This Olive Garden favorite is made using the Instant Pot. The familiar flavors of this favorite dish are duplicated in this Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.
This famous restaurant favorite is easy to make at home and makes enough for the family!
Olive Garden Copycat
Every time I go to Olive Garden the Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is my ultimate choice. In fact, I could just order this soup and skip the entree because I think it's that good!
This recipe has all of the familiar flavors of the original recipe and it makes about 6 servings!
Related: Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Rotisserie Chicken Makes the Difference
Using juicy and flavorful rotisserie chicken really makes this soup stand out. A helpful tip I have is to make sure to use a rotisserie chicken that is packed full of flavor and has well-balanced spices.
It really makes all the difference in how this soup comes out.
Related: Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Prepping all of these ingredients ahead of time will save time and frustration when making this recipe. The Instant Pot heats up fast on the saute setting so it's really ideal to have everything ready to go.
This recipe uses two settings: Saute and Soup settings. It really is that easy! This recipe takes only about 30 minutes and your family will have an Olive Garden favorite made with love and served at home.
Ingredients in Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Butter
- White onion
- Celery
- Carrot
- Chicken Broth
- Gnocchi - you can use gluten free gnocchi as well
- Flour - you can substitute with cornstarch to make this soup gluten free
- Half & half
- Spinach
- Rotisserie chicken
- Thyme
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken & Gnocchi Soup
Prepare the veggies- Dice, chop, and julienne all ingredients ahead of time.
Saute- Add the olive oil and the butter. Stir in the chopped garlic, carrot, onion, and celery.
Stir in the broth- Stir in the 4 cups of chicken broth and saute for a few minutes.
Add the chicken and thyme- Stir in the chopped rotisserie chicken and sprinkle in the thyme, salt, and pepper.
Pressure cook - Close the lid and the vent and pressure cook on the soup setting for 15 minutes. You can also pressure cook on the MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE setting.
Naturally release pressure - Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure by hand. *Refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely perform this function.
Saute- Remove the lid and set the Instant Pot back to saute and add in the gnocchi, half & half, and the spinach.
Make a slurry of water and flour and add it to the pot. Saute for 4-5 minutes and stir frequently.
Make Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Gluten Free
Substitute the flour for a ¼ cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water. Also, gnocchi contains flour but there are gluten free options for gnocchi that you can purchase.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES:
- Instant Pot White Cheddar Jack Mac N Cheese
- Mini Chicken Pot Pies with Puff Pastry
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Taco Soup
Love Copycat Recipes? Check out these!
- Sweet Fire Chicken - Panda Express Copycat
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)
- Instant Pot Potato Soup (Copycat Outback Steakhouse)
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken (Panda Express Copycat)
- Blueberry Banana Bread (The Old Mill Copycat)
- 50+ Top Copycat Recipes
On June 15, 2021, the photos for this recipe have been updated but the recipe has not been altered.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)
Ingredients
To Saute
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 small white onion - diced
- 2 stalks celery - chopped
- 1 carrot - julienned
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz gnocchi
- ½ cup flour
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 cup spinach - chopped
To Cook on Soup Setting
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken - chopped into mini pieces
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- pepper - to taste
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Dice, chop, and julienne all ingredients ahead of time.
- Set Instant Pot on Saute setting and add olive oil and butter.
- Add in garlic, carrot, onion, and celery.
- Stir in 4 cups of chicken broth, stirring frequently.
- Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in rotisserie chicken and thyme.
- Flavor mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- Set Instant Pot to soup setting and set timer for 15 minutes.
- Allow Instant pot to naturally release for about 5 minutes and then quick release.
- Return to Saute and add in gnocchi, Half & Half, spinach, and flour.
- Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
This looks so warm and cozy for this time of year. Love the quick copy cat tips.
I love creamy soups like this – and with gnocchi too – I’m sold! So, so good!
Ok, you had me at Olive Garden copycat, and I’ve got to try this. Love this recipe and can’t wait to make it.
Don’t you just love taking a favorite restaurant dish and trying to recreate it? You did a great job!
This looks so warm and cozy for this time of year. Love the quick copy cat tips.
I haven't tried this soup as I am a vegetarian, but I love copy cat recipes. Looks pretty easy to make.
I made a vegetarian Verizon with vegetable broth and morning star chik’n
Oops meant to say version ?
I love creamy soups like this – and with gnocchi too – I’m sold! So, so good!
Ok, you had me at Olive Garden copycat, and I’ve got to try this. Love this recipe and can’t wait to make it.
Don’t you just love taking a favorite restaurant dish and trying to recreate it? You did a great job!
I have made this recipe twice and my family really enjoys it; however, I keep having an issue with my instant pot showing a burn message.
I have made this recipe twice and my family really enjoys it; however, I keep having an issue with my instant pot showing a burn message.
Hi Lisa!
You may need to add more liquid to prevent the error from coming up. Hope that helps! I'm happy to hear your family enjoys it!
Does it matter what type of onion you use? White? Yellow?
Hi Karine, I used white onion 🙂
If I dont use rotessiere chicken, does my chicken have to be pre cooked?
Not at all 🙂
What are the nutritional values of this recipe?
What are the nutritional values of this recipe?
Hi Brandon! I have updated the recipe to include the nutritional values.
Hi my husband likes this soup so I'll have to make it. Shouldn't steps 4 & 5 be switched in the instructions?
Hi Stacey,
The instructions don't need to be switched. If you want to saute your veggies, you can certainly saute for a few minutes before adding the broth. 🙂
I switched steps 4&5 too because I thought the veggies should be softened a bit then I put in the garlic till I could smell it . My soup is cooking right now so I’ll let you know how It turns out. So excited!!! My house smells awesome!
I hope you enjoy it, Therese! 🙂
Hi! Have you tried this dairy free? Wondering how it would taste with just Lactaid, or coconut milk instead of the half & half...
Hi Jen,
Although I have never tried making it dairy-free personally, I think that coconut milk would work. Coconut milk usually works well in cooking recipes that call for dairy. 🙂
@Dana, I have also substituted coconutmilk yogurt for the half and half and flour. It helps Thicken and has an amazing taste still
Thank you for sharing! I'm sure your feedback with help someone looking for dairy free options 🙂
OK, so I made this soup and it was delicious!! I’d give it a 9 because I know I can do better. Next time I will make sure that my stock is REALLY flavorful. I had made my own stock and I think it could have been a bit more chickeny. Taste your stock!! Next time I will add a bullion cube or 2 to my stock. My gnocci exploded while cooking…not a big deal and didn’t change the flavor but I may boil it myself and put it in at the end…or not. We’ll see. Over all my family and friends raved about this soup!!! Next time it will be a 10!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m just sure of it!
By the way my husband was so in love w/ this soup that he said” This is the BEST soup you’ve EVER made!!” I said, “Babe, I’ve only made soup twice in the 32 yrs. we’ve been married!” Gotta love my man!!
Very tasty! Will keep on the regular rotation list. Only issue was my gnocchi disintegrated during cooking phase but luckily I had extra, cooked them up quickly and threw Them in at the end. I will do this the next time I make it.
Very tasty! Will keep on the regular rotation list. Only issue was my gnocchi disintegrated during cooking phase but luckily I had extra, cooked them up quickly and threw Them in at the end. I will do this the next time I make it.
Glad you enjoyed it, Danielle! It's a family favorite for us!
help,
I followed the instructions to a T, opened my instant pot and the gnocci is mush. The whole recipe is now a fail and I'm left wondering to try again or find a new recipe. Now I'm seeing someone else had this issue? is the gnocci supposed to go in before the pressure?
Hi Tonya,
Since some people are having this issue I am going to adjust the recipe. That way it will work for everyone. Thank you for your feedback.
This was delicious. Some of the gnocchi broke apart, but not a big deal for us.
This was delicious. Some of the gnocchi broke apart, but not a big deal for us.
I see the recipe was adjusted since I printed out the recipe....lol. Can't wait to make this again!
Haha, Yes. I try to keep my recipes updated based on feedback 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
We LOVE this recipe at my house. We made it 2x in one week. It's actually pretty good if you use chicken breast as well. We sliced the chicken very thin, sauteed it in the instant pot, then added it back to the recipe later. Leftovers can be a bit thick so we eat it with biscuits the next day like pot pie. YUM, now we have no reason to go to olive garden
We LOVE this recipe at my house. We made it 2x in one week. It's actually pretty good if you use chicken breast as well. We sliced the chicken very thin, sauteed it in the instant pot, then added it back to the recipe later. Leftovers can be a bit thick so we eat it with biscuits the next day like pot pie. YUM, now we have no reason to go to olive garden
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe! We love it, too! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Hi! Just tried your recipe and loved it! So creamy and tasty. However when I added the flour in the soup, it started sticking together and became lumpy even though I kept stirring. Any ideas how to avoid this? Thanks!
Hi! Just tried your recipe and loved it! So creamy and tasty. However when I added the flour in the soup, it started sticking together and became lumpy even though I kept stirring. Any ideas how to avoid this? Thanks!
Absolutely! You can avoid this by creating a slurry by mixing together flour and water together to make it smooth before adding it into the soup.
Ok, will try that next time, thanks!
Soup was delicious! I was wondering if it could be frozen or would that affect the gnocchi too much?
I really am not sure if they gnocchi would freeze well or not since it has already been cooked. I'm happy to hear you thought the soup was delicious, though! I've never had the chance to freeze it because it's all eaten at once 🙂
Do I need to cook the chicken or do I put it in raw?
Do I need to cook the chicken or do I put it in raw?
I usually use rotisserie chicken for this but you can certainly put raw chicken in and cook according to the directions.
Recently got an IP and found your recipe for my favorite soup!
I read that you can use raw chicken( cut up in small pieces)in the recipe instead of the rotisserie, but I wasn't sure if I need to adjust cooking time?
Thanks!
You can substitute raw chicken for the rotisserie with no issues. 🙂 The cook time doesn't change either! Enjoy!! 🙂
I am making this tonight and see 4 1/2 C for the chicken broth, but instructions says add 4C. Should it be 4 or 4 1/2?
I am making this tonight and see 4 1/2 C for the chicken broth, but instructions says add 4C. Should it be 4 or 4 1/2?
Hi Emily, it is the 4 cups of broth. I use a 32 oz container.
I love this soup. I had it at Olive Garden. I think this one better.
I love this soup. I had it at Olive Garden. I think this one better.
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
I am not the world's best cook and at 34 I am new to making things that aren't spaghetti or grilled cheese. I made this in our Insta Pot and OMG it was so good!! This is definitely going in my "somehow I didn't screw it up and it was delicious so I can't wait to make it again!" pile.
Do I have to cook the gnocchi first! ?
Gnocchi cooks quickly. It is added at the end with the half & half, spinach, and flour. There is no need to precook the gnocchi.
Great recipe my family didn't leave any leftovers. They raved about how it was better than olive garden!!!
This makes me so happy to hear! I'm glad your family enjoyed it! 🙂
I did the recipe exactly, except I dumped the half cup of flour in the IP and it all clumped up! I was trying to whisk is quickly so the half and half didn't curdle bc I wasn't sure how long you can keep it on saute before the half and half curdles. Overall I do like the soup and I used a ton of salt and pepper and it still tastes like it's missing something.? Could it be more or fresh garlic? I used jar already minced. Hmm. I do give it and 8 out of 10! Good!!?
@Heather, I alway roast my garlic beforehand and add extra to my taste. I’m thinking of adding sundried tomatoes or roasted grape tomatoes. I also always add a splash of lemon juice at the end of cooking. It wakes up the flavors. You could try adding a bit of Better Than Bullion to your pot when you add the broth. I find soup is better the next day after the flavors have had time to marinate. We are making it tonight using the above suggestions. I hope I’ve been of help.
How long will this soup last in the fridge? My son wants it for his lunch for the week. Will it hold up that long??
I'm not sure how long because it's never lasted that long here but I would say a few days. I would worry about the gnocchi breaking down.
Very vague in direction I didn’t know to put the lid on had to google it when said to set the instant pot to soup setting you need the lid
Natalie, Anytime you pressure cook you need the lid on for the pot to come to pressure. Checking out the user manual is very helpful when just starting out using an Instant Pot! If you are using an Instant Pot branded pressure cooker it comes with directions for a "water test." Here I linked to it for your convenience 🙂 https://instantpot.com/initial-test-run/
Do you precook the gnocchi or just put them in the sauce and cook together?
Gnocchi cooks quickly so it's just added in on the saute setting at the very end with the heavy cream.
Hi I was wondering instead of flour can you substitute for corn starch and what would the measurement be? Because I know I can find gluten free gnocchi I would like to try to make this recipe gluten free? Thanks!
You absolutely can! You would substitute the flour for 1/4 cup of cornstarch. Anytime you swap the two, use half of what the flour calls for in the recipe. It works great as I have swapped the two quite a lot when I make this soup. Enjoy! 🙂
I made this tonite but the flour clumped in small circles…any idea why?
To prevent the flour from clumping, it's a good idea to stir together a bit of water with the flour before adding it into the soup. Creating a slurry breaks down the flour and prevents lumps.
This was AMAZING, tastes exactly like olive garden. I added raw chicken instead of the rotisserie and it cooked perfectly. I also added an extra 3/4 cup of half and half to make it creamer.
Made this tonight had to accommodate for a gluten dairy issue but it was so delicious great recipe!
Thanks for sharing your substitutes and I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I am making this recipe tonight with our left over turkey from Thanksgiving!!
Oh, that sounds good! Please come back and share how it goes!
I made this tonight and it was wonderful!! I didn’t have rotisserie chicken so cut up chicken tenders in small pieces and sautéed them with seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder and ground pepper. Adjusted the half & half to 1 cup almond milk, 1/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 heavy cream. It worked just fine! Really good! Will definitely make it again!
Thanks for sharing that you liked the recipe, Cam!
I made this tonight. It was delicious. I didn’t have rotisserie chicken on hand so used thawed chicken breasts.
Oh my goodness this is fantastic! So decadent and delicious.
What size InstantPot is this recipe for? 6? 8? I have an 8 qt so was thinking I could increase all ingredients by 50%?
It is for a 6qt
@Dana, thanks! Making it tonight!
@Dana,
So, we made it in our 8 qt instant pot, increased all ingredients by 50%, and it was amazing! Used a Sam's Club rotisserie chicken. Next time, we will pick up some OG breadsticks to have with the soup! Definitely a "keeper" recipe. Thanks so much!
The chicken soup looks so delicious and so easy to make that too in the instant pot. Loved it.
We don't have Olive Garden in Canada but this soup looked so good I had to make it! Definitely a keeper, I'm not sure why I never tried gnocchi in soup before, it was really good!
This sounds like the perfect heart warming dish! Love that you can make it in the Instant Pot too!
I have a Ninja Foodi, which doesn't have a "soup" function. How should I adjust the directions to make this without that feature? Thank you!
For the Ninja Foodi use the high pressure setting. 🙂
If using raw chicken breast in place of the rotisserie chicken would you just cook as the directions instruct, remove the chicken to shred, and then mix back in?
Yes, you're exactly right. Enjoy!
Could I double this in a six quart pressure cooker
Hi Ethan, you can easily double this in a 6 quart!
Yummy!! I had extra chicken breasts so used those instead of getting a rotisserie chicken which worked well since the cook time was the same as I'd use for chicken anyway. I didn't add any spinach as my son doesn't like it, but it wasn't really missed! Such a good copy cat!! We loved it!! Just need to find some copycat Olive Garden breadsticks for next time!!
For some reason I had a very specific craving for this soup, so I decided to make it! I was a bit wary to use coconut-milk as a substitute for the half & half, but it worked WONDERFULLY. (I also used cornstarch dissolved in cold water instead of the flour). I seriously cannot tell the difference and, tbh, I think it tastes better than the OG Olive Garden soup! Plus, it's SO easy to make! I am definitely adding this to my catalogue of Instant Pot recipes. Thank you!
I don't understand. If you add flour to the soup without first making a slurry won't the soup be clumpy?
This was good. I must admit that I made a few changes. I switched 4&5. It’s not sautéing if you add the liquid first; it’s boiling. I also used two whole raw chicken breasts bc 15 minutes is longer than I usually cook even frozen breasts, so I didn’t want the chicken to be dry. I also used one cup of heavy cream instead of two cups of half and half bc it’s what I had on hand. I don’t think those alterations changed the bones of the soup. I loved it, and I will definitely be making this again.
I did sauté the veggies and add the chicken broth in advance just to save myself some time later. I let it cool and stuck it in the fridge. I pulled it out and heated it up in the instant pot when I was ready to make the soup, and it came together so quickly. If you’re on the fence about making this, just do it!
Just made this tonight. It’s delicious and was a hit with my entire family. I did add more broth because the 1/2 cup of flour made it a bit too thick (personal preference). Will definitely make this again and maybe just use a little less flour next time.
Instead of chicken I used ground hot italian sausage, and it’s delicious!!!
This right here is a winner!! I will definitely be adding this to my freezer meals!! Thanks so much.
So easy to make and perfect with breadsticks and a salad