If you love the taste of fresh noodles, a pasta maker will have you feeling like a professional chef. Basic models will make spaghetti, fettuccine, and flat pasta that is good to use for lasagna. Others will have specific attachments for ravioli, veggie noodles, and other varieties. Here are our best picks of automatic, hand-crank, and attachment pasta makers.
Philips pasta and noodle maker
Fully automatic maker
The Philips Pasta and Noodle Maker does all the mixing for you. Add the ingredients for fresh pasta and it creates a half-pound of pasta within 10 minutes. This machine can make a wide range of pasta including spaghetti, penne, noodles, and Fettucine.
Pros:
- Does all the mixing, kneading, and extruding
- Produced pasta quickly
- Some parts dishwasher-friendly
Cons:
- Expensive
- Doesn't last long
The majority of the parts are also dishwasher friendly, making this appliance a great choice for cooks who want fresh pasta but don’t want to spend hours making it. This is one of the most pricy pasta makers we reviewed however, it’s also one of the easiest to use as you essentially just add ingredients and choose which kind of pasta you’d like. A few user reviews also mentioned that these machines don’t last very long.
Marcato Atlas 150
Hand-crank pasta maker
The Italian-made Marcato Atlas Wellness 150 pasta maker is a hand-crank machine. It makes fresh lasagna, fettuccine, and tagliolini, and has 13 additional accessories you can buy to make many more types of pasta and noodles.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Affordable
Cons:
- Hand crank
- Not dishwasher-friendly
- Accessories required for pasta variety
It’s compact and weighs just a bit over 3 pounds, and is made of steel with anodized aluminum alloy and polymeric resin combs. This keeps dust particles out of the machine and your pasta. You must hand clean this machine since it shouldn't be washed in a dishwasher. This pasta maker comes in several colors to match your kitchen's décor.
Briefton 7-blade spiralizer
A healthy alternative
The Brieftons spiralizer has seven different blades, including several to make vegetable noodles. It handles any type of squash and both hard and soft vegetables making it great for those on a low-carb or gluten-free diet.
Pros:
- Handles hard and soft vegetables
- Healthy alternative
- Recipes included
Cons:
- Non electric
- Doesn't make traditional noodles
It isn't an electric machine. Instead, you'll need to use the hand crank to guide the veggies through the spiralizer. It only makes vegetable pasta. It doesn't work in making traditional pasta. The Briefton spiralizer doesn't come with an electronic recipe book to help you make delicious pasta meals that are filling as well as healthy.
Antree 3-in-1 pasta maker attachment for KitchenAid
Turn your mixer into a cutter
This pasta maker attachment is designed to work with your KitchenAid stand mixer. The attachment fits on easily and creates 5.5-inch pasta sheets, with eight different thickness settings. This maker creates spaghetti, fettuccine, and flat sheets of pasta. And you can make all three at the exact same time.
Pros:
- Easy to clean
- Width adjustment
Cons:
- KitchenAid not included
- Limited pasta varieties
- Hand wash only
There isn't any way to make other types of pasta, however, you can use the flat sheet maker for making Wonton and dumplings. It comes with a cleaning brush to get into the small grooves and remove small particles. This pasta maker should be hand-washed, never submerged in water, and not placed in a dishwasher.
What to look for in a pasta maker
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How it is operated
You can choose from two different types of pasta makers. Manual pasta makers are less expensive than their electric counterparts however they are operated by a hand crank. Some models do offer a motorized attachment that turns this for you though.
While electric pasta makers require little input from you, apart from feeding the pasta through. While this sounds great, just remember you will have to work at the speed of the machine.
Material
Try to choose an option that is crafted from stainless steel instead of aluminium. Stainless steel pasta makers might be heavier, but they have great durability and won’t rust.
Attachments
Essentially, a pasta maker is only as good as the pasta it makes. So make sure your device allows you to create the shape of pasta you crave. Many manual and electric pasta makers will allow you to create thin sheets of pasta and cut them into long flat strips like pappardelle. Some of the best pasta makers also come with die extruders. These let you create round and tubular pasta shapes like spaghetti or fusilli.
Extra attachments
Your pasta maker might not include all your favorite pasta shapes. But don’t fret. Before you invest, check to see if there are any additional dies or cutters you can add to your collection.
Can you make homemade pasta without a pasta maker?
You can indeed! However, making pasta from scratch without a pasta maker by your side is a lot more labor-intensive. That’s because a pasta maker essentially takes on all the hard work.
If you decide not to invest in a pasta maker, you will have to mix, knead and roll out the dough yourself until it is paper-thin using a kitchen utensil like a rolling pin. You will also have to cut and shape the pasta dough you wish to make. It takes a little more patience than using a dedicated pasta machine, but it is still possible.
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