Creamy Roasted Tomato Gnocchi

This super easy roasted tomato & coconut gnocchi skillet is fully vegan and made with simple ingredients. The perfect delicious weeknight dinner!

creamy roasted tomato gnocchi in ceramic bowl

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It’s super easy to make! All you need to do is add the vegetables and spices to a skillet, roast, then combine everything in the same skillet, and enjoy!
It’s the perfect weeknight dinner to enjoy by yourself (simply save the leftovers for later), with friends and/or family, or a date night.
It’s incredibly flavorful and comforting.
It’s fully vegan and dairy-free by default (the creaminess comes from coconut cream instead of heavy cream).
It’s made with simple ingredients and can be customized to your liking (find tips & suggestions in the blog post below under “Recipe Tips”)

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

The following is a list of all the ingredients included in the recipe, as well as recommended substitutions in case you don’t like and/or can’t find any of them. You’ll find a detailed overview with measurements in the recipe card at the end of this blog post.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Gnocchi ingredient overview

Cherry and/or Grape tomatoes: I like to use a mix of both cherry and grape tomatoes, but you can opt for either one of them depending on your preference, what you’re able to find, and/or what’s most affordable. Small tomatoes are ideal for this recipe, but if you happen to have regular sized tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes at hand, you can use those too. Simply cut them into smaller chunks (don’t dice them though as that’ll make the recipe a little too soupy). If you’re planning on using canned tomatoes, I’d recommend using canned whole tomatoes over canned diced tomatoes.
Shallots & Garlic: instead of shallots, you can use red or yellow onions. Instead of garlic cloves, you can use garlic powder to taste.

Sea salt & pepper: I used Celtic sea salt, but you can use any salt you’d like. If you’re using fine table salt, however, I’d recommend starting with a smaller amount and then adjusting to taste. Cracked black pepper is perfect, but you can also use ground black or white pepper instead.
Smoked paprika: if you can’t find smoked paprika, you can use regular paprika powder instead.
Cayenne pepper: this adds a little heat to the recipe, so feel free to omit, decrease or increase the amount according to your personal preference.
Grated fresh ginger: if you don’t have a grater, you can also finely chop or mince the ginger.
Coconut sugar: the sweetness balances out the acidity of the tomatoes. Instead of coconut sugar, you can use (light) brown sugar.
Fresh thyme: fresh thyme is ideal, but if you can’t find it, you can use a little dried thyme instead.

Fresh potato gnocchi: fresh gnocchi can be found in the refrigerated section of the supermarket. Be sure to choose a brand that is egg- and dairy-free to keep it vegan. You can substitute the gnocchi for other kinds of cooked pasta (be sure to follow the package instructions to adjust the cooking time), cooked beans, tofu, vegan “chicken”, or seitan.

lemon, basil, and thyme in a ceramic bowl

Fresh basil leaves: If you can, try to use fresh over dried basil. Otherwise, a dollop of vegan pesto per serving as a garnish would work as well.
Lemon juice: if you don’t have lemons at hand, you can either use lime juice or omit.
Coconut cream: full-fat coconut cream is perfect, but you can use vegan heavy cream or thick cashew cream (soaked cashews or cashew butter mixed with a little water and nutritional yeast until you reach a thick, cream-like consistency) can be used too.
Optional toppings: I like adding a pinch of red chili flakes, but feel free to add any other toppings you’d like!

Recommended Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet: instead of a cast iron skillet, any oven-proof dish or baking tray will work too. I used a 10.25inch/26cm Lodge Cast Iron Skillet.
Citrus Press: this is not indispensable, but super helpful and practical when squeezing lemons and limes! I like this one from Sur La Table.
Ginger Grater: same as for the citrus press, this isn’t necessarily a must have, but it’s definitely useful if you like to cook a lot. It works for ginger, garlic, and lemon zest. I used an OXO Steel-Edged Grater.

How to Make These Roasted Tomato & Coconut Gnocchi (Step By Step)

These are the step by step instructions, including photos for each step. You’ll find a printable recap in the recipe card below.

Preheat the oven, prepare the vegetables & roast the tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC and place the wire rack slightly above the middle of the oven.

cherry and grape tomatoes in a cast iron skillet with garlic cloves, thyme, and sliced shallots

Next, prepare your ingredients:

Remove any stems from the cherry and/or grape tomatoes, wash them and pat them dry using a kitchen towel.
Peel the garlic cloves and shallots, then slice the shallots very thinly.
Remove the thyme leaves from the stems. If your thyme is on the dryer side, be sure to chop it finely as well.

Once these ingredients are ready, add them to the cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe dish).

cherry tomatoes in a cast iron skillet with spices

Add the spices (salt, cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika), freshly grated ginger, coconut sugar, and olive oil to the skillet. Mix everything well using a spatula or wooden spoon until everything is evenly spread out and coated in the olive oil.

cherry and grape tomatoes in a cast iron skillet with garlic cloves, thyme, and sliced shallots with spices mixed in

Place the skillet in the oven and set a timer for 35 minutes.

Cook the gnocchi and set aside

Once there are about 10-15 minutes left for the tomatoes to roast, fill a pot about 1/2 to 3/4 way, add a bit of salt, and bring it to a boil on the stovetop over high heat. When the water starts boiling, add your fresh potato gnocchi and cook until they rise to the top, which should take about 2-3 minutes (be sure to double check the package instructions as well).

fresh gnocchi in a bowl next to a pot with salted water

Once cooked, drain the gnocchi and set them aside. Tip: be sure to wait until the tomatoes are almost done roasting to cook the gnocchi to ensure they’re still hot.

Bring it all together

Once the tomatoes are ready, take them out of the oven (careful, the skillet will be very hot!). Next, use a fork to smash the garlic cloves.

garlic being smashed in a roasted tomato skillet

smashed garlic in a roasted tomato skillet

cooked gnocchi added to a roasted tomato skillet

gnocchi being mixed in with the roasted tomatoes

Add the fresh gnocchi to the skillet and mix.

coconut cream being added to gnocchi skillet

coconut cream dollops in gnocchi skillet

coconut cream being mixed into gnocchi skillet

coconut cream mixed into gnocchi skillet

Add the coconut cream and lemon juice and mix again.

fresh basil added to roasted tomato gnocchi skillet

Add the fresh basil and mix it into the creamy roasted tomato gnocchi skillet.

fresh basil mixed into roasted tomato gnocchi skillet

Finally, add any toppings of your choice, such as a little more cracked black pepper, red chili flakes, and/or an olive oil drizzle.

creamy roasted tomato skillet with serving spoon

Serve and enjoy!

creamy roasted tomato gnocchi being served in a ceramic bowl

Serve the gnocchi in bowls right away and enjoy! You can enjoy them by themselves as a main course, or as a side dish alongside another (for instance more protein heavy) dish. In this case this recipe will make about two to three times as many sides as it does main course servings.

creamy roasted tomato gnocchi in three ceramic bowls

Recipe & Storage Tips

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and consume within 1-2 days. Just keep in mind that this recipe is best enjoyed right away and that the basil might wilt a bit. If you’re intentionally making the recipe ahead of time, simply store the basil, lemon juice, and coconut separately. Then reheat the creamy gnocchi and add those ingredients right before serving.

Customize this recipe as you see fit. Here are some suggestions:

To make this recipe higher in protein, add some beans like butter beans or chickpeas. You can roast the cooked beans alongside the tomatoes to make them crispier or simply add them to the skillet afterwards. You can also add tofu, seitan, or vegan “chicken”.
To make this recipe gluten-free, either use gluten-free gnocchi (homemade or store-bought, if you’re making them yourself, cassava flour is a great alternative to wheat flours) or replace the gnocchi with the same amount of beans.
To make this recipe kid-friendly and/or less spicy, omit the cayenne pepper and/or use more paprika instead (paprika is very mild, so no need to omit it). Also omit the optional chili flakes.
Feel free to improvise by adding additional vegetables such as chopped bell pepper or zucchini.

Frequently Asked Questions

creamy roasted tomato gnocchi in ceramic bowl with spoon

How do I know if my gnocchi are vegan?

Regular fresh gnocchi will often include eggs and/or dairy, so be sure to check the ingredient list. Allergens are usually listed in bold, so they should be easy to spot. You’ll want your ingredient list to be free from and milk, butter, eggs, and other animal products. If the packing includes a disclaimer that says that the product “may include traces of milk” etc., that normally means that it’s made in a facility that also makes other products including these ingredients. The products are still vegan, so unless you have a severe allergy, they’re perfectly fine to use.

Can I roast the gnocchi with the tomatoes instead of boiling them?

Technically yes, but they will be quite chewy and, in my opinion, less enjoyable. I’d highly recommend boiling them instead since it doesn’t take much extra time or effort, but the result is significantly better. For a crispier result, however, you could also panfry them in some olive oil.

Can I use coconut milk instead of coconut cream?

Yes, you can use full-fat coconut milk. Just know that this will yield a slightly more liquid and less creamy result.

More Vegan Recipes You Might Like

If you enjoyed this creamy roasted tomato gnocchi recipe, you might also like some of the following recipes. If you have any specific recipe requests, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below;)

Creamy Roasted Tomato & Coconut Gnocchi – RECIPE CARD

Use this recipe card to save & print this recipe. Be sure to read the full blog post above for FAQs, additional tips, and ingredient notes.