The Best Hand Crank Pasta Maker 

Fresh pasta isn’t as simple as heating a package of fettuccini or bow-tie pasta. Freshly rolled pasta strands are thick, soft, springy, and, quite frankly, stunning. There’s a reason many home cooks strive for the homemade pasta merit badge. Here are the best hand crank pasta makers that we tested! 

And you can prepare it without the top pasta maker from our testing. Of course, you can make fresh pasta the old-fashioned, manual way using just a rolling pin and a knife. However, a pasta maker enables you to regularly produce flawless pasta sheets for lasagna, ravioli, and many noodles.

Sadly, looking for the best pasta makers online will send you a rabbit hole of dubious Amazon listings and a world of cheap knockoffs. We are here to ensure that the pasta maker on your countertop will keep you in pure pasta-making happiness.

Want to read more about hand crank kitchen appliances? We’ve got the perfect list for you!

How We Picked The Best Choices 

There are a ton of pasta makers out there. To be honest—a lot of them aren’t that great. Here are some criteria we focused on when testing these hand crank pasta makers. Feel free to use these same points if you’re on the hunt to buy one yourself (or save yourself the trouble and use our guide)! 

Materials

Instead of an aluminum machine, go for one constructed of stainless steel. Greater stability and durability are attributes of heavier stainless steel, which is inert and won’t rust.

Dies and Cutters

Cutting attachments are used to shape the pasta. You can manufacture thin pasta sheets like pappardelle or fettuccine with these tools. They can be used with manual, hand-crank machines and as stand-mixer add-ons. Die extruders, with numerous electric machines as stand-mixer attachments, let you make short, shaped pasta like fusilli and round and tubular pasta like spaghetti.

Additional Parts 

To get you started, pasta machines come with a range of dies or cutters, but they might not include all your preferred noodle shapes. Check to see if there are any more dies or cutters you may add to your collection before making a purchase.

How We Tested: 

We tested each model with a range of fresh pasta recipes of various densities. We experimented with egg-enriched pasta doughs with low and high moisture, eggless semolina pasta dough, and thick, seeded cracker dough. Using each machine’s entire range of thickness settings, we ran the dough through it. 

To test how effectively the machine handled jams, we ran the unflattened dough through the second or third setting rather than the largest one. The cutters that came with each pasta machine were then tested using the sheets of pasta dough. To test how each pasta machine handled softer doughs, we used low and high-moisture doughs, noting whether the extruded noodles held together.

Finally, we cleaned each machine as directed by the manufacturer, paying close attention to how each one was constructed overall. These machines were very similar in terms of design, for the most part. Therefore the only differences were in the finer points of mechanics and usability.

The Best Hand Crank Pasta Maker: Marcato Design Atlas 150 

Italian-made Marcato machines include the Marcato Atlas 150, a traditional design composed of sturdy chrome steel. The Italian appliance has a hand crank, various pasta cutter attachments, and a screw clamp for countertop mounting. Although the clamp is recommended if possible, the Marcato is large enough to be used without it in an emergency. The hand crank on this machine also detaches, so you may switch it between the various cutting and rolling attachments. However, the attachments on the Marcato slid into position easily in contrast to the other machines.

If you put pasta machines under an excessive amount of strain by using dough that is excessively thick, they frequently clog. However, the Marcato Atlas 150 was the best machine handling large slabs of dough out of all the ones we tested. There are 10 distinct thickness settings available, ranging from 0 (the widest setting at 4.8mm) to 9. (the thinnest at 0.6mm). The settings offer a smooth transition for unclogging or jamming the machine while rolling out increasingly thin dough sheets. The Marcato was the least likely of all the machines we examined to jam when thick dough sheets were erroneously fed through narrower settings.

A separate cutter attachment for fettuccine and tagliolini was included with the Marcato Atlas 150. It slipped into position on top of the primary rolling mechanism. To examine how the machine handled sticky doughs on the outside and tough and firm doughs, we tested them with both high and low-hydration doughs. We discovered that the cutter had trouble completely slicing the strands through at a greater hydration level. In comparison, it had no problems doing it at a lower level. Of course, correctly prepared pasta dough shouldn’t be sticky, but we were curious to see the machine’s capabilities. If your noodles stick, the Marcato manual includes useful suggestions for correcting your dough.

On that topic, the Marcato Atlas 150 arrived with a detailed instruction manual included, unlike many of the other devices we evaluated. Even though it may seem insignificant, having detailed directions might mean the difference between a successful pasta dish and a failure.

A corresponding 12-piece cutter attachment kit can be purchased to make pasta shapes other than lasagna and long noodles. Some examples include ravioli, pappardelle, mafaldine, and more.

Cons of the Marcato Atlas 150

Pasta maker machines are difficult to clean. The Marcato is not an exception to the rule, as we said about the KitchenAid. While some of the other machines we tested might be rinsed under water, you still need to promptly dry their numerous crevices. We were pleasantly surprised by how simple and quick it was to remove the pin from the bottom of the extruders for cleaning after the Marcato came with clear instructions. The machine can be cleaned most effectively by removing dough fragments stuck between the extruder’s threads using a small brush and a soft cloth. As washing it with soap and water will cause it to rust, we advise using oil-absorbent paper instead.

The Best Budget Option: OxGord Pasta Maker Machine

We suggest the inexpensive OxGord pasta maker as it is a great option if you aren’t ready to make a significant financial commitment. It is an excellent starting point for creating homemade pasta because it is inexpensive, simple to operate, and clean.

This manual pasta maker is made of stainless steel and includes three attachments. These allow you to make flat pasta sheets in nine various thicknesses, as well as fettuccine and spaghetti. For simpler storage, the wooden handle can be removed. Although the base has pre-drilled holes for attaching it to a work surface, some surfaces are incompatible with the provided clamp. Our product tester found the machine to be a little unsteady while using it. Although she remarked that some spaghetti strands remained together, our reviewer found that the fettuccine and linguine cutters created beautifully cut strips.

Like the other stainless-steel pasta makers, the machine and accessories aren’t dishwasher-safe. Make sure to let any adhering dough dry before brushing it away.

The Best Value Set: CucinaPro Deluxe

This pasta maker is excellent for individuals who want to make various pasta immediately without acquiring additional attachments because it comes with a large selection of cutters at a low price. The accompanying cutters can make ravioli, lasagnette (ribbon pasta), lasagna, angel hair, and spaghetti. Additionally, according to our tester, the user-friendly design yields tasty results with all of the cutters.

This device is constructed in Italy from chrome-plated stainless steel. However, it is not as durable as some of the other ones we examined; when used, it tended to slide across flat surfaces. The cutters are not dishwasher safe and shouldn’t be submerged in water, so you must allow any residual dough bits dry before brushing them away.

The Best Vegetable Pasta Maker: OXO Good Grips Tabletop Spiralizer

Spiralizers turn vegetables (most commonly zucchini) into long pasta pieces similar to spaghetti. They’re an excellent tool for anyone wanting to consume more vegetables or who must avoid conventional spaghetti due to dietary restrictions.

Although soft produce, such as tomatoes, cannot be made into pasta, many other foods can. The most well-known vegetable pasta is zucchini noodles, or “zoodles.” Still, you can make curly or shoestring-style french fries by spiralizing carrots, cucumbers, or even potatoes.

Three cutting blades are included with the Oxo desktop spiralizer to produce thin spaghetti, thicker fettuccine, and wide ribbon noodles. The spiralizer has a storage case that securely holds the blades to save space.

While spinning the crank, a sizable suction cup on the stabilizer’s bottom holds countertops and offers additional support. According to our product tester, the spiralizer was durable, simple, and quick to clean.

The Best Electric Pasta Maker: The Kitchen Aid Pasta Roller 

This needs to be set up with the disclaimer that you must already possess a KitchenAid stand mixer for it to function. Nevertheless, we are adamant that this is the best electric pasta maker for a few reasons. First, a stand mixer is a more common kitchen appliance than a pasta maker, so it’s probable that if you’re looking for one, you already have a stand mixer.

Second, having a pasta maker that is easy to store is crucial because most home cooks do not use them frequently. Additionally, because it is an attachment, it is smaller than standalone pasta makers. Third, adding an electric pasta maker to your life is the most cost-effective method. In fact, purchasing an electric pasta maker is about as near to a life-changing event as it gets.

The KitchenAid is a sturdy roller with eight settings for thickness. On the widest setting, it handled thicker slabs of dough without any problems. The mixer seemed to work harder than usual, but it never jammed or stalled. Because there is no crank, feeding the dough through the roller with two hands is simple and greatly aids in keeping the dough rolling through straight. The KitchenAid roller makes rolling pasta far more enjoyable than cranking spaghetti by hand. The noodles they can produce will inspire even a complete novice in the art of making pasta.

The roller is also offered in sets of three and five. The latter includes additional cutters for lasagnette, capellini, spaghetti, and fettuccine. If you want to purchase the cutters, some of the storage convenience is lost, but they all function effectively. They make good pick-ups if you don’t want to chop your noodles by hand.

Cons of the Kitchen Aid Pasta Maker 

Cleaning any pasta machine, including the KitchenAid Pasta Roller, is difficult. However, if you wait for the trickiest little pieces of dough to dry, you may use a bamboo skewer or a stiff-bristled brush to remove them.

How To Clean Your New Pasta Maker: 

Depending on the model, manual metal pasta makers should not be cleaned with water (to prevent rusting). They cannot be put in a dishwasher.

After using your machine, give any leftover dough a chance to dry for approximately an hour; once it has, it will be simpler to remove. To remove any remaining dried dough from the grooves of the rollers and cutter attachments, use a dry pastry brush, thin wooden dowel, bamboo skewer, or toothpick. Wipe any remaining flour and dough from the machine’s exterior parts with a dry cloth or paper towel.

You must disassemble an electric pasta maker and wash each component to clean it. For more information on cleaning these and other pasta makers, consult the manufacturer’s instructions.