This homemade Creamy Sweet Potato Gnocchi in creamy mushroom alfredo sauce makes a comforting family dinner. Learn how to make and shape gnocchi, then serve it in a creamy mushroom thyme sauce. It’s easier than you think and so satisfying!
Welcome to my latest sweet potato recipe. You may recognize this recent Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes or this Sweet Potato Casserole from 2020. Both feature this scrumptious starchy tuber in fun and original recipes.
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Sweet Potato Gnocchi
A bowl of this homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi is comfort food at its finest. Not only do you have the satisfaction of making the gnocchi yourself, but the dish is truly one of the most soul warming pasta dishes you’ll ever eat.
This is the kind of recipe that is fun for the whole family. Kids love working with dough and it gives them a sense of accomplishment. They can mash the sweet potatoes, roll the dough, and learn how to run the gnocchi along a gnocchi board! Additionally, they are more likely to eat what they create!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi Ingredients
This sweet potato recipe is naturally vegan and dairy free. However, the creamy alfredo sauce is not. Check out the ‘serving suggestions’ section below for how to serve this dish vegan.
- Sweet Potatoes
- Flour
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
- Onion
- Garlic
- Dried Thyme
- Mushrooms
- Heavy Cream
- Parmesan Cheese
Choose small or medium sweet potatoes of a similar size and shape so that they cook evenly. The skin should be smooth, not wrinkly, or loose and the flesh should be a bright orange colour.
All purpose flour works best in this recipe, do not substitute with whole wheat flour as it will make the gnocchi dense and chewy. Use your judgement when adding flour; the dough should be soft and only slightly sticky so that it rolls well but doesn’t have a dense texture once it is cooked.
Fresh onion, garlic, and thyme leaves (in place of dried thyme) are the best choices for this recipe. Always season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Feel free to omit the mushrooms or add as many varieties as you like in place of regular cremini mushrooms.
Plenty of heavy cream and Parmesan Reggiano cheese are the backbone of a great alfredo pasta sauce. However, feel free to use olive oil or ghee in place of the butter.
How to Make Creamy Sweet Potato Gnocchi
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes
Roasting the sweet potatoes will take the longest time so we’ll start them in the oven and make the sauce while they are baking. To begin roasting the sweet potatoes, poke holes all over the sweet potatoes with a fork. This allows for steam to escape while they are cooking.
Next, place the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 375 F until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
Make the Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Sauce
To make the mushroom sauce, melt 2 tablespoons of butter or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes until it is soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Next, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 7-8 minutes until they are soft.
Pour heavy cream into the skillet then season the sauce with salt, ground pepper, and dried thyme. Stir to combine. Let it simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and mix in 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Set the sauce aside.
Sweet Potato Gnocchi Dough
To make the gnocchi, allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly then scoop the flesh out of the peel. Mash sweet potatoes well with a fork, potato masher, or potato ricer then let them cool to room temperature.
Arrange mashed sweet potatoes in a pile, make a well, and add 1 cup of all purpose flour. Add salt, pepper, and Parmesan.
Mix the dough, add remaining flour just a little bit at at time until a soft dough forms. It should be slightly sticky but easy to roll on a lightly floured surface. Try not to overwork the dough. Overworking the dough results in the formation of gluten strands and makes for tough gnocchi.
Cover the dough with a large bowl or damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour the paper.
How to Make Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into 1/2-inch-thick rope on a floured work surface. Cut each cylinder into ½-inch pieces. Arrange the gnocchi so they are well floured and do not touch each other on the floured baking sheet.
Finish the Creamy Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil. Gently add a few gnocchi and cook in batches for 1-2 minutes at a time. When the gnocchi float to the surface, they are cooked.
Use a slotted spoon, to remove the gnocchi. Finally, gently reheat the mushroom sauce for one or two minutes and mix in the gnocchi. Toss to coat.
Serve hot with chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Other Sauces that Go Well with Gnocchi
The earthy sweetness of the potatoes is delicious in a creamy mushroom sauce, and it feels like pure decadence. However, if you just want to make the sweet potato gnocchi recipe, here are a few other serving suggestions. Fry fresh sage leaves in butter to make brown butter crispy sage gnocchi or garlic sage butter sauce. Leave out the mushrooms to simply the alfredo sauce or add crispy bacon or pancetta!
Other sauces that go well are a rich tomato sauce (Gnocchi alla Sorrentina), creamy blue cheese sauce, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Serve simple with pesto (with or without cream) or make it dairy free and vegan with garlic and sautéed Broccoli rabe or rapini. Use this homemade gnocchi recipe as a base and add your own finishing touch!
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
Sweet potato gnocchi freeze well, and this recipe is easy to double or even triple in scale. It’s so convenient to have ready made gnocchi in the freezer and you can cook gnocchi straight from frozen!
If you want to make and freeze the gnocchi, follow the steps, and stop just before the boiling stage. Just place the baking sheets containing the sweet potato gnocchi flat in the freezer. Once they are frozen solid, move the gnocchi into freezer bags or an airtight container and store for up to three months.
Hi! I’m Bernice Hill and I’ve been the sole recipe developer, photographer, and writer at Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen for the past eleven years. It is my pleasure to share easy to follow recipes that are delicious, nutritious, and approachable for the whole family.
If you make this Creamy Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in the ratings. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!
Creamy Mushroom Sweet Potato Gnocchi
This homemade Creamy Sweet Potato Gnocchi with mushrooms makes a comforting family dinner. Learn how to make and shape gnocchi, then serve it in a creamy mushroom sage sauce. It's easier than you think and so satisfying!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb Sweet Potatoes (about 3 medium)
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
FOR THE CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 medium Onion; finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic; minced
- 8 oz. Cremini Mushrooms; sliced
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Thyme
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; grated
Instructions
- Using a fork, poke holes all over the sweet potatoes. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast at 375 F until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the mushroom sauce. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add
the minced onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes until translucent. - Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 7-8 minutes until they are soft.
- Pour in the heavy cream then season it with salt, ground pepper, and dried thyme. Stir to combine. Let it
simmer for 5-7 minutes. - Remove the skillet from heat and mix in 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Set the sauce aside.
- To make the gnocchi, allow sweet potatoes to cool slightly then scoop the flesh out of the peel. Mash sweet potatoes well with a fork or potato masher and let them cool to room temperature.
- Arrange mashed sweet potatoes in a pile, make a well, and add 1 cup of flour. Add salt, pepper, and Parmesan.
- Mix the dough, add remaining flour just a little bit at at time. The dough should be only slightly sticky and easily rolled on a well floured surface. Try not to over work the dough. Overworking the dough results in the formation of gluten strands and makes for tough gnocchi.
- Cover the dough with a large bowl or damp cloth and let it rest for 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour the paper.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into 1/2-inch-thick rope on a floured work surface. Cut each cylinder into ½-inch pieces. Arrange the gnocchi so they are well floured and do not touch each other on the floured baking sheet.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted boiling water to a boil. Gently add a few gnocchi and cook in batches for 1-2 minutes at a time. When the gnocchi float to the surface, they are cooked.
- Use a slotted spoon, to remove the gnocchi. Finally, gently reheat the mushroom sauce for one or two minutes and mix in the gnocchi. Toss to coat.
- Serve hot with chopped fresh parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 815Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 26gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 759mgCarbohydrates: 93gFiber: 8gSugar: 16gProtein: 18g
Nutritional calculation was provided by Nutritionix and is an estimation only. For special diets or medical issues please use your preferred calculator.
I recently tried my hand at making the Creamy Sweet Potato Gnocchi, and it exceeded all expectations! The process of making and shaping the gnocchi was surprisingly straightforward, and the result was a pillow-soft delight. Paired with the luscious mushroom thyme alfredo sauce, it created a comforting and satisfying family dinner that felt both homemade and gourmet. This recipe is definitely a keeper for its ease and the incredibly delicious combination of flavors.
wow, thank you for that in-depth review. So glad you liked this recipe Krysten.
Mushrooms are my favorite vegetable so I love the addition of them here in this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Mushrooms just bring so much extra flavour!
What a great spin on gnocchi. Using sweet potatoes is so clover. Great recipe.
Thank you very much Dee. We love sweet potatoes in this house! It was a natural substitute.
omg, this looks and sounds fabulous! I haven’t made gnocchi in years, and my favorite uses sweet potatoes. I can’t wait to make this!!
It’s so much fun to make. I’m glad I could remind you about gnocchi… it’s such a comforting dish!
I love gnocchi but hadn’t tried sweet potato gnocchi…until now. This was so good, so simple, and seriously so full of flavor! The texture is spot on! Definitely a keeper!
Glad you loved my take on gnocchi. It takes a bit of practice but the texture is very nice!
I loved this dish, it was so good on our cold rainy night.
Oh yes, rainy days are the perfect time for comfort food. Thank you for trying this gnocchi!
Such a great comfort food dish! I am going to use my leftover swet potatoes from Thanksgiving to make this the day after.
Excellent. Happy cooking and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
I have never made gnocchi before, but these look so delicious and the method sounds pretty easy to make too. Thanks for sharing Bernice.
Thank you for stopping by Fouzia, happy cooking!
I have been getting into making my own gnocchi and tried my hand at making it with sweet potatoes but not knowing what to do afterwards. I am glad I found this because it is perfect.
You’re already halfway there! Sweet Potato Gnocchi is soooo good in a creamy mushroom sauce is so good. I’m glad you love it too Sean.
I love the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes in this dish! We made it for dinner this evening, and it turned out great! Everyone loved it, and thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe!
It’s always fun to have help in the kitchen, especially when it comes to making gnocchi. Glad you enjoyed this dish!
Homemade gnocchi is the best. I have never tried making them with sweet potatoes. What a great idea. I am sure this is going to be a hit with the family.
I know they will love it Gloria. Happy cooking!
I love a good gnocchi and you paired it up with mushrooms, so I had to give it a try and it did not disappoint. I love the sweet earthy combinations here, incredible.
Thank you Kristen!! The flavours are quite delicious together…agreed!
I found that this sweet potato gnocchi was very tasty as a side for turkey that I had left over from Thanksgiving.
Great idea! You could even add the turkey into the gnocchi for a one bowl meal!
I made this sweet potato gnocchi with a gluten-free flour blend and it turned out great. My family loved it and I will make it again. Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Oh, that’s good to know. My GF readers will be happy to know it’s an easy substitute. Thank you Colleen.
Funny, this morning I was looking into making gnocchi with my potiron pumpkin, and your recipe is so similar to what I had in mind! Plus, it’s yummy and healthy for the kids! Going to try it out!
Yes, this recipe will work with regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin as long as the puree isn’t too wet.
I love gnocchi!! Bernice what a lovely recipe with sweet potatoes. it totally adds a new dimension! It was so easy to make too! guess who’s making this again tonght?
I’m so glad you liked it Nancy! Our kids always loved making gnocchi and eating it after!
I tried my hand at gnocchi a few years back, but they turned out really dense and not very good at all… so heartbreaking after all the work it took to make them!
Yours look beautifully light and tender, though. I think I might just have to work up the nerve and try your recipe sometime soon. Hopefully I’ll have better luck the second time around!
Yes!! Homemade gnocchi is so much better than store bought Isabelle!
I’ve only made gnocchi once, years ago. I agree with Janice, it’s surprisingly simple. Yours look perfect and sound delicious.
Wow, everything about this sounds absolutely incredible. Pinning now and will definitely try!
I am hosting a smorgasbord style “Italian Night” with 20 friends this week and Gnocchi is on the list of possible things to make. I am definitely going to share your recipe amongst the group – this looks so amazing! Browned butter and sage is always such a nice flavour combination, I imagine it would go perfectly with this.
oh that sounds like so much fun! I hope you make it and let me know how it turns out…have fun!
I’ve only made gnocchi a couple times (squash gnocchi once and ricotta gnocchi another time), and both times, I was amazed at how simple it was. If the recipe is right, it’s really just a matter of mixing and shaping. These look perfect! I am definitely bookmarking this for my next attempt at gnocchi 🙂
thank you Janice. I think the trick is to really be cheap with adding the flour. You want just enough that it holds together, but not enough to make them doughy and heavy.
Seriously I am obsessed with gnocchi right now but haven’t ventured as far as to make them myself! This looks like the perfect recipe to give me a bit of a push in the right direction!
Give it a try…you can also search for the Ricotta Gnocchi (Gnudi) recipe on my blog. They are pretty easy for a beginner gnocchi and still amazing!
Lovely post and beautiful pictures as always. I adore brown butter sauce, actually I adore the inclusion of butter in every sauce I think…..
well yes. butter 🙂
I like the photos and would leave them. Some of the lighting isn’t great but overall they are pretty good! The photos definitely put my first post photos to shame 😉 Great recipe!
haha, these are the ‘fixed version’. I just took the cheesy orange frames off.
I also went through a frame stage and a need to put big artistic titles on my photos stage. Now I like to keep it simple 🙂
Beautiful job Bernice! They look perfect and I am sure they tasted wonderful! I’ve never had sweet potato gnocchi but would love to taste them! The brown butter and sage sauce is the right compliment for those gnocchi.
thank you…I think I need to make them again soon. So simple and tasty!
I love gnocchi, however, I always find the traditional, potato ones too starchy and heavy after I eat them. I’m gonna bookmark this and make it when school is less busy! 😀
I think the keys points are to bake the potatoes, use a potato ricer, and be as cheap with the flour as possible.
Looks great!! Love the colour of the gnocchi, just so vibrant and gorgeous
I’ve sent this one on to my chef husband and fellow Genawchi lover for his attention – would love these!
Sweet. Let me know how it goes….
I have never had sweet potato gnocchi, but given how much I like sweet potato, I think I would love it. Thanks for the idea!
you should! it’s pretty easy and the flavour is really great.Let me know how it goes!