Vegan Gnocchi Colored Black with Charcoal - No Squid Ink!

Cat and cauldron shaped black vegan gnocchi baked in a tomato sauce in a green casserole dish in a Halloween setting.

5 from 16 votes

Vegan Gnocchi Colored Black with Charcoal - No Squid Ink!

This recipe elevates potatoes to a frighteningly good Halloween scare. Don’t be nervous if you haven’t made gnocchi before - it’s an easy and forgiving process. Gnocchi is traditionally made with semolina flour and potatoes.

I’m using a gluten-free baking blend in place of the wheat, which makes these little dumplings gluten-free, but you can use wheat flour, oat flour, or whatever you have on hand.

I colored the ones pictured black by substituting 2 tablespoons of food-grade charcoal for that amount of flour but you could make purple by using purple potatoes, adding a few drops of food coloring, or going with white.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: black gnocchi, gluten-free gnocchi, vegan gnocchi

Servings: servings

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Kathy Hester

Equipment

rectangle casserole dish
potato masher or potato ricer
Halloween cookie cutters or other cookie cutters

Ingredients

2 large russet Idaho® potatoes or try purple Idaho® potatoes for a fun color!
1½ cups gluten-free baking blend wheat flour, or oat flour, divided
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons food-grade charcoal optional
Tomato pasta sauce jarred or homemade

Instructions

Peel the potatoes and cut them into small chunks. Boil until tender, and drain well in a colander.
Transfer to a large mixing bowl and mash well.
Add in ½ cup of flour and salt. Mix well with your hands, adding the other 1 cup of flour a ½ cup at a time.
Flour a large cutting board and turn out half the dough. Pat flat, about ⅓˝ thick.
Cut out festive and spooky shapes with small cookies cutters. Repeat until all dough is used.
Spread a thick layer of tomato pasta sauce in a large casserole dish, place gnocchi on top, then add a sprinkle of vegan cheese if you want.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until the sauce starts to bubble.

Notes

Note: the nutritionals are for the gnocchi only.

Nutrition