suggesting you add sliced vegan sausage, and there’s an apple fake sausage I think would be perfect for some added protein. Will be making this again and adding sausage!
Hi Samantha. Vegan apple sausage would be amazing with this recipe! I’m so glad you loved it! Thank you for your awesome feedback and review! Happy cooking!
the amount of times i have made this recently is insane. i’m obsessed!!! i did spinach and kale together. i may or may not have added extra gnocchi too. but regardless this recipe is amazing!!!
I’m so glad you love it! This is one of my new favorite recipes! Thank you for stellar review and feedback!
Truly easy to make and a fun seasonal, savory dish. We served along side some ACME bread and freshly picked zucchini. Thanks for always having amazing recipes!
You are welcome, Lisa! Your words are uplifting! Thanks for your fantastic review and feedback!
Made this for our joint family “vegan Thursday” dinner. One vegan (me), one vegetarian, 6 omnivores. Every single person loved this dish. It was so easy to make and was delicious. I served it with salad. 2x the recipe made enough for 8 with no leftovers. Love this recipe!
That’s wonderful! Thank you so much for the fantastic review and feedback, Nancy!
Yo no offense Nora, this recipe is straight fire! but there’s no way that it makes five adult size dinner servings.
So easy, but so delicious! Thanks for the great recipe. I added toasted chopped almonds which gave it a nice little crunch. We’ll definitely make this one again.
I appreciate your fabulous feedback and review! I like the idea of the almonds! Thank you for sharing!
This was great! I can’t eat tomatoes or garlic so finding a tasty sauce for pasta or gnocchi has been challenging and even without the garlic this was tasty! We only had fresh sage so we cooked it in a bit of butter before putting it in and thar worked well for some added flavour. I will be making this again and will keep playing around a bit with a few different spices using this as a base.
Not yet made this, but thank you for posting a pumpkin purée recipe! I have loads of the stuff in my freezer, so recipes that jump straight to using purée (as opposed to ones that start with a fresh/whole pumpkin) are perfect for me! Thank you again and I’ll try it soon! 💚
You are welcome, Kathy! I hope you enjoy the gnocchi!