When you’re craving Italian comfort food, these gluten-free ravioli with roasted butternut squash and spinach filling hit the spot. They’re just as cheesy and herby as traditional ravioli—without the dairy—so you can enjoy a second helping. Great for a cozy weeknight dinner.
Ravioli-making has been a tradition in my Italian family for generations, so it was tough when I had to give up gluten and dairy. But as a true foodie, I couldn’t just let go of one of my favorite dishes—I had to create my own version. That’s how these garlicky butternut squash gluten-free ravioli were born.
They may not be traditional, but I didn’t want to compromise on their sweet, buttery flavor and tender texture. I added extra spinach, basil, thyme, sage, and a sprinkle of earthy cinnamon. Toss them in your favorite sauce or melted dairy-free butter and enjoy!
This Is the BEST Gluten Free Ravioli
You can still enjoy these small Italian pasta packets with a gluten-free and dairy-free version of the recipe.
Freezer-friendly. Store a batch in the freezer for last-minute dinners on busy weeknights.
Easy variations. Use leftover roasted vegetables, add mushrooms, or fold in vegan cheese for extra flavor.
Gluten-free. This recipe is made without gluten.
Dairy-free. The filling and pasta are made without dairy and work well for vegan meals.
Is It Hard to Make Ravioli?
It's not hard to make ravioli, it only requires a bit of time to prep the dough and attention to detail when assembling. However, these gluten free ravioli are quite easy to make because the food processor practically makes the dough for you so you don't have to knead it. I've also added psyllium husk powder for elasticity, which also makes rolling it out a lot easier.
What You'll Need
The spices and dried, aromatic herbs balance out the butternut's sweetness in this gluten free ravioli recipe. Exact ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour – Feel free to use all-purpose gluten-free flour.
- Psyllium husk powder – You can use the same amount of ground flax seeds.
- Eggs – Make sure they're at room temperature.
- Water – Lukewarm water is best. Cold water will stiffen the dough.
- Butternut squash – They must be peeled and seeded.
- Spinach – I prefer baby spinach, but regular spinach works too.
- Nutritional yeast – Veggie stock bouillon/powder adds the same savoriness.
- Garlic powder – Onion powder is a good swap.
- Dried herbs – You need basil, thyme, and sage.
- Cinnamon – This is optional. Feel free to use ground nutmeg instead.
- Salt & pepper – Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper are best.
Variations
You can switch up the butternut-spinach filling depending on what's in your fridge! These are some of my favorite ways to add more flavor:
- Use sweet potatoes. Swap the butternut squash for sweet potatoes for a very similar flavor profile that's sweet and nutty.
- Add mushrooms. Stir 1 cup sautéed mushrooms into the filling for a heartier bite with more savoriness.
- Spice it up. Mix 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin to give your ravioli some smokey goodness.
- Make it spicy. Add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or chili oil to the filling for a kick of heat.
- Add crunch. Fold in 1/2-1 cup chopped toasted pecans, walnuts, or cashews to add a crunchy and nutty flavor and texture.
- Make it cheesy. Mix 1/2 cup shredded plant-based parmesan into the filling for savoriness or vegan ricotta for richness.
Helpful Tips
When making homemade gluten free ravioli or even regular ones, the key is to be gentle with the dough whether you're rolling it out or stirring them in the pot. Here are my top tips for the making the perfect ravioli:
- Watch the filling. Only 1/2 teaspoon is recommended per ravioli. Adding more can cause them to burst as they boil.
- Chill them. Popping the assembled ravioli into the fridge for 30 minutes before boiling helps them firm up and reduces the chances of them breaking in the pot.
- Seal well. Make sure the edges of all your ravioli are completely sealed, otherwise the filling will become watery or spill out.
- Stir gently. As the ravioli cook, use a wooden spoon to gently stir them around to ensure even cooking and prevent the ones at the bottom from sticking to the pot.
- Don't skip the resting. You must let the dough rest for at least 20-30 minutes before rolling it out so it relaxes. The flour needs time to properly absorb the egg and water's moisture.
- Use leftovers. Swap the butternut squash for leftover Oven Roasted Root Vegetables to reduce food waste.
How to Store Extras
Try not to overlap them too much when storing or separate the layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Fridge: Place in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Discard if the ravioli taste sour or bitter.
- Freezer: Arrange the un-cooked ravioli in a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Transfer to freezer bags in serving-size portions. Freeze for up to 3 months. Boil straight from frozen, only adding 2-3 minutes to the total cooking time.
- To reheat them: Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon water and microwave in 15-second increments until warm. You can also use a pan (covered) over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
More Gluten Free Recipes
Gluten Free Ravioli
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour (or all-purpose GF flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon psyllium husk powder
- 4 eggs
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 small butternut squash (about 2 cups)
- 1 cup spinach
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon sage
- Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Cut the butternut squash in half (lengthwise) and remove the seeds. Place in a baking dish with the flesh side up and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes.
To make the pasta dough:
- Measure out the flour and add it to a food processor. Add the salt, psyllium husk and eggs and pulse until a thick dough forms. Stream in the water and continue to pulse until the dough comes together. Make sure not to over blend it – dough can get tough very easily.
- Transfer the dough to a gluten-free floured surface. Knead with your hands until you have a soft, well-combined pasta dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 20 minutes.
To make the filling:
- Once the squash is cooked, scoop it out into the food processor. Add the nutritional yeast and spices and process until almost smooth (you want a little texture left). Pulse in the spinach. Set aside.
To make the ravioli:
- Using a rolling pin, roll your dough out on a flat surface until it's very thin. Less then 1/8″ in thickness if possible. With the large sheet of rolled out the dough, cut out your ravioli using a 2″ biscuit cutter (circle) or knife (square). Take one circle and add a 1/2 teaspoon of filling, wet the edges with your finger and top with another circle of dough. With a fork, pinch the edges together. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
To cook the ravioli:
- Bring a saucepan of lightly salted water to boil. Carefully place the ravioli in the boiling water and cook for about 8 – 9 minutes (until the dough seems cooked through and they are floating at the top of your pan). Cook them in small batches at a time, about 5 – 6 to a pot.
- To serve: top the ravioli with your sauce of choice (it's great with pesto, red sauce or plain old dairy-free butter), fresh herbs and crushed red pepper.
Nutrition
I have not made this yet, I’m curious if the 1/2 tsp of filling is correct? Serves 4 at 4 ravioli each. That’s only 8 tsp. from 2 and 1/2 cups of filling minimum. ? let me know thanks.
Can I freeze these?
Yes!
I tried this recipe using a different filling. First time I ever made gluten-free ravioli. The dough was dry so I added some more water and another egg. I found it really tough compared to regular pasta dough, and while rolling out the ravioli it often broke apart. I think what the dough needs is some oil.
The dough can be tough, but while kneading it softens, and you should end up with rollable pasta dough. We also have a video on YouTube so you can see the texture: VIDEO LINKED HERE
I did not have a good experience! I did use Bob’s red Mill‘s purpose gluten free flour. I’m wondering if I should have added xanthan gum. I could not use my pasta roller. Next time I will use the 1:1 baking blend. Any feedback on this?
I think xanthan would have helped, yes! I also don’t recommend using a pasta roller with this recipe. It needs to be rolled by hand 🙂
Are there any other flour blend substitutions to use to make this pasta. I have a rice, wheat, nuts, soy, rye, and casein allergy. 🙁
Hmmm, the rice is tricky!! I’ve used this one before and it worked! https://www.bobsredmill.com/shop/flours-and-meals/gluten-free-all-purpose-baking-flour.html
I’m thinking of making these for thanksgiving. Do you think it’s okay to make and fill the raviolis on Wednesday and then cook them on Thursday?
I think that would be fine if you froze them. We’ve frozen them and then cooked them and they worked out fine!
I made this vegan by using Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and it turned out great. I ended up needing more water than the recipe states, closer to one cup but I did the same method of trickling the water in until I got the correct consistency. Great recipe!!
I’m so glad!!
Same, I’m vegan, and I believe I made this once while still practicing making gf pasta. . However, dairy free and vegan are 2 different things. This recipe has eggs. I think a “can be made vegan” label would be appreciated, with some tips on what to use instead of the eggs. I believe I used Ener-G egg replacer. Thank you!
Good point!
Hi there, I’m thinking of making these for thanksgiving. I’m curious if I can make the raviolis ahead of time so I only have to cook them the day of?
Sorry for the delay! Yes, you can make them and freeze them 🙂
I am about to attempt to make this substituting the psyllium husk powder for ground chia seeds, that’s what is currently in the pantry, 😳. We shall see how it turns out! Using my in-laws as guinea pigs. Wish me good luck!
Keep me posted! Would love to know how they turned out 🙂
The picture with the raviolis says it’s vegan, but it contains eggs. Maybe you could change it to say “vegetarian”?? Anyway, it looks great but cannot eat it if it has eggs.
Ahh it shouldn’t be tagged that way. Thank you!!
It says above this is vegan but it contains eggs. Any suggestions for egg replacement?
It shouldn’t be labeled that way – thank you! We haven’t tested this dough without eggs so right now I can’t offer a great replacement!
Also just checked and it says vegetarian 🙂 vegan and vegetarian aren’t the same – our vegetarian recipes might contain eggs or honey just for future reference!
Do I really need the phyllium husk to make this? I recently started this whole GF/DF journey and I don’t have this, I don’t even know what it does to the flour or what it is good for ????????♀️ Care to enlighten me?
It’s to help bind everything together and make the dough more pliable (i.e. more gluten-like). You could try without, but I haven’t personally tested. Sorry!
Wtf? Are you sure about these measurements? Flour,eggs,water,psyllium all added up to what looks like crepe batter, not pasta dough
Yes, I’m sure 🙂 Did you use the flour that I mentioned or did you use a different one? And are you sure you measured 2.5 cups? You can watch the video to see the consistency you’re looking for!
Is this dough freezable? I like to batch cook for easy week night meals my family can just heat and eat.
I haven’t tested freezing just the dough, but I’ve frozen the uncooked ravioli successfully!
When I put all the flour, psyllium husks, salt and eggs together in a food processor, I’m left with a mixture with the texture of course sand, not a thick dough. Am I missing I g something? Thanks!
Did you add the water?
I bet you didn’t look above the add. The 1st line says 2 the there is a add and 1/2 cop flour and all the rest of the ingredients are below it.
As someone who is gluten-free and lactose-free (it’s been 2 years in my case) I can somehow relate. I mean, I face oppositions like no man’s business, but thankfully my friends never judged me.
In any event, I remember making my own pasta from scratch as a child, but now that I’m gluten and lactose free, I actually attempted to make my own gluten-free and lactose-free pasta – without eggs. It worked when I did this by hand, but when I tried to use the pasta machine to make tagliatelle out of it, it flopped big time.
But I’ll definetely try it out with eggs this time around.
I hear ya! It’s super challenging sometime, but also empowering! Let me know if you end up making it egg-free 🙂
I am soooo happy this is using the 1 to 1 blend because that’s the blend I have but I didn’t think I was going to find any recipes with it because it’s primarily a baking blend, and I thought I was going to need to buy one special. I’m planning on using this to make dinner for Valentine’s Day for my boyfriend.
Can’t wait to hear how they turn out! Keep me posted 🙂 xo
These came out great. I was wondering if you could freeze them? If you can freeze them at what point would I do that? Before cooking or after?
Yep! We just froze a batch and they turned out great! I would freeze before you cook 🙂
If you freeze before you cook is the cooking method after the same? Do you need to defrost them? Do you know how long they take to cook in the water?
Thank you! Excited to try these.
Cooking method is the same!
Can I make this with egg replacement. I’m vegan but would love to make these
I haven’t tested them without eggs – sorry!
What’s the 1/4 c water used for?
It’s used in the dough 🙂
These look great. I have seen flax used as an egg replacer in vegan pasta (gf too but it was chickpea) and the combo worked for the blogger. I haven’t tried it yet.
Brown rice should work as should corn as those are the pastas I buy and the only ingredients are flour and water, but they are dried, so I don’t know if that makes a difference in the need for egg
I would reccomend King Arthur’s gluten free all purpose mix over Bob red mills. I have found that Bob’s has a metallic taste. When I use King Arthur’s mix my gluten eating husband will eat it too ( and says it tastes normal)!
Thanks for the tip! I think next time I need to make my own blend. I’m just not a big fan of garbanzo bean flour…the taste just throws me off!
Garbanzo bean flour is best with baking sweets. Making your own blend seems to work best.
I started making gluten free pasta too because my girlfriend was diagnosed with celiac disease. I have been doing the butternut squash ravioli for a while now and was curious if you ever garnish with goat cheese? We have been doing that and it tastes awesome! We also top it with crushed fresh hazelnut. For the sauce try:
Melting butter down to a brown butter (has a nutty aroma) and add some sage leaves. Comes out great every time! Best of luck on your ravioli adventures!
Finally, we use Bobs Red Mill all purpose flour and 1 tsp of xantham gum per cup of flour. Comes out nice. Invest in a pasta machine. I rolled it out by hand for over a year and finally got a pasta machine this past Christmas. It will cut your prep time by an hour or so : )
Hi Frank –
Thanks so much for all the information and recipe inspiration. It sounds like you’re a pasta lover like me that has needed to learn to navigate the world of gluten-free eating. The toasted hazelnuts sound delicious and no, I haven’t ever tested with goat cheese although I’m sure it’s totally delicious.
One question I have for you. Do you ever find that using Bob’s Red Mill AP has too much a bean-like flavor? That’s what I used in this recipe and I am not the biggest fan of bean based flours. I’m thinking of trying a sweet sorghum, quinoa, or brown rice flour (mixed with starch) in my next recipe. Would love to know if you have tried other flour combos!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Alyssa
Hi Dawn! Good luck indeed. I've been interested in trying raviolis egg free as well, but haven't summed up the courage yet. Please let me know how they turn out!
PS. not sure which kind of flour you're thinking of using, but I would stay away from bean flour. It really was too heavy and gummy. I would go with something lighter – maybe brown rice?
Keep me posted 🙂
They look amazing. I would love to try these egg and nut free so my daughter could try them as well! Will be interesting to see how they hold together with egg replacer. Wish me luck!