Air Fryer Gnocchi (with Pesto and Mozzarella)
Ahh, gnocchi! Adorable little potato dumplings that taste like little pillowy clouds – soft and fluffy, like little hugs for your mouth. I adore gnocchi cooked with all sorts of flavours, and this easy air fryer recipe involves:
- crispy gnocchi cooked in a creamy pesto sauce
- roasted vegetables that are sweet and tender
- gooey little pockets of mozzarella cheese
- a layer of rich tomato sauce to bring it all together
Doesn’t it just sound irresistible?! It couldn’t be easier to make, and the classic Italian flavours are just incredible.

If you’re a regular reader here on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian, you might know that I’m not a fan of boiling gnocchi, and I usually cook it in a frying pan (see my instructions for frying gnocchi!). However, lately I’ve been experimenting with different methods – like baked gnocchi, and oven-roasted gnocchi. This time, I thought I’d use the air fryer!
❓ Why Cook Gnocchi in an Air Fryer?
I use my air fryer several times a week, and I love it. An air fryer is essentially just a mini oven, so whatever you can cook in an oven, you can cook in an air fryer instead (and vice versa) – but it’s a lot quicker when there’s a smaller space to heat up.
Cooking this pesto gnocchi in an air fryer means you can turn it on, leave it to do its thing for a while, and return to perfectly cooked gnocchi. It’s a lot less labour intensive than cooking the gnocchi in a frying pan, and it’s quicker than using the oven. Best of both worlds!

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🥗 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

- gnocchi – any shop-bought gnocchi will work. I haven’t tested this recipe using homemade gnocchi, but I imagine that would work well too (though you’ll probably need to boil the gnocchi first).
- vegetables – I used mushrooms, red onion and a yellow pepper. Any similar Italian-style veggies will work well.
- pesto – I used a creamy basil pesto, but use whatever you like the sound of.
- fresh mozzarella cheese
- tomato sauce – choose your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce, or use your own homemade tomato sauce! It’s worth choosing a good quality sauce for this recipe.

Becca’s Top Tip
If you don’t have an air fryer, you could cook this recipe in a regular oven instead, or in a frying pan on the stovetop.
📹 Recipe Video
🔪 Equipment
My air fryer is the Ninja Foodi MAX air fryer, which I really love, and I use it several times a week. I love how it has two separate baskets, so you can cook small or large meals easily. One of the baskets was enough to cook this air fryer gnocchi.
Here’s the one I have on Amazon:
If you're in the UK or Canada, click the link to see a local product.

🖨️ Printable Instructions

Air Fryer Gnocchi with Pesto and Mozzarella
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 2 Tbsp pesto (I used a creamy basil pesto)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 120 g mushrooms (~ 6 medium mushrooms)
- 1 bell pepper (I used yellow)
- 1 red onion
- 500 g (~1 lb) gnocchi
- 250 g (~ 9 oz) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
- 340 g (~ 1 cup) good quality tomato pasta sauce
Instructions
- Add the pesto and a splash of water to a mixing bowl, and mix well to thin out the pesto a little. This will help it to coat the gnocchi nicely.
- Chop the mushrooms, pepper and red onion into bitesized pieces, and add them to the bowl, along with the gnocchi. Mix well to coat everything in the sauce.
- Transfer the mixture to your air fryer, and cook at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Stir the gnocchi, and cook for a further 5-10 minutes, until slightly crispy.
- When the gnocchi and vegetables are nicely crisped up, add the torn up mozzarella cheese to the air fryer, and cook for 2 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.
- Heat up the tomato sauce – I warmed it in a bowl in the microwave, but you could use a pan on the stovetop instead, if you prefer. Serve the crispy air fried gnocchi on top of the hot tomato sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
💭 Recipe FAQs
You could easily mix up the gnocchi / vegetables / pesto in advance, then store the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to air fry, just before serving.
I generally reheat any leftovers in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, you could also reheat in the air fryer or in a frying pan, but bear in mind that the sauce will dry up a bit if using these methods, so you may need to mix in a little water to freshen it up.
This recipe can be served on its own, without any additional side dishes. However, if you’d like to serve something on the side, a simple salad would be a great addition.
Looks amazing! Will try this next week. :D
Let me know if you enjoy it! :)
As a mother of special needs adult child, I’m always looking for quick and easy vegetarian meals and when I saw your recipe, I knew I had to make it. I had most of the ingredients and the rest I bought at Vons. It came together fast and easy. It’s so good, really good. I love the addition of mushrooms and peppers. Thank you for an amazing recipe that I will make again.
Thanks so much Elaine! So glad you enjoyed this one :)
Sounds delicious. Can this recipe be done in the oven?
Yep, just keep an eye on it and take it out when it’s crisped up to your liking :)