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    Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    Published: Sep 6, 2018 · Modified: Jul 13, 2020 by Sina · This post may contain affiliate links · 45 Comments

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    Creamy Vegan Gnocchi

    These vegan gnocchi with a creamy cashew sauce, spinach, and tomatoes are the perfect weeknight meal. It’s super easy to make and incredibly comforting! And it’s ready in only 15 minutes!

    Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    These vegan gnocchi with spinach is one of these dishes. I’ve made it so many times and it’s always a winner. It’s one of my favorite comfort food meals!

    What You Need For These Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    • store-bought gnocchi
    • spinach
    • tomatoes
    • garlic
    • cashews (unsalted and not roasted)
    • nutritional yeast
    • miso
    • mustard
    • tapioca starch
    • unsweetened almond milk
    • salt and pepper

    As always, you can find a detailed ingredient list and recipe instructions at the end of this post in a separate recipe box.

    tomatoes, spinach, cashews, nutritional yeast, mustard, garlic, and tapioca starch in small bowls on a marble counter top

    Vegan Gnocchi Sauce:

    For my vegan gnocchi I used a sauce made of cashews and nutritional yeast. If you haven’t tried using cashews as a base for vegan cream and cheese sauces, you should really give this a try! They turn out super creamy and rich!

    I also added quite a bit of nutritional yeast. It’s not only packed with vitamins, but also adds a cheesy taste to my sauce. The perfect combination!

    You need only six ingredients for the vegan gnocchi sauce:

    1. cashews
    2. nutritional yeast
    3. white or yellow miso paste
    4. Dijon mustard
    5. tapioca starch
    6. garlic

    Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    How to Make These Vegan Gnocchi

    The preparation of these vegan gnocchi with a creamy spinach sauce couldn’t be much easier! It’s ready in only 15 minutes, which makes it perfect for busy weeknight dinners!

    All you have to do is follow these three easy steps:

    FIRST STEP:

    Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the package. Place the spinach in a colander and drain the gnocchi over it (this is an easy trick to wilt fresh spinach).

    SECOND STEP:

    Make the sauce: place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth.

    cashews, nutritional yeast, garlic, tapioca starch, and miso paste in a blender before blending

    milk is being added to the rest of the ingredients for the vegan gnocchi sauce before blending

    vegan gnocchi sauce in a blender after blending

    THIRD STEP:

    Pour the sauce into a large pot and heat until it thickens up.

    vegan gnocchi sauce with cashews in a pot with a wooden spoon and fresh spinach in the background

    Add the gnocchi, the spinach, and the diced tomatoes. Cook for another minute.

    Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    Vegan Gnocchi – Recipe Notes:

    • You will need a good blender to make the vegan gnocchi sauce. Otherwise it won’t get as creamy.
    • If you don’t have a high speed blender, soaking the cashews over night helps a lot. Otherwise you don’t have to worry about soaking them. I use a vitamix and I never soak my cashews for vegan cheese sauces.
    • If you have problems finding the tapioca starch, you could also make the recipe without it. However, then you have to use less almond milk because the tapioca starch serves as a thickener. It will also make the sauce stretchy, kind of like a cheese sauce.

    Vegan Gnocchi – Variations:

    • The vegan gnocchi are also great with other vegetables. I also have a version with broccoli and mushrooms on my blog.
    • If you have got a bit more time, you could also make your own vegan gnocchi from scratch. However, for a quick weeknight dinner I’m totally okay with store-bought gnocchi.

    More Easy Vegan Weeknight Meals You Might Like:

    • Vegan One Pot Pasta 
    • Baked Gnocchi 
    • Vegan Chickpea Curry 
    • Broccoli Pesto with Pasta
    • Cauliflower Bolognese Sauce 
    • One Pot Vegetable Rice 

    I LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!

    I hope you like this vegan gnocchi recipe as much as we do around here.

    If you give it a try, I’d love to know what you think about them. Just leave me a comment and a star rating below. Your comments really make my day!

    You like my recipes and want to see more? Then follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest! 

    Sina – xx

    Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    Vegan Gnocchi with Spinach and Tomatoes

    These vegan gnocchi with a creamy cashew sauce, spinach, and tomatoes is the perfect weeknight meal. It's super easy to make and incredibly comforting! It's ready in only 15 minutes!
    4.76 from 57 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entrée
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time: 5 minutes mins
    Total Time: 15 minutes mins
    Servings: 3 people
    Calories: 545kcal
    Author: Sina

    Ingredients

    For the gnocchi:

    • 1 17.6 OZ (500 g) package store-bought gnocchi make sure to choose a vegan brand
    • 4 handful fresh spinach
    • 2 tomatoes, diced

    For the sauce:

    • 1/2 cup cashews (unsalted and not roasted)
    • 2 large cloves of garlic
    • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
    • 2 teaspoons white miso paste
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
    • 1 teaspoon tapioca starch
    • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
    • black pepper

    Instructions

    • Prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the package. Place the spinach in a colander and drain the gnocchi over it (this is an easy trick to wilt fresh spinach).
    • Make the sauce: place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process until smooth.
    • Pour the sauce into a large pot and heat until it thickens up. Add the gnocchi, the spinach, and the diced tomatoes. Cook for another minute.

    Notes

    • You will need a good blender to make the vegan gnocchi sauce. Otherwise it won't get as creamy. 
    • If you don't have a high speed blender, soaking the cashews over night helps a lot. Otherwise you don't have to worry about soaking them. I use a vitamix and I never soak my cashews for vegan cheese sauces.
    • If you have problems finding the tapioca starch, you could also make the recipe without it. However, then you have to use less almond milk because the tapioca starch serves as a thickener. It will also make the sauce stretchy, kind of like a cheese sauce. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 545kcal | Carbohydrates: 84g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 2250IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 240mg | Iron: 5.6mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @_veganheaven_ or tag #veganheaven!
    Rate the recipe!If you like this recipe, please leave a good rating! This will help other readers.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Melanie

      December 16, 2018 at 2:50 am

      5 stars
      Delicious! I never boil gnocchi like the package suggests though. Don’t like the texture. I like to pan fry in a very small amount of olive oil. Gives the gnocchi a crispy outside and perfectly cooked inside.

      Reply
    2. Louise

      November 16, 2018 at 9:27 am

      5 stars
      Hi Sina, if I use Gf flour will this also be a gluten free dish?

      Reply
      • Sina

        November 16, 2018 at 6:02 pm

        Hi Louise,

        Unfortunately, there is gluten in most store-bought gnocchi brands. If you make sure to buy a gluten-free version, it’s pretty easy to make this recipe gluten-free. :-)

        Reply
    3. Kim Lutz

      October 29, 2018 at 10:49 pm

      5 stars
      Made this for dinner tonight. It was spectacular!! Even my husband loved it. I used 1 cup of cashews and a cup and half to the blender. I didn’t add any almond milk. All other ingredients we’re the same. I would definitely serve this to company and not tell them it was vegan. They will think it is a rich cream sauce!!

      Reply
    4. Karen

      October 19, 2018 at 12:57 pm

      5 stars
      This came out great. My husband even enjoyed it. I didn’t have the miso paste or the tapioca starch I kept to all other measurements it came out as a great cream sauce. This makes it so easy for me to cook a more vegan plant based way! Thank you!

      Reply
    5. Kendall

      October 02, 2018 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      This would’ve been so delicious if I hadn’t mistakenly used vanilla almond milk. 🤦🏻‍♀️

      Reply
    6. Jessica

      September 30, 2018 at 5:05 am

      5 stars
      This was amazing. Subbed cornstarch for tapioca starch but otherwise was true to the recipe. Boyfriend who isn’t so much into cooking actually asked for the recipe. Served it with fresh green salad and baguette for dipping up that glorious sauce. Wow!! So good. This one goes in the favorites folder. Will make again! Soon!

      Reply
    7. Anna

      June 16, 2018 at 8:16 pm

      5 stars
      Such great and quick recipe. Thanks for sharing it!

      Reply
    8. Sharon

      June 16, 2018 at 11:25 am

      5 stars
      Awesome sauce we had it tonight I added sone mushrooms beautiful. The only down side my gnocchi was a little bland it was store bought.
      Thanks so much for sharing such an easy but extremely tasty sauce.

      Reply
    9. Tina

      June 03, 2018 at 5:13 pm

      5 stars
      Wow! The sauce is just amazing! I made it with pasta and it was delicious! Thanks

      Reply
    10. Raven M

      May 16, 2018 at 10:41 pm

      I just made this and oh my goodness it is delicious! It will definitely be a staple in my house from now on!

      Reply
    11. Dee

      April 23, 2018 at 12:00 am

      This was quick and easy. I soaked the cashews in hot water for about 30 mins before blending as a shortcut. My daughter thought the gnocchi was chewy but otherwise we all enjoyed.

      Reply
    12. Nikki

      April 02, 2018 at 6:06 am

      So creamy and delicious! This is my new favorite base Alfredo style cashew cream sauce! Made this for a vegan alternative to the pasta con broccoli my grandma was making for Easter dinner today. I doubled the recipe, made homemade gnocchi (if you do this block off like half a day, seriously) but only used 1 tomato and added 1/2 yellow onion diced, 1/2 yellow & 1/2 red bell peppers diced, and about 1/3 cup each diced cremini & shitake mushrooms that I sauteed first in olive oil with 1/4 tsp~ salt. Sadly we had sleet and snow in St Louis tonight and it was too far to drive with the baby so I didn’t get to share this wonderful recipe with my omnivore people, but now I have so many yummy leftovers ALL FOR ME!

      Reply
    13. Courtney

      January 31, 2018 at 1:55 am

      Wow!! This was delicious! I dabble in vegan cooking for my husband’s health issues. I decided to give this a try and am I ever glad I did. This is going to be a staple in iur house and I can see using this over pasta with basil and cherry tomatoes as well as many other variations. Its a fantastic base sauce! Great recipe Sina, you absolutely nailed it!

      Reply
    14. Courtney

      January 31, 2018 at 1:54 am

      Wow!! This was delicious! I dabble in vegan cooking for my husband’s health issues. I decided to give this a try and am I ever glad I did. Thisis goimg to be a staple in iur house and I can see usimg this over pasta with basil and cherry tomatoes as well as many other variations. Its a fantastic base sauce! Great recipe Sina, you absolutely nailed it!

      Reply
    15. KMfunday

      January 30, 2018 at 4:00 am

      This was delicious! We added asian green beans and some lemon juice to it. Try not to add the tomatoes until the green beans are cooked [: Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
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    Sina-Veganheaven

    Hi, I'm Sina and this is my recipe blog where I share heavenly simple and sinfully delicious vegan recipes.

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