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Air fryer gnocchi is delicious in the air fryer. You can air fry shop bought gnocchi or make your own and then air fry until crispy and piping hot.
Gnocchi in the air fryer is much nicer than pan fried and you will want to buy gnocchi more frequently just to enjoy it this way.
Table of Contents
- Gnocchi Air Fryer
- Air Frying Cauliflower Gnocchi
- Can You Air Fry Gnocchi?
- Can You Fry Gnocchi Without Boiling It?
- How Is Gnocchi Supposed To Be Cooked?
- How Do You Cook Dry Packaged Gnocchi?
- What To Do With Potato Gnocchi?
- Gnocchi Air Fryer Ingredients
- Can You Recommend An Air Fryer?
- How To Cook Gnocchi In Air Fryer?
- How Long To Air Fry Gnocchi?
- Air Fry Frozen Gnocchi
- Listen To Air Fryer Gnocchi
- More Air Fryer Comfort Food You Will Love!
- Air Fryer Gnocchi Recipe
- Can’t make it now? Then save it for later!
Gnocchi Air Fryer
Let me confess right now, that it wasn’t until last year that I had ever tried shop bought gnocchi.
To me gnocchi in the air fryer involved a bowl of leftover mashed potatoes, some egg and flour and plenty of cheese. Then I got to watch the kids as they prepped the gnocchi and then we carefully placed it into the air fryer and waited eagerly for it to be cooked.
That was how we had done air fried gnocchi, so I was quite surprised to see other peoples take on it and that it usually came from the supermarket.
But of course, we have lived in Portugal for many years where buying it shop bought was not a thing.
So last year when Aldi had a special on shop bought Gnocchi in a few different flavours, we were there, buying in bulk and testing it out in the air fryer.
Plus, of course, lots of garlic butter is involved!
Air Frying Cauliflower Gnocchi
If you follow low carb and are avoiding potatoes, you can swap the mashed potatoes for cauliflower just like you would with making a cauliflower pizza crust and other cauliflower led products.
Then simply follow the same time and temp as regular gnocchi.
Can You Air Fry Gnocchi?
Yes, you can air fry gnocchi. Ever since first seeing a video for gnocchi I decided to try it in the air fryer with our potato leftovers instead of making air fryer mashed potato cakes and it has always cooked to perfection.
Can You Fry Gnocchi Without Boiling It?
Yes, you can fry gnocchi without boiling it. I have always made it in the air fryer and then before that pan frying and it has always been perfect. Because it is essentially leftover potatoes it is better for frying (or air frying) rather than boiling.
How Is Gnocchi Supposed To Be Cooked?
Gnocchi is supposed to be pan fried. Or some people also shallow fry it. The way I have always had it served in restaurants was more pan fried and then tossed in some garlic butter with some fresh herbs.
How Do You Cook Dry Packaged Gnocchi?
In the air fryer of course. The gnocchi we used was dry packaged from Aldi and it was very firm so easy to put in the air fryer and cook without fear of it falling apart.
Unlike homemade gnocchi from leftover potatoes which can often be a little mushy if enough flour is not added.
What To Do With Potato Gnocchi?
For potato gnocchi we recommend that you air fry it first (like we are showing you how to do today) and then once it is cooked toss it in some garlic butter.
Otherwise, it will go too mushy in the air fryer if you add the butter first.
Gnocchi Air Fryer Ingredients
Gnocchi – We experimented with two packs of dry packaged gnocchi. Though you can also make ahead your own.
Sauce – Then for the garlic butter sauce we used butter, lemon, garlic cloves, parsley, salt, pepper, basil, and parmesan cheese.
Oil – Then we also used some extra virgin olive oil spray, to help get a crispy texture on the gnocchi and make it more like pan fried.
Can You Recommend An Air Fryer?
I often get asked which air fryers I recommend and which one I use. In 95% of our air fryer recipes, we use either the Philips Air Fryer XL or the Cosori XL because they are the best ones, we have found out of many air fryers we have tried over the years. You can click on the links above and read up on them. But if you would rather have a dual air fryer we recommend this Ninja Dual (make sure you order the right one as not all are good) or the Philips Dual.
How To Cook Gnocchi In Air Fryer?
- Cook. Start by placing gnocchi into the air fryer basket, spreading it out and spraying with olive oil. Air fry for 12 minutes or until golden to your liking.
- Prep. Whilst you wait, add everything else do the air fryer baking pan apart from the parmesan and mix.
- Beeps. When the air fryer beeps put the gnocchi to one side and add the air fryer pan instead. Air fry for 5 minutes at 120c/250f or until the butter is fully melted. Stir in the cheese and then add the gnocchi and the garlic butter to a serving bowl and mix.
- Serve. The air fried gnocchi are now ready to serve with some warm crusty bread.
How Long To Air Fry Gnocchi?
The cook time for air frying gnocchi is 17 minutes. But this is split between 12 minutes for golden gnocchi and 5 minutes for your garlic butter.
So if you just wanted some gnocchi and no garlic, then you can air fry in just 12 minutes.
Air Fry Frozen Gnocchi
If you want to air fry frozen gnocchi you can do this too. Just add 2 more minutes to the cook time at the beginning at 160c/320f to give the gnocchi a head start.
Listen To Air Fryer Gnocchi
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More Air Fryer Comfort Food You Will Love!
- Air Fryer Lasagna
- Air Fryer Cheese Quiche
- Air Fryer Hamburgers
- Air Fryer Meatloaf
- Air Fryer Cheesy Chips
- Air Fryer Pull Apart Bread
- Air Fryer Sausage, Bean & Cheese Melts
This gnocchi in air fryer is an updated post and was originally shared on Recipe This in 2020.
Your air fryer gnocchi recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.
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Air Fryer Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 800 g Dried Packaged Gnocchi
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray
For The Garlic Butter Sauce
- 50 g Fresh Parsley or Basil
- 1 Small Lemon, juice and rind
- 30 g Butter, cut into slices
- 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
- 2 Tsp Dried Basil
- 40 g Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Salt & Pepper
- Cherry Tomatoes, optional
Kitchen Gadgets
Instructions
- Place the gnocchi into the air fryer basket, spread out and spray with olive oil spray. Then air fry for 12 minutes at 180c/360f or until crispy to your liking.
- In the meantime, add everything else but the parmesan to an air fryer friendly container such as a baking pan. Mix with a spatula.
- When the air fryer beeps remove the gnocchi and put a large serving bowl. Then add the garlic butter ingredients in the baking pan into the air fryer basket and cook for 5 minutes at 120c/250f.
- When the air fryer beeps remove the garlic butter and stir in the parmesan and the tomatoes if adding.
- Then pour the garlic butter over the gnocchi and serve.