Learn how to make pasta at home! This 4-ingredient homemade pasta recipe is easy to make, and it yields chewy, delicious noodles every time.
This homemade pasta recipe is our new favorite cooking project! Lately, Jack and I have been spending even more time than usual in the kitchen, experimenting with bread, baked goods, and even okonomiyaki. But we keep coming back to homemade pasta. It’s super fun to make together, and it only requires a handful of basic ingredients. Of course, the fact that it’s absolutely delicious doesn’t hurt either. 🙂
My homemade pasta recipe refers to the pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer, which is how we roll out our fresh pasta at home. If you don’t have a KitchenAid, don’t worry! You could also roll out this pasta dough according to the instructions on a regular pasta maker. However you make it, I hope you try this recipe. It’s an easy, fun way to spend an hour in the kitchen with someone you love, and at the end, you get to eat a big plate of chewy noodles with a perfect al dente bite.
Homemade Pasta Recipe Ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients to make delicious fresh pasta at home, and there’s a good chance you have all of them on hand already:
- All-purpose flour – In the past, I thought you needed 00 flour or semolina flour to make great fresh pasta, but this homemade pasta recipe proved me wrong. In it, regular all-purpose flour yields chewy, bouncy noodles every time.
- Eggs – The key ingredient for adding richness and moisture to the dough!
- Olive oil – Along with the eggs, a splash of olive oil moistens the dough and helps it come together.
- Salt – Add it to the dough and the pasta water for the best flavor.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pasta
Ready to learn how to make pasta? Check out this step-by-step guide first, and then find the full recipe at the bottom of this post!
First, make a nest with the flour on a clean work surface. Add the remaining ingredients to the center and use a fork to gently break up the eggs. Try to keep the flour walls intact as best as you can!
Next, use your hands to gently mix in the flour. Continue working the dough to bring it together into a shaggy ball.
Then, knead! At the beginning, the dough should feel pretty dry, but stick with it! It might not feel like it’s going to come together, but after 8-10 minutes of kneading, it should become cohesive and smooth:
If the dough still seems too dry, sprinkle your fingers with water and continue kneading to incorporate it into the dough. If the dough becomes too sticky, dust more flour onto your work surface.
When the dough comes together, shape it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
After the dough rests, slice it into 4 pieces.
Use a rolling pin or your hands to gently flatten one into an oval disk.
Then, run it through the widest setting of your pasta maker (level 1 on the KitchenAid attachment). I run the dough through the pasta maker 3 times on this setting before proceeding to the next step. If you don’t have the KitchenAid attachment, roll out the dough according to your pasta maker’s instructions.
Next, fold the dough… if you want to. This step is somewhat optional, but it will make your final pasta sheet more rectangular, which will yield more long strands of pasta. Plus, it’s super simple! Just lay the dough flat and fold both short ends in to meet in the center.
Then, fold it in half lengthwise to form a rectangle.
Once you’ve folded the dough, roll it out to your desired thickness. On my KitchenAid attachment, I run it through the pasta roller three times on level 2, three times on level 3, and one time each on levels 4, 5, and 6.
Repeat these steps with the remaining dough pieces. Each time you finish with a piece of dough, lay one half of it on a lightly floured baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with flour, and fold the other half on top. Sprinkle the top with flour, too!
Finally, cut and cook the pasta. Run the pasta sheets through your desired pasta cutter attachment. Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute, and enjoy!
Homemade Pasta Serving Suggestions
If you’ve never had fresh pasta before, you’re in for a treat! Its chewy, bouncy texture and rich flavor make it so much better than the dried pasta at the store. In fact, these noodles are so good that we usually serve them really simply. They’re fantastic with marinara sauce, pesto, or olive oil and vegan Parmesan or Parmesan cheese.
Of course, they’re delicious in larger pasta dishes, too. Use them instead of dried pasta in any of these recipes:
- Tagliatelle with Asparagus & Peas
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Easy Pesto Pasta
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta
- Linguine with Lemon and Tomatoes
- Garlic Herb Mushroom Pasta
Find more of my favorite pasta recipes here!
Homemade Pasta
Equipment
- KitchenAid Mixer (the stand mixer to use the pasta attachment)
- Pasta Attachment (my favorite KitchenAid attachment!)
- Baking Sheets (I use these nonstick ones from Nordic Ware)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
- 3 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a nest. Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to the center and use a fork to gently break up the eggs, keeping the flour walls intact as best as you can. Use your hands to gently bring the flour inward to incorporate. Continue working the dough with your hands to bring it together into a shaggy ball.
- Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. At the beginning, the dough should feel pretty dry, but stick with it! It might not feel like it’s going to come together, but after 8-10 minutes of kneading, it should become cohesive and smooth. If the dough still seems too dry, sprinkle your fingers with a tiny bit of water to incorporate. If it’s too sticky, dust more flour onto your work surface. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Dust 2 large baking sheets with flour and set aside.
- Slice the dough into four pieces. Gently flatten one into an oval disk. Run the dough through the Pasta Roller Attachment or a pasta maker three times on level 1 (the widest setting).
- Set the dough piece onto a countertop or work surface. Fold both short ends in to meet in the center, then fold the dough in half to form a rectangle (see photo above).
- Run the dough through the pasta roller three times on level 2, three times on level 3, and one time each on levels 4, 5, and 6.
- Lay half of the pasta sheet onto the floured baking sheet and sprinkle with flour before folding the other half on top. Sprinkle more flour on top of the second half. Every side should be floured so that your final pasta noodles won't stick together.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Run the pasta sheets through the Pasta Cutter Attachment (pictured is the fettuccine cutter). Repeat with remaining dough. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.
Notes
adapted from Serious Eats
It should be noted to let the dough rest after it’s been kneaded. Otherwise, it becomes tough and impossible to work with. This is common knowledge with any sort of dough to allow the gluten to relax
Can I freeze the noodles if I’m not ready to use them right away?
Well this is my 3rd try at making pasta dough and it never comes out the way the recipe claims. My wrist and hands are RED from trying to kneed this very dry ball. I used exactly what it called for and it’s just a cracked ball mess. I give up I’m over it. I’ll stick to box pasta
I’m so sorry you were disappointed with the pasta! If your dough seems too dry, we recommend dampening your hands with a little water to incorporate more moisture into it. I’d also recommend spooning and leveling your flour to avoid accidentally using too much. You can also weigh it—you’ll need 250g for this recipe.
Hey there! Try it once more, but this time, keep a small amount of warm water, adding a few drops as necessary while kneading until you have a firm, smooth dough. You’ll know it’s the right consistency when you press a finger on it and it expands back even slightly.
Making handmade pasta dough is VERY similar to sourdough.
I am curious – why is the dough kneaded by hand rather than with the dough hook on the stand mixer?
Hi Debbie, it’s a fairly stiff dough, so we prefer to bring it together by hand. Some readers have had success using the dough hook, though!
Thanks!! I followed the recipe and it turned out very well. It was a bit too dry so I dampened my hands per the instructions. Thanks for all the tips!
Nice+simple.
So glad you enjoyed it!
A PERFECT pasta dough recipe! Absolutely perfect! The only change I made was to let the cut pasta rest on a drying rack for about 40 minutes before cooking. I can’t wait to try your other recipes!
I’m so glad you loved the pasta, Amy!
What if i have only medium eggs? how many eggs would i need?
Hi Angela, you could try using 4 eggs instead of 3.
Can I use all purpose gluten free flour?
Hi Jen, I haven’t tried making this recipe gluten-free. I’m not sure how it would work.
Can I use 00 flour instead?
Hi Alexa, we haven’t tested it, but other readers have done it successfully!
Thanks for the great pasta recipe!! I have made a few times now and it never fails!! It always turns out amazing! I will try to make lasagna next time! Do I need to boil it before baking it? Thanks much!
I’m so glad you love the recipe, Anna! I would boil before baking.
I used your recipe and my new attachment for my kitchen aid. My pasta was still chewy and thick. What did I mess up ? The very first time I made pasta it was perfect, Now, the third time it’s chewy & thick please advise.
Sicerely,
Valerie
Hi Valerie, did you roll the pasta through all the recommended roller settings the recommend number of times? That should help get it to the right thickness. Otherwise, if the dough feels too dry when you’re working with it, you can moisten your hands slightly to add some moisture to the dough.
Can these be dried? If so how? Can they be dried in a nest? Will they stick together well drying? If so how do I stop that?
Hi Ann, I recommend freezing this pasta over drying. You can boil it straight from frozen!
Doubled the recipe. Turned out perfect!
I freeze the extra nests since it’s only good 1 or 2 days in the fridge.
I’m glad you loved it!
I loved make homemade pasta. My family was so impressed that I made it my dad said it was the best pasta ever. This recipe was so good everyone should try it.
Aww, I’m happy it was so impressive!
I made this pasta recipe exactly as written – did not need to add water. It came out perfect – easy to go through the pasta maker. The second time I made it, I doubled the recipe and that was fine as well. I put the flour etc. in a bowl, made a well for the eggs, and just worked around the bowl, incorporating the flour into the center, until it was mixed well, then put it on my bread board with a tiny amount of flour to get started, and kneaded for 10 min. It doesn’t take long for it to come together. You can feel the texture change while you are kneading – to become smoother. So easy when you get the hang of it. Thanks for a great recipe and instructions.
I’m glad your pasta came out so well!
I think due to shrinkflation, four large eggs are needed. I did one batch with three and another with four, and the one with four turned out perfect! Chewy, bouncy and delicious. Paired with homemade sauce and it was a delicious, satisfying meal.
This was my first time making homemade pasta and it came out great. I had a hard time starting-the eggs dripped out over the flour and I ended up just smushing everything together in a hurry but the dough came together with a lot of kneading. I loved running it through the pasta maker.
I won’t try any other recipes since this one worked so well.
I’m so glad you loved it, Susan!