Gnocchi is such a comforting and versatile dish! You can add it to soup, top it with sauce, or even enjoy it as a side dish with your favorite proteins. I love to make Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi in the air fryer for the fall, because it’s simple and delicious for an easy meal.
What is Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi?
Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi is a frozen product sold at Trader Joe’s that features small, soft dumplings made from sweet potatoes instead of the standard yellow potatoes.
They’re not technically seasonal, but I tend to find them in the fall more often than other times at my local store.
These gnocchi come with a delicious butter and sage sauce, which gives them a rich, savory flavor. The sweet potato base adds a slight sweetness to the gnocchi, making it different from the more common potato-based versions.
While typically you’d boil or pan fry gnocchi, the air fryer is an amazing choice to prepare them. It delivers a crispy outside while maintaining a tender interior, and you can cook them right from frozen to save time!
Gnocchi can be enjoyed as a standalone dish, but you can also add vegetables, proteins, or extra sauce for a heartier meal! I always grab a bag to keep on hand for a quick, easy, and delicious option.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- 14-ounce bag Trader Joe’s frozen sweet potato gnocchi
Ingredient Notes
- While this recipe is for the TJ’s sweet potato gnocchi, you can use the same cooking directions for other frozen gnocchi varieties as well, like stuffed gnocchi, kale, or cauliflower gnocchi
- The butter sage sauce it comes with is already on the gnocchi so you don’t get much option there. However, feel free to add other veggies and proteins as desired to this dish
How to Make Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi in the Air Fryer
- Place the frozen gnocchi in a single layer in your air fryer’s basket or rack
- Cook on the air fry setting at 400°F for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through cooking. Add extra time in 1-2 minute increments as needed to achieve desired level of browning
- Serve hot, with your favorite sides or toppings if desired!
What to Serve With Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Broccoli rabe
- Spinach
- Kale
- Sauteed mushrooms
- Green salad
- Scallops
- Pancetta
- Grilled chicken
- Italian sausage
- Chicken apple sausage
- Short ribs
- Lamb
- Pork belly
- Italian bread
- Focaccia
While Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi is delicious on its own, you can definitely add some sides and proteins to make it a main course, or use it as a side to another option of your choice!
I like to serve up frozen sweet potato gnocchi with Stuffed Scallops in the Air Fryer, Air Fryer Pesto Chicken, Air Fryer Italian Sausage, simple Air Fryer Focaccia, or any of my delicious Air Fryer Pork Belly Recipes, depending what we’re in the mood for!
Recipe FAQs
Can You Cook Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi In An Air Fryer?
Yes, you can cook Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi in an air fryer. Air fry at 400°F for about 10-12 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through for even cooking.
The result will be crispy and lightly browned on the outside, and soft inside.
Do You Need To Boil Trader Joe’s Gnocchi Before Air Frying?
No, there’s no need to boil the gnocchi before air frying.
You can cook it straight from frozen in the air fryer, for a convenient and time-saving method.
How Can I Make My Air Fried Sweet Potato Gnocchi Extra Crispy?
Trader Joe’s frozen gnocchi comes with a butter sauce already on them that should help to achieve extra crispiness already. For non-sauced options, lightly coat them in olive oil or avocado oil before cooking.
You can also add a little parmesan cheese in the last 1-2 minutes of air frying for extra flavor and crispiness.
Recipe Pro Tips For the Best Air Fryer Sweet Potato Gnocchi
- Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi is frozen already tossed in the sauce. This means it will be saucy in your air fryer as it cooks! If you want to line the basket with parchment or nonstick foil for easier cleanup, feel free. Make sure the basket is clean as well, so you can drizzle extra sauce over the gnocchi after cooking
- I do not preheat my air fryer for this recipe since I stir the gnocchi a couple times. If you do, you can generally cut 1-2 minutes off of cooking time. The gnocchi is done after 10 minutes easily, it’s just a matter of how brown you want it after that!
Trader Joe’s Frozen Gnocchi Storage and Reheating
- Store leftover TJ’s sweet potato gnocchi in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend refreezing after they have been cooked once, as the texture will start to deteriorate
- To reheat gnocchi in the air fryer, use a lower temperature of 350°F for about 4-5 minutes, shaking the basket once, until warmed through and recrisped on the outside
- Trader Joe’s Rustic Apple Tart in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash Lasagna
Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi Air Fryer Review
The short answer is that I absolutely love Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi and highly recommend it, but let me give you a full in depth review of it.
First, I (obviously) cook it in my air fryer. You get pillowy, soft gnocchi with crisp edges and an almost “brown butter” sort of taste to the sauce that is absolutely amazing. Best of all, it cooks from frozen so it’s quick and convenient.
The gnocchi is definitely cooked after about 10 minutes, but I usually do 3-4 extra minutes to get a little extra caramelization, but that’s totally personal preference!
Per the bag, there are 3 total servings. I think that’s an overestimation for a normal person. I’d say 1 person if this is intended to be your entree, or 2 people if you’re serving gnocchi as a side dish. Each little gnocchi is about 1” so they’re really not that large.
Overall, the most prominent flavor to me is butter. The sage is very mild in the sauce, so if you’re not a sage fan I think you’ll still be alright with these.
You can tell they’re not regular potato gnocchi, as they’re definitely sweeter, but I don’t find them too overly sweet potato forward in flavor. It’s there, but it’s not overwhelming.
Also of important note is that TJ’s sweet potato gnocchi contains wheat (so it’s not gluten free), eggs, milk, soy, and the cheese has animal rennet so they’re not vegetarian either. That part caught me by surprise so I thought it important to mention.
For us, these are a definite win! Frozen gnocchi are perfect to keep on hand when you need a quick and easy meal on a busy night. They’re incredibly delicious, and pair well with other proteins and veggies so you can throw something together fast.
Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi are a must buy for me on every trip!
Final Thoughts
I love Trader Joe’s sweet potato gnocchi to start, but making it in the air fryer is just next level! Get gorgeous crispy edges with a brown butter sauce that’s decadently delicious, and it cooks directly from frozen in just 10-15 minutes (depending just how crispy you want it).
You can’t go wrong with that! These frozen gnocchi are perfect for a quick and easy meal even on the busiest of nights, and they pair well with salad, roasted vegetables, and various proteins so you can customize your meal just to your liking.
TJ’s makes some of my favorite frozen foods for convenience meals that are still high quality and delicious. Check out more of my Trader Joe’s Air Fryer Recipes for lots of tasty inspiration!
Trader Joe’s Sweet Potato Gnocchi Air Fryer Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 ounce bag Trader Joe’s frozen sweet potato gnocchi
Instructions
- Place the frozen gnocchi in a single layer in your air fryer’s basket or rack14 ounce bag Trader Joe’s frozen sweet potato gnocchi
- Cook on the air fry setting at 400°F for 10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through cooking. Add extra time in 1-2 minute increments as needed to achieve desired level of browning
- Serve hot, with your favorite sides or toppings if desired!
Notes
- While this recipe was made with TJ’s sweet potato gnocchi, you can use the same cooking directions for other brands and flavors of frozen gnocchi as well, like stuffed gnocchi, kale, or cauliflower gnocchi
- The butter sage is already on the gnocchi so you can’t customize much there. However, feel free to add other veggies and proteins as desired to this dish!
- Make sure your basket is clean or you use a clean drip tray if you have an oven-style air fryer so that you can pour the extra sauce over top of the gnocchi at the end
- Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, any sauces or sides added, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
Nutrition
