How to Make Fresh Pasta with a KitchenAid: The Roller Settings I Actually Needed

This sounds fussy, but it is probably the most useful part of the whole guide.

KitchenAid has sold more than one pasta-making accessory. A common traditional set contains a separate pasta sheet roller, fettuccine cutter and spaghetti cutter. You remove the roller and fit the cutter once your pasta sheets are ready.

The newer 3-in-1 pasta attachment combines those functions in one product, and its operating speeds differ from the classic separate-attachment instructions.

That is why a guide saying only “use speed 2”, or only “use speed 4”, can be misleading. Both can be correct, for different accessories.

The dial on the roller sets the thickness of the sheet, not the width of the ribbon. A separate cutter decides the width. These figures follow KitchenAid’s published guidance for its classic roller and cutters; the 3-in-1 follows its own manual.

A small terminology note: KitchenAid sells a fettuccine cutter. Home cooks often call the result tagliatelle, but the exact width depends on the cutter, so there is no need to rename an official attachment to match the dish.

You can make fresh pasta with nothing more complicated than flour and eggs. For a small dinner, this traditional proportion is easy to remember:

That serves about two, depending on appetite. It is a working starting ratio, not a promise that every dough will behave the same: flour absorbs moisture differently and egg sizes vary. It is also not a recipe I have tested and measured for this site, so treat it as a place to begin.

If the dough feels dusty and will not come together, it may need a little more moisture. If it is tacky and clings to everything, it may need more flour and a short rest. Adjust sparingly rather than rescuing it with a great handful of either.

Place the flour on the worktop, make a well and add the eggs. Beat the eggs gently with a fork, drawing in the flour until a rough dough forms. Alternatively, use the mixing method recommended for your KitchenAid model and dough hook.

Once it comes together, knead until it feels smooth and cohesive. As a guideline that may take around 8 to 10 minutes by hand, but texture matters more than the clock. Pasta dough should feel firm and pliable, not like a wet bread dough.

If you knead with the stand mixer, follow its own dough guidance. The rolling speeds in this guide are not mixing or kneading speeds.

Wrap the dough well so it does not dry out, and let it rest for roughly 30 minutes before rolling. That gives the flour time to hydrate and makes the dough easier to stretch into a sheet.

Keep the dough you are not using covered while you roll. An uncovered piece dries at the edges while you work with the first.

I like doing this part before thinking about the sauce. It creates a natural break: make the dough, tidy the worktop, prepare the rest of dinner, then come back to the pasta.

Divide the dough into four manageable pieces. Flatten one into a small oval or rectangle with your hands or a rolling pin, just enough to feed into the widest roller setting.

Fit the classic pasta roller securely with the mixer switched off and unplugged, and keep fingers, hair and loose sleeves away from the moving rollers. Your KitchenAid manual explains how to attach it safely for your model.

A slight dusting of flour helps. Too much gives a dry, dusty sheet; too little and the dough may stick.

For the classic roller, set the thickness dial to 1 and run the mixer at speed 2, as KitchenAid instructs. Feed the flattened dough through.

Fold the sheet in half or into thirds and feed it through again. Repeat several times until it looks even and feels smooth. The repeated folding is what gives you a consistent sheet.

If the edges tear dramatically, the dough may be too dry or not rested enough. If it sticks to the metal, use a little flour and check it is not too wet. Do not force a thick, irregular lump into a narrow setting; the gradual process is the point.

Once the folded sheet is smooth, run it through setting 2, then 3, then 4, one step at a time. For ribbons like fettuccine or tagliatelle, 4 or 5 is KitchenAid’s suggested range for its classic roller.

The sheet gets longer with every pass, so support it with your hand. If it becomes unwieldy, cut it in two before rolling further. From here you only thin the sheet; the folding is finished.

Setting 4 or 5? For a little more bite, begin with 4. For a more delicate ribbon, try 5. Cook a tiny test portion before deciding that one number should be your permanent answer.

With the classic separate attachments, switch off the mixer before removing the roller and fitting the fettuccine cutter. KitchenAid lists mixer speed 5 for that cutter.

Feed the finished sheets through carefully and let the ribbons fall onto a lightly floured worktop or tray. Nest them loosely if you like, but do not compress them into a sticky pile.

If you own the combined 3-in-1 attachment, do not carry the classic cutter speed over: follow the speed 4 directions for that model.

It also helps to separate two controls that are easy to confuse. The dial on the roller changes thickness. The lever on the mixer changes how quickly the mechanism turns.

Bring a generous pan of water to the boil and salt it to your taste. Fresh egg pasta cooks much faster than dried; start checking after around 2 minutes, but treat that as a prompt rather than a rule. Thickness, flour, moisture, shape and whether the pasta has dried all make a difference.

Taste a strand. You want it cooked through, with the texture you like. Keep a little starchy cooking water back before draining if your sauce would benefit from loosening.

When the pasta has taken time to make, I like to keep the sauce uncomplicated: a good tomato sauce, olive oil and herbs, or a mushroom sauce that suits your diet.

Pasta made from flour and eggs contains no milk, but always check the flour, any additions, the sauce and packaged products if you are avoiding dairy or other allergens.

Fresh pasta is forgiving once you learn to read the dough. Most problems are small texture issues rather than a sign you need different equipment.

Do not use metal implements inside a running attachment. If anything jams, switch the machine off and unplug it before checking the manufacturer’s instructions.

No. Fresh pasta can go straight into boiling water, which is part of its charm.

If you want to make pasta ahead, safe storage matters more than pretty nests for a photograph. Fresh egg pasta is perishable: keep it refrigerated for short-term use and use a suitable freezer method for longer storage, rather than leaving moist egg pasta at room temperature for long. I am deliberately not giving fixed storage times here; follow reputable food-safety guidance for your ingredients and conditions.

The classic stainless-steel pasta roller and cutters are not dishwasher-safe and should not be immersed in water. KitchenAid advises letting leftover dough dry, then brushing it away with the supplied cleaning brush and wiping the attachment with a soft dry cloth.

Use the current care guide for your exact model, and never poke fingers or sharp objects into moving rollers or rinse an electrical attachment under the tap.

This is perhaps the least romantic part of making pasta, but it means the attachment is ready next time instead of becoming one of those gadgets you avoid because cleaning it is dreadful.

That depends far more on how you cook than on how many are at the table. If you love making things from scratch on a Sunday afternoon, enjoy a small kitchen ritual and already own a KitchenAid, a roller makes the repeated rolling and thinning more consistent than doing it all by hand.

If your weeknight aim is dinner on the table with the least washing-up, dried pasta is a wonderful thing too. There is no virtue in making every meal more complicated. For me the appeal is choosing when dinner becomes a little project and when it stays gloriously easy. I mention the attachment in 10 bougie things worth the money, where I explain why it is on my list.

The best part of homemade pasta is not an immaculate photograph of flour falling through the air. It is the moment the dough stops looking like an unpromising lump and starts coming out of the roller as a smooth sheet.

For a classic KitchenAid set, remember: 1 to begin, 4 to 5 for ribbons, mixer speed 2 for rolling and speed 5 for the separate fettuccine cutter. The combined 3-in-1 is different. Beyond that, watch the dough, allow enough time and make dinner something you enjoy cooking.

The loveliest kitchen rituals are the ones you want to repeat.