Crispy fried gnocchi make a fabulous alternative to your usual potatoes. My pan fried gnocchi are feather-light on the inside and crispy on the outside. They’re impressive and delicious yet quick and fuss free.
Crispy fried gnocchi
Crispy and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy inside, and lightly infused with garlic, these pan roasted gnocchi make the perfect quick alternative to sauté potatoes, Parmentier potatoes, pommes parisiennes, chips or roast baby potatoes.
If you are used to gnocchi in tomato sauce, the idea of serving them as a side dish may never have occurred to you. Yet when you crisp them up, pan fried gnocchi make a fabulous foil to all sorts of dishes.
These side dish crispy fried gnocchi can be ready in as little as 15 minutes. You can infuse them with all sorts of flavours to suit the main dish and you don’t need to peel any potatoes!
What are gnocchi?
Gnocchi are little fluffy Italian dumplings that are usually served as a pasta dish. There are all sorts of variations on the theme, so don’t confuse them with gnocco fritto, which is a deep fried dough snack.
While the Romans make their gnocchi with a semolina dough, most gnocchi are made of mashed potato combined with a little flour.
The gnocchi you buy from the ambient counter in the supermarket last for weeks without being chilled, but generally cook in less than 5 minutes in boiling water, much like fresh pasta.
If you are serving them like pasta, at this stage you would drain them and either cover them in a sauce and perhaps finish them off in the oven, or fry in a little butter to seal them before tossing with your other ingredients.
For this side dish, I have taken the pan frying a stage further, allowing them to form a crunchy shell around that light centre.
Why make crispy fried gnocchi?
- Quick and easy to make
- No peeling potatoes
- Deliciously different for dinner parties
Crispy fried gnocchi – ingredients
- Gnocchi – A packet of gnocchi is a store cupboard essential. However some are fresh and need to be kept in the fridge, and others are designed for the ambient counter and can be kept in the cupboard. Both are great, but I prefer the ones i can keep in the cupboard. They’re so convenient.
- Butter & Olive Oil – Good quality butter and olive oil. Both add flavour, and using both means you can fry at a higher temperature than if you used butter alone. I’ve been quite generous with the quantity here, so the gnocchi crisp up faster. Feel free to cut it down a little.
- Garlic – two fat cloves of fresh garlic
- Parsley – optional, to serve
Do I need to boil the gnocchi before frying it?
No. You don’t have to. You don’t save any time by going straight to the pan, however, as you need to fry the gnocchi for longer if you don’t boil them first.
I’ve made crispy fried gnocchi (or pan roasted gnocchi, if you prefer) both ways numerous times. It is so much better if you boil it first. Here’s why:
- It is faster because the gnocchi is hot throughout!
- The centre of the gnocchi is softer and lighter!
- The outside of the gnocchi will be so crunchy and crispy without being on the verge of burning.
So yes, I think you should boil the gnocchi first. It only takes about 4 minutes and you can use the cooking time to heat the butter and oil, infusing them with the garlic.
How to make pan fried gnocchi – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Simmer the gnocchi in a pan of lighted salted water until they rise to the top. Then drain.
Step Two – While the gnocchi are cooking, melt the butter and oil over a low heat in a large frying pan.
Peel and lightly crush the garlic with the side of the blade of a knife or under a glass. Then gently sauté the garlic in the the butter and oil, until it is golden, but not brown. Remove the garlic and discard.
Take care not to overcook the garlic. Garlic becomes very bitter at the first hint of burning, and can easily spoil a dish.
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
If you want to skip this stage, finely mince the garlic and add to the gnocchi for the last two minutes of cooking.
Step Three – Let the gnocchi steam dry in a sieve. You don’t want them damp when you add them to the pan.
Step Four – Add the gnocchi to the infused oil and butter mixture and fry over a medium to high heat, turning from time to time. Don’t be tempted to stir constantly or they won’t crisp up.
Step Five – Once golden all over, crispy, and shrunk by about a quarter, the gnocchi are ready. This takes about 7 minutes for boiled gnocchi but 15 straight from the packet.
Remove from the heat and drain off any excess oil and butter. Season well with salt and pepper, and (optional) finely chopped parsley.
Serve immediately!
Serving suggestion
Serve as a side dish instead of potatoes or rice. I find these crispy pan fried gnocchi work particularly well with dishes made in a sauce, so why not try them with one of these?
Hunters chicken – a pub classic of chicken served in barbecue sauce
Slow cooked ox cheeks in red wine – a rich beef stew in red wine with picked walnuts
Honey and mustard chicken thighs – an easy but delicious week night supper
Slow cooker Spanish pork stew – tender pork cooked with chorizo
Variations
- Add some chilli flake for a touch of heat.
- Stir in some finely grated cheese – a hard Italian grana style (parmesan, grana padano is perfect here).
- To accompany a roast, cook the gnocchi in duck or goose fat.
- For a more hands off approach roast the gnocchi. Heat the butter or fat and oil in an oven dish, boil and drain the gnocchi. Then add to the hot roasting pan and cook at Gas Mark 6 / 180 °C fan / 400 °F for about 15–20 minutes, turning once.
- Use different herbs. A sparing amount of dried woody herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary etc.) can be delicious, chosen to suit your main dish.
Storage
Don’t bother to store the finished dish. This really is best eaten as soon as it is cooked.
Once opened, a packet of uncooked gnocchi can be kept in the fridge for several days. Just seal the bag or store in an airtight tub. You can also freeze uncooked gnocchi and boil from frozen, which will obviously take a little longer than usual.
I find a 500 g packet is too much for two, so we often have leftover gnocchi – but I am sure we could eat it all if we wanted to!
Hints and Tips
- Use a big enough pan so that all the gnocchi can cook in a single layer with some space around them. This will allow them to crisp up properly.
- Buy gnocchi from the ambient counter, so you can keep the unopened packet in the cupboard rather than the fridge.
FAQS
Yes, you can, though I think you get better results by boiling it first, and you don’t lose any time. Don’t confuse dry fresh or long-life gnocchi with dried gnocchi, though. The latter is a sort of semolina pasta, and needs to be boiled.
Yes, of course. You could use homemade if you prefer. If you buy fresh, you will need to keep it in the fridge.
Yes. If you don’t want to serve them as a side dish, try them with a rich tomato sauce. Alternatively, you could toss them with some spinach, bacon, chorizo… whatever you like. If you want to serve them with pesto, you might prefer to consider reducing the amount of butter and oil.
If the gnocchi themselves are vegan (check the packet), there is no reason why you can’t use oil without the butter to pan roast your gnocchi.
You may also love
- Salt & Pepper Chips – as good as you get from the Chinese but at home
- Celeriac Chips – low carb and so good
- Swede Fries – with a sticky mustard dressing
- Masala Chips – golden spiced chips at home
- Cheesy Chips – Takeout classic – as easily as good when made with crispy gnocchi!
Crispy Fried Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 20 g olive oil
- 20 g butter
- 2 cloves garlic
- 350 g gnocchi
- chopped parsley (to serve, optional)
Instructions
- Cook the gnocchi in boiling water for 3 minutes. They will rise to the top when they are ready. They take far less time to cook than pasta.350 g gnocchi
- While the gnocchi cook, heat the oil and butter together in a large frying pan. Lightly crush the garlic and add it to the pan. Cook over a gentle heat until the garlic is just golden. Remove and discard the garlic.20 g olive oil, 20 g butter, 2 cloves garlic
- Drain the gnocchi and allow to steam dry in a sieve for a minute or two.
- Transfer the gnocchi to the frying pan and turn up the heat to medium-high. Spread the gnocchi out and cook, turning occasionally, until they form a crispy golden crust, this will take about 7-10 minutes with boiled gnocchi, 15 -20 with gnocchi straight from the packet.
- Season with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley (optional). Serve immediately.chopped parsley
Notes
- You do not have to boil the gnocchi first, but I find it gives a far better result and cuts down on frying time. Â
- Use a big enough pan so that all the gnocchi can cook in a single layer with some space around them. This will allow them to crisp up properly.
- Buy gnocchi from the ambient counter, so you can keep the unopened packet in the cupboard rather than the fridge.
Sarah P
These are fantastic, and as you said a great alternative to potatoes!
Diana
So good, and so crispy! thank you
Chris
I’d been wondering what to do with that packet of gnocchi in the cupboard! delicious!