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Fresh homemade pasta is simple to make and tastes far better than store-bought. There’s something almost magical about transforming a few humble ingredients into silky, tender ribbons of homemade pasta. The process is grounding, satisfying, and surprisingly easy even for beginners! Whether you’re looking to impress dinner guests or simply elevate your weeknight meals, making pasta from scratch is a culinary skill worth mastering.
All you need is flour, eggs, a splash of good olive oil, and a pinch of salt… plus a little patience. For even smoother results, using “00” flour and a quality pasta maker can take your dough from rustic to restaurant-worthy in minutes. Below you’ll find options for making pasta with your hands using tools to make the process easier, as well as fancy machinery that won’t break the bank!
Once you taste your own homemade fettuccine or tagliatelle, it’s hard to go back to boxed noodles. Serve with your favorite sauce or drizzle with browned butter and sage—you’ll never look at pasta the same way again!
Basic essentials for making homemade pasta by hand
This is perfect for beginners who want to start with minimal tools and a hands-on approach. You can also find neat starter kits like this one!
· Clean surface – A countertop, large cutting board, or pastry board
· Mixing bowl (optional, if you don’t want to use the countertop)
· Fork – For beating eggs and starting the dough mix
· Hands – The best tool for kneading!
· Rolling pin – To flatten dough into thin sheets. Check out this rolling pin that allows you to control thickness!
· Bench scraper – For cutting dough and cleaning your surface
· Knife or pizza/pasta cutter – To slice the dough into noodles
· Flour shaker or sifter (or just use your fingers!) – Helps prevent sticking while rolling and cutting
· Kitchen towel – To rest your dough
Nice-to-Have Extras (still manual):
· Pasta drying rack – For longer noodles like tagliatelle or fettuccine
· Ravioli stamp or cutter – If you want to make filled pasta
· Pasta cutter wheel – For decorative edges or shaped noodles
· Pasta board (gnocchi board) – For making textured shapes like garganelli
Pasta Makers
My favorite way to make homemade pasta is with my KitchenAid stand mixer and it’s attachments. KitchenAid offers two pasta attachments that turn your stand mixer into a powerful pasta-making machine:
• Pasta Roller & Cutter Set – This deluxe 5-piece set includes a pasta roller to flatten dough into thin sheets, plus four cutters for spaghetti, fettuccine, capellini (angel hair), and lasagnette. It’s perfect for making a wide variety of classic rolled pastas—like lasagna, tagliatelle, ravioli bases, and more—with consistent thickness and ease.
• Pasta Press (Extruder) Attachment – This all-in-one extruder presses firm dough through interchangeable plates to create shapes like rigatoni, bucatini, fusilli, macaroni, and spaghetti. It’s ideal for textured pasta that pairs well with hearty or chunky sauces.
Below are the ingredients you need to make homemade pasta by hand or rolled pasta using a pasta roller attachment. Modify your ingredients to make the dough a bit drier if you would like to make pasta using the extruder attachment by substituting 1 cup of flour with 1 cup of semolina flour and adding ½ cup of water (added slowly until crumbly but holds together when squeezed), and leave out the eggs and oil.
The Easiest Homemade Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 00 flour for smoother texture)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Note: feel free to use the mixer if you have it, just add all your ingredients and mix until you have a springy dough ball.
- Make the flour well: Pour the flour onto a clean work surface (countertop or large cutting board). Use your hands or a measuring cup to create a wide well in the center, making sure the walls are high enough to hold the wet ingredients.
- Add wet ingredients: Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt and olive oil. Use a fork to gently beat the eggs, gradually incorporating small amounts of flour from the inner edges of the well. Go slowly to avoid breaking the flour wall too early.
- Form the dough: As the mixture thickens, use your hands to bring in more flour and knead it into a rough dough ball. You may not need all the flour, or you might need a sprinkle more if it’s too sticky.
- Knead the dough: Knead the dough by pressing it with the heel of your hand, folding, and rotating it. Continue for 8–10 minutes until the dough becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky.
- Let it rest: Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a covered bowl. Let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and makes the dough easier to roll.
- Roll out the dough: Divide the dough into smaller portions. Using a rolling pin or pasta machine, roll each piece into thin sheets, about 1–2 mm thick, dusting with flour as needed to prevent sticking.
- Cut into shapes: Use a knife, pizza cutter, or pasta cutter to slice the dough into your desired shapes—fettuccine, tagliatelle, or even lasagna sheets. You can also use pasta cutters for ravioli or stamp out fun shapes.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fresh pasta and cook for 2–3 minutes, or until tender but slightly firm (al dente). Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried!
- Serve immediately: Drain and toss with your favorite sauce, such as browned butter and sage, classic marinara, or a creamy Alfredo.
