Homemade Pasta
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Channel your inner Italian grandma and learn to make homemade pasta from scratch! With just a few simple ingredients and foolproof techniques, you’ll be cranking out perfect noodles in no time.
Making homemade pasta might seem intimidating, but it’s easier than you’d think—and so rewarding! With just a few pantry staples, you can create fresh pasta with a texture and quality that’s impossible to get from dried pasta.
When it comes to kneading the dough, you can use a stand mixer to make things easier or go the traditional route and do it by hand. As for rolling and cutting, there are plenty of options. A hand-crank pasta machine is my go-to—it’s easy to use and produces consistently even sheets. If you want to speed things up, an electric pasta machine, like the KitchenAid pasta attachment, makes the process even simpler. And if you’re feeling traditional, rolling the dough out with a rolling pin and cutting it by hand with a knife or pizza cutter gives you a more rustic feel.
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Pasta
- All-Purpose Flour or Tipo “00” Flour: Provides the base for the dough. All-purpose flour yields a slightly heartier texture, while tipo “00” flour creates a smoother, more tender pasta. Both work perfectly well, so use whatever you have on hand.
- Eggs: The key ingredient that binds the dough, adding richness and color while ensuring a smooth, pliable consistency.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: Adds a touch of richness and helps to keep the dough supple during kneading.
- Salt: Enhances the flavor of the dough, ensuring the pasta is well-seasoned before it’s cooked.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, eggs, oil, and salt. Mix on medium-low (speed 2) for a few minutes until the dough starts coming together. It might look dry at first, but give it time—it should form into a cohesive mass.
Once the dough comes together, switch to the dough hook and knead on medium-low for about 10 minutes, until it’s smooth and elastic. The dough shouldn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl, so if it does, add a little more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it pulls away cleanly.
*If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix the dough by hand. In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt, then make a well in the center and add the eggs and oil. Use a fork to whisk the eggs and oil together, gradually pulling in the flour from the edges until a shaggy dough forms. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Once you’re done kneading, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This gives the gluten time to relax, making it easier to roll out. If you’re not using it right away, you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days.
Divide the rested dough into four pieces and lightly flour your work surface to prevent sticking. Working with one piece at a time, flatten it into a rough rectangle with your hands.
Set your pasta machine to the widest setting and run the dough through twice to start smoothing it out.
Fold the dough into thirds, like folding a letter, and run it through the widest setting again. Repeat this step once more, lightly dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Gradually decrease the roller setting, running the dough through each setting twice and lightly dusting with flour as needed, until you reach your desired thickness.
Once the dough is rolled into thin sheets, cut it into your desired shape using the pasta machine attachments, a sharp knife, or a pizza cutter.
Dust the cut pasta with flour to keep it from sticking, then place it on a baking sheet. For longer noodles like fettuccine or tagliatelle, gently form them into nests for easy storage.
For the best texture, cook the pasta within 30 minutes of making it. If you need to store it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Keep in mind that fresh pasta can oxidize and develop a slight greenish tint after a day, but it’s still perfectly safe to eat.
To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, give it a gentle stir, and cook until al dente—about 1 to 2 minutes for thin noodles and 2 to 3 minutes for thicker ones. Drain, reserving some of the pasta water to mix with your sauce for the perfect consistency, then serve and enjoy!
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Homemade Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or tipo “00” flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Stand-Mixer Method: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, eggs, oil, and salt. Mix on medium-low speed (setting 2) for 2 to 3 minutes until the dough comes together. It will seem dry at first, but it should eventually come together into a cohesive mass. If it seems dry, you can add another teaspoon of oil but give it a chance to mix for the full 3 minutes before deciding if it's needed. If the dough seems wet, you can add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Once the dough has come together, switch to the dough hook attachment and knead it on medium-low speed (setting 2) for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough is sticking to the bottom of the bowl during kneading, add more flour, little by little, until it no longer sticks.By-Hand Method: In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the center, and add the eggs and oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil, then incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well, until a shaggy dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking, until it becomes smooth and elastic. This process requires some effort, but it’s essential for developing the gluten and creating a chewy, resilient pasta.
- After kneading, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This rest period allows the gluten to relax, making it easier to roll out. If you need to store the dough for longer, you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days, but let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before rolling.
- Divide the rested dough into four pieces. Flour your work surface lightly to prevent sticking. Take one piece at a time and flatten it into a rough rectangle with your hands. Set your pasta machine to its widest setting and pass the dough through the rollers two times. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter you’re mailing, and pass it through the widest setting again. Repeat this process again, lightly dusting with flour to prevent sticking. Gradually decrease the roller setting, passing the dough through each setting twice and dusting with flour each time, until it reaches your desired thickness. (For fettuccine and other longer noodles, aim for a thickness of about 1/16 inch.)*If you don’t have a pasta machine, you can roll the dough out by hand. Working on a clean, well-floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough to your desired thickness, turning and dusting it with flour to prevent sticking.
- Once rolled into sheets, cut the pasta into your desired shape. You can use the attachments on your pasta machine, a knife, or a pizza cutter. Dust the cut pasta with flour to prevent it from sticking together, and store on a baking sheet. For longer noodles, like fettuccine or tagliatelle, form them into nests. It's best to cook the pasta within 30 minutes of making it. If you need to store it, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- To Cook: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta, stir gently with a wooden spoon, and cook, tasting at regular intervals until the noodles are just cooked with a little bite, 1 to 2 minutes for thin noodles and 2 to 3 minutes for thicker noodles. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking water; toss with the sauce, adding a bit of the starchy cooking water to achieve the desired consistency, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Comments
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I’ve always wanted to make homemade pasta, but felt intimidated. I knew if any recipe would work, it would be Jenn’s. Well, I was right, and it’s so much simpler than I thought! I served it with Jenn’s turkey meatballs (also easy and delicious) and couldn’t believe that the pasta we were eating was made by me instead of coming from a box. Such a fun weekend project that I will use often! Thanks Jenn!!
Absolutely amazing. Every single recipe of yours is a family hit, thank you for sharing 🙂
My daughter and I have made pasta many times. I wanted to try your recipe because they are always stellar. We did not have good luck with this at first. We just had dry crumbles in the mixing bowl. Could it have been the type of eggs? Other recipes call for water, so we added 1/4 cup and the dough turned out perfectly. The noodles had a great texture and were delicious. I made your bolognese sauce to go with it… amazing!
Hi Tonya, Glad that ultimately it came out well, but are you struggled with it a bit. The ratios in this recipe are pretty standard. Could it be that you didn’t mix it for long enough? What kind of flour did you use? Do you use the spoon and level method to measure flour? Were your eggs large? Is that enough questions for you? 😂
Hi Jenn,
How can I make this pasta whole wheat.
Thanks
Rose
Hi Rose, I haven’t tested this recipe with whole wheat flour so I’m not sure how it would come out. For the most predictable results, I’d look for a recipe that uses whole wheat flour. Sorry!
my kids helped make this for dinner tonight. best pasta dough recipe i’ve tried yet! my toddler lost almost all the white from one egg she cracked to the floor so i did add an extra egg after 2 mins of mixing (stand mixer method) and it came out perfectly. (meaning we probably used about three eggs plus one yolk). great as always! thanks jenn!
I like your food
Do you think a 2/3 recipe would have enough volume to use the stand mixer?
Unfortunately not. This doesn’t make that much pasta though, so I’d encourage you to make the whole recipe.