Beginner's Guide To Fresh Homemade Pasta

This easy, step-by-step fresh pasta recipe will teach you how to make soft, silky homemade pasta made from flour and eggs, in just 1 hour (with or without a machine). It's an all purpose pasta dough: use it to make homemade fettuccine, pappardelle, homemade ravioli and more. For timing, the process is broken up into 3 parts: making the dough, rolling the dough into pasta sheets, and cutting the pasta into noodles. Tips shared below for using a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, food processor and doing it by hand.

Recipe by Emilie Raffa on December 24, 2021

Prep time: PT1H

Total time: PT1H

Rating

5 stars ( reviews)

Keywords

best homemade pasta recipe, easy Italian recipe, homemade pasta without a machine, homemade pasta dough

Ingredients

300 g Italian Tipo 00 Flour (I recommend Molino Grassi or Caputo)
3 large eggs (see note below)
1 large egg yolk
Semolina flour, for dusting (rice flour can be used)
Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer (w/ pasta attachments)
Pasta Machine
Make space. You’ll need a long, clutter-free work surface to handle the dough. The kitchen table or kitchen island is perfect.
Weigh your ingredients (including the eggs). This will ensure the correct texture of the dough. If your eggs are too small, the dough will be dry and crumbly.
Wrap it up. Pasta dough can dry out quickly. Keep it covered with wrap or a kitchen towel.

Cuisine

Italian

Steps

Step #1: Make The Dough
- Add the flour to a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add the eggs and yolk.
- Whisk together with a fork, and then combine with the flour. When the texture becomes stiff, finish by hand to form a rough dough. If dry bits of flour remain after a few minutes of mixing (be patient, it’s a dry dough) add a few drops of water or olive oil to bring the dough together.
- Form the dough into a ball, cover with an upturned bowl or with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes- it will be easier to knead.
- Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes. Do this by folding the dough over itself, pushing it forward with the heel of your hand, turning slightly as you go. I literally rock the dough back and forth (watch the video). The texture will be very stiff at first- it’s not bread dough. But rest assured, by the 2 minute mark it will start to soften. Keep kneading until the dough is soft, malleable and has a talcum-like finish. It should “bounce back” slowly when poked.
- Form the dough into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step #2: Roll The Dough Into Pasta Sheets
- On your work surface, cut the pasta dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough into a 6-8inch oval patty. Keep the remaining doughs covered in wrap otherwise they will dry out.
- Set the pasta roller to #1 which is the lowest/widest setting on the Kitchen Aid. With the machine running, send the dough through the roller. Now, send it through again (so, 2x total). Note: if you are using a hand crank pasta machine, refer to the manufacture’s specific instructions for rolling the dough- the settings might differ but the process is the same.
- Continue to roll the dough through settings #2-4, (2x) on each setting. Do not pull on the sheet as it comes through the roller; just guide it along gently. If at any point the dough becomes sticky, dust with semolina flour. I keep my work surface dusted with semolina at all times. This way I can coat both sides of my pasta sheet easily and quickly while I work.
- Your pasta sheet is ready when it’s beautifully thin and somewhat translucent (you should be able to see your hand underneath). Don’t worry if the ends are not perfectly straight; you can always trim them with a knife.
- To finish, dust the pasta sheet generously with semolina, fold it in half, and place onto your floured sheet pan. Cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat the rolling process for the remaining 3 doughs.
Step #3: Cut The Pasta
- Before cutting, I like to dry my pasta sheets ever so slightly. This firms up the final texture giving the strands a more “leathery” finish, rather than a soft and doughy feel (this will prevent the pasta from sticking together later on).
- To Dry
- To Cut

Reviews

Todd on 2022-09-23 (5 stars):
I slightly altered by freeze drying some broccoli and then powdering it in the Vitamix. Then added 1 cup of powdered dry broccoli and compensated for the extra dry ingredient with a splash of water here and there. Came out very good but a little too soft, maybe I over boiled them (8-10 mins) or maybe just the added water, but either way excellent recipe, thanks worked great. p.s. Next time going to try with freeze dried powdered cauliflower.
Todd on 2022-09-23 (5 stars):
Just a plain ole over the counter Hunts garlic flavor and a can of "sliced mushrooms" -or at a glance what I thought were sliced mushrooms that actually turned out to be cream of mushroom that I usually put on top of Jasmine rice-.
Janice on 2022-09-24 (5 stars):
I made ravioli for the first time a couple of weeks ago, using your recipe for pasta dough. Enjoyed the process tremendously, and my meat-filled ravioli was a huge success, encouraging me to try ravioli again, this time with a 4-cheese filling. Thank you so much for a great pasta dough recipe, and for inspiring me to finally try making ravioli. One question, if I may: I found the dough to be a little "tacky" (for example, when I removed a 1/4 piece of dough from the plastic wrap, the dough pulls and sticks to the wrap). However, by sprinkling semolina before each pass thru the pasta roller, my dough is lovely. I guess that's all that really counts, right? But... should it be that tacky to begin with? The dough in your video seems firmer.
Janice on 2022-09-25 (5 stars):
Thank you for shedding some light with respect to dough consistency. Much appreciate your rapid response to my question. As for my ravioli fillings, the meat one contained ground beef and hot Italian Sausage (3:1), as well as spinach, Parmesan, garlic, bread crumbs, parsley, olive oil, and egg. The 4-cheese one contained well-drained cottage cheese (since I couldn't find lactose-free Ricotta), Parmesan, Fontina, and mozzarella, as well as roasted garlic, egg, and basil. Both served with a homemade marinara sauce. Thanks again for sharing your wonderful recipes...I have so many more I wish to try in the very near future.
CMR on 2023-01-21 (5 stars):
Who knew… weigh the eggs….Emilie’s details are truly amazing. I can spend hours reading her recipes and going to all the wonderful links Emilie provides on her website. So talented and always puts so much care into her work. I am sure many of us agree that our kitchens are so much better with so many creative aspects Emilie teaches us. Clear videos and recipes! Thanks Emilie!
Cheryl on 2023-02-19 (5 stars):
Tonight I did my first attempt to making homemade pasta using your recipe and instruction. Wow! Super easy and pasta turned out fantastic!! Thank you!! I didn’t have any semolina so just used more of “00” for dusting. Delicious!!
Alice Wyckoff on 2023-03-13 (5 stars):
Hello! I tried this for the first time the other day and loved it! What is the drying rod set up you have that I see in your video? the one that is hanging under your wood shelf?? Would love to get a similar set up :) thanks! Love your recipes!!
Meeeee on 2023-11-13 (5 stars):
Luv it
Alison on 2023-11-29 (5 stars):
Hi. So happy to find this detailed recipe with instructions. Thank you! My question is this: I just received the pasta press attachment for my Kitchenaid stand mixer. You make the dough into walnut-sized balls to feed through the press. Would this recipe be good for that attachment also? Thank you!!
Amber on 2024-02-08 (5 stars):
Can I make the dough ahead of time and cut it the day I will eat the pasta?
Kasandra on 2024-02-17 (5 stars):
Hi :) can I make my fettuccine or spaghetti strands and then put them in the fridge until i want to cook them later on that day? And if so, do I put them straight from the fridge into the pot of boiling water? Or do I have to let them sit out for a bit first before cooking them?
Kasandra on 2024-02-18 (5 stars):
Thank you very much for being so helpful and informative! And thanks for all your amazing recipes :)
Michelle on 2024-02-17 (5 stars):
Thank you for this great recipe. I made the dough via the KitchenAid mixer method and kneaded it by hand. Both work just as well and as easily! This was great for a beginner....turned out the very first time. I made absolutely no substitutions for this recipe. Thanks again!
Parker Westbrook on 2024-02-29 (5 stars):
A slam dunk on the first try! I used the KitchenAid mixer method, it was SO easy and delicious. Something came up after I made the dough but before ran it through the machine, and even though the dough sat in the fridge for 2 days the fettuccine was still delicious. I feel silly for being nervous to try making pasta now. The recipe steps are clear and easy to follow, both in print and in the video. Thank you so much!
Deb on 2024-04-14 (5 stars):
Hello, I’m about to start making pasta for the first time in many years. This is a great guide. I’d like to know if anyone has freeze dried fresh pasta? If so, what prep did you put in?
Tom on 2024-07-26 (5 stars):
Just made this recipe. First time making fresh pasta and it worked like a dream. Thank you so much. Just wondering if it is possible to scale up the ingredients to make a bigger batch for my hungry family.
Ellie on 2024-09-19 (5 stars):
Hello :-) I just want clarify the resting of this pasta dough; first rest is 10 minutes after forming dough into a ball, then the second resting (after kneading by hand) is 30 minutes? Sorry, but I got confused . However, I am over the moon because...this was my very first time making pasta dough. My large eggs weighted 170 g, so I took out about 3 Tbs of 00 flour. Then did add 1/2 tsp olive oil because the dough felt a little dry. In the end, it rolled out really good in pasta machine. Thank you, thank you, thank you for thorough tutorial of this recipe and the filling recipe for Ravioli! I made it for supper today and it was great!
RM on 2024-10-13 (5 stars):
love this recipe! One question for you: If I’m making it and will have to leave it about 90 minutes before I can cook it, do I still do the 10-15 mins of drying/hanging before I cover in Saran Wrap? or do I do the drying step immediately prior to cooking? (Or would I not have to dry at all since it will sit for 90 mins regardless?)
Marge on 2024-11-21 (5 stars):
Your step by step instructions and video are wonderful and it is such a pleasure to see exactly how something so intimidating can be done so easily. I would like to try making your dough recipe when I make pierogi. Do you think it would work? I normally make my pierogi dough with 8 cups of all purpose flour, 7 large eggs (1-1/2 cups) and 1-1/2 cups of water. This was my mother's way of doing it but I tend to have a problem when sealing the edges. The edges become too thick in the process and I'm wondering if my ingredient ratio is causing the problem. Any suggestions? Thanks so much
Marge on 2024-11-21 (5 stars):
Those are excellent suggestions. I do all my rolling by hand and I will be making several batches in the coming days. I'll let you know how they turn out after making the changes. Thanks so much, especially for your quick response!
Barry on 2024-11-26 (5 stars):
Hi I'm in the process of making this right now, since there's only two of us and we don't need a whole pound of noodles, I was wondering, when I take the dough ball and cut it into four pieces can I freeze two of those pieces as is to use later, or should they be processed and made into noodles before freezing?
Nancy on 2025-01-02 (5 stars):
Recipe was so easy to follow. The detailed instructions and pictures really helped. Excellent recipe for beginner pasta makers. Thank you!
Kathie on 2025-01-23 (5 stars):
I used 1 cup AP flour and 1/2 cup of Semolina flour. Noodles came out perfect. I am making a shrimp scampi. Thank you for a wonderful tutorial.
Heather on 2025-04-05 (5 stars):
Great video and recipe! First time pasta maker and the fettuccine came out perfect! Thank you so much for a fantastic post.
Rozel Robbertze on 2025-05-15 (5 stars):
Will try just don't have pasta machine but a ba,d roller
Martine S. on 2025-07-01 (5 stars):
This is the first home-made pasta recipe I ever tried, using my KitchenAid stand mixer and the pasta attachments we bought for it. (I even used regular enriched white flour!!) The instructions were so clear, I was successful from the get-go and *always* use this recipe now. The dough is never too sticky or too dry; weighing is the way to go. Next up: spinach pasta. Request: I would LOVE to see you come up with a Whole Wheat Pasta recipe, Emilie!
Jennifer Wildheart on 2025-08-06 (5 stars):
I've always been shy at making pasta from scratch because I hate touching flour. Used my KitchenAid dough hook to make the process more manageable and did the rest by hand. It was the best pasta I've ever had/made! I made ultra thin, angel hair style and it was silky, elastic and just perfect. Made a sauce of homegrown tomatoes and oranges with plenty of olive oil. Will 100% make again.
Darell on 2025-09-13 (5 stars):
Came here to thank you not only for the excellent video and instructions, but specifically for giving the weight (and in grams!) of how much liquid egg you use. I have been done with volume measuring for quite some time, and I find it frustrating to have recipes still given in cups and liquid ounces (even mass ounces is annoying these days!). Add to that the wide variability of natural items like eggs (and fruit, etc) and knowing the actual measurement (vs the number quantity) of the product being added to the recipe is KEY! My first attempt at pasta was a disaster (too dry) because I followed the time-honored "three eggs to 300 g of flour". Turns out my eggs were smaller than assumed. And when the recipe basically said "don't worry if it feels dry, it'll be fine!" Well, it WAS too dry and it was NOT fine. I made linear erasers since I had to over-work the dough for WAYY too long adding small amounts of water, afraid of making it too wet. Giving the mass of ALL ingredients, combined with a great video showing what "dry" should look like was key to success this second time. So all that to say a big "Thank You" for the excellent information and demonstration.
shirley mcivor on 2026-02-06 (5 stars):
great recipe! Best fresh pasta I have ever tasted. Can I make this for larger number of servings by keeping the ratio of flour and egg the same, for 6 servings the ratio would be 450gr flour and 277 gr egg?