This Machine Helps You Make Delicious Fresh Pasta at Home

While the charm of most pasta recipes is they're fast to make, there's something special about making your own pasta dough. Yes, it takes time and patience, but you can customize the recipe based on your preference and dietary restrictions. Fresh-made pasta also has a different texture that's lighter and softer than boxed pasta and cooks much quicker. All you need is flour, salt, and eggs.

Pasta makers make it simple by allowing you to roll the dough into even sheets and cutting it into noodles of the same exact thickness. We know what makes a good pasta maker at the Good Housekeeping Institute, so we combined years of pasta maker testing and recipe developing when rounding up the best makers on the market. We considered manual, electric, and automatic pasta makers to suit different shape preferences, price points, and skill levels. We included best-selling picks and models we've tested and liked, used for endless hours, and bought for ourselves. Here are our recommended picks:

Best Overall Pasta Maker: Imperia Pasta Maker Machine
Best Value Pasta Maker: CucinaPro Pasta Maker Deluxe Set
Best Pasta Maker for Beginners: Hamilton Beach Electric Pasta and Noodle Maker
Best-Selling Pasta Maker on Amazon: Marcato Design Atlas 150 Pasta Machine
Best Pasta Maker Attachment: KitchenAid 3-Piece Pasta Roller & Cutter Attachment Set
Best Pasta Press: KitchenAid 6-Piece Pasta Maker Attachment Set
Best Automatic Pasta Maker: Philips Compact Pasta Maker

What type of pasta maker is best?

When shopping for pasta makers, there are manual and electric models to choose from that include pasta roller and cutter combinations and pasta extruders. They each have pros and cons:

Manual pasta makers are ideal for rolling out pasta and cutting into long shapes, like spaghetti or linguine. They latch onto your surface and are operated by a hand crank. They're less expensive than their electric counterparts, and most can be upgraded by buying an motor attachment. The downside is they often require two people to operate; one to hold the dough, the other to turn the handle. They also take a long time to use.

Electric pasta makers require a power outlet and, depending on which you buy, can make long pastas, rounded shapes, or both. Some work like the manual versions and have a roller and a cutter, and others are extruders, which push out shapes that need to be cut, usually by hand. Automatic pasta makers are a type of electric pasta makers that mix the dough for you and extrude it when it's the right consistency. In general, extruders are a little finicky in terms of getting the pasta dough perfect so it can extrude smoothly. A pro of automatic pasta makers, however, is they do most of the work for you so all you have to do is a little extra liquid or flour, when necessary, and be present to cut the noodles as they come out. Keep in mind that extruder plates can be hard to clean.