Fresh homemade pasta is within your reach, just follow my step-by-step instructions for the best gluten-free pasta ever. A pliable pasta dough that is easy to work with and uses minimal ingredients.
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Like traditional pasta, this recipe can be used to make spaghetti and gluten-free meatballs, cut into bow tie shapes to serve with dairy-free pesto, or turn it into gluten-free fettuccine alfredo. Or try it my spicy chipotle chicken pasta recipe. So many decisions so little stomach space!
When making homemade gluten-free pasta the most important decision is what flour to use.
Jump to:
- 📖What is the best gluten-free flour for pasta?
- 🧾Ingredients for Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
- 🔪Equipment You Will Need
- ⏲️ How to Make Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
- Cutting and Shaping Gluten-Free Pasta
- Cooking Gluten-Free Pasta
- Homemade GF Pasta Tips
- Troubleshooting GF Pasta Dough
- More Gluten-Free Italian Recipes
- 🌡️Make Ahead and Storage
- 📖 Recipe Card
- ⭐Reviews
📖What is the best gluten-free flour for pasta?
The best flour for GF pasta is a high-protein flour blend. It will still have half the protein of regular pasta but every bit helps create stability and makes the dough easier to work with.
My pasta dough recipe was developed for use with a flour blend, meaning something with rice flour and a starch plus xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is required for elasticity.
If I am using any flour other than Cup4Cup Original or Pillsbury Gluten-Free I add 1 teaspoon of dry milk powder for every cup of flour. For this recipe, I replace about 2 teaspoons of flour with dry milk powder.
If you need this recipe to be dairy-free then use the Pillsbury GF.
| Flour Blend | Serving Grams | Protein Grams | % Protein | Notes |
| Pillsbury Gluten Free | 26 | 2 | 7.6% | Dairy-Free |
| Cup4Cup | 26 | 2 | 7.6% | Not Dairy Free |
| Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 | 37 | 2 | 5.4% | Add dry milk powder |
| King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure | 31 | 1 | 5.4% | Add dry milk powder |
| Krusteaz Gluten-Free | 30 | 2 | 6.6% | Uses modified food starch instead of xanthan gum. Add dry milk powder. |
*All listed flours contain xanthan gum or modified food starch. You need to add 1 tablespoon of xanthan gum for every 10 ounces of flour for other blends.
🧾Ingredients for Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
- Flour-See notes above.
- Eggs- The moisture content and size of the eggs will vary. You may need to add a splash of water or more flour depending on the size of your eggs.
- Olive Oil- Adding oil makes it easier to roll out the dough, and in general, prevents it from sticking to the machine.
- Salt- Do not add salt to the pasta dough, you only use it for cooking Use 1 tablespoon of salt per 4 quarts of water.
🔪Equipment You Will Need
Pasta making does require a pasta machine. I prefer a manual pasta maker, which is what I started using when I started making pasta 20 years ago. The machine I used in the video and pictures for this post is a Marcato Atlas 150.
You can use a machine (i.e. one that attaches to a stand mixer) but I find they move too quickly and cause the dough to tear.
Regular pasta is typically made on the counter and you add the eggs to a well in the center. But when you are making gluten-free fresh pasta you need to make the dough in a bowl of some sort.
And while you can mix by hand I always opt for a food processor with the dough blade or the stand mixer with a paddle attachment.
A few other nice-to-have items including a rolling pin and a Silpat. You can simply flatten the dough with your hands but a rolling pin makes this much easier.
⏲️ How to Make Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
The traditional ratio of eggs to flour for fresh pasta results in the gluten-free dough being very brittle. Instead, my recipe uses a higher quantity of eggs to flour. Weighing the flour will be the most accurate.
Mixing the Dough
Combine the ingredients in a food processor, mixing until a dough forms and it no longer sticks to the side.
Sprinkle a clean counter with a dusting of flour. Turn out the dough and work with your hands until it comes together. Form into a ball and cut into 4 to 6 pieces. Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap, only rolling one piece at a time.
Rolling the Dough
Roll the pasta dough into a rectangle, either with your hands or a rolling pin. Feed through the pasta machine on the widest setting. At the end of each roll fold the pasta in thirds and rotate 90 degrees.
Dust with a little flour and repeat on the widest setting. Continue this process until the dough is smooth.
Then go to the next setting and do the same process twice. Repeat for the next setting. After this, you can repeat just once for each setting until you get your desired thickness.
You are going to spend more time rolling GF pasta than a traditional pasta but you save time on the kneading.
Cutting and Shaping Gluten-Free Pasta
Cut the pasta into your preferred shape, either by hand or using the pasta cutter on your machine. Thinner pieces are better for lighter sauces and thicker pasta for heavier more robust sauces.
Store the cut pasta on a sheet pan covered by a clean dish towel until you are ready to cook.
To make farfalle (bowtie pasta) cut into 1 ½-inch squares with a fluted cutter. Use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the center.
While penne is hard to make at home you can make garganelli. Cut cut into 1 ½ inch squares with a sharp knife. Wrap one corn of the pasta around a wooden dowel (i.e. pencil or a chopstick). Slide the pasta off.
You can also just cut long pasta sheets to make lasagna noodles or use for filled pasta.
Cooking Gluten-Free Pasta
Bring 4 cups of filtered water and the salt to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, it should be al dente, meaning it is slightly chewy. Toss with your preferred pasta sauce.
If you are cooking lasagna noodles I recommend cooking 2 at a time in a large high-sided saute pan.
Homemade GF Pasta Tips
- Use the right flour, the higher the protein the easier it is to shape.
- If the sheet of dough becomes too long cut it in half.
- Your water needs to be at a full boil or it will stick.
- Practice makes perfect, it does take a few tries to get the hang of it.
- Read your pasta machine instructions. They all vary slightly. Each machine should come with a chart that shows the final setting and cutting shape for each type of pasta.
Troubleshooting GF Pasta Dough
If your dough is streaking it is too moist. Sprinkle on more flour and run through on the widest setting. Repeat until smooth.
If you are having a hard time feeding the dough through trim the edge of the sheet flat. It should easily catch the rollers now.
More Gluten-Free Italian Recipes
🌡️Make Ahead and Storage
You can make the dough and store it in the fridge for 24 hours. Simply roll it into a tight dough ball and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Roll and cut when you are ready to cook it.
Drying Fresh Pasta Dough
After cutting your pasta, spread it out in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or hang it on a pasta drying rack. Ensure the pasta doesn't touch, as this could cause it to stick together.
Choose a dry, well-ventilated area for drying your pasta. Humidity can affect the drying process, so a dry day is preferable. Avoid direct sunlight, which can dry the pasta too quickly and unevenly.
Pasta is fully dried when it is hard and snaps easily. If it bends, it needs more drying time. Fully dried pasta should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place and can last for several weeks at most.
For longer storage, you should use a food dehydrator.
Dehydrating Gluten-Free Pasta
Place the cut pasta on the dehydrator trays. Set your dehydrator to 135°F). This temperature is sufficient to dry pasta without cooking it.
The drying time in a dehydrator can range from 2 to 4 hours for thin pasta and up to 6-10 hours for thicker shapes. Start checking the pasta after the first 2 hours to gauge its dryness.
Allow it to cool before storing it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Like air-dried pasta, it should last for several months. Cook just like any store-bought dried pasta.
Freezing Fresh Gluten-Free Pasta Dough
After rolling out and cutting the pasta place on a sheet pan. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour. Transfer the frozen pasta to a freezer bag. Store for up to 1 month. Cook pasta straight from the freezer. Do not thaw!
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📖 Recipe Card
Homemade Gluten-Free Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 10 ounces gluten free flour blend 1:1 blend with xanthan gum (see notes)
- 4 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt for cooking
Instructions
- NOTE: If this is your first time making this recipe please read the entire post and the recipe card before starting to ensure the best result.
- Add the flour, olive oil, and the slightly beaten eggs to a food processer fitted with the dough blade. Process until the dough comes together and clears the sides of the bowl, about 20 seconds.10 ounces gluten free flour blend, 4 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough by hand for about 1 minute until it comes together. It will not be perfectly smooth but should hold together. cut into 4 to 6 pieces and cover with a damp cloth.
- Roll the dough one piece at a time. Flatten one piece slightly. Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Feed the piece of dough through the rollers. Fold it into thirds, like a letter, rotate 90 degrees and feed it through the rollers again. Repeat this process 4 to 5 times, dusting with flour if the dough becomes too sticky.
- After kneading with the machine, start to thin the dough. Adjust the machine to the next narrower setting and feed the dough through. Fold in thirds, repeat a second time. Repeat for the third setting. For each further setting run through 1 time until you get your desired thickness.
Cut and Shape
- Attach the pasta cutter to the machine. Cut the sheet in half and feed the thin dough through the cutter to create your preferred style of pasta (e.g., fettuccine or spaghetti). Or cut by hand and shape as desired.
- Dust the cut pasta lightly with flour and set aside on a floured surface with a cloth over top or hang it on a pasta drying rack. Repeat with the remaining sections.
Cook the Pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes until al dente. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce.1 Tablespoon kosher salt
Video
Notes
- You will need 1 tablespoon of xanthan gum per 10 ounces of pasta.
- Use a high protein flour blend (see post to figure this out for your blend and how to increase the protein using dry milk powder).
- The highest protein flours available are the Cup4Cup multipurpose (contains dairy) and Pillsbury Gluten-Free Flour (dairy-free).
- 10 ounces of flour is approximately 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour but may vary depending on what blend you use.
Equipment
- Food Processor or stand mixer with dough attachment
Bernadette Kaczmarick says
This was my first time making any pasta🙂My sister is Gluten Free for many years,well that was the best pasta she Ever Had😃😃😃😃looking forward to make pie crust too!!
Jen Wooster says
I have a new ravioli recipe coming out soon. Keep an eye out.