We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more.

We Tested Pasta Makers, and These 7 Are Worth the Dough

The best way to homemade spaghetti, macaroni, and more is through these pasta makers

Best pasta makers displayed on a white counter in front of a pink tiled wall

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

Dried pasta is quick and easy to prepare, available in countless varieties, and an indispensable part of any pantry.

It still can't hold a candle to the fresh stuff.

Homemade noodles take time and effort to make, but the delicate texture and delicious taste are so worth it. There are lots of options for pasta makers to help mix, shape, and cut, from old-school hand-cranked tabletop models to fully automated electric options. These machines let you customize ingredients to your preferences and dietary requirements, making fresh pasta on demand a reality. To help you find the best of the bunch, we tested 21 pasta makers and narrowed it down to our favorites.

Best Overall

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    4.9/5
  • Value
    5/5
  • Size
    5/5
What We Like
  • Clamps firmly to table

  • Sturdy construction

  • Handle stays in place

What We Don't Like
  • Narrow noodles don't cut cleanly

This popular manual model is from an Italian company that's been crafting pasta machines for generations. It’s made from sleek, chrome-plated steel and is impressively well-built, with a clamp that held it firmly to the table with no wobbling through the full round of testing. The crank handle is removable for easy storage, but it doesn't fall out while you're using it, a problem a lot of other hand-cranked machines have.

The Atlas can roll sheets of dough to 10 different levels of thickness, and then a dual-sided cutter attachment has two options for width. The same crank controls the roller and the cutter, so you just rotate it in the opposite direction to switch from flattening dough to slicing noodles.

We love the texture of pasta that comes out of this machine: The rollers were designed to create a rough surface that holds onto sauce. Selecting a thickness is as simple as turning a dial, and we had no trouble getting flat, even sheets, even on the thinnest setting. The cutters are also easy to use, though we got better results with wide fettuccine than narrow tagliolini—the wheels didn't quite cut all the way through the whole length of the sheet, so we had to carefully separate and tear apart some of the pasta.

Manual pasta machines in general are tough to clean, as there are lots of nooks and crannies where flour or dough can build up, and you can often use only a soft cloth or brush. The Atlas can't go in the dishwasher (or even the sink), but you can remove the combs underneath the cutters to access all the parts and interior of the machine. After that, it's simple enough to wipe away all the remnants with a cloth, brush, or even toothpick. No pasta machine is all that easy to clean, but this one was among the easiest we tried.

A slightly annoying aspect is that you can only cut two different kinds of pasta with the included attachments. However, you can buy extra attachments for other shapes, including spaghetti, raviolini, and more. The Atlas is slightly on the pricey side for a hand-cranked machine but still pretty affordable compared to the stand mixer attachments and motorized models in our test. We actually tried the version of the Atlas with an electric motor; it's just as good as this one in performance, but we don't think the motor is worth an extra $200.

Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 7 inches | Weight: 5.4 pounds | Thickness Settings: 10 | Cutter Options: 2 included

Runner-Up, Best Overall

Imperia Pasta Machine

Imperia Pasta Maker Machine (Model 150)

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.5/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
What We Like
  • Quality construction

  • Clamp and crank are very secure

  • Pasta rolls and cuts smoothly

What We Don't Like
  • Instructions are not very clear

Another Italian-made pasta machine, the Imperia really impressed us with its heavy-duty construction, especially given its slightly below-average price. The clamp held it securely to the table, and the crank turned smoothly and easily on each of the 10 settings. It was able to roll dough effortlessly, and even the cutter didn't give us much trouble. We had to manually separate a few noodles, but for the most part, everything sliced apart fully and correctly with no jamming or backing up. It performed just as well on fettuccine as on spaghetti, too.

Because the machine works so smoothly, it's also easy to clean. You can't use a dishwasher, or even the sink, but since very little flour and dough get left behind, a wipe with a paper towel is all that's needed. Our main issue with the Imperia is its lack of directions; the manual has just two pages of instructions in English, which doesn't make it super-clear how to assemble, disassemble, and use all the parts. (We found it helpful to look up a video of the machine in operation the first few times we used it.)

The Imperia offers a really nice balance of value and quality. It costs twice as much as the very cheapest manual machines, but it's a big step up in construction and ease of use. And there are very pricey pasta makers available that don't do a much better job. This machine is good for a beginner or a more advanced pasta producer.

Dimensions: 8.1 x 7.2 x 6.2 inches | Weight: 7.6 pounds | Thickness Settings: 10 | Cutter Options: 2 included

Best Budget

OxGord Pasta Maker Machine

OxGord Pasta Maker Machine

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4/5
  • Ease of Use
    4/5
  • Performance
    4/5
  • Value
    4/5
  • Size
    5/5
What We Like
  • Inexpensive

  • Consistent rolling performance

  • Dishwasher-safe blades and rollers

What We Don't Like
  • Clamp doesn't attach securely

This OxGord machine is the least expensive of this bunch, with only minor disadvantages over much pricier machines, so it's a great choice for beginners. If you want to try homemade pasta for the first time, this gadget can get you started for a minimal investment.

The major downside with the OxGord is its clamp. The piece that holds everything to the countertop or table is made of crimped metal that can't sit perfectly flush no matter how much you tighten it. The machine wobbled around a lot while we turned the crank, especially when switching from rolling to cutting. It takes some concentration and practice to keep the dough moving steadily without the crank sticking or falling out.

Nonetheless, the roller did a great job producing consistent sheets, with seven thickness options. We managed to cut pretty decent fettuccine, but the narrower spaghetti cutter had a lot of trouble. Just about every other wheel failed to cut the dough, and the sheet got backed up into the machine. We followed the directions for thickness, but we suspect rolling the dough out thinner might have gotten better results in the cutters.

One great thing about the OxGord is that it's (at least partially) dishwasher-safe. You can toss the rollers and blades in the dishwasher, so you don't have to worry about brushing and scraping out every last bit of flour and dough. This is a very good thing, as a lot of dough got stuck to all the parts, and we still had to do some detailing with a toothpick to get it fully clean.

For a serious pasta obsessive, the OxGord may not be the right choice, but for a low price, it does an amazing job. It can bring you from beginner to intermediate before it's time to upgrade.

Dimensions: 6.2 x 8.2 x 8.4 inches | Weight: 6.1 pounds | Thickness Settings: 9 | Cutter Options: 2 included

Best Extruder

Philips Viva Collection Pasta and Noodle Maker

Philips Viva Collection Pasta and Noodle Maker

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
What We Like
  • Easy to use

  • Compact

  • Many pasta shape options

What We Don't Like
  • Expensive

  • Slightly complicated to clean

Though they're quite a bit pricier than manual pasta makers, extruders make the entire process fully automatic. You add ingredients and insert a die to choose a shape, and the machine does the rest. The compact Viva can make nearly a pound at a time, and the texture of the pasta it made in testing was almost perfect. Especially with spaghetti, this machine yielded even noodles that were easy to cut using the included tool and did not stick together in the least. Its penne and fettuccine were also beautifully textured, and everything cooked to an ideal al dente in about three minutes. We also appreciate the "extra extrude" setting, which was designed to squeeze out the last bit of dough at the end of a batch.

The Philips Viva can succeed with small amounts of pasta, too. Its minimum batch size is about 7 ounces, which is two or three servings of fresh pasta. If you wanted to whip up a little penne all' amatriciana from scratch just for one, you could. Although it comes with pasta dies for just three shapes, there are lots more compatible ones available, which you can use for everything from spiral fusilli to adorable kid-friendly dinosaurs.

When it's time to clean up, you have to disassemble a lot of parts and rinse them with soap and water, but the included scraper and brush make that a fairly effortless process. The dies and some other interior pieces are even dishwasher-safe, but we didn't find the dishwasher necessary. It's best to just hand-wash the pieces right after use so you don't have to worry about dough drying in place.

This thing's rather expensive for a pasta maker overall, but its price is pretty average for an extruder. If you're looking to upgrade from a manual maker to something more automatic, or if you're looking to create a wider variety of shapes than a roller/cutter is able to, the Philips Viva is a good place to start.

Dimensions: 13 x 15.5 x 11.9 inches | Weight: 10.4 pounds | Maximum Capacity: 14 ounces | Pasta Dies Included: 3

Best Mixer Attachment

KitchenAid Pasta Roller & Cutter Attachment Set

KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Attachment Set

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    5/5
  • Ease of Use
    5/5
  • Performance
    5/5
  • Value
    5/5
  • Size
    5/5
What We Like
  • Consistent performance

  • Easy to use and clean

  • Cutters are very effective

What We Don't Like
  • Requires a KitchenAid stand mixer

  • Expensive

If you have a KitchenAid stand mixer, you might have noticed the little cap on the front that's held on with a screw. This little access port allows you to connect a wide variety of attachments to the motor, which can do anything from grind meat to mill grain into flour. The KitchenAid pasta maker is our favorite one of those because it's so easy and works so well compared to manual models.

The set comes with a 6-inch roller to produce flat sheets of pasta in seven different thicknesses, as well as cutters for spaghetti or fettuccine. In testing, everything worked beautifully: The dough didn't tear or shred during rolling, and the cutters consistently produced separate strands of noodles with no jamming, sticking, or smushing. (It was the only narrow-noodle cutter we tested that could successfully separate every single strand of spaghetti.) And because you don't have to worry about turning the crank, you can use both hands on the dough for greater control. After using a rack to dry the pasta for a few hours, we made fettuccine Alfredo, and it was absolutely delicious, with a springy, toothsome quality to the noodles.

KitchenAid's pasta attachments are quick and easy to put on the machine, but you can only use one at a time. That means you have to roll out the dough, set the sheet aside, and then remove the roller and attach the cutter to make noodles. It's not that big of a deal, but it's a bit annoying compared to manual machines that hold both roller and cutter. You also might have to buy extra tools if you want to go beyond straight noodles. There are additional attachments available, including a pasta press for short noodles and a ravioli maker, but these cost extra. (Of course, you can simply use the roller to make a sheet of dough, then cut and shape it manually.)

As with most of the machines on this list, you can't put the KitchenAid pasta attachments in the dishwasher or wash them by hand under running water. The set includes a cleaning brush, however, and it makes the process very easy. Because the dough didn't stick to any of the cutter pieces, we were able to brush away leftover flour with no trouble.

The KitchenAid pasta set is fairly expensive, especially considering that you need a separate mixer (which costs several hundred dollars by itself) just to use it. But if you already have a KitchenAid and want to make excellent, consistently textured pasta, it's a real winner.

Dimensions: 9.7 x 3.8 x 2.2 inches | Weight: 2.9 pounds | Thickness Settings: 7 | Cutter Options: 2 included

Best Budget Mixer Attachment

Rethone Pasta Maker Attachment for KitchenAid Stand Mixers

Rethone Pasta Maker Attachment for KitchenAid Stand Mixers

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.5/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.5/5
  • Performance
    4.5/5
What We Like
  • Inexpensive

  • All-in-one roller and cutter

  • Consistent rolling performance

What We Don't Like
  • Doesn't cut noodles cleanly

  • Requires a KitchenAid stand mixer

The KitchenAid logo is always a sign of quality, but it also raises the price of whatever appliances and accessories it's on. However, there are lots of other brands that make tools compatible with KitchenAid mixers, without that added cost. This Rethone attachment costs less than half of the official KitchenAid equivalent, and it only performed a little worse in our tests. (Keep in mind, though, that it only works with KitchenAid stand mixers, so you'll need one of those to start with.)

One big advantage of the Rethone is that its roller and two cutters are all contained in the same unit; there's no need to swap any pieces in and out when you switch between functions. Its roller also performed very well, creating smooth sheets that didn't jam or tear at all. The dough rolled through effortlessly at multiple thickness settings. If you want fresh lasagna, this machine is perfect.

It didn't do so great, however, when it came to cutting. With both fettuccine and spaghetti, the wheels failed to slice completely through the dough as much as half the time. It made more of a perforation than a full cut, which meant we had to spend a lot of time pulling the noodles apart by hand. This could be fine (and even a fun hands-on task for kids!) if you only make pasta once in a while, and the money you'll save over a more expensive unit is significant.

When it comes to cleaning, this unit is right in line with most competitors. No parts can go in the dishwasher or sink, but the included cleaning brushes make it reasonably simple.

Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 2 inches | Weight: 3.5 pounds | Thickness Settings: 8 | Cutter Options: 2 included

Best Multipurpose

CucinaPro Pasta Maker Deluxe Set

CucinaPro Pasta Maker Deluxe Set

Amazon

Our Ratings
  • Design
    4.8/5
  • Ease of Use
    4.5/5
  • Performance
    4.5/5
  • Value
    4/5
  • Size
    5/5
What We Like
  • Inexpensive

  • Solid, stable clamp

  • Includes 3 cutters

What We Don't Like
  • Cutters don’t fully perforate all noodles

  • Difficult to clean

Most pasta rollers include machinery to cut two—and only two—types of noodles: wide fettuccine and narrow spaghetti. If you want the ability to make other shapes, you'll have to cough up extra dough for accessories that are sold separately. The CucinaPro, on the other hand, includes a larger variety of options in the box at an excellent price. It has nine thickness options for fine control, and it throws in a ravioli cutter for automated filled pasta or wide ribbons of lasagnette.

We are impressed with this inexpensive model's clamp. It has a concave washer that holds tightly against any flat surface. Once screwed down finger-tight, the thing wouldn't wobble no matter how much we tried to move it. The removable crank also turns very smoothly and easily, but it doesn't attach very securely in to the side. It slipped out several times in testing, especially while cutting.

Rolling out dough in the CucinaPro is a joy. Everything moves smoothly and produces even sheets at every thickness setting. It wasn't quite as easy to cut noodles, however: Fettuccine and spaghetti strands both needed manual separation, and the cutter often got slightly clogged and squeezed dough into the interior of the machine that we had to carefully pick out later. The ravioli came out cleanly cut and thoroughly sealed, though each individual piece is fairly small and couldn't hold quite as much filling as we would have liked.

Cleaning the CucinaPro, unfortunately, is not as easy as some of its competitors. A lot of dough bits built up inside the cutters in testing; they can't get wet, so we had to carefully scrape all the pasta remnants away using a toothpick and soft brush. The cleaning process with the rest of the parts is roughly the same as most other manual machines.

This pasta maker may not have been the best performer in all of our tests, but it was a good performer, and it includes more accessories than others. Its friendly price and included ravioli roller are its best features. If you want to make filled pasta, the CucinaPro gets you an entire pasta-making system for what you might pay for just a ravioli attachment for another machine.

Dimensions: 8 x 7.8 x 6 inches | Weight: 6 pounds | Thickness Settings: 9 | Cutter Options: 3 included

Final Verdict

The sleek Marcato Design Atlas 150 Pasta Machine is our top pick due to its durable construction, smooth operation, and—most important—precise and consistent results. If you're looking for something simple to get you started, the Oxgord Pasta Maker Machine is a really great beginner-friendly option.

Measuring pasta dough from the Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

How We Tested Pasta Makers

Based on extensive research of the models available and the results of previous rounds of testing, we chose a total of 21 pasta makers to purchase and put through their paces. This included 10 tabletop roller/cutter models (all but one manually powered), seven electric extruder-style machines, and four attachments for KitchenAid stand mixers.

We Observed

  • How well the pasta makers made different types of pasta: Following the included directions and using the same dough recipe with each machine, we made batches of wide-cut fettuccine and narrow-cut spaghetti. We also made a batch of penne with each extruder machine, and tested out any other included cutters for making different shapes (such as ravioli, angel hair, and more.) We took notes on dough texture and evenness, and whether the individual noodles cut and separated cleanly.
  • How good the finished pasta tasted: We performed lots of taste tests! Each batch of fresh noodles was boiled in salted water for three minutes before draining and sampling. We rated the noodles on doneness, texture, and flavor.
  • How easy each machine was to clean: When we finished the pasta-making tests, we disassembled and thoroughly cleaned each machine per its user manual, using any included brushes and other tools. We made notes on how complicated the process was, as well as how dirty each machine got in operation in the first place.

We Rated

  • Design and Ease of Use: As we performed our tests, we noted whether any of the machines were especially complicated to set up and break down, as well as if they had any features to make managing the dough simpler. We paid special attention to how smoothly and easily the crank turned the rollers and cutters with manual models. For extruder machines, we also judged the simplicity of the dough-making and kneading process that comes before pasta-shaping.
  • Accessories: Most pasta makers can make two different kinds of noodles, but some come with tools and parts needed to create a wider variety—while other brands sell them separately. Machines also might include custom-shaped cleaning tools, while you have to supply your own brush with others. We considered the accessories included in the box, as well as the availability of additional attachments.
  • Value: We performed all of our tests without knowing the costs of the pasta makers, but we revealed the prices after they were finished to compare one model to another. Electric extruders and mixer attachments cost more in general than manual machines, so we compared prices to the average for each separate category as well as the entire set of tested brands.
Straining cooked fresh pasta

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

About Our Testers

  • Our Lab team has spent collective decades working in professional kitchens, developing recipes, and testing kitchen gear.
  • Tierney McAfee has a master's degree in journalism and has been writing for The Spruce Eats since 2019. She covers food, travel, and home decor for publications including NBC News, People, and Hollywoodlife.com. She home-tested four of the pasta makers featured above: the Marcato Atlas 150, OxGord, CucinaPro, and KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller and Cutter Set.
  • Sharon Lehman, RDN, is a registered dietician nutritionist and writer who specializes in food, health, and wellness. She reviews small appliances of all kinds for The Spruce Eats and tested the Phillips Pasta and Noodle Maker Plus at home for this story.

Other Options We Tested

  • Hamilton Beach Traditional Pasta Machine: This machine's classic design lives up to the "Traditional" name, and it worked...fine. It wasn't quite as stable and smooth-turning as the more expensive models in testing, and it costs a few dollars more than the similar-scoring OxGord.
  • Cuisinart 5-Piece Pasta Maker: Cuisinart's tabletop pasta machine is a nice one, with a solid grip on the counter, precise control over the dough, and a wonderfully chewy texture. It had a bit of trouble cutting noodles completely, however, and it's a bit more expensive than the similar Marcato and Imperia models above.
  • KitchenAid 6-Piece Gourmet Pasta Press Attachment: KitchenAid's pasta roller attachment did a great job. This extruder attachment? Not so much. Its attached cutter is too dull to cut cleanly, resulting in squished noodles that stuck together in testing. It's also a huge pain to clean, with dough sticking in countless corners, nooks, and crannies.
tester taking noodles from pasta maker

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

What to Look for in a Pasta Maker

Roller vs. Extruder

There are two basic ways a pasta machine can work. The classic tabletop machine uses a pair of rollers to flatten dough into a sheet, then passes the sheet through a cutter to slice it into individual noodles. These can use a hand crank or an electric motor to turn the rollers and cutter. Pasta makers that attach to a KitchenAid or other stand mixer work the same way, using the mixer's onboard motor for power. There are cutters available that can make a variety of sizes of noodle, but a roller-style machine can pretty much only make flat pasta and not more complex shapes like penne or macaroni.

Extruder machines, on the other hand, shape pasta by squeezing the dough through holes in a die. These come in dozens of configurations that can make a variety of tubes, spirals, shells, and many other pasta shapes. Electric-powered extruders typically mix the dough automatically, using rotating paddles or arms to combine ingredients and then push the dough onward. This makes fresh pasta as easy as dumping flour, water, and eggs into a chamber and pressing a button. Extruders are for the most part more expensive than roller machines, especially manual ones, but there's some overlap in the price ranges for the two styles.

Pasta Shape Options

Roller-style pasta makers usually include two cutters, which can make wide and narrow noodles. (Essentially, this means fettuccine and spaghetti, though some brands use different names.) Along with an uncut sheet of lasagna, that gives you three choices of pasta out of the box. You can buy extra cutters for other widths of noodles, along with clever devices to make different shapes and sizes of ravioli-style stuffed pasta. These just add to the cost, and you have to make sure you choose a cutter that's compatible with your specific model. A few machines come with more than two cutters, which adds to their value.

Extruders often have at least three dies in the box, most commonly for wide and narrow noodles, and a basic penne-style tube. Some include more than that—our top test model had eight—and you can buy a wide assortment online. There are classic Italian pastas as well as novelty shapes of all kinds. Not every die is compatible with every extruder machine, so read the item description carefully to be sure the one you want will fit in your machine.

Capacity

This only applies to extruder machines, but each model has an ideal batch size. If the mixing chamber is too full or too empty, the dough can get over-kneaded, which makes it harder to push through the dies. You can end up with uneven-textured noodles, or not be able to get the dough through at all. Different brands performed totally differently in this respect during testing—some worked better while completely full, and others liked smaller batches.

The recipes included in a machine's instruction books are a pretty good indicator of its top-performing capacity. Whatever amount those call for is likely to work well. Keep in mind that fresh pasta weighs more than dried: A single serving is 3 to 4 ounces, which means that a pound will serve four or five people.

Cooking fettuccine made in the OxGord Pasta Maker Machine

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

FAQs

How do you make homemade pasta?

Fresh pasta dough doesn't have a very complex recipe: It's made of flour, water, and egg. After mixing the ingredients together, you knead, roll, and shape the dough into whatever noodles you want. Fresh pasta cooks in boiling water just like dried, but it cooks much faster—one to three minutes for fresh versus seven to 10 or even longer for dried.

Because the ingredients list for pasta is short, the type of flour makes a difference. World Food Pasta Champion Suzanne Clark prefers 00 flour (or "doppio zero" in Italian), which is milled to an extra-fine texture and yields an "exceptionally smooth and silky pasta," Clark says. "I find this is great to use when making ravioli or pastas that will be paired with a light and creamy butter sauce."

For a heavier sauce like bolognese, Clark suggests semolina, a coarser flour made from a high-protein wheat variety called durum. Semolina-based pasta "tends to hold its shape, and has a heartier, rougher texture that helps sauces cling better to the noodles," Clark says.

How do you clean a pasta maker? 

Each model has its own procedure that will be detailed in the user manual, but pasta makers are not generally the easiest appliances to clean. Many manual machines can't even get wet, let alone go in the dishwasher. You'll need to disassemble all the pieces that can come apart and carefully wipe them down with a dry cloth, then use a brush, skewer, or toothpick to remove any flour or bits of dough from all the pieces and their crevices. It can help with scraping off some bits if you wait an hour or so for the dough to dry out a little, but don't let the parts sit for much longer, and definitely not overnight: Fully dried dough will stick to metal like glue.

With an extruder-style electric machine, you'll also need to disassemble and wash each part separately. But these plastic pieces can often be washed by hand with soap and water, and they may be able to go in the dishwasher. Every pasta maker is different, so make sure to follow your particular instructions.

Using a brush to clean a pasta machine

The Spruce Eats / Russell Kilgore

Should you lubricate your pasta maker? 

Occasionally, metal pasta rollers or cutting attachments might start to squeak or not turn as smoothly as they once did, and lubricating them can help resolve these issues. Place a few drops of food-grade mineral oil at either end of the roller and give it a few turns to distribute the oil evenly. Make sure to use lubricating oil specifically labeled as safe to use with food, and don’t use vegetable oil; edible oils can get sticky or rancid.

Can you make homemade pasta without a pasta maker?

Of course you can! People made pasta by hand for hundreds of years before any of these machines were invented. All you really need is a rolling pin (or even a wine bottle, or any other heavy round object) to roll out your dough, and a sharp knife to cut the dough sheet. With a pasta maker, the process is much easier and faster, with more uniform noodles that cook evenly. Pasta machines also make a wider variety of shapes possible; you can cut fettuccine and even roll certain tube shapes by hand, but spirals and other complex configurations require a machine.

Can you make anything in a pasta maker besides pasta?

Absolutely! You can use a roller-style pasta maker to flatten many different types of dough into sheets of uniform thickness—think crackers, cookies, wonton wrappers, pie crust, or cinnamon rolls. You can even roll out fondant for decorating cakes and making candies. An extruder machine will also work with non-pasta doughs, though it's only able to make specific noodle shapes that might be less useful.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

This roundup was written by Danette St. Onge, formerly the Italian Food Expert for The Spruce Eats and a features editor at Cook’s Illustrated magazine (part of America’s Test Kitchen). A cookbook author and kitchen appliance tester, she spends hours combing the internet, comparing options, reading reviews, and testing equipment to find the best tool for every job. She personally owns and uses the Marcato Design Atlas 150, our best overall pick.

The Spruce Eats commerce writer Jason Horn updated this story with results from the latest round of Lab testing. He's been writing about food and drinks for nearly 20 years, for publications from Playboy to HGTV to Serious Eats. He loves fresh pasta, but his favorite dough-based Italian food to make at home from scratch is definitely pizza,

Sources

  • Suzanne Clark is an artist, chef, and World Food Pasta Champion
Originally written by
Danette St. Onge
Danette St. Onge
Danette St. Onge is a food writer specializing in international cuisines. She authored "The Better-Than-Takeout Thai Cookbook" and has also served as the Italian Food Expert for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Continue to 5 of 7 below.