Fresh Homemade Pasta Dough (Easy Recipe Step by Step)

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This homemade pasta dough recipe is easy to follow and uses 5 simple ingredients. Learn how to make fresh pasta from scratch right in your own kitchen! Check out the simple step-by-step instructions below! You’re going to love the simplicity of this easy homemade pasta recipe! 

bowl of homemade pasta


 

Once you taste the difference in both flavor and texture, you’ll never want to buy boxes of dried noodles again.

And once you make and cut pasta at home, you’re going to be hooked. And I’ll say it forever – that there’s nothing quite like the flavor of fresh homemade pasta dough. 

There’s such a fun feeling to be able to make your own pasta and the best part? This fresh pasta recipe is crazy easy to do! 

overhead: ingredients for homemade pasta dough recipe

Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe

Use these fresh pasta dough noodles in all of your favorite dishes like chicken marsala, creamy shrimp alfredo, or cacio e pepe.

Or, make a few small adjustments to this homemade pasta dough recipe, and you’ve got perfectly tender ravioli!

You can even bake no-yeast bread or crispy pizza crusts with ingredients you have sitting in your pantry. There’s no limit to what you can make yourself!

mixing egg into mound of flour on counter top

Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe Tips

  • Experiment with different flours. 

00 flour, which is used for pizza doughs, will create a silkier texture, while semolina is known for its chewy bite. 

That said, all-purpose works just as well if you don’t want to buy something special.

  • Try a machine. 
  • Use rice flour for dusting! 

Because it doesn’t contain gluten, it won’t bond with the gluten in the homemade pasta dough. 

It’s especially great if you want to make those lovely little piles of swirled fresh noodles! 

They will separate more easily when you throw them in boiling water if they have been generously dusted throughout the process with rice flour.

  • Cutting long noodles by hand? 

Sprinkle your surface liberally with rice flour, then fold the fresh pasta dough over on itself to cut more pieces in each slice.

If the surface area gets sticky and doesn’t have much flour, and a little bit of flour and continue with the rest of the directions as listed on the recipe card. 

I always keep extra flour nearby in case I need it for the egg pasta or the surface area.

Pasta recipes can get sticky quickly, and I don’t want to damage the final product when I just need to add a little flour instead. You can use regular flour for this. 

running homemade pasta dough through pasta sheet roller

How To Make Fresh Pasta Dough

Start with a clean surface – either a countertop or a large cutting board – and mound the flours together.

Create a well in the center of the mound, then add the oil and eggs. Whisk the eggs with a fork while incorporating more and more of the flour as you go.

Finish mixing the dough by handing, and kneading until it transforms from a shaggy texture to soft and pliable. Wrap it in plastic and let it rise for 30 minutes.

Then, cut out your shapes and drop them into salted, boiling water to cook. Or, hang dry to save for a future meal.

homemade pasta on a drying rack

Italian Pasta Dough Recipe FAQ

Can I use cake flour for fresh noodles? 

Since it doesn’t have the same protein content that other varieties do, it cannot be used in full. We did use cake flour mixed with all-purpose to create a softer 00-type blend for this Italian pasta dough recipe.

You can also use 100% all-purpose or 00 flour, as well as a combination of either of those two with some semolina.

How do you store fresh noodles? 

If you won’t be cooking the fresh pasta dough immediately, it will need to be dried on a special rack or baking sheet. Transfer the strands to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Or, freeze for up to 2 weeks and thaw in the refrigerator before boiling. Add a piece of parchment between layers to prevent sticking.

Do I have to have a pasta machine to make this homemade fresh pasta?

To be honest, having a pasta maker and a pasta drying rack really just makes the whole process so much easier. There are many people who make their own homemade noodles and homemade ravioli without a machine or maker, but it’s so much easier to cut a sheet of pasta with a pasta cutter and maker. 

If you don’t have a pasta maker or cutter, you can use a clean work surface and a pizza cutter or sharp knife to work on cutting the noodles into equal pieces. When trying to cut the basic pasta dough by hand, just know that it will be a lot of hard work, but it is worth it in the end. 

How do I cook the fresh pasta dough? 

Adding it to a large pot of boiling hot water is key. You can add a little bit of olive oil or salt to the water as well, as this will help the noodles from sticking together. Once the cooking time has passed, use a slotted spoon to remove the best homemade pasta recipe from the water. 

Add it to a bowl, and serve it however you’d like. You can literally add this pasta recipe to your favorite sauce, or pair it with chicken noodle soup as well. 

freshly made noodles in piles on counter top

Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours. 

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plate of pasta made with homemade pasta dough recipe

Other Easy Pasta Recipes

fresh homemade fettucine in white bowl

Fresh Homemade Pasta Dough (Easy Recipe Step by Step)

Donna Elick
This pasta dough recipe is easy to follow and uses 5 simple ingredients. Learn how to make fresh pasta from scratch right in your own kitchen!
5 stars from 1 review
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Italian
Method Stovetop
Servings 4

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cake flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • Semolina and/or rice flour for dusting

Instructions
 

  • Mound all-purpose and cake flours on clean countertop or cutting board.
  • Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil and three eggs to a well in the center of the flour.
  • Use a fork to whisk the eggs, drawing in the flour as you whisk until as much of the flour is incorporated as possible. Use your hands to continue mixing the dough when most of the flour is incorporated.
  • Knead the dough for 10 minutes, noticing that the shaggy dough gradually becomes more soft and pliable.
  • Form a ball with the dough and place in a plastic bag or wrap with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
  • Divide the rested pasta dough into 2-4 sections. Work with one section at a time, keeping the remaining sections wrapped.
  • Use a rolling pin or a pasta machine to roll out a long rectangle of dough. Roll it as thin as possible if working by hand. With a pasta machine, roll the dough on gradually smaller settings until you can roll it out on the second to thinnest or thinnest setting (experiment with various thicknesses for desired preference. Shape the dough into as close to a rectangle shape as possible by folding in tapering sides and re-rolling as needed.
  • Now, cut the pasta dough into thin strips with a pizza cutter (for a fettucine). You can also run the dough through the fettuccine, spaghetti, etc. attachment on your pasta machine.
  • Regardless of cutting method, sprinkle surfaces and pasta machine with semolina flour to keep it from sticking to the surfaces.
  • If folding the dough over on itself for bulk cutting OR if storing the cut pasta in a pile or layered, it is most helpful to sprinkle generously with rice flour to prevent the pasta from sticking to itself.
  • Cook fresh pasta for 2-3 minutes in a pot of salted, boiling water until the pasta is cooked through – it will lighten slightly in color and expand a bit.
  • Or, hang the pasta in separate pieces on a pasta drying rack. Alternately, spread pasta out on a cookie sheet to dry. Pasta takes 1-2 days to dry and can then be stored in an airtight container.

Donna’s Notes

There are lots of different types of flour that can be used for pasta dough. All-purpose flour works perfectly well. 00 flour is great if available for a more silky pasta. Semolina flour will make a chewier pasta. We used some cake flour mixed with the all-purpose flour here for an approximation of a softer “00” type flour. Cake flour does not have the same protein content that 00 flour does, though, so cannot be substituted in full. You can also use 100% all-purpose flour, 100% 00 flour, or some combination with semolina.
Rolling the pasta dough is quite a bit easier to get nice and thin if you use a pasta machine.
Rice flour does not have gluten in it so it will not bond with the glutens in the pasta dough – it’s a really great dusting flour, especially if you want to make those lovely little piles of swirled noodles. They will separate more easily when you throw them into the boiling water if they have been generously dusted all throughout with rice flour.
If you are cutting pasta by hand and want to make long fettuccine-type noodles, sprinkle the rolled surface liberally with rice flour; then fold it over on itself to cut more pasta in each slice.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 287cal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 339mg | Sugar: 1g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 3mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
titled pinterest collage for homemade pasta dough recipe

Originally published December 2021, updated and republished February 2024

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5 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love the taste of homemade pastas, and this recipe is no exception! I made a home-made alfredo sauce along with this pasta recipe, and it all turned out fabulous. The texture of the noodles was amazing!

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