Sweet Potato Gnocchi in Maple Butter Sauce

This dish is pure comfort food. I adore it—it’s one of my all-time favorites and something I could eat every day. The gnocchi is tender with a gentle earthiness from the sweet potato, while the maple-butter sauce is rich and savory with a delicate hint of garlic and maple. The combination is simply irresistible.

Homemade gnocchi is surprisingly easy to make. Unlike traditional pasta, it requires minimal kneading and no special machines—just roll the dough into tubes and cut. Fresh gnocchi cooked right after shaping has a texture and flavor that store-bought versions can’t match. When you make the dough, cut the pieces, boil them, and have them on the table within ten minutes, the result is incomparable.

If you’ve tried potato gnocchi but not sweet potato, give this a go. Sweet potato adds an earthy, mildly sweet note and a slightly denser texture that I find delightful. The flavor is balanced, not overly sweet—this isn’t a dessert-style dish—so the maple in the sauce only enhances the savory profile.

If making gnocchi at home seems intimidating, it’s simpler than it looks. Here’s the basic process:

1. Cook the sweet potato (I microwave mine for convenience).
2. Let it cool slightly so it won’t cook the egg.
3. In a large bowl combine the sweet potato, egg, ricotta, and flour.
4. Mix until a loose dough forms—this takes only a couple of minutes.
5. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead briefly until it comes together.
6. Divide the dough into 3–4 portions and roll each into a long tube.
7. Cut into small gnocchi pieces.
8. Boil in well-salted water; they’re done when they float (under five minutes).
9. Toss the gnocchi into the sauce to finish and sear for added texture and flavor.

It’s fast, unfussy, and the results are well worth the small extra effort.

The maple-butter sauce is key. It’s made with butter, olive oil, fresh thyme, garlic, and a touch of maple syrup. The butter and olive oil create a rich base, thyme adds herbal brightness, garlic brings depth, and a drizzle of maple at the end adds a subtle layer of sweetness that perfectly complements the sweet potato gnocchi. After boiling, the gnocchi go straight into the hot sauce to sear on one side—this gives a golden crust that adds flavor and texture. Finish by stirring in the maple syrup for just a few seconds to meld everything together.

This is not a cloyingly sweet sweet-potato casserole. The gnocchi and sauce remain savory, with balanced layers of flavor that surprise and delight the palate.

It’s glorious.

On a personal note: we recently started sleep training our little one and, aside from a few mid-nap wake-ups, it’s gone very well. The extra rest has made a big difference in our daily life, and we’ve even put up Christmas decorations and a tree—so there’s plenty to celebrate with bowls of gnocchi!

Watch how to make this Sweet Potato Gnocchi here!

This recipe is 10 smart points per serving!

If you make this or any of my recipes, tag your photos with #thegarlicdiaries on Instagram!

In the mood for more sweet potato recipes? Try the Chipotle Sweet Potato and Chickpea Burgers, Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus, or Brown Butter Sage Roasted Sweet Potatoes.