HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE PASTA DOUGH (BEGINNER’S GUIDE)

Learn how to make homemade pasta dough from scratch with just flour and eggs.

This beginner’s guide covers the basic recipe, kneading, rolling, 9 easy pasta shapes, flavored doughs, and how to store, dry and freeze fresh pasta.

Homemade pasta dough only needs two ingredients, flour and eggs, and it tastes completely different from the dried stuff in a box. It’s silky, tender and cooks in about 3 minutes.

Once you’ve made it a couple of times, you’ll wonder why you waited so long (and if you already love making dough from scratch, try our homemade potato gnocchi next).

Fair warning: your first batch might not look perfect. That’s okay. It will still taste better than store-bought.

Related Articles

• Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe
• Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi
• Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce (Pasta Aglio E Olio)
• Creamy Garlic White Pasta Sauce
• Spinach Lasagna with Ricotta and Feta

What You Need to Make Homemade Pasta

The basic recipe is just flour, eggs and a pinch of salt. The type of flour changes the texture, so here’s a quick guide before you start.

Equipment

• Must have: a clean counter or large board, a fork, a rolling pin, a sharp knife and plastic wrap.
• Very helpful: a bench scraper and a kitchen scale.
• Nice to have: a pasta machine, a pasta drying rack, a ravioli stamp and a fluted pastry wheel.

Basic Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe

This is the classic Italian egg pasta dough made with the well method. You’ll find the full recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Pasta Dough by Hand

Don’t rush the kneading. The dough changes from rough and dry to smooth and silky, and that’s when you know it’s ready.

Other Ways to Mix Pasta Dough

• Food processor: pulse the flour and salt, add the eggs and pulse until it looks like coarse crumbs that clump when pinched. Tip it out and knead for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stand mixer (like a KitchenAid): mix with the flat beater on low until combined, switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 for 6 to 8 minutes. Full KitchenAid steps are below.
• In a bowl: if the well method feels messy, make the well in a large bowl instead. Same steps, less cleanup.

How to Tell When Your Pasta Dough Is Ready

How to Roll Out Pasta Dough

With a Pasta Machine

Flatten a piece of dough and run it through the widest setting. Fold it in thirds like a letter and run it through again 2 or 3 times to make it smooth and even.

Then pass it through each setting once, getting thinner each time, until you reach the thickness you need. Dust lightly with flour if it starts to stick.

Settings vary a little by brand, so roll a test strip first. If it tears, go back one setting.

How to Make Homemade Pasta with a KitchenAid

A KitchenAid stand mixer can do almost all the work here: mixing, kneading, rolling and cutting. It’s the easiest way to make a big batch, and your arms will thank you.

Step 1: Mix and Knead the Dough

1. Add the flour and salt to the mixer bowl.
2. Attach the flat beater, add the eggs and oil, and mix on speed 2 for about 1 minute until crumbly.
3. Switch to the dough hook and knead on speed 2 for 6 to 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4. If it stays crumbly, add water 1 tsp at a time. Finish with 1 minute of kneading by hand, then wrap and rest 30 minutes.

Step 2: Roll With the Pasta Roller

1. Attach the roller and set it to 1. Turn the mixer to speed 2.
2. Flatten a quarter of the dough and feed it through. Fold it in thirds and pass it through setting 1 two more times.
3. Feed it once through each setting (2, 3, 4 and so on) until you reach the thickness in the chart above.
4. Dust with flour if it gets sticky, and support the sheet with your hand as it comes out.

Step 3: Cut or Press Your Pasta

1. Swap the roller for the fettuccine or spaghetti cutter, keep the mixer on speed 2 and feed the sheet through.
2. Catch the noodles as they come out, toss with semolina and twist into nests.
3. For tube and spiral shapes, use the pasta press with a stiffer dough (use 1 less egg yolk or 2 tbsp extra flour) and cut the shapes to length as they come out.

Honestly, the first sheet through the roller is usually a little uneven. Fold it up and run it through again and the next ones come out perfect.

With a Rolling Pin

No machine? No problem. Roll from the center outward, giving the dough a quarter turn every few rolls so it stays round and even.

Keep going until it’s thin enough that you can just see the pattern of your counter through it. It takes some arm work (and a little patience), but it’s how pasta was made for centuries.

Pasta Shapes You Can Make From One Dough

One batch of dough can become almost any shape. Here are the easiest ones for beginners, from simple ribbons to filled pasta.

1. Fettuccine and Tagliatelle

The easiest shapes to start with. Fettuccine is about 1/4 inch wide and tagliatelle is a little thinner.

Use the cutter on your pasta machine, or roll the sheet up loosely and slice it with a sharp knife.

1. Dust a rolled sheet well with semolina.
2. Roll it up loosely from the short end.
3. Slice into 1/4 inch strips.
4. Unroll, toss with more semolina and twist into nests.

2. Pappardelle

Wide, flat ribbons about 1 inch across. They’re perfect with hearty meat sauces and creamy mushroom sauces.

A fluted pastry wheel gives them pretty wavy edges.

1. Roll a sheet to about 1mm thick.
2. Dust with semolina and fold loosely.
3. Cut into 1 inch wide strips.
4. Toss gently so they don’t stick.

3. Lasagna Sheets

Fresh lasagna sheets make the most tender lasagna you’ve ever had, and you don’t need to boil them first.

Cut them to fit your baking dish and layer them straight in.

1. Roll sheets to about 1mm thick.
2. Trim into rectangles the size of your dish.
3. Use fresh, or dust and stack between parchment.
4. Bake about 5 minutes less than with dried noodles.

4. Homemade Ravioli

Little pillows filled with ricotta and herbs, spinach and cheese, or butternut squash. They’re easier than they look.

Press out all the air around the filling before sealing, or they can burst in the water.

1. Lay a thin sheet down and add teaspoons of filling 1 1/2 inches apart.
2. Brush around the filling with a little water.
3. Lay a second sheet on top and press around each mound.
4. Cut with a ravioli stamp or knife and seal the edges with a fork.

5. Tortellini

Small folded rings of pasta with a little filling inside. They take practice, but they’re fun to make with a friend.

Keep the sheets covered as you work so they don’t dry out and crack.

1. Cut thin pasta into 2 inch squares.
2. Place a small dot of filling in the center.
3. Fold into a triangle and press to seal.
4. Wrap the two corners around your finger and pinch together.

6. Farfalle (Bow Ties)

Cute bow tie shapes that kids love helping with. Great in pasta salads and creamy sauces.

Let them dry for 15 minutes before cooking so they hold the pinch.

1. Cut a rolled sheet into 1 x 1 1/2 inch rectangles with a fluted wheel.
2. Pinch the center of each rectangle together.
3. Press firmly so the center stays closed.
4. Lay on a semolina dusted tray.

7. Orecchiette

“Little ears” made from eggless semolina dough. The cupped shape catches sauce and small vegetables.

Use the semolina dough below for these. Egg dough is too soft to hold the shape.

1. Roll semolina dough into a 1/2 inch thick rope.
2. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Drag each piece across the board with a butter knife so it curls.
4. Flip it inside out over your thumb to form a little cup.

8. Cavatelli and Easy Hand Shapes

Cavatelli, pici and gnocchetti are all made by hand from semolina dough. No machine needed at all.

A gnocchi board gives cavatelli their ridges, but the back of a fork works too.

1. Roll semolina dough into a thin rope.
2. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.
3. Press and roll each piece with two fingers so it curls into a shell.
4. Dust with semolina and cook or freeze.

Pasta Dough Variations

Eggless Semolina Pasta Dough

Mix 2 cups (320g) semolina flour with about 3/4 cup (180ml) warm water and a pinch of salt. Knead 10 minutes and rest 30 minutes.

It’s firm and chewy, great for hand shapes like orecchiette and cavatelli, and it’s also egg free.

Spinach Pasta Dough

Blanch 2 packed cups of spinach, squeeze it completely dry and blend it with 2 eggs. Use this in place of the 3 eggs, adding a little flour if the dough feels wet.

The color is bright and vivid, and the flavor is mild enough for any sauce.

• Beet pasta: replace 1 egg with 3 tbsp beet puree for bright pink pasta.
• Whole wheat pasta: use half whole wheat and half 00 flour for a nuttier dough that still rolls thin.
• Herb pasta: press fresh parsley, basil or dill leaves between two thin sheets and roll again for a pretty laminated look.
• Black pepper or chili pasta: knead 1 tsp cracked black pepper or chili flakes into the flour.
• Gluten free: use a 1:1 gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum and add an extra egg yolk. It’s more delicate, so stick to thicker ribbons.

How to Cook Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried. Use a big pot of boiling water salted until it tastes like the sea, and stir right away so nothing sticks.

Always save a cup of the starchy pasta water before draining. A splash helps the sauce cling to the noodles.

How to Store, Dry and Freeze Fresh Pasta

How to Freeze Fresh Pasta

• Toss the cut pasta in semolina and twist long noodles into small nests.
• Lay the nests or shapes on a semolina dusted tray in a single layer.
• Freeze for 30 minutes until firm, then move them to a freezer bag and press out the air.
• Don’t thaw before cooking. Drop frozen pasta straight into boiling water and add 1 to 2 minutes to the cook time.

How to Dry Homemade Pasta

Hang long noodles on a drying rack or a clean clothes hanger, or lay shapes flat on a floured towel. Leave them in a cool, dry spot for 12 to 24 hours until they snap cleanly.

Egg pasta dried at home is best used within a few weeks. If it bends instead of snapping, it needs more time (and storing it before it’s fully dry can cause mold).

Homemade Pasta Troubleshooting

Homemade Pasta FAQ

Do I need a pasta machine to make homemade pasta?

No. A rolling pin and a sharp knife work fine, especially for fettuccine, pappardelle and hand shapes like orecchiette. A machine just makes it faster and more even.

Can I make homemade pasta with a KitchenAid?

Yes. Use the dough hook to knead the dough, then the pasta roller and cutter attachments to roll and cut it. The pasta press attachment can even make tube shapes like rigatoni and macaroni.

Can I make pasta dough without eggs?

Yes. Use the eggless semolina dough above with just semolina, warm water and salt. It’s firmer and perfect for hand-shaped pasta.

Why is my pasta dough so dry?

Eggs vary in size and flour absorbs differently depending on the weather. Knead with wet hands first, then add water a teaspoon at a time only if it still won’t come together.

How much pasta does one batch make?

This recipe makes about 1 pound of fresh pasta, enough for 3 to 4 servings as a main dish.

Can I make pasta dough the night before?

Yes. Wrap it tightly and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before rolling.

More Pasta Recipes

• Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Garlic Sauce
• Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
• Lazy Baked Cheese Ravioli Lasagna
• Quick Garlic Butter Noodles Under 20 Minutes