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Electric Pasta Machines

Is an electric pasta machine the key to perfect pasta at home? We tested three electric pasta machines to see which one could make the best spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and more. 

Riddley Gemperlein-SchirmJoe GitterMiye Bromberg
By Riddley Gemperlein-Schirm, Joe Gitter, and Miye Bromberg ･ Last Updated July 6, 2022.
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Editor&aposs Note:Update, July 2022

We recently tested a couple more electric pasta machines. While we recommend these models, we still think the Philips Pasta Maker is the best option on the market. For more information, see the chart below.

Top Pick

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

WinnerPhilips Pasta Maker

This pasta maker took just 3 minutes to mix and begin extruding pasta and made top-notch spaghetti, fettuccine, and sheets of lasagna. While the penne from this model sometimes had slightly curved edges (à la macaroni), we were still happy with the overall result. This machine took a bit of effort to clean—we had to disassemble it, clean each part individually, and then reassemble it—but we liked its simple, intuitive control panel and its flat-edged tool (included) to cut the pasta. It came with four pasta shaping disks, but more can be purchased.

Model Number: HR2375/06

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 4 (spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, lasagna/dumpling)

Capacity: 1.25 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $249.99

Full Ratings & Specs
  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

This pasta maker took just 3 minutes to mix and begin extruding pasta and made top-notch spaghetti, fettuccine, and sheets of lasagna. While the penne from this model sometimes had slightly curved edges (à la macaroni), we were still happy with the overall result. This machine took a bit of effort to clean—we had to disassemble it, clean each part individually, and then reassemble it—but we liked its simple, intuitive control panel and its flat-edged tool (included) to cut the pasta. It came with four pasta shaping disks, but more can be purchased.

Model Number: HR2375/06

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 4 (spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, lasagna/dumpling)

Capacity: 1.25 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $249.99

Full Ratings & Specs
See Everything We Tested

What You Need to Know

Our favorite manual pasta maker, the Marcato Atlas 150 Wellness Pasta Machine, flawlessly rolls and cuts dough for perfect homemade fettuccine, sheets of lasagna, and angel hair pasta. But the Marcato and manual makers like it can’t produce extruded pasta such as spaghetti or tubular shapes such as macaroni and penne. Enter electric pasta makers, which promise not only to make these extruded pasta shapes but also to mix and knead the dough for you. Some even have built-in scales to weigh ingredients as you add them, so you don’t have to use a separate kitchen scale. But how well do these machines actually make pasta—and how easy are they to use and clean? 

To find out, we tested a range of machines, using them to make different types of pasta. For these tests, we followed the recipes provided in each of the machines’ instruction manuals. We also made pasta using our Egg Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machine and our Semolina Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machine with each of the models.

slightly curved pasta lying on a table
Unlike manual models, electric pasta makers are able to make extruded pasta shapes such as penne and spaghetti. They also promise to mix and knead the dough for you.

How Easy Were The Machines To Use?

The machines in our lineup were similarly designed. Each featured a mixing paddle centered inside a chamber topped with a transparent plastic perforated lid. Shaping disks were positioned in a holder at the front of each machine. To make pasta, we added the flour to the mixing chamber, closed the lid, turned on the machine, and slowly added the liquid ingredients (egg and water) through the perforated lid. Once the dough was mixed, the paddle reversed direction and slowly pushed the dough through the shaping disk. We then cut the pasta strands as the machine extruded the dough.

We liked machines with simple control panels and limited options: start/stop, mix, and extrude. The control panels of the some machines were less intuitive and more jumbled, with lots of buttons and settings.

Gif of Philips machine extruding pasta

You can use a paring knife to cut the pasta as it extrudes, but our favorite machines came with dedicated tools for that purpose. (One of them was cleverly attached to the machine.) We also liked machines with shaping disks that were positioned vertically, so the extruding pasta was easy to see and cut. The disks of a few machines faced downward toward the counter, either directly toward the counter or at odd angles, making it hard to see the pasta as it came out.

hand holding curved and curly shaped pasta

Can You Use Any Pasta Dough Recipe In These Machines?

When we tried to make spaghetti using our Master Recipe for Pasta Dough and our recipe for gluten-free fresh pasta dough, all the machines struggled. Because these recipes weren’t designed with an electric pasta machine in mind, they were far too wet. We’ve since developed recipes that use less liquid; these worked well with every model. And we’ve found that incorporating a short rest between mixing and extruding these drier pasta doughs helps ensure success, too. (While most machines automatically progress from mixing to extruding, you can pause in between stages as needed; one machine also lets you choose each stage manually.) In a pinch, you can also use the recipes included in the machines’ manuals. However, some models produced less-than-ideal pasta at times, even with their own recipes. The edges of their fettuccine were ragged, their sheets of lasagna were narrow and torn in parts, and some made curved penne that looked more like macaroni or fusilli that was gently wavy instead of tightly curled.

Our takeaway? Use recipes that have been formulated specifically for electric pasta machines, including our new Egg Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machine, our Semolina Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machine, our Whole-Wheat Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machine, and our Gluten-Free Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machine. Pasta recipes developed for hand rolling or for manual pasta machines will not work.

pretty shot of spaghetti nests made from the winner.
We found that it was best to use the recipes that came with the machines. When we did so, our favorite model produced gorgeous spaghetti.

How Easy Were The Machines To Clean?

To put it bluntly, none of the machines was easy to clean. This is because you have to disassemble the machine and wash each part separately. Our favorite electric pasta maker, for example, requires you to remove the front panel, then the shaping disk, then the disk holder, then the mixing paddle, then the mixing chamber. All the models also came with cleaning tools that had needle-like pointed ends to help you remove dough from the nooks and crannies of the shaping disks. And, of course, you must reassemble everything afterward. 

The Best Electric Pasta Machine: Philips Pasta Maker

Our favorite electric pasta maker was the priciest of the bunch. It effortlessly made spaghetti, fettuccine, and sheets of lasagna. It produced good penne, too. At times, the penne had a slight curl to its ends, but it still had defined ridges, which we liked. We liked its simple control panel and the flat-edged tool for cutting the extruded pasta. Like all the pasta machines, it took a bit of time to clean. And while it came with just four shaping disks (for spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and lasagna sheets), you can buy extra attachments for shells, paccheri, rigatoni, macaroni, angel hair, pappardelle, and tagliatelle. 

  • Simple, easy-to-understand control panel
  • Comes with a flat-edged tool for cutting the extruded pasta
  • Extrudes the pasta frontward, giving us a clear visual of the pasta and making it easier to cut
  • Produces great spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and sheets of lasagna

  • Test a range of electric pasta machines
  • Make spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and lasagna sheets following the instructions provided in each of the machines’ instruction manuals
  • Make spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and lasagna sheets with our Egg Pasta Dough for Electric Pasta Machines
  • Make spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, and lasagna sheets with our Semolina Dough for Electric Pasta Machines
  • After each use, clean the machine and its parts according to the manufacturer’s instructions

Everything We Tested

Good 3 Stars out of 3.
Fair 2 Stars out of 3.
Poor 1 Star out of 3.

Recommended

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

WinnerPhilips Pasta Maker

This pasta maker took just 3 minutes to mix and begin extruding pasta and made top-notch spaghetti, fettuccine, and sheets of lasagna. While the penne from this model sometimes had slightly curved edges (à la macaroni), we were still happy with the overall result. This machine took a bit of effort to clean—we had to disassemble it, clean each part individually, and then reassemble it—but we liked its simple, intuitive control panel and its flat-edged tool (included) to cut the pasta. It came with four pasta shaping disks, but more can be purchased.

Model Number: HR2375/06

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 4 (spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, lasagna/dumpling)

Capacity: 1.25 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $249.99

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

This pasta maker took just 3 minutes to mix and begin extruding pasta and made top-notch spaghetti, fettuccine, and sheets of lasagna. While the penne from this model sometimes had slightly curved edges (à la macaroni), we were still happy with the overall result. This machine took a bit of effort to clean—we had to disassemble it, clean each part individually, and then reassemble it—but we liked its simple, intuitive control panel and its flat-edged tool (included) to cut the pasta. It came with four pasta shaping disks, but more can be purchased.

Model Number: HR2375/06

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 4 (spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, lasagna/dumpling)

Capacity: 1.25 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $249.99

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

Cuisinart Pastafecto Pasta/Bread Dough Maker

This pasta machine worked well and was very easy to operate with just a few simple buttons. We particularly liked that it allowed us to mix dough for as long (or as little) as we wanted without automatically proceeding to extrude it, as we’ve found it particularly useful to rest the dough first. It comes with six pasta disks, and even though the shapes weren’t always completely perfect (fusilli came out gently wavy instead of tightly coiled, and penne was curved), we appreciated the variety. A handy tool attaches to the head of the machine, letting you cut pasta as it extrudes. A few minor quibbles: Because of the way the head is oriented, the dough extrudes somewhat unevenly, so you won’t get perfectly uniform pasta shapes. And like all electric pasta machines, it is a pain to clean.

Model Number: PM-1

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 6 (spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli, macaroni, fettuccine, bucatini)

Capacity: 1 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: Manual (Can mix up to 3 minutes at a time)

Price at Time of Testing: $199.95

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

This pasta machine worked well and was very easy to operate with just a few simple buttons. We particularly liked that it allowed us to mix dough for as long (or as little) as we wanted without automatically proceeding to extrude it, as we’ve found it particularly useful to rest the dough first. It comes with six pasta disks, and even though the shapes weren’t always completely perfect (fusilli came out gently wavy instead of tightly coiled, and penne was curved), we appreciated the variety. A handy tool attaches to the head of the machine, letting you cut pasta as it extrudes. A few minor quibbles: Because of the way the head is oriented, the dough extrudes somewhat unevenly, so you won’t get perfectly uniform pasta shapes. And like all electric pasta machines, it is a pain to clean.

Model Number: PM-1

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 6 (spaghetti, rigatoni, fusilli, macaroni, fettuccine, bucatini)

Capacity: 1 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: Manual (Can mix up to 3 minutes at a time)

Price at Time of Testing: $199.95

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

Philips Viva Collection Pasta and Noodle Maker

Made by the same manufacturer as our winner, this electric pasta machine is a good compact, no-frills option. It made excellent spaghetti and fettuccine, though penne came out a little curvier than we preferred. And it’s pretty easy to use, eschewing the digital interface of our favorite for a simpler analog dial. (We prefer the digital interface, but the dial worked fine.) Like our winner, it has a handy pasta-cutting tool. It just comes with fewer pasta disks, so you don’t have quite as many options. Because it’s smaller than our winner, it can’t quite produce as much pasta at a time. And even though it’s smaller, it’s still a pain to clean.

Model Number: HR2371/05

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 3 (spaghetti, penne, fettuccine)

Capacity: 1 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $148.97

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

Made by the same manufacturer as our winner, this electric pasta machine is a good compact, no-frills option. It made excellent spaghetti and fettuccine, though penne came out a little curvier than we preferred. And it’s pretty easy to use, eschewing the digital interface of our favorite for a simpler analog dial. (We prefer the digital interface, but the dial worked fine.) Like our winner, it has a handy pasta-cutting tool. It just comes with fewer pasta disks, so you don’t have quite as many options. Because it’s smaller than our winner, it can’t quite produce as much pasta at a time. And even though it’s smaller, it’s still a pain to clean.

Model Number: HR2371/05

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 3 (spaghetti, penne, fettuccine)

Capacity: 1 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $148.97

Recommended with reservations

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

Hamilton Beach Electric Pasta Maker

This machine took the longest time to mix dough, about 5 minutes. It left a lot of pasta dough in its chamber, even after it automatically stopped, indicating that the extrusion session was complete. The control panel was finicky, and we had to press buttons multiple times to get the machine to turn on, but we liked that it had an accurate built-in scale. This machine made great spaghetti and good fettuccine (save for some jagged edges), but it struggled with penne and lasagna sheets. A lot of the penne was curved and looked more like large macaroni, and it made narrow sheets of lasagna that were irregular-looking. While this model was tedious to clean, its shaping disk was positioned vertically on the machine, so it was easy to see and cut the pasta as it was extruded.

Model Number: 86650

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 7 (thick spaghetti, lasagna, spaghetti, angel hair, wide noodle, penne, and fettuccine)

Capacity: 1½ lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 5 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $129.99

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

This machine took the longest time to mix dough, about 5 minutes. It left a lot of pasta dough in its chamber, even after it automatically stopped, indicating that the extrusion session was complete. The control panel was finicky, and we had to press buttons multiple times to get the machine to turn on, but we liked that it had an accurate built-in scale. This machine made great spaghetti and good fettuccine (save for some jagged edges), but it struggled with penne and lasagna sheets. A lot of the penne was curved and looked more like large macaroni, and it made narrow sheets of lasagna that were irregular-looking. While this model was tedious to clean, its shaping disk was positioned vertically on the machine, so it was easy to see and cut the pasta as it was extruded.

Model Number: 86650

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 7 (thick spaghetti, lasagna, spaghetti, angel hair, wide noodle, penne, and fettuccine)

Capacity: 1½ lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 5 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $129.99

Not Recommended

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

Razorri Electric Pasta and Ramen Noodle Maker

This electric pasta maker produced subpar pasta and was hard to use. It made fettuccine with jagged edges, and its lasagna sheets were too narrow and extruded patchily. The machine’s controls were cluttered and had extra buttons that we didn’t understand (and that weren’t well explained in the user manual), such as “springy noodle” and “dumpling wrapper.” We disliked that the machine came with so many pasta shaping disk options that were not clearly labeled; it was very hard to discern the differences between the large and medium fettuccine and the ultrathick and thick spaghetti disks, which didn’t vary much in shape. The shaping disk was positioned at an angle, so it was harder to see and cut the pasta as it was extruded than it was with other models. Like the other models it was tedious to clean, since we had to disassemble the entire machine and clean each part individually.

Model Number: RPDE260A

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 13 (large/medium/small fettuccine, ultrathick/thick/thin/ultrathin spaghetti, udon noodles, macaroni, orecchiette, triangular, sliced noodles, and dumpling wrapper)

Capacity: 1 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $199.99

  • Pasta
  • Ease of Use
  • Cleanup

This electric pasta maker produced subpar pasta and was hard to use. It made fettuccine with jagged edges, and its lasagna sheets were too narrow and extruded patchily. The machine’s controls were cluttered and had extra buttons that we didn’t understand (and that weren’t well explained in the user manual), such as “springy noodle” and “dumpling wrapper.” We disliked that the machine came with so many pasta shaping disk options that were not clearly labeled; it was very hard to discern the differences between the large and medium fettuccine and the ultrathick and thick spaghetti disks, which didn’t vary much in shape. The shaping disk was positioned at an angle, so it was harder to see and cut the pasta as it was extruded than it was with other models. Like the other models it was tedious to clean, since we had to disassemble the entire machine and clean each part individually.

Model Number: RPDE260A

Number of Pasta Disks Included: 13 (large/medium/small fettuccine, ultrathick/thick/thin/ultrathin spaghetti, udon noodles, macaroni, orecchiette, triangular, sliced noodles, and dumpling wrapper)

Capacity: 1 lb of pasta dough

Mixing Time Before Extrusion: About 3 minutes

Price at Time of Testing: $199.99

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

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The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing. We stand behind our winners so much that we even put our seal of approval on them. Have a question or suggestion? Send us an email at atkreviews@americastestkitchen.com. We appreciate your feedback!

The Experts

Author: Joe Gitter

byJoe Gitter

Senior Editor, Books

Joe is a senior editor for ATK's books team and on-screen instructor for ATK's Online Cooking School.

Author: Miye Bromberg

byMiye Bromberg

Senior Editor, ATK Reviews

Miye is a senior editor for ATK Reviews. She covers bread, booze, and blades.

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