Beginner's guide

So you're getting into pasta making

Fresh pasta is just flour and eggs — but the technique is everything. Get the dough right and you can make spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli, or anything else that comes out of an Italian kitchen. The gear list is genuinely short. Here's exactly what to buy and what to ignore until you've made twenty batches.

By Colin B. · Published May 15, 2026 · Last reviewed May 15, 2026

Photo by Jorge Zapata on Unsplash

The 60-second version

If you only buy 3 things to start:

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine — The Marcato Atlas 150 is the gold-standard hand-crank pasta machine — bomb-proof, Made in Italy, lasts decades.
OXO Good Grips 11-lb Food Scale — A digital kitchen scale is non-negotiable for pasta — volume measurements for flour don't work.
Marcato Tacapasta Pasta Drying Rack — A pasta drying rack keeps freshly cut noodles from sticking together while you finish rolling.

Budget total

$65

Typical total

$130

The pasta machine is the main cost — budget $60-90 for a decent hand-crank model. A scale, bench scraper, and drying rack run another $40-50 total. You can be fully set up for under $150.

At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

Category	Top pick	Price	Where to buy
Pasta Machine	MarcatoMarcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine	$$	See on Amazon →
Work Board & Rolling Tools	John BoosJohn Boos CB Series Maple Cutting Board, 20x15 Inch	$$$	See on Amazon →
Cutters & Stamps	AtecoAteco Pastry Wheel with Fluted Edge	$	See on Amazon →
Drying Rack	MarcatoMarcato Tacapasta Pasta Drying Rack	$	See on Amazon →
Kitchen Essentials	OXOOXO Good Grips 11-lb Food Scale	$	See on Amazon →

Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

You need a scale before you need anything else. Pasta dough is built on ratios — 100g flour to 1 large egg — and measuring flour by volume will give you a different dough every time. A $15 kitchen scale eliminates 80% of beginner failures.

Start with a hand-crank roller, not a pasta extruder. Extruders (the kind that push dough through a die to make rigatoni or penne) are satisfying gadgets but expensive, hard to clean, and they teach you nothing about how pasta dough actually behaves. Learn on a roller first — you can always add an extruder later.

Your flour choice matters more than your machine. Tipo 00 flour makes silky, pliable fresh pasta; all-purpose works but produces a chewier result. Both are fine for starting. Italian '00' is worth trying once you've made a few batches with AP.

The gear

What you actually need

Pasta Machine

Your pasta machine is the gear decision that actually matters. The good news: the right choice for 95% of beginners is the same machine it's been for fifty years — a hand-crank stainless steel roller with adjustable thickness settings. Skip the pasta extruders (they're for a different kind of pasta and require much stiffer dough). Skip the KitchenAid attachment until you've used a hand-crank for six months and know you want to go faster. The Marcato Atlas 150 isn't exciting because it's trendy — it's the default because it works, it lasts, and the price never makes you wince.

Pasta Machine — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

Hand-Crank Roller

The traditional way. Builds intuition for dough texture. Easy to clean. Perfect for beginners.

Speed: Manual
Best for: Flat pasta: fettuccine, lasagna, ravioli
Cleanup: Brush out (no water)

Best for All beginners. The default choice.

Tradeoff Slower than motorized; requires one hand to crank while the other guides the sheet

↓ See our pick

Stand Mixer Attachment

Same rolling result, hands-free. Meaningfully faster for high-volume pasta sessions.

Speed: Motorized
Best for: Flat pasta: all the same shapes
Cleanup: Brush out (no water)

Best for Experienced home pasta makers who make pasta weekly and own a KitchenAid

Tradeoff Expensive; requires a stand mixer; doesn't teach you what hand-cranking does

↓ See our pick

Pasta Extruder

Forces dough through dies to make rigatoni, penne, fusilli, and other extruded shapes.

Speed: Electric
Best for: Extruded pasta: rigatoni, penne, fusilli
Cleanup: Complicated — soaking required

Best for Enthusiasts who specifically want extruded pasta shapes and have mastered basic fresh pasta

Tradeoff Completely different technique (stiffer, drier dough); expensive; hard to clean; won't make flat pasta

Best starter

Marcato

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

Made in Italy since 1930, the Atlas 150 is the pasta machine that professional cooks recommend to everyone. Nine thickness settings (1–9, from thick to paper-thin), a 15cm wide roller, and a clamp that stays put on any countertop. The hand-crank builds feel for the dough in a way motorized machines can't replicate. Buy this once and you'll never buy another.

Watch out for: The cutting attachments work but can be finicky — the cutter must sit perfectly parallel to the rollers. Don't stress it in month one; just cut by hand.

See on Amazon →

Budget pick

Imperia

Imperia 150 Pasta Machine

Also Made in Italy, almost identical mechanism to the Marcato, and sometimes $15 cheaper. The build quality is slightly flimsier (the Marcato is noticeably more solid) but it'll last years of regular use. If the Marcato is out of stock or over your budget, the Imperia gets you a real Italian pasta machine for less.

See on Amazon →

Upgrade pick

KitchenAid

KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Set

$$$$

If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer and you're rolling pasta regularly, this attachment is genuinely faster — you feed the sheet and the motor does the rolling while your hands are free to guide. The pasta roller and two cutters (spaghetti and fettuccine) attach in seconds. But this is a month-six purchase, not a day-one one. You need to build the feel for proper dough consistency first.

Watch out for: Requires a KitchenAid stand mixer with a power hub — won't work on cheaper stand mixers.

See on Amazon →

Work Board & Rolling Tools

Pasta dough is sticky, and your work surface matters. You want something large (at least 18 inches wide) with a slightly textured surface — perfectly smooth marble doesn't grip dough the way a wooden board does. A bench scraper is the one tool almost no beginner thinks to buy and almost every experienced pasta maker says is essential. It lifts stuck dough, portions dough cleanly, and scrapes the board between batches.

Best starter

John Boos

John Boos CB Series Maple Cutting Board, 20x15 Inch

$$$

A large maple board gives you the real estate you need to roll, cut, and dry pasta without running out of space. The 20x15-inch size is enough for most pasta sessions. Boos boards are built for exactly this kind of work — heavy, stable, and the maple surface has just enough grain texture to grip dough without sticking. Doubles as a bread board, charcuterie board, and general prep surface.

See on Amazon →

Budget pick

OXO

OXO Good Grips Silicone Pastry Mat

If your kitchen counter is your workspace, a non-slip silicone mat is plenty for pasta. Laid flat, it grips the counter, gives you a clean surface, and rolls up for storage. Easier to clean than a wood board and a fraction of the price. The measurement guides are a bonus for portioning.

See on Amazon →

Specialty pick

OXO

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Bench Scraper

This is the tool you didn't know you needed. A bench scraper lifts sticky dough without tearing it, divides dough into portions cleanly, scrapes flour off your board between batches, and lets you gather up cut pasta quickly. Buy this before you buy a ravioli cutter.

See on Amazon →

Pasta cutter wheel and shaping tools on a wooden surface.

Photo by Sonia Nadales on Unsplash

Cutters & Stamps

Once you can roll a good pasta sheet, you'll want to cut it into shapes. The Marcato includes spaghetti and fettuccine cutters — that's enough for months of pasta. After that, the most useful addition is a fluted pastry wheel (for pappardelle, maltagliati, and cutting ravioli edges) followed by a ravioli stamp if you get into filled pasta. Skip the dedicated pasta bike, the ravioli tray, and the fifty-piece cutter set for now.

Best starter

Ateco

Ateco Pastry Wheel with Fluted Edge

A fluted (wavy-edge) pastry wheel is how you cut beautiful pappardelle, maltagliati, and the sealed edges of ravioli all at once. Ateco's is inexpensive, well-built, and the wheel spins freely. The most versatile pasta cutting tool after the machine itself.

See on Amazon →

Specialty pick

Fantes

Fantes Ravioli Maker Stamp Set, 2.5-Inch Round

When you're ready to make filled pasta, a ravioli stamp is much faster than cutting with a knife and pinching edges by hand. Set the stamp on your filled pasta sheet, press, and you have a sealed ravioli with a fluted edge. Fantes has been making Italian kitchen tools since 1906 — the wooden handle is comfortable and the aluminum stamp is sharp.

Watch out for: Flour the stamp between each press. Skip the fancy ravioli molds that require two perfect sheets laid on top — stamps are more forgiving.

See on Amazon →

Specialty pick

Cuisinox

Cuisinox Wooden Gnocchi and Cavatelli Pasta Board

A ridged wooden board specifically for rolling cavatelli, gnocchi, and other pasta shapes that get their texture from dragging across wood. Not an everyday purchase, but if you want to branch into shapes beyond flat pasta, this board opens up a whole category. Roll a small piece of dough across the ridged surface and you get perfect texture in seconds.

See on Amazon →

Drying Rack

Cut pasta sticks together fast if you pile it. A pasta drying rack solves this — you hang cut noodles over wooden or plastic arms, they dry slightly on the outside, and they stay separated until you're ready to cook. This isn't strictly required (you can dust pasta with semolina and nest it in small nests on a tray), but a rack is genuinely useful once you're rolling more than one or two portions at a time.

Best starter

Marcato

Marcato Tacapasta Pasta Drying Rack

Made by the same company as the Atlas 150 — same quality, same Italian factory. Ten wooden arms, folds flat for storage, and the wooden pegs don't react with pasta the way plastic can. If you're already buying the Marcato machine, this matches it perfectly.

See on Amazon →

Budget pick

CucinaPro

CucinaPro Pasta Drying Rack

A no-frills wooden rack that does exactly what a pasta rack needs to do. Slightly wider arms than the Marcato, which some people prefer for thicker pasta shapes. Under $20 and does the job.

See on Amazon →

Kitchen Essentials

Two items you probably don't own but absolutely need: a kitchen scale and a spider strainer. The scale is for dough ratios (volume measurements for flour are unreliable). The spider is for pulling pasta out of boiling water into the pan with your sauce — this is how every Italian nonna, every Michelin-starred chef, and every pasta obsessive cooks pasta, because it adds a tablespoon of starchy pasta water automatically and stops the pasta from overcooking.

Best starter

OXO

OXO Good Grips 11-lb Food Scale

The OXO is the kitchen scale we'd recommend for any cooking, but it's especially important for pasta. Weigh your flour in grams, add your eggs, and your dough ratio is exact every single time. The pull-out display is a useful detail when there's a large bowl blocking the screen.

See on Amazon →

Specialty pick

OXO

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Spider

Pull pasta directly from the boiling water into your sauce pan, a few tablespoons of pasta water clinging to the noodles. This — not draining into a colander — is how fresh pasta is finished in Italy, and it makes a real difference to the sauce texture. Also doubles as a strainer and blancher for everything else you cook.

See on Amazon →

Going deeper

Your first month of pasta making

Pasta dough is just flour and eggs — but the technique is everything. Here's what actually happens in your first month, from a crumbly first batch to ravioli you'd serve at a dinner party.

Read the guide →

Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

A pasta extruder — Extruded pasta (penne, rigatoni) is a different technique from rolled pasta. Learn to roll first — the extruder can wait a year.
A fifty-piece pasta cutter set — You'll use three cutters and the other forty-seven will live in a drawer. The fluted wheel handles most cuts.
A pasta drying cabinet — For commercially drying pasta in bulk. You're making dinner, not opening a restaurant.
Special pasta water salters or pasta pots — The largest pot you own and enough salt to make the water taste like the sea. That's it.
Pre-made pasta dough (from the store) — Making the dough is half the point — and fresh pasta dough takes fifteen minutes. This defeats the hobby.

First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

Order a kitchen scale if you don't own one — you need it before the pasta machine. · Buy
- Jump to our pick: OXO Good Grips 11-lb Food Scale
Order the Marcato Atlas 150. · Buy
- Jump to our pick: Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine
Watch one foundational pasta-dough video before touching flour. Pasta Grannies and Italia Squisita on YouTube are the two best resources on earth for this. · Learn
- Pasta Grannies (YouTube) · Real Italian grandmothers making regional pasta — the authoritative source
- Italia Squisita (YouTube) · Professional Italian chefs demonstrating technique in detail
Make your first batch when the machine arrives: 200g tipo 00 flour (or all-purpose), 2 large eggs. Mix, knead 8 minutes, rest 30 minutes wrapped, roll to setting 6 on the Atlas. · Action
Cut by hand your first time — knife-cut fettuccine is forgiving and you get to feel how the pasta sheet behaves. No cutter attachment needed yet. · Action
Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes (fresh pasta cooks fast), finish with your sauce in the pan, and eat it immediately. Fresh pasta does not reheat well. · Action

FAQ

Common questions

What flour should I use for fresh pasta?

Tipo 00 is the classic choice — it's finely milled, silky, and produces the most pliable dough. All-purpose flour works and produces a slightly chewier, more toothsome pasta that many people actually prefer. Both are fine starting points. Once you know what you like, try 50/50 semolina and all-purpose for extra bite.

Why is my pasta dough too dry / too sticky?

Dough too dry: your eggs were small or your flour was packed. Add a few drops of water. Dough too sticky: you added too much water or your humidity is high. Add flour gradually and knead. The correct dough should be smooth and barely tacky — it shouldn't stick to your hands, but it shouldn't crack when you fold it either.

Do I need to let the dough rest?

Yes, and this is the most-skipped step that makes the biggest difference. Rest your dough, wrapped in plastic, for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Resting lets the gluten relax so the dough stretches without snapping back when you roll it. If you skip it, you'll fight the dough the whole time.

Can I make pasta without a pasta machine?

Yes — a rolling pin and patience gets you there. Roll the dough as thin as you can (you want to be able to read a newspaper through it), then fold and cut. It's harder and less consistent than a machine, but people made excellent pasta for centuries this way. If you want to do it by hand, a French-style wooden rolling pin (not a ball-bearing American one) gives you more control.

How long does fresh pasta keep?

Fresh pasta is best cooked the day you make it. You can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours (dusted with semolina, laid out or nested, in an airtight container) or freeze it for up to a month. Cook from frozen — don't thaw first.

What pasta should I make first?

Fettuccine or tagliatelle — wide, flat noodles are the most forgiving shape. They're easier to cut than spaghetti, cook quickly and evenly, and pair with almost any sauce. Make these the first five batches, then try pappardelle, then ravioli when you're feeling confident.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

Pasta Grannies (YouTube) — The definitive pasta YouTube channel — real Italian grandmothers from every region demonstrating traditional shapes and sauces. More educational than any cookbook.
Italia Squisita (YouTube) — Professional Italian chefs showing technique in careful detail. Great for understanding the 'why' behind the method, not just the steps.
Serious Eats — Fresh Pasta Guide — Kenji López-Alt's thorough breakdown of pasta dough science — why rest time matters, what flour does what, and how to troubleshoot.
Mastering Pasta — Marc Vetri — The definitive pasta book for home cooks who want to go deep. Covers every regional shape, dough variant, and sauce pairing. Skip the first half in year one; return when you're ready to explore.
r/pasta — Active community with dough troubleshooting, shape tutorials, and honest equipment feedback. Good place to post your first batch photo and get critique.
Salt Fat Acid Heat — Samin Nosrat — Chapter three (Fat) covers hand-made pasta in detail, including the regional pasta traditions of Emilia-Romagna. Read this alongside Pasta Grannies for context.