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This vegan baked gnocchi is the ultimate family meal! Made in one pot in less than 40 minutes, it comes with tender gnocchi, a rich and garlicky tomato sauce, and a homemade cheese topping! Satisfying, hearty, and easy to make!
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Hearty & family-friendly. My restaurant-quality gnocchi recipe is satisfying and packs a lot of flavors. It’s garlicky, herby, and has chunks of tomatoes for extra texture. Everyone will love this baked gnocchi skillet!
- No need to boil the gnocchi. Simply add them to the sauce, pop into the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. The gnocchis come out perfectly chewy and tender!
- Just one pan is required. Except for the cheese sauce, which is done in a blender, the whole gratin is made in one skillet. Meaning it’s easy to make and easy to clean.
🍅 Ingredient Notes
This vegan baked gnocchi recipe requires minimal ingredients that are easy to find. Here is what you will need to prepare the gratin:
- Gnocchi – You can use store-bought or homemade gnocchi. If using store-bought, make sure to check the ingredients, as some brands may contain milk.
- Diced tomatoes – I went with two 14-ounce cans of diced tomatoes, but you can replace them with your favorite tomato sauce (in that case, reduce the seasonings).
- Garlic – Three cloves of garlic for plenty of garlic flavor.
- Onion – Or shallots.
- Italian seasoning – You can find Italian seasoning mix in almost every supermarket. The one I used included dried garlic, dried tomatoes, dried peppers, oregano, basil, paprika, and pepper.
- Fresh basil – Optional, but highly recommended. You will be using basil leaves in the gratin as well as a garnish before serving.
Then, for the cheese sauce, you will need:
- Cashews – Raw cashews make the base of the sauce, bringing creaminess and richness.
- Nutritional yeast – For a cheesy flavor.
- Vinegar – To add tanginess. You can use apple cider vinegar or regular white vinegar.
- Tapioca starch – This helps thicken the sauce slightly during baking. If you don’t have tapioca starch, you can use cornstarch.
- Salt and sugar – To season.
🥣 How to Make It
Prepare the cheesy sauce
Start by making the cheesy sauce that will go on top of the baked gnocchi:
- Drain the soaked cashews and transfer them to a blender.
- Add the water, vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, sugar, and tapioca starch.
- Blend on high speed until smooth. At this point, you can taste the sauce and adjust the saltiness and tanginess to your liking.
Prepare the filling
Now that the sauce is ready let’s prepare the gnocchi!
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, seasonings, and gnocchi. Pour in the diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt, sugar, and pepper. Next, add the uncooked gnocchi and stir to combine.
- Cover and bake. Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes.
Finally, remove the foil and pour the cashew cheese sauce on top of the baked gnocchi. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
Top with fresh basil leaves, and serve!
🥖 What to Serve It With
You can serve this gnocchi skillet as is or with this kale & carrot salad on the side. It’s also delicious served with air fryer garlic bread or caramelized zucchini!
📔 Tips
- Blend half of the diced tomatoes. For more saucy consistency, I recommend blending one of the cans of diced tomatoes or using one can of diced tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce.
- Use vegan grated cheese. If you want to save time or want to make this recipe nut-free, you can skip the cashew sauce and use store-bought grated vegan cheese.
- Garnish with fresh basil. Right before serving, top your gratin with chopped fresh basil for more flavor!
- To reheat leftovers: Cover the skillet with foil and reheat for 15-20 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven.
💬 FAQ
You can keep this baked gnocchi dish for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
This dish is best served fresh. Freezing will alter the texture of both the gnocchi and the sauce.
I recommend using about 3.5 cups of tomato sauce.
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Vegan Baked Gnocchi
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce
- 1/3 cup raw cashews soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch
- 1 and 1/2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Baked Gnocchi
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 pound uncooked gnocchi
- 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh basil
Instructions
Cheese Sauce
- Drain the soaked cashews and transfer them to a blender. Add the water, vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt, and sugar. Blend on high speed until smooth. At this point, you can taste the sauce and adjust the saltiness and tanginess to your liking.
- Add the tapioca starch and blend for a few more seconds. Set the sauce aside.
Baked Gnocchi
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C). - Sauté the aromatics. Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced onion, garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Blend one can of tomatoes. Add one can of the diced tomatoes to a blender and blend until smooth. This step will result in a slightly less chunky sauce.
- Add the tomatoes, seasonings, and gnocchi. To the skillet containing the onions and garlic, add the blended tomatoes as well as the other can of diced tomatoes. Next, add the Italian seasoning, sugar, pepper, and salt.Add the uncooked gnocchi and fresh basil leaves, and stir to combine.
- Cover and bake. Cover the skillet with aluminum foil and bake for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and pour the cashew cheese sauce over the baked gnocchi. Place under the broiler for 3-5 minutes or until the sauce is set and slightly golden brown.
- Serve. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes before serving with a green salad on the side.
Notes
- Blend half of the diced tomatoes. For more saucy consistency, I recommend blending one of the cans of diced tomatoes or using one can of diced tomatoes and one can of tomato sauce.
- Use vegan grated cheese. If you want to save time or want to make this recipe nut-free, you can skip the cashew sauce and use store-bought grated vegan cheese.
- Garnish with fresh basil. Right before serving, top your gratin with chopped fresh basil for more flavor!
- To reheat leftovers: Cover the skillet with foil and reheat for 15-20 minutes in a 350°F (175°C) preheated oven.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
This was da bomb! Made this for friends and everyone asked for the recipe! Thanks for the amazing recipe!
So glad you and your friends liked it Liz! Thanks for your feedback 🙂
Cant wait to make this soon for me i love gnocchi sooooooooo much i never had vegan baked gnocchi before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
This will be weekend recipe for my family. Thank you for sharing.