Creamy Vodka Gnocchi

Creamy Vodka Gnocchi

This one is a proper showstopper and we make it more than we probably should. The vodka cuts through the rich, creamy tomato sauce in a way that's genuinely hard to explain until you taste it. It just makes everything brighter and more intense. Pillowy gnocchi soaking up all that silky, spiced sauce is the kind of thing you dream about on a Tuesday. It's ready in 20 minutes, which still feels like cheating every time we make it. Honestly, clear your evening plans and make this tonight.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Large frying pan
  • 4 portions of gnocchi (cooked as per packet instructions)

Ingredients

  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tbsp plant-based butter
  • 100g tomato purée
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 60ml vodka
  • 250ml plant-based cream
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 portions of gnocchi
  • fresh basil leaves

Method

1

For the tomato sauce

  • Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic
  • Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Once foaming, add the onion with a big pinch of salt, and gently cook for 7-8 minutes until soft. Once soft, stir in the minced garlic, tomato puree and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the vodka and cook until it has evaporated. Next, pour in the cream, stir to combine and remove from the heat
2

For the gnocchi

  • Cook the gnocchi as per instructions on the packet
3

Combine and serve

  • Toss the cooked gnocchi into the tomato sauce until the gnocchi is well coated and glossy. Taste and season with salt and pepper

Tips & Variations

  • No vodka, no problem: If you'd rather skip the alcohol, a splash of white wine works really well here, or just leave it out entirely and add a tiny squeeze of lemon at the end to brighten things up.
  • Go fresh if you can: We find fresh gnocchi gives you that extra fluffiness that makes this dish feel really special. Most supermarkets stock it and it only takes a couple of minutes to cook.
  • Chilli heat: The chilli flakes are there to give a gentle warmth, not blow your head off. If you love heat, add more. If you're cooking for people who don't, go easy; you can always add more at the table.

Why This Works

The trick is letting the vodka fully cook off before you add the cream; don't rush that step. It might seem like a weird addition, but it pulls out flavour compounds from the tomatoes that water and fat alone just can't, so the sauce ends up tasting way more complex than something this quick has any right to. The butter base with slow-cooked onions and garlic is doing a lot of heavy lifting too, so don't skip the full 7-8 minutes there.