Filled with everything you already love about it, our Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup is just what chilly winter days need. Made with chicken breast, onions, celery, carrots, spinach, and gnocchi, and seasoned with a blend of savory herbs, our creamy copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup pressure cooker recipe is just what you need when dinner must be a WHOLE LOTTA YUM.
Instant Pot Gnocchi Soup
Few things are better on a chilly winter's day than a warm bowl of your favorite soup for dinner. And while boiling bones for stock and simmering vegetables all day long for a rich and flavorful broth are both pursuits that are worthwhile, sometimes we simply have time for a pressure cooker soup.
Luckily, our Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup recipe (an Olive Garden copycat!) is the best of both worlds. It tastes rich and creamy, like slow-simmered soup should, but cooks up in just 45-minutes thanks to the pressure cooker.
Serve the homemade creamy chicken gnocchi soup with salad, including our Italian antipasto salad, and breadsticks for the classic Italian-restaurant feel at home.
We love using our pressure cooker to make rich and delicious soups all winter long that taste like they simmered all day long, but are often ready in less than an hour. Be sure to check out our full line of Instant Pot soups including this pressure cooker chicken crack soup as well as this instant pot white chicken chili recipe.
Why You'll Love This!
- Filled with chicken breast, onion, celery, carrot, spinach, and gnocchi, our chicken gnocchi soup Instant Pot recipe is a bowl of rich, hearty, and creamy soup.
- We kept your busy evening in mind when we created our Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup developing a recipe that is ready in just 45-minutes, start to finish!
- Our rich and creamy soup broth is made with a mix of chicken broth and half-n-half.
- Easily adapt this Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup recipe for low-carb, keto, gluten-free, or dairy-free lifestyles using the diet adaptions listed below.
- Get the taste of an Olive Garden copycat recipe right at home!
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breast, a wide variety of fresh vegetables, a delicious blend of herbs and spices, and, of course, gnocchi, are all going to combine in a broth made of both chicken broth and half n half to create a creamy chicken gnocchi soup Olive Garden recipe that tastes as if came from your favorite Italian restaurant.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - boneless skinless chicken thighs can also be used in place of chicken breasts. Or, if you already have pre-cooked chicken on hand, add it in after the pressure cooking but before the half n half. Rotisserie chicken can also be used, it will be saltier than plain chicken so you'll need to cut back on salt in the recipe.
- yellow onion - white, sweet, or red can also be used
- celery stalk - diced
- shredded carrots - shred your own or buy them pre-shredded
- fresh baby spinach
- minced garlic cloves - minced
- dried herbs - bay leaf, dried thyme, dried basil
- olive oil
- chicken broth
- gnocchi
- half n half - Heavy whipping cream can be used for a richer flavor or do half heavy whipping cream and half n half. Rich plant-based milk such as full-fat oat milk is great for a lighter dairy-free soup.
- black pepper and fine sea salt
** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **
Variations
- Top the Instant Pot gnocchi soup recipe with crumbled bacon or shredded parmesan cheese if desired.
- Add a ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to add a spicy kick.
Equipment
A Pressure Cooker - This is the Instant Pot model that we used, we also have a Ninja Foodi pressure cooker & air fryer combo.
Diet Adaptions
- Dairy Free - Make a dairy-free version by swapping the half-n-half for full-fat oat milk or canned coconut milk.
- Gluten Free - Use gluten-free gnocchi for a gluten-free version.
- Low-Carb - Use cauliflower gnocchi to make this a low-carb soup.
How to Make Copycat Chicken Gnocci Soup
The Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup recipe will be ready for your dinner table after a quick sautee of the veggies, a pressure cook with the chicken breast, and the addition of the remaining ingredients. All in all, you are going to from idea to soup in just 45-minutes!
Prep Ingredients
Dice and mince vegetables.
Turn the Instant Pot to Saute and heat until the display reads "hot." Add the olive oil and heat until warm.
Assemble
Add the diced celery and diced onion and saute until starting to soften about 4-5 minutes.
Add the minced garlic cloves and saute for 1 more minute.
Cancel the Saute setting to turn the Instant Pot off.
Add the broth and scrape up any bits of vegetables from the bottom of the pot to deglaze the pot and prevent getting a Burn signal during cooking.
Add the raw diced chicken, bay leaf, dried thyme, dried basil, black pepper, and sea salt to the pot.
Combine all ingredients and put the lid on the pot.
Pressure Cook
Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook High and cook the soup mixture for 5 minutes.
Do a Natural Release of 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure and removing the lid.
Turn the pot to Saute and add the half n half, shredded carrots, fresh baby spinach, and gnocchi to the pot, cook for 2 minutes.
***NOTE: If using precooked chicken, add the chicken before the half n half and allow it to warm in the soup for a few minutes.
Remove the bay leaf.
Serve immediately and enjoy! Top with shredded parmesan cheese and cooked crumbled bacon or pancetta if desired.
Recipe Tips
- When sauteing your vegetables, allow the Instant Pot to heat until the display reads "hot" before adding the oil or vegetables.
- To prevent receiving a burn notice during pressure cooking, scrape the bottom of your Instant Pot with a wooden spoon after you add the chicken broth. This helps remove any bits that have stuck to the bottom and make sure all of that flavor becomes part of the broth.
- We do recommend a 10-minute natural release of the pressure in your Instant Pot. A quick release can be used to release any remaining pressure.
- When cooking with dairy, it's recommended that you do not add it before the pressure cook stage. Always add it after.
Common Questions
We recommend you serve Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup with a side salad, or our Italian antipasto salad, and your favorite breadsticks for a classic Italian meal at home.
Gnocchi is finely mashed potatoes mixed with flour and boiled. It is technically not pasta, although it is often treated as such and even served as a pasta substitute with sauce.
You can store leftover Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup for up to 4 days in the fridge in an air-tight container. We don't recommend freezing it because of the dairy; however, you could make the soup base and freeze everything prior to adding the half n half. Thaw and add the remaining ingredients, and serve.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes
Looking for more Instant Pot Soup recipes?
- Creamy Chicken Taco Soup (Instant Pot)
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken Soup
- White Chicken Chili Instant Pot Recipe
- Chicken Pozole Recipe (Instant Pot Posole + Stovetop)
Come connect with us on Instagram! Be sure to tag us (wholelotta.yum) when you make a recipe. You can also find us on Facebook, and Pinterest.
Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
A creamy and delicious chicken gnocchi soup inspired by the Olive Garden recipe and made in a pressure cooker! Serve with salad and breadsticks for a complete meal.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cup fresh baby spinach
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ dried basil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 16 oz (1 lb) gnocchi
- 2 cups half n half
- ½ teaspoon course black pepper
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot to Saute and heat until the display reads "hot." Add the olive oil and heat until warm.
- Add the diced celery and diced onion and saute until starting to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic cloves and saute for 1 more minute. Cancel the Saute setting to turn the Instant Pot off.
- Add the chicken broth and scape up any bits of vegetables from the bottom of the pot to deglaze the pot and prevent getting a Burn signal during cooking.
- Add the raw diced chicken, bay leaf, dried thyme, dried basil, black pepper, and sea salt to the pot. Combine all ingredients and put the lid on the pot.
- Set the Instant Pot to Pressure Cook High and cook the soup mixture for 5 minutes. Do a Natural Release of 10 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure and removing the lid.
- Turn the pot to Saute and add the half n half, shredded carrots, fresh baby spinach, and gnocchi to the pot, cook for 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
Chicken - If you already have pre-cooked chicken on hand, add it at the end of the recipe until it's heated through and then add the the half n half, gnocchi, spinach, and grated carrots. To add wholed 6 oz chicken breasts instead of cubes, add 3 chicken breasts and pressure cook them for 9 minutes and then do a Natural Release for 10 minutes. Removethe chicken, shred it, add it back to the recipe, and proceed with the remaining steps.
Variations- top with crumbled bacon or shredded parmesan if desired. Add a ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper to add a spicy kick.
Substitution- heavy whipping cream can be used for a richer flavor or do half heavy whipping cream and half half n half. Chopped fresh spinach can be used instead of baby spinach. Cubed chicken thighs can be used instead of cubed chicken breast meat.
Dietary swaps- Make a dairy free version by swapping the half n half for canned coconut milk. Use gluten free gnocchi for a gluten-free version and cauliflower gnocchi to make this low carb.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 336Total Fat 15gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 128mgSodium 873mgCarbohydrates 9gNet Carbohydrates 7gFiber 1gSugar 6gProtein 40g
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