Danny Palumbo
Justine Sterling
Finding the best store bought gnocchi is no easy task—lots of the brands out there are gummy and even sour. But, after two taste tests, we found a few gnocchi brands we can truly recommend. Our number one best gnocchi might even make your nonna do a double-take.
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What we looked for in the best store bought gnocchi:
- Tender, pillowy dough—not gummy. So, so, so many of the store bought gnocchi brands we tried were gummy as hell. Gnocchi should be soft and light—like potato clouds. They should stick in your teeth and feel heavy in your stomach.
- Real potato flavor. Like we mentioned above, some of the gnocchi we tasted were genuinely sour. Weird! The best gnocchi tastes like potato, pure and simple.
- Crispy outside (if cooked in a skillet). If we’re testing gnocchi that’s meant to be cooked in a skillet, then it better get nice and crisp on the outside without drying out on the inside.
Here are the best shelf stable gnocchi, the best frozen gnocchi, and the best refrigerated gnocchi you can find at the grocery store. (And if you’re looking for the best gluten-free gnocchi, we found that too!)
Best Store Bought Gnocchi, Ranked
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- DeLallo Potato Gnocchi
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Well, this shelf stable gnocchi isn’t bitter, sour, gummy, and waterlogged, so that’s good news. It tastes a lot like all the other shelf-stable gnocchi I had, but with a bit of extra potato flavor that earned it a spot on this list. I do appreciate when things actually taste like their ingredients, which made DeLallo stand out from the other brands we tried. Store bought gnocchi needs a lot of help, though, so I’d consider pairing DeLallo with a decadent cream sauce (think alfredo), some spinach, maybe some tomatoes, and a whole lot of cheese. Also, a bastardized American carbonara with peas, bacon, and heavy cream would rule. These gnocchi are tanks, so they’re the best gnocchi to serve with a heavy sauce. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi
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I like that these frozen gnocchi are all different shapes; it gives the appearance of imperfect, rustic, homemade gnocchi. This also smells delightfully of cauliflower, and the texture is pretty darn close to the light and pillowy aesthetic I was looking for. This is not potato gnocchi, which is a shame, but it would make an excellent gnocchi primavera with some fresh vegetables, oil, and garlic. Also, it’s a great substitute if you don’t want all the extra starch. Cauliflower substitutes are really starting to grow on me as we keep taste testing here at Sporked. I actually love the cruciferous, vegetal qualities the cauliflower adds to products. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Trader Joe’s
- Anna Mini Potato Gnocchi
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These mini shelf stable gnocchi have the same taste and texture as the Anna regular gnocchi (see below), only these are small little pellets. They would be great to use as dumplings in an Italian wedding soup. I would also eat these en brodo style—let them float around in some meaty chicken broth, add some shaved parmesan cheese, and indulge in a flavorful, restorative winter soup. Anna delivered a pretty decent flavor overall, so the difference between their regular and miniature potato gnocchi is more about utility. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Anna Potato Gnocchi
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These shelf stable potato gnocchi are a little more golden in color—maybe they’re made with Yukon gold potatoes rather than russet? The starchiness shines bright in Anna Potato Gnocchi. The texture, however, is a bit too dense and chewy for these to rank higher on this list. Gnocchi should be soft, and almost melt in your mouth. Instead, these are sturdy little potato bullets. I actually just came across this Bon Appetit article that says you should stop boiling your store-bought gnocchi. That might fix everything, to be honest. Instead of your gnocchi coming out waterlogged and gummy, they could come out crispier if you just pan fry them in oil. Might be worth a shot! — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Trader Joe’s Potato Gnocchi
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Trader Joe’s shelf stable gnocchi comes close to the cloud-like potato couch cushions we all know and love. The flavor isn’t very potato-y, which is a bummer, but I can overlook that slightly as these carry a decent gnocchi texture. More importantly, there isn’t that unpleasant sourness you get with most store-bought gnocchi. I’m guessing that sourness comes from the acids and stabilizers which make them able to be sold in dry storage. Shelf-stable gnocchi just doesn’t crush it, but Trader Joe’s version is passable. Like all mediocre foods, just drown it in sauce and call it a day. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Sprouts Burrata & Basil Stuffed Gnocchi
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These are big, fat gnocchi. They’re two-bite gnocchi. And they’re stuffed with hot, gooey, perfectly seasoned cheese. Could there be more of a pronounced basil flavor? There could. But I’m not going to argue with the pure, decadent flavor of burrata. The gnocchi itself manages to remain soft and tender, rather than gummy. A bowl of these topped with pesto and a dollop of fresh ricotta would slap—but you could also serve these as appetizers next to a little bowl of warm marinara sauce for dipping. Find them in the Sprouts freezer aisle. — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Sprouts
- Cappello’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi
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This frozen sweet potato gnocchi is fluffy and light—it has all that gnocchi whimsy with none of the white potato flavor. And the taste? Friends, it is deliciously sweet and almost nutty. The sweet potato flavor really shines here. Also of note is that this gnocchi is made with almond flour (hence the nuttiness), and you really taste that clean, earthy, and toasty almond flavor. This is the perfect pasta to pair with some brown butter and sage, some walnuts, vegetables and oil, or heck, you could even dress it up with some spicy pesto. It’s not great for red sauce, but who cares? This pasta rules. My recommendation: Sear them in a hot pan to enhance their inherent nuttiness. — Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Instacart
- Rana Skillet Gnocchi
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Rana continues to wow us. We love their lasagna, their tortellini, their alfredo, and now you can add gnocchi to the ever-growing list of Rana products we can’t get enough of. These little one-bite gnocchi get tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. And it’s not just about the texture—the gnocchi actually have flavor. I’ve rarely had success with skillet gnocchi—it stays hard or gets too sticky—but this is foolproof. You can make restaurant-worthy grub with these lil’ guys. And that makes them the best gnocchi to buy. Find them in the refrigerated pasta section! — Justine Sterling
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
Best Gnocchi to Serve with Cream Sauce
Best Cauliflower Gnocchi
Best Gnocchi for Soup
Best Potato Flavor
Best Shelf Stable Gnocchi
Best Stuffed Gnocchi
Best Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Best of the Best
Other gnocchi we tried:
Bellino Potato Gnocchi, Bellino Cheese Gnocchi, De Cecco Potato Gnocchi, Signature Select Gnocchi, De Lallo Mini Potato Gnocchi, Sanniti Potato Gnocchi, Gia Russa Gnocchi, Whole Foods Cauliflower Gnocchi, Sprouts Ricotta & Asiago Gnocchi
Luke Field
Jordan Myrick
