Making pasta from scratch is easy, and I wish more people knew this. At the same time, pasta is the kind of product that is available, like, everywhere in the world. Every grocery store will carry some type of pasta noodle. So it’s almost natural to think, is making pasta at home really worth it? But the answer is – of course – yes. It’s always worth making something from scratch, at least for the sake of feeling proud of yourself.

You’ve probably seen those cheesy videos of fresh eggs being cracked over a mound of flour, and then a hand coming in with a fork and starting to whisk those eggs incorporating the flour as it goes. And then the fork is ditched, another hand enters the picture, and they’re kneading this glorious yellow dough. Cheesy Italian music plays along throughout the reel. So romantic.

Sure, this is the traditional way. Some like to do it like this, find it therapeutic. Some feel a connection to an imaginary nonna. But I don’t. Of all the doughs out there, pasta dough is my least favourite to knead. It’s hard, it’s a workout. I want homemade pasta from scratch, but I don’t necessarily want a workout on my day off, when I indulge myself on pasta from scratch. Therefore I turn to my favourite kitchen appliance: the food processor.

Food processor pasta dough

Making pasta dough in a food processor is not cheating. Making pasta dough with the help of a machine will not make it less authentic. If you shun people who use kitchen appliances, go wash your dishes by hand. And by the way, do you think that all the busy Italian moms out there have time to toy around with a flour mound and a fork? Once you try how quick and convenient it is to make pasta dough with a food processor, you will make it more often, I promise.

Then, we could open another debate: pasta machine or no pasta machine? Because if we’re going all traditional, then we should be rolling out the pasta dough with a rolling pin. And cutting the tagliatelle with a knife. Which is a wonderful option if you don’t own a pasta machine. But I do, and I love mine.

In the end, whatever way you choose to make your fresh pasta at home is valid. Just make your pasta, I’m not here to judge. Do you enjoy kneading a hard dough? You do you! I know I don’t, so I will always pull out my trusted food processor. And if you never make pasta from scratch because you’re like me, I hope that with this post I’ll have inspired enough confidence to make this beautiful food from scratch, because it doesn’t need to be hard. Or romantic. It’s just food, we’re here to make food. Let’s go.

What is fresh egg pasta?

Regular dry pasta you commonly find in packets in stores is only made with basically 2 ingredients: durum semolina and water. It is then dried, therefore it usually requires some 10 minutes cooking time (this depends on the pasta shape, of course).

Fresh pasta requires a shorter cooking time, as it doesn’t need the extra re-hydration time that dried pasta calls for. Fresh pasta usually only requires 2 minutes in salted boiling water. While you can make “regular” pasta fresh as well – combine durum semolina and water and make a dough – the more common way to make fresh pasta usually involves eggs.

Adding eggs to pasta dough provides extra protein and fats. This makes the pasta dough easier to work, it will give it a softer knead while ensuring a more elastic texture. This is very beneficial both if handling the pasta with your hands or with a machine, as elasticity makes it a lot easier to work with. In addition, egg yolks give egg pasta dough a bright yellow hue.

The ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make one batch of fresh egg pasta in the food processor. For detailed quantities check the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

The yield is 2-3 people and in my experience this is the maximum a regular home food processor can handle without hassle. If you need to feed a larger group, I recommend to work with these proportions and make several batches, in order to get the best result with your food processor. Unless you have a larger, professional one, of course.

How to make pasta from scratch

Add both flours to a food processor fitted with the blades and crack the eggs in it. Start the food processor, the flour will incorporate the eggs and at first the texture will resemble cous cous. Pour in the olive oil at this point.

Keep working it until the dough comes together in a ball. Depending on the size of your eggs, you may need to add a splash of water to hydrate the dough a tad more so that it comes together easily. You will notice it if even after adding the oil, the texture will still resemble cous cous. Just add one tablespoon at a time, you may need as little as one. If your eggs are very small, you may need up to 1/8 cup.

Take the dough out of the food processor and place under a bowl to rest for 15 minutes. When ready, proceed to roll out and form into chosen pasta shape, either by hand or with the help of a pasta machine.

How to shape your fresh pasta

Back in the days before I got myself a pasta machine, I would roll out the dough with a rolling pin. Now, whether you go full-on by hand or if you are going to use a pasta machine, my recommendation is to always start with a rolling pin.

Take out the dough from under the bowl and cut out a portion, I usually use a bench scraper for this. Place the rest of the dough back under the bowl and start rolling out the portion you’ve taken out. The dough should be dry enough not to stick to your wooden bench. In fact, you know your dough has the right texture and humidity if it only slightly adheres to the working surface when pressing it with a rolling pin, but detaches easily.

If you proceed by hand, you will need to roll the dough until it reaches the desired thinness. When satisfied with its size, sprinkle some flour and gently roll it up. Then proceed to cut it into ribbons – fettuccine. Unroll the pasta coils and let them sit all ruffled and airy on some more flour. 

If you have a pasta machine, I would still recommend to slightly flatten up your portion of dough with a rolling pin before you press it into the pasta machine, as I find that this helps making the process easier. I prefer the pasta machine because it delivers much thinner sheets, which I like when making lasagna. But I will go pretty thin also when making fettuccine. Homemade pasta has a pleasant rustic texture also when thinly pressed.

Either cook your fresh pasta directly in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, hang to dry for later use, or fluff up with generous flour so the fettuccine don’t stick.

Pasta recipe inspiration

Now that you have your homemade pasta, the sky is the limit when it comes to what to do with it. Here is some inspiration for you:

• Tagliatelle with chanterelles and pecorino
• Creamy walnut pasta
• Creamy pasta with bacon and mushrooms
• Fresh tomato and balsamico onion

And here are some fantastic sauces you can also make from scratch:

• Zesty sundried tomato pesto
• Homemade basil pesto
• Ragù meat sauce

Good pasta is available worldwide. And while all stores will have some type of pasta, many stores have also some really good one, proper bronze-cut pasta produced in very legit establishments in Italy. The one that cooks well, keeps al dente, has good porosity to “hold” the sauce – really top-tier pasta. Some 15 years ago such pasta was hard to come by outside of Italy. But now the times have changed and everyone (almost) everywhere can potentially get ahold of really good pasta.

But don’t let this discourage you from making your own fresh pasta from scratch. Especially knowing that with a little help from a food processor, it only takes 5 minutes of active time to make the dough come together. You may have access to excellent pasta brands, but the satisfaction of making your own, I promise, is unbeatable.

If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you’re planning to try it another time, pin this recipe to Pinterest. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram and on Pinterest.

This recipe was originally published in January 2016 and has been updated in January 2026 with new pictures and a more comprehensive explanation of the food processor method.