3 Super-Simple Ways to Cook Cauliflower Gnocchi

Since cauliflower gnocchi hit the shelves of Trader Joe’s nearly 3 years ago, it has become a freezer staple. Compared to the traditional potato gnocchi, the cauliflower version is lower in carbs and higher in fiber. And, because it’s also gluten-free and dairy-free, it’s compliant with certain diets, like Whole30. The real question is not whether or not you should keep a bag on hand, but rather, what’s the best way to cook cauliflower gnocchi?

There are myriad cauliflower gnocchi recipes out there, but really only a handful of ways to cook cauliflower gnocchi: Pan-fry them, roast them, or air fry them. Thankfully, they’re all super-simple. In fact, for all three, you can (and should!) cook straight from frozen to get the best (non-mushy) results.

Let’s take a look.

Photo Credit: Laura Lee Balanced

1. Pan-fry cauliflower gnocchi on the stovetop.

This method basically involves emptying your bag of frozen gnocchi directly into a hot skillet with your favorite oil. We recommend olive oil or avocado oil, but you could also use coconut oil or ghee. Make sure your skillet is hot, but not smoking (medium-high). And resist the urge to turn your gnocchi until they’ve had time to get crispy and golden brown on one side. And that’s it. You can dress these up with any variety of sauces, but we love to keep it simple with some olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes.

This method is fast, easy, and results in crispy outsides and tender insides.

3 Recipes to Try

• Cauliflower Gnocchi with Green Bean Pesto from Laura Lee Balanced
• Pan Fried Aglio E Olio Cauliflower Gnocchi from I am a Food Blog
• Grilled Salmon with Cauliflower Gnocchi Puttanesca from Food Life Love by Rachel

Photo Credit: Cooking for Keeps

2. Roast cauliflower gnocchi in the oven.

The genius of roasting cauliflower gnocchi in the oven is that it cooks at the same time as the rest of your dinner. Just toss the gnocchi with olive oil and salt and pepper along with a bunch of veggies or sausage or really whatever you’re feeling (or you have in the fridge).

This method is not quite as fast as pan-frying and doesn’t get quite as crispy outsides, but it’s totally hands-off and you only have one sheet pan to clean at the end of the day.

3 Recipes to Try

• Baked Cauliflower Gnocchi with Pesto from Cooking for Keeps
• Sheet Pan Cauliflower Gnocchi with Roasted Veggies from The Cutting Veg
• Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Roasted Vegetables from How Sweet Eats

Photo Credit: Life Made Sweeter

3. Air fry cauliflower gnocchi.

If you recently jumped on the air fryer bandwagon, we say: Why not? When you cook cauliflower gnocchi in your air fryer (basically just they end up kind of like tater tots. They’re a bit dryer on the inside than other methods, but you can’t beat the simplicity of just air frying your gnocchi for about 10 minutes, straight from frozen. You could dress them up, but we prefer to just eat them by hand with your favorite dipping sauce.

Get a recipe: Air Fryer Cauliflower Gnocchi from Life Made Sweeter