If you’ve always wanted to make homemade pasta dough at home, this is the recipe to start with! It’s easy to follow, with just 4 simple ingredients that you can find in your local grocery store. It can even be made with or without a pasta machine!
There’s only way to start this post, and it’s with a disclaimer:
Once you start making homemade pasta, you’ll never look at pasta the same way again.
You’ll be addicted to making ridiculously delicious pasta at home, opposed to buying store bough or even going to a restaurant.
Because every time you do go to a restaurant, you’ll wonder if it’s homemade pasta, and you’ll start saying to yourself “I might as well have just made this at home, it’s better that way!”
This might all sound extreme, but it’s only bound to happen once you get to discover how easy it really is to make homemade pasta, and how it’s just about 823,540,231 times better than anything else.
So let’s get to it, shall we?
Homemade Pasta Dough Ingredients
There are four simple ingredients that you need to make homemade pasta (ok, not counting S&P but who counts those anyway?!).
There’s no need for extra fancy flours or ingredients (yes, you can find semolina pasta flour in your local grocery store!) which is just one of the many reasons to love this recipe.
You’ll need (as always, see the full recipe card below):
- all-purpose flour
- semolina flour
- eggs
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
Most people don’t put freshly ground black pepper into the fresh pasta dough. So if you don’t want to, don’t.
I, however, love adding a little black pepper. It adds flavor and texture to the pasta and adds just enough oomph to make you keep coming back for more.
I use a mix of flours because I love the texture it creates!
Way back when, I started out using all semolina flour, which is delish as well, but adding in the all-purpose flour makes for a softer and lighter noodle. Play around with the ratio and see what you like best!
You could also use a finer flour than all-purpose, and go with 00 pasta flour, if you’re fancy like that.
Equipment You’ll Need
I highly recommend having a pasta machine on hand for making homemade pasta.
It helps you roll out perfectly uniform sheets of fresh pasta, eliminating any thicker spots. The same goes for cutting fettuccine type noodles, you’ll have a more uniform noodle using the pasta machine.
Is it absolutely necessary? Nope (more on that in a minute)!
I also recommend having either a pizza cutter (affiliate link) or pasta wheel for things like ravioli. Alternatively, you can use it to cut shapes, too.
You’ll also want a mixing bowl, or go all in and try it on the counter top like the pros. I’d just rather let the dishwasher do the cleaning. 😉
How to Make Pasta From Scratch
Be sure you check out the video in the recipe card or this post to see the process unfold! Note: the process shots here are for a half batch of pasta dough.
Step 1: Mix the Ingredients
First, combine the semolina flour, all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Once you’ve stirred them together, create a “well” or a crater in the middle, leaving flour on the bottom to “catch” the liquids.
Pour the eggs, olive oil, and water into the center of the well.
Using a fork, gently whisk together the eggs and liquids (you could also do this before you pour them in the well). Then begin working around the edge of the liquid, incorporating the dry ingredients bit by bit.
Once a shaggy mess has formed, get your (clean!) hands in there and begin working the dough together completely. Start kneading to mix in any remaining flour in the bowl.
At this point, you may feel like your dough is too wet or dry. Keep kneading for a minute or two before trying to fix it just to be sure the dough has come together. We’ll get to this fix after you’ve kneaded…
You want the dough to be tacky and slightly sticky. This texture will continue to form the more you knead the dough, so don’t worry yet if it’s not quite there!
Step 2: Knead, knead, knead!
Once a ball has formed and it has the right consistency, you can transfer it to the countertop and begin kneading the dough to form the gluten.
Continue to knead the dough in your hands or on the counter for 3-4 minutes.
Stretch the dough apart to test the elasticity at this point. The goal is that you are able to stretch the dough out pretty far without it tearing. If it tears immediately, continue kneading.
After kneading, if you’ve noticed that the dough is sticking excessively to your hands, add flour 1 teaspoon at a time.
Alternatively, if the dough is dry, add water 1 teaspoon at a time, incorporating between additions to ensure you don’t’ add too much.
Once your dough feels tacky and elastic, it’s time for the next step!
Step 3: Rest!
Now is the time for both you and the dough to rest. All good things come with rest, right? So pour yourself a glass of wine and cover your dough with plastic wrap or – even better – Bee’s Wrap (affiliate link).
Let sit at room temperature on the counter for 30-60 minutes. This will give you time to enjoy that glass of vino, prepare your sauce, or keep dancing away in the kitchen!
Step 4: Roll it Out
Your homemade pasta dough has rested, as have you (unless that kitchen dance party kept going) and now you’re hungry and the best part is here: rolling out the dough.
You’re not too far away from having fresh pasta on your table and in your belly, because once it’s rolled out, it doesn’t need long to cook!
I love my pasta machine! It gives me all the authentic vibes, it’s easy to use, a great price point (especially compared to other stand-mixer attachments) and I’ve had it for years without an issue!
Bonus: all you have to do is wipe it clean!
Divide the fresh pasta dough into at least 4 sections. Take one, and cover the remaining.
Form the first section into somewhat of a rectangle shape, just thin enough that you an thread it into the pasta machine on the thickest setting.
Run it through the thickest setting, and once through, fold in any wonky edges to form another rectangle.
You’ll run it through the thickest setting again, continuing until you’re happy with the shape. I settle on a mostly rectangle, and sometimes the edges are rounded, and that’s a-ok!
Once you’ve gone through the thickest setting and have somewhat of a rectangle sheet shape, continue working the sheet through the settings – thickest to thinnest – stopping at your desired thickness.
Set the pasta sheet on a semolina lined baking sheet or counter top and continue with the remaining dough sections.
From here, you can run it through a fettuccine or spaghetti setting or use as desired. Like, hello cheese ravioli!
How to Make Homemade Pasta without a Machine
I told you we’d get to it.
If you don’t have a pasta machine, you’ll need a good rolling pin and a pizza cutter (affiliate link) or knife.
Follow the steps above to form each section of dough into a rectangle, roll until your desired thickness is reached, and cut into the shape you’re going to make. Fettuccine or Pappardelle is easiest when cutting with a pizza cutter (affiliate link) or knife.
How to Cook Fresh Pasta
The beauty is that fresh pasta cooks much more quickly than dried pasta – but that also means you need to keep an eye on it!
To cook fresh pasta, bring a large stock pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and begin stirring immediately to prevent the noodles from stickin together.
Cook the pasta to al dente, as you would any other pasta, however, the time will vary depending on the thickness of your pasta. When I roll fettuccine noodles to the second to last thinnest setting on my machine, the noodles cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. I like to test a noodle once they begin floating.
How to Store Fresh Pasta
I’m usually known to cook my fresh pasta immediately (who wants to wait?!). You can dry it out for 30 minutes, on a pasta rack or a flour coated baking sheet, as some would recommend.
If not cooking right away, you can store the pasta dough in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 3 weeks. If frozen, thaw at room temperature or in the fridge.
Recipes to Make with Homemade Pasta Dough
- Cheese Ravioli
- Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Poppy Seed Sauce
- Sweet Corn Basil Ravioli
- Vegetarian Spinach Lasagna
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Classic Tomato Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
PrintHomemade Pasta Dough
Homemade Pasta Dough can be made into any pasta shape you desire and tossed with your favorite sauce or used with ravioli!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 cup semolina flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
- 2 eggs
- 4 TBSP water
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flours, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and create a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- Add the eggs, water, and olive oil into the center of the well inside the dry ingredients. Use a fork to whisk the eggs gently in the center. Begin stirring the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients from the outside in, until combined. Once a shaggy dough forms, use your (clean!) hands to continue mixing the dough together, incorporating any remaining flour in the bottom of the bowl.
- Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until tacky and elastic, checking its elasticity by stretching the dough. If it stretches 8-12 inches without tearing, you’re ready to rest. If it tears right away, continue kneading as the gluten needs to continue developing.
- Once tacky and elastic, place the dough ball in plastic wrap and let rest for 30-60 minutes. Roll out as desired using a pasta machine or rolling pin.
- To roll fettuccine (or similar) noodles:
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Take approximately 1/4 of the fresh dough ball and using your hands form it into a rectangle shape, just think enough that it will fit into the largest setting on your pasta machine (use it for best results, but a rolling pin will work, too). Roll it out on the largest setting, adjusting and folding into a rectangular shape again as needed, because each time you roll it out, it will expand how it was placed in.
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Once you’ve gone through the largest setting and have a solid ‘rectangle type base’, thread the dough through each smaller setting, one by one until you’ve reached your desired thickness. I like to go with the second to last the thinnest setting. Thread dough through the fettuccine template and place noodles on a baking sheet lined with semolina flour until ready to cook.
- To cook fettuccine (or similar) noodles: bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook to al dente. The time will vary depending on the thickness of the noodles. For noodles rolled to the second to the thinnest setting, they generally take 1 1/2 minutes.
Keywords: pasta, homemade, from scratch, italian, pasta machine
This post was originally published in October 2016; the text and some photos were updated for clarity in October 2020, along with a video.
Ashley
Not enough wet ingredients. Consistency of grits when trying to knead.
Becca
Hi Ashley – thank for your feedback. As with most dough recipes, your environment and the humidity levels will impact the amount of liquid needed in the dough. Did you continue to knead for 4 minutes? The semolina flour will continue to get incorporated, and it does take a few minutes to fully come together. You can see the video for reference. I’d recommend adding a bit more water, approximately 1/2 tablespoon at a time as needed, kneading between each addition. It’s a fine balance. I’d be happy to continue troubleshooting with you if you’d like!