When it comes to home cooking projects, there's nothing quite like making pasta from scratch. From classic spaghetti with tomato sauce to ravioli stuffed with luxurious cheese and truffles, homemade noodles elevate uncomplicated ingredients to a dish worthy of a fancy trattoria.
And we have great news: Fresh pasta is a straightforward dish anyone can master. Simple flour, water, and a couple of eggs turn into silky smooth noodles in an almost-magical process—the hardest part is shaping the dough. Sure, you could work up a sweat rolling out pasta by hand, or turn to more rustic shapes like orecchiette, but there's something oh-so-satisfying about running a hunk of elastic dough through a specially designed machine and producing a waterfall of perfectly formed noodles, ready to shine in any sauce you throw at them.
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But not all pasta makers are created equal. Some are easier to use, some are made of higher-quality materials, and some are just darn gorgeous. To help you hunt down the best one to add to your kitchen, we've turned to reviews from real Amazon customers who have bought and tried the machines themselves. We searched through dozens of best-selling pasta makers to see which products not only garnered top-notch ratings, but also have the positive reviews to back them up.
Here are the eight best pasta makers you can buy for every possible budget and use, according to thousands of customer reviews:
Keep reading to discover why customers swear these are the best machines to buy. (Psst—don't forget to add a pasta drying rack in your cart to get really professional.)
Designed and made in Italy with chrome-plated steel, the Marcato Atlas 150 is the most popular home pasta makers. Just look at its 5,800-plus five-star ratings on Amazon!
The Marcato can roll sheets of dough to 10 different thicknesses using an easy-to-adjust manual handle, so you can make thicker or thinner noodles depending on your preference. It's also a breeze to use. "If you start with a good dough, the machine really does all the rest," said one pasta lover. "The rolled sheets were a thing of beauty!"
The machine comes with a dual-sided attachment, which can be used to make fettuccine or spaghetti, and you can also roll thin sheets for lasagna or ravioli. Plus, its dozen different attachments will make all your pasta shape dreams come true. However, keep in mind the attachments are all sold separately and cost half as much as the machine itself.
If you're looking for a pasta maker to do all the work for you—and we mean all—the Philips Pasta Maker just might be your kitchen soulmate. The electric machine is fully automatic and does everything from mixing and kneading the pasta dough (just toss in the ingredients) to extruding it into four different shapes, including penne, fettucini, lasagne, and spaghetti. Oh, it can do it all in just 15 minutes.
Reviewers who have purchased the Philips Pasta Maker appreciate its consistency, praising it for its durability and user-friendliness. "I have used the pasta maker five times now and it is totally consistent in the quality of pasta it makes," said one reviewer. "The convenience, consistency, and ease of use make this machine totally worth it!"
While this machine is certainly more of an investment than the hand-crank options, if you want a reason to eat homemade pasta more often with minimal effort, it is definitely worth adding to your kitchen arsenal.
To buy: $300; amazon.com or williams-sonoma.com
True, you don't necessarily need a super sexy-looking pasta maker. But then again, why not invest in a kitchen appliance that truly sparks joy? Especially if the most eye-catching option also happens to make incredible fresh pasta. Marcato's 8334 model comes in an assortment of matte colors, from red to yellow to bright pink. The machine has the same attachment options as the silver original, which are sold separately. It's also just as easy to use and, perhaps most importantly, to clean. "Clean up is effortless," said one reviewer, who also calls the Marcato 8334 a "versatile little workhouse."
If you're going to keep the pasta maker out on your kitchen shelves or counter, consider the 8334. And one thing's for sure: A machine this beautiful is sure to lead to more impromptu homemade pasta nights.
To buy: from $100; amazon.com or walmart.com
Made in Italy with high-quality stainless steel and a snazzy wooden handle, the Imperia Pasta Maker looks like it should cost an arm and a leg. The good news is that it's surprisingly affordable. Priced under $100, the machine comes with a double cutter to make spaghetti and fettuccine, plus other attachments to help you make everything from farfalle to conchiglie. Amazon reviewers love its sleek look and solid construction. "If you want to have perfect pasta at home, instead of the bagged starchy pasta, use this," wrote a customer on Amazon, adding, "It is versatile, durable, and will change the way you cook for the better."
Imperia fans also appreciate how the machine clamps onto a kitchen counter, which makes it easy to roll out pasta if you're cooking solo. In fact, the Imperia is so easy to use, one user noted that "my friend's four-year-old was able to turn it to make her own spaghetti."
Naturally, a pasta maker this good is bound to sell out. While it's no longer available on Amazon, you can find it at Williams Sonoma.
To buy: $90; williams-sonoma.com
We already trust KitchenAid for its high-quality stand mixers, and its pasta and roller attachments are no different. The set has an impressive 4.8-star rating with over 1,300 five-star reviews. It's easy to see why: It's an incredibly easy plug-and-play way to make fresh pasta without sacrificing a chunk of space on your kitchen counter or cabinet. (Provided you already have the electric stand mixer, of course.)
The three-piece set includes a pasta roller, a fettuccine cutter, and a spaghetti cutter, and it will spit out 6-inch sheets of pasta in eight different thicknesses. The set couldn't be simpler or faster to use. Since the tools are powered by your KitchenAid, you don't need to worry about clamping anything to a counter or struggling with a hand crank.
"Hello, pasta night!" one reviewer wrote. "I can literally make and cook fresh pasta in the same amount of time that it takes to boil a box of dried pasta. It has been a real eye-opener being able to make fresh pasta dishes."
To buy: $180 (originally $200); amazon.com
Want to dip a toe into the world of homemade pasta making without shelling out a ton of, er, dough? The OxGord Pasta Maker might be right up your alley. The machine costs about as much as one pasta dish at a fancy restaurant but opens a whole new noodle world. It features stainless steel rollers and blades, which let you adjust to nine different thicknesses while you roll the dough, and comes with three blades so you can make different styles of noodles (spaghetti! linguine! ravioli!) right off the bat. It's also designed so it can be mounted to countertops and has a removable crank handle for easy storage.
Hundreds of Amazon reviewers agree that the OxGord is a great bang for the buck, making it ideal for the homemade pasta novice. "I purchased this pasta maker to use with students at my high school," one user said. "It's easy to use and easy to clean. Great value. My students enjoy using it and it's safe. The homemade pasta they've made so far has been excellent. Highly recommend."
Not every pasta maker is small kitchen-approved. If you're looking to dabble in at-home pasta-making without crowding your counter, you'll need a reliable, easy-to-navigate, and reasonably petite machine—like the Philips Compact Pasta Maker. Handling everything from kneading to extruding, the electric pasta machine takes the guesswork out of pasta-making and creates perfect spaghetti, penne, and fettuccini noodles in just 18 minutes. It's also equipped with unique shaping discs that ensure uniform consistency and texture, and its compact design doesn't monopolize counter space.
The pasta maker has hundreds of glowing reviews from Amazon shoppers. Some noted that it may take a couple of tries to perfect your water-to-flour ratio, but assured that it's worth it in the end. "We can't stop making pasta," one reviewer wrote. "It's very easy to use, and I love not having to wait for the pasta to rest and I really love not having to hand knead it. The pasta is pretty good too!"
The pasta possibilities are truly endless with this handy pasta-making attachment from KitchenAid, which comes stocked with six interchangeable pasta plates. Giving you the power to easily switch between spaghetti, bucatini, rigatoni, and fusilli, plus large and small macaroni, the versatile attachment transforms your dough into meticulous noodles that will put your favorite boxed pasta to shame. The handy device also features a built-in wire cutter, so you can customize the length of each noodle, and comes with a storage container to comfortably house its pieces until your next pasta night.
Hundreds of Amazon reviewers agree that this attachment is a dinnertime game-changer, giving it an impressive 4.7-star rating. "Wow! This attachment is fantastic," one excited purchaser wrote. "This was a fun day and can't wait to try the other attachments. Bucatini is a favorite. Give this a try, be patient and you won't be disappointed."
To buy: $180 (originally $190); amazon.com