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

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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)
Equipment
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
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.
Stacey says
Hi my husband likes this soup so I'll have to make it. Shouldn't steps 4 & 5 be switched in the instructions?
Dana says
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. 🙂
Therese Burch says
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!
Dana says
I hope you enjoy it, Therese! 🙂
Jen says
Hi! Have you tried this dairy free? Wondering how it would taste with just Lactaid, or coconut milk instead of the half & half...
Dana says
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. 🙂
Michelle says
@Dana, I have also substituted coconutmilk yogurt for the half and half and flour. It helps Thicken and has an amazing taste still
Dana says
Thank you for sharing! I'm sure your feedback with help someone looking for dairy free options 🙂
Therese Burch says
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!
Therese Burch says
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!!
Danielle says
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.
Danielle says
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.
Dana says
Glad you enjoyed it, Danielle! It's a family favorite for us!
tonya says
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?
Dana says
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.
Kelli says
This was delicious. Some of the gnocchi broke apart, but not a big deal for us.
Kelli says
This was delicious. Some of the gnocchi broke apart, but not a big deal for us.
Kelli says
I see the recipe was adjusted since I printed out the recipe....lol. Can't wait to make this again!
Dana says
Haha, Yes. I try to keep my recipes updated based on feedback 🙂
Dana says
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
paige says
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
paige says
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
Dana says
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy this recipe! We love it, too! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Yumi says
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!
Yumi says
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!
Dana says
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.
Yumi says
Ok, will try that next time, thanks!