Instead of your typical russets, these purple sweet potato gnocchi get their fabulous color and exotic taste from a purple sweet potato (ube). They’re soft and pillowy, with just little bit of sweetness. Pan fried until crispy and tossed with a quick and flavorful cilantro mint chutney. Homemade gnocchi may seem difficult to make, especially when one of the ingredients looks like it came from another planet, but it’s actually really simple and straightforward to make!

I will always we amazed by the purple sweet potato. I really should have taken a picture of the raw ingredients here, because it honestly looks fake. There were several times throughout this process where I had to remind myself I was cooking not playing with play dough.

Not only is it beautiful, the potato adds such an interesting flavor to these purple sweet potato gnocchi. It’s a little sweet, I’ve heard it described as almost wine-like. This rich flavor goes great with a light herb sauce, such as a cilantro mint chutney.

A common problem when making gnocchi is working with potatoes that are too moist and require a lot of flour to come together. This results in dense, chewy gnocchi, instead of that soft and pillowy texture were going for.

What’s great about these purple sweet potatos is that they are extremely dry. Especially when baked in the oven or microwaved, you will be surprised how little flour is required to form a dough. The key is to mash the potato really well before you add the flour. If there are any clumps left in the mixture you will have a hard time rolling it out and they may fall apart while cooking.

Want more pasta recipes? Try these:

• Vegan Gnocchi with Sunflower Kale Pesto and Crispy Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy Vegan Lemon Artichoke Pasta
• Vegan Stuffed Shells with Sunflower Pesto

Made this recipe? Tag wandering_chickpea on Instagram!

Purple Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Cilantro Mint Chutney

Recipe by Elaine SkiadasCourse: Main, DinnerCuisine: VeganDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Instead of your typical russets, these purple sweet potato gnocchi get their fabulous color and exotic taste from a purple sweet potato (ube). They’re soft and pillowy, with just little bit of sweetness. Pan fried until crispy and tossed with a quick and flavorful cilantro mint chutney.

Ingredients

• For the cilantro mint chutney

• 1 cup fresh mint

• 2 cups fresh cilantro, stems removed

• Juice from 1 lime

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp canned coconut milk (optional)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• For the gnocchi

• 1 3/4 cup cooked purple sweet potato**

• 1/4 – 1/2 cup flour**

• 1 tsp salt

• Oil for pan frying

Directions

• For the cilantro mint chutney
• In the bowl of a food processor or high speed blender, combine mint, cilantro, lime juice, oil, coconut milk (if using) and salt.
• Blend until smooth and well combined. Taste for salt and add more as needed.
• For the gnocchi
• In a large mixing bowl, use a fork to mash the purple sweet potato until smooth and creamy. It’s important that there are no clumps left or the gnocchi won’t stay together.
• Add salt and two tbsp of flour to start out. Knead the dough until no longer sticky, adding more flour as needed. Your dough will need more or less flour depending on the potato’s moisture, but try to add as little as possible for light and fluffy gnocchi.
• Roll the dough into several ropes and use a sharp knife or bench scraper to cut into 1 inch pieces.
• To cook the gnocchi, heat a non stick skillet over medium low heat and add about 2-3 tbsp of oil, enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan. add in gnocchi and fry undisturbed for 3-4 minutes or until crispy on one side. Flip the gnocchi and repeat for the other side. (see below for tips)**
• Serve the gnocchi warm tossed with cilantro mint chutney.

Notes

• *There are many ways you can cook the sweet potato, such as in the oven, instant pot or microwave. These instructions are for orange sweet potatoes, but the same method applies for the purple ones.
• *Depending on what cooking method you used to cook the potato, the dough will require more or less flour. I’ve found that baking or microwaving can require as little as 2 tbsp, while the instant pot method can require up to a 1/2 cup to come together.
• *When frying your gnocchi, it’s important that the pan doesn’t get too hot or the gnocchi will burn before the inside can cook fully. Aim for a medium low heat.