A healthy, low carb gnocchi inspired by the popular store bought brand, these copycat Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi are light and deliciously homemade while staying paleo, gluten free and vegan.
I’m currently coming down from my holiday food high.
After Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years’ I’m in that food stage where I want to continue to eat all things carbs and cheese but at the same time the little voice in my head is telling me to calm it down and eat a carrot stick (she’s no fun sometimes).
These cauliflower gnocchi are like little pillows of deliciousness that make me feel like I’m eating a big yummy bowl of carbs but in reality they’re satisfyingly healthy.
I’ve been hearing all sorts of buzz about the Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi: how they were sold out because of how good they were, how they taste just like potato gnocchi, how they’re low carb and gluten free…so finally, being the gnocchi connoisseur I am, I decided to give it a whirl to make my own because if Joe can do it so can I.
CAUTION!!!
You may become a tinyyyy bit obsessed with this copycat Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi recipe after you realize how good they are. (Now I know why ya’ll are going nuts for them!)
I’ll admit I was a little worried because I know sometimes the healthy version of things taste NOTHING like the original… (AKA turkey bacon; don’t even get me started) but I was pleasantly surprised that not only do these cauliflower gnocchi look just like potato gnocchi, but IF cooked the right way, they’re a pretty awesome substitute.
I made mine with this amazing pomodoro sauce recipe and HOLY COW they were good.
That being said, after numerous fails in the kitchen (I’m pretty sure I was dreaming about gnocchi), I was disappointed by the horrible gummy texture they were when I boiled them in water.
Devastated, I did some investigating, and realized it was nothing to do with my recipe, rather how I was cooking the gnocchi. I read a lot of complaints about the Trader’ Joes brand too, claiming the same issues (phewww it wasn’t just me!)
Shout out to Iowa Girl Eats for teaching me how to perfectly cook the cauliflower gnocchi so they are not a gross texture!
Long story short (kind of), to cook these cauliflower gnocchi, I HIGHLY recommend sautéing them with olive oil instead of steaming/ boiling them.
This gives them a MUCH better texture (the kind that makes you eat gnocchi 3 nights in a row). Something to do with the cassava and tapioca flours turns them gummy when cooked in water…YUCK.
Original Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi ingredients are:
- Cauliflower
- Cassava Flour
- Potato Starch
- Olive Oil
- Salt
For Copycat Trader Joe's Cauliflower Gnocchi you will need:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- Tapioca Flour/Starch
- Potato starch
- Olive Oil
- Salt
To make cauliflower gnocchi from scratch:
- Steam cauliflower florets in microwave steamer until fork tender.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a cheese cloth over a big bowl. If you don't have a cheese cloth, you can use a clean dish towel, however, I prefer the cheese cloth because it's much easier.
- Squeeze out as much water as possible and then add to your food processor. DO NOT skip this step. It may seem tedious, but coming from someone who has skipped this step, you'll end up with a bowl full of mush.
- After processing the cauliflower into rice, add it to a big bowl. Add tapioca flour, potato starch, salt and oil and stir with a wooden spoon until combined and a ball starts to form.
- Take about 1 tsp of the dough and roll it with your hands to create the gnocchi shapes.
For some awesome cauliflower gnocchi recipes check out Pure Wow's post of 18 recipes you can make with cauliflower gnocchi!
How to cook the perfect cauliflower gnocchi:
- Heat olive oil in large saute pan. Add cauliflower gnocchi and saute until lightly browned. Remove from pan and toss with your favorite sauce or use in my Creamy Pesto Cauliflower Gnocchi Bake.
- Heat oil in a deep, 2" pan or fryer. Fry the gnocchi until crispy and golden.
- Place cauliflower gnocchi in your air fryer basket. Lightly mist with olive oil and cook until lightly browned.
Copycat Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi
A healthy, low carb gnocchi inspired by the popular store bought brand, these copycat Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi are light and deliciously homemade while staying paleo, gluten free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 head Cauliflower, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
- ¼ cup Tapioca Flour, (see recipe notes)
- ¼ cup Potato Starch
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
Instructions
- Steam cauliflower florets in steam basket or place in strainer over pot of boiling water. Cover and steam for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
- Place cooked cauliflower in bowl lined with clean dish towel (or cheese cloth). Once cooled, squeeze out excess water into bowl. Be sure not to skip this step, it is very important to get the right dough consistency for your gnocchi!!!
- Place strained cauliflower in food processor and pulse until it's finely ground into rice; add back to big bowl then add in tapioca flour, potato starch, and salt, stirring with a wooden spoon to combine. Slowly add in the olive oil. Stir until mixture comes together and forms a ball (it should hold its shape when you squeeze it together).
- Take about a teaspoon amount of the mixture and shape it into a gnocchi shape using your hands.
- Freeze or store in refrigerator (see recipe notes).
- To cook the cauliflower gnocchi, I highly recommend pan frying with some olive oil on the stove or baking in the oven (see recipe notes)
Notes
*You can also use a gluten free flour blend instead of the tapioca and potato starch. Substitute ½ cup of gluten free flour.
*These gnocchi have about 20grams of net carbs per serving.
*Cauliflower gnocchi will freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost before cooking. *Cauliflower gnocchi can be made ahead and refrigerated for 3-4 days.
*Click here for some great ways to cook your cauliflower gnocchi so it doesn't end up gummy or chewy.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Hollie
I have tapioca starch but not potato starch. Is there something else I could use as a replacement? Thanks.
Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Hi Hollie, I've heard cornstarch can be substituted equally for potato starch although I have not tried it myself in this recipe. If you do, let me know if it works!
Victoria
Well, this recipe might be ok but to tell people to Take about a teaspoon amount of the mixture and shape it into a gnocchi shape using your hands. That's not the right way and definitely not the easy way. The way that's traditional is to cut the dough into either 4 parts (or 2 if using a small amount) and roll it into a long rope like shape. Then simply take a knife and cut them into the right size pieces. And press a fork a bit if you want grooves. That's the right way.
Lorrain
4 cups of cauliflower...... how many grams is that? Google says 272 g. Is that right? Doesn't seem like enough.
Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Hi Lorrain, it's hard to say exactly how many grams that would be since the size of each cauliflower can differ. I'd say each head of cauliflower is about 2 lbs which would be about 850-900 grams. Hope this helps!
Sara
Oh dear, also lazy proofreader! Do I need to strain is what I meant to ask. Sorry 😬😂
Sara
Lazy chef here- would I need to Staron if I started with steamer bags of riced cauliflower or just proceed to the food processor step? REALLY missing TJs gnocchi!!! Thanks!
Wine a Little Cook A Lot
Hi Sara, no judgement here on being a lazy chef ;). I would recommend still straining, because the steam in the bags will still create moisture. I hear you though, I’ve tried every which way to skip this step and unfortunately it’s a must. Good luck!
Sara
Thanks! Making this today!!