Bring a taste of Italy to your kitchen with this low-carb ricotta gnocchi. Serve hot from the pan with your favorite keto sauce or simply a drizzle of cream and fresh herbs. I love mine with olive oil, a touch of minced garlic, and lemon zest. Delicious!
Table of Contents
Keto ricotta gnocchi brings the taste of Italy to the kitchen in a delicious and guilt-free way! Our ricotta gnocchi is packed full of scrumptious ingredients such as parmesan, egg, and olive oil, which together create the perfect gnocchi to be paired with a keto sauce or enjoyed with a simple topping of cream, herbs, and a spritz of lemon zest and juice.
Our gnocchi can be made from start to finish in under an hour, which is ideal for busy evenings when you want something nutritious and satisfying but don’t have an abundance of time to spend in the kitchen. Making our keto ricotta gnocchi is fun and easy, so the whole family can get involved, rolling out the dough and making the individual pieces of gnocchi.
An ideal keto replacement for traditional gnocchi, this version combines versatile ingredients that together form a smooth dough, able to be rolled out and shaped. Xanthan gum is the magic element that helps the gnocchi hold its shape so it doesn’t lose form during the freezing or cooking process.
Ingredients
- Almond Flour: Gluten-free and delicately flavored, almond flour is a great ingredient for thickening the gnocchi mixture and helping form a dough consistency. Almond flour also does a great job at absorbing flavor, taking on the tangy notes from the ricotta, the complex flavors of parmesan, and the fruitiness of olive oil.
- Ricotta Cheese: Ricotta is a star ingredient in the gnocchi, providing a lusciously light texture and tangy flavor that helps keep the dish fresh and moreish. Ricotta cheese also ensures a melt-in-the-mouth final texture when the gnocchi is cooked and united with a flavorful sauce or simple blend of herbs and extra virgin olive oil.
- Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese has an undeniable tang that matches well with the zingy ricotta. Egg, olive oil, and coconut flour are all rather heavy ingredients, but when mixed with ricotta and parmesan, the mixture transforms into a sandy-colored dough with balanced flavor and sweetness.
- Egg: A single egg has the power to combine the gnocchi ingredients together, helping form a smooth but sturdy dough that’s able to hold its shape well. The vibrant orange yolk of an egg also brings color to the mixture, deepening the shade into an inviting golden hue.
- Olive Oil: Frying the gnocchi in a heated pan with olive oil allows each piece to gain a light golden crust, encasing a pillowy-soft, cheesy interior. The natural fruitiness of olive oil is a tasty match with the saltiness of the ricotta and parmesan, bringing balance and depth of flavor.
- Coconut Flour: In addition to almond flour, coconut flour is also a key ingredient in helping form the shape of the gnocchi. As only a small amount of coconut flour is needed, the flavor isn’t very noticeable up against the bolder notes of the cheeses, but it’s an important addition to achieve a well-formed gnocchi shape.
- Xanthan Gum: Xanthan gum is a fantastic thickener, perfect for soups and homemade condiments, as well as our keto ricotta gnocchi recipe! It doesn’t have a noticeable taste, but without it, the gnocchi may fall apart easily from the use of almond and coconut flour.
- Sea Salt: Seasoning dishes is personal, so add sea salt to your preference, remembering the gnocchi will likely be paired with some sort of sauce, which may also contain salt. Adding a dash of salt to the gnocchi dough enhances the flavors within, bringing a delicious savory edge.
How To Make Keto Ricotta Gnocchi
Our keto ricotta gnocchi recipe takes less than an hour to prepare, cook, and serve, making it the perfect, quick go-to dish. Although the gnocchi pairs well with a luscious homemade keto sauce, it can also be enjoyed simply with a drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil, a spritz of fresh lemon juice, a grating of lemon zest, and a sprinkling of herbs.
Step one: Combine the almond flour, coconut flour, and xanthan gum in a large bowl and set to one side.
Step two: In another bowl, mix the ricotta and parmesan cheese together. Once combined, add the cheese mixture to the flour and xanthan gum and mix well.
Step three: Add the egg into the bowl and season well with salt before kneading the mixture into a sticky dough and shaping it into a ball.
Step four: Wrap the gnocchi dough ball in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour.
Step five: Divide the dough into 1-inch pieces, pressing down on a baking sheet to flatten them. Optionally, use a fork to carve lines, which will be more noticeable once each piece of gnocchi has been fried in olive oil. Allow the gnocchi to firm up in the freezer for 15 minutes before cooking.
Step six: In a non-stick pan, heat the olive oil and fry the gnocchi for 4-6 minutes until each piece is slightly golden.
Step seven: Serve the gnocchi immediately with your favorite low-carb sauce.
Tips and Variations
Keto Ricotta Gnocchi With Chili: Nothing brings fiery heat to the table like chili, and a sprinkling of dried chili flakes is ideal for adding a hint of warmth to the otherwise creamy and subtly flavored gnocchi. For a boost of heat, add some dried chili flakes to the gnocchi dough mixture and enjoy the flecks of scarlet, bursting with fragrant spice.
Keto Ricotta With Garlic And Lemon: A little dried garlic powder added to the gnocchi brings a background heat of sweet garlic that works wonders with the other savory ingredients, such as olive oil, ricotta, and parmesan. Once cooked, grating lemon zest over the gnocchi makes for a delicious garlic and lemon combination that’s fresh and vibrant.
Keto Ricotta Gnocchi With Mozzarella: Ricotta and parmesan bring a tasty cheesy hit to the gnocchi, but for cheese lovers, there’s always room to add some mozzarella! Adding shredded mozzarella over the gnocchi as it cooks results in a stringy, cheesy topping that adds another layer of indulgence to the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ricotta Gnocchi Contain Carbs?
Our keto ricotta gnocchi recipe contains 4.2g of net carbohydrates per serving, and since it doesn’t contain any gluten, it’s suitable for those following a keto or gluten-free diet. Serving the gnocchi with a low-carb sauce will keep overall carbs down, so avoid any carb-heavy ingredients, and the dish should remain keto-friendly.
Why Are My Ricotta Gnocchi Mushy?
Ricotta gnocchi can become mushy when it’s boiled instead of fried. Adding the gnocchi to boiling water is a popular way of cooking traditional potato-based gnocchi, but for our ricotta alternative, it’s best to stick to frying the gnocchi in a hot pan with olive oil.
Can You Bake Gnocchi Instead Of Frying?
Baking or roasting gnocchi is possible, but it likely won’t result in the crunchy outside and fluffy inside that frying the gnocchi on the stove provides. Baking may also dry out the gnocchi, resulting in pieces cracking and potentially falling apart.
📖 Recipe
Ricotta Gnocchi Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup Almond Flour
- ½ cup Ricotta Cheese
- ⅔ cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- 1 Egg lightly beaten
- 4 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 tablespoon Coconut Flour
- 2 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- Sea Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond flour with the coconut flour and xanthan gum.
- In another bowl, combine the ricotta and parmesan cheese. Add the cheese mixture to the flour mixture and mix well. Add the egg and season with salt. Knead it into a sticky dough and shape it into a ball.
- Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Divide the dough into 1-inch pieces and press down on a baking sheet, to flatten them. Optionally, use a fork to carve lines.
- Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick pan and fry the gnocchi for 4-6 minutes until slightly golden and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information for the recipe is calculated based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe we provide. Erythritol and other sugar-free sweetener carbs are not included in the carb counts. Net carbohydrates are the total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber.
Copyright
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