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Cauliflower Gnocchi

Updated June 10, 2025 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

With just three ingredients, this homemade cauliflower gnocchi recipe is a healthier spin on our favorite comfort food.

cauliflower gnocchi in a bowl with a spoon.

Can’t Find Cauliflower Gnocchi? Make It Yourself!

We know you love Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi. And honestly so do we. But the thing is—why settle for store bought cauliflower gnocchi when homemade is well within reach? Also, they are so often sold out! It’s really nice to be able to pivot and just make DIY cauliflower gnocchi recipe. All the pillowy, lower-carb gnocchi goodness that you’re craving, without worrying about the supply chain. Once you get the hang of this homemade cauliflower gnocchi, *you* are your own supply chain!

cauliflower, flour and salt in bowls on the counter
steamed cauliflower on a kitchen towel
steamed cauliflower, flour and salt in a food processor for cauliflower gnocchi
steamed cauliflower, flour and salt in a food processor for cauliflower gnocchi

3-Ingredient Cauliflower Gnocchi

Yeah, it’s that easy. Three ingredients are all it takes! And not to seem like we’re knocking TJs—because we love that place—but their cauliflower gnocchi has quite a few more than three ingredients. It's a processed food, that’s sort of part of the deal. And hey, there’s a time and a place for everything. But we love to simplify where we can, and making our beloved cauliflower gnocchi from simple, familiar ingredients feels like a good move. All you’ll need to make it is:

  • Cauliflower
  • Flour
  • Salt
raw cauliflower gnocchi dough on the counter
raw cauliflower gnocchi dough on the counter cut into eight pieces
raw cauliflower gnocchi rolled into thin pieces on the counter
raw cauliflower gnocchi on the counter

How To Make Cauliflower Gnocchi From Scratch

It’s really easy to make cauliflower gnocchi from scratch, you just need to be OK with sticky dough. Because this gnocchi dough is super soft. It might feel weird at first because you are sort of shaping it rather than rolling it like a traditional pasta dough. Just push through, and resist the urge to add more flour! If you want tender gnocchi, just power through that stickiness. Trust the process—you can do it! Here’s how to make them:

  1. Steam the cauliflower until it’s fully cooked and almost mushy.
  2. Squeeze all of the water out of the cauliflower using a kitchen towel. And we mean all of it!
  3. Blitz! Give the cauliflower a good pulse in a food processor along with the flour and salt.
  4. Shape the dough! FYI, the dough will be soft. Resist the urge to add more flour. Just accept the stickiness and work with it, and do your best to shape it into a ball. Cut the ball into eight even pieces.
  5. Shape or “roll” each of those eight pieces into a rope.
  6. Cut each dough rope into 1-inch gnocchi.
raw cauliflower gnocchi on the counter
cauliflower gnocchi browned in a sauté pan.

How To Cook Cauliflower Gnocchi

Once you’ve made and shaped the dough, you’ll have to decide how you’d like to cook the gnocchi. You can either:

  • Boil it! This is the classic preparation for traditional gnocchi, and yields pillowy, doughy little dumpling-like balls of carby (less carby, in this case) goodness. We love to use it in easy dishes, like our super quick Spinach Pesto Gnocchi.
  • Sauté it! If you prefer a little more of a textural experience, sauté the gnocchi in a nice hot pan with some oil. We recommend an eight-minute sauté, and if they’re not done at the end of that cooking time, pour in a bit of oil and steam them to finish. Because they have raw flour in them, you really need to be sure they’re cooked through.
cauliflower gnocchi in a salute pan with butter
cauliflower gnocchi in a bowl with parmesan, butter and parsley

Tools You’ll Need:

How To Serve Cauliflower Gnocchi

Because gnocchi is just the best, and cauliflower gnocchi is lower carb, so that means we can eat it more often! Yay and yay. Here are a few delicious ways to serve it:

cauliflower gnocchi in a bowl with parmesan, butter and parsley
cauliflower gnocchi in a bowl with a spoon.

You Can Do It!

You can make your own cauliflower gnocchi! We promise. You’ll have this one down in no time. And when you make it, we’d like to hear all about it! Share a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so that we can see your stuff! Happy eating!

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Cauliflower Gnocchi Recipe

  • Serves:  4
  • Prep Time:  35 min
  • Cook Time:  25 min
  • Calories:  170

Description

With just three ingredients, this homemade cauliflower gnocchi recipe is a healthier spin on our favorite comfort food.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cauliflower florets
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Your favorite pasta sauce, for serving

Method

  1. Fill a large pot fitted with a steamer basket with 2 inches of water. Place the cauliflower in the steaming basket. Bring the water to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and steam the cauliflower until very tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes. Drain.

    cauliflower, flour and salt in bowls on the counter
  2. Transfer the hot cauliflower to a clean kitchen towel and let cool for about 15 minutes, until cool enough to handle. Tightly gather the edges of the towel around the cauliflower and twist to form a bundle. Over the sink, wring out as much moisture as possible. 

    steamed cauliflower on a kitchen towel
  3. Transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add the flour, and salt. Pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a slightly sticky dough, about 20 pulses. 

    steamed cauliflower, flour and salt in a food processor for cauliflower gnocchi
  4. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. With floured hands, gently form the dough into a ball and cut into 8 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll each portion into a ½-inch-thick log (the dough will be quite soft and loose). Cut each log into 1-inch pieces. If desired, gently roll each piece over the tines of a fork to create ridges.

    raw cauliflower gnocchi rolled into thin pieces on the counter
  5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the gnocchi and return to a boil. Cook until the gnocchi float to the surface, about 3 minutes. Drain. 

    raw cauliflower gnocchi on the counter
  6. Divide the gnocchi among 4 bowls and top with sauce. 

    cauliflower gnocchi in a bowl with parmesan, butter and parsley

Notes

For crispy gnocchi, skip the boiling and sauté instead. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and add a generous amount of olive oil or cooking spray. Add the gnocchi in a single layer (working  in batches if needed) and cook, until golden brown and tender. If the gnocchi is not tender enough, add water 2-3 tablespoons at a time and cook, covered, until tender.

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 170
  • Protein 8 g
  • Carbohydrates 36 g
  • Total Fat 1 g
  • Dietary Fiber 7 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • Sodium 216 mg
  • Total Sugars 6 g

Cauliflower Gnocchi

Questions & Reviews

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  • Noah

    Under the How to cook cauliflower gnocchi section, the sauté directions say if gnocchi arent fully cooked after 8 minutes to add a little oil for steaming. Isn't it a splash of water we ought to add for steaming?

    Hi Noah, We think you just mis read it the instructions say water "If the gnocchi is not cooked through, add water (1/4 cup at a time) to the pan and finish them off by steaming them by covering the skillet with a tight fitting lid." Hope you enjoy!

  • Jenn

    This was absolutely delicious! So flavorful and such a fun experience shaping the gnocchi, even got the kids helping!

    That's so great, Jenn!