Egg Free Noodles – An Easy Homemade Recipe

Although many homemade pasta recipes are made with flour and eggs, it may surprise you that most store bought noodles are egg free. I am not talking about the bags of fresh made pasta that you find at the local Italian supermarket, but the iconic pasta boxes that line grocery store shelves.

Many of us have been using those packaged boxes of pasta for years. However, when we search for recipes to make our own pasta the majority of the recipes that you will find include eggs as one of the two main ingredients.

And if you have ever watched an Italian chef or cook you are sure to remember iconic images of them cracking several eggs into a crater of a large mound of flour. Then they would work the dough until it almost becomes clay like in texture.

Then they would cut the mound of pasta dough into manageable size pieces and roll it thin enough to make noodles. And that is exactly how we first learned how to make Traditional Italian Pasta Noodles in our house.

Of course we took advantage of modern conveniences and used a Pasta Machine that attaches to our Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer after the dough was made. However, the entire process couldn’t have been easier!

Although, since that time we had to come up with a new way to make homemade noodles. Originally it was done out necessity due to an egg allergy.

However, now with the ever rising cost of eggs at the grocery, I am more than happy to continue making pasta using this method. And that is exactly why I thought I would share this egg free noodles recipe with you today.

Egg Free, Easy Homemade Pasta Recipe

The main ingredient in any traditional pasta recipe is flour. However, instead of adding nearly a dozen eggs to the flour to make pasta like in traditional Italian recipes, I use a simple mixture of water and oil.

So if eggs have been used all these years, how can we make pasta without them? The answer is rather simple.

Noodles can be made egg free, however the egg enriches the flour to make pasta in a variety of ways. First, the egg provides moisture to the flour.

However instead of using eggs, we will use water in place of the eggs for moisture. Second, the egg provides fat to the dough which gives it that classic silky texture.

Therefore, in order to replace the fat content that comes from the egg we will add olive oil instead. The result is delicious homemade noodles that don’t require egg.

Egg Free Pasta Recipe

*Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to keep reading for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

On a large, flat surface place the flour in a mound. Make a well in the center of the flour.

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and the olive oil. Slowly add some of the water and oil mixture into the center of the flour.

Mix the liquid in the flour with a fork or your hands. Keep adding more water/oil mixture and incorporating the flour until all the flour has been absorbed.

Once the dough has been formed knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until a smooth dough ball is formed. You can use the dough hook of a stand mixer by placing the machine at level 2 speed and knead for 4-5 minutes.

If the dough is dry, add a little more water, but be careful not to add too much. Once the smooth dough ball is formed cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the dough rest for 30 minutes so that the gluten has time to develop.

Making Noodles

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead a few more times. Then cut the egg free noodle dough into 4 equal pieces.

Set 3 of the dough pieces aside and cover with a towel to prevent them from drying out. Then place the remaining dough section on a clean floured work surface.

Use a rolling pin dusted in flour and roll the ball of dough into a very thin sheet. Once the dough has been rolled to the desired thickness fold the dough 3-4 times.

Then use a sharp rolling pizza knife to cut the roll of pasta into 1/4 inch thick strips. Dust flour over the strips of dough and unravel. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Pasta Machine

If you have a pasta machine follow your manufacturer’s instructions for rolling out the egg free pasta dough. There is no difference in rolling and cutting out dough that is made with our without eggs.

What Thickness Should The Noodles Be?

Depending on what type of pasta that you want to make will determine what thickness that the dough needs to be before cutting them into strips.

For spaghetti and fettuccine, the egg free noodle thickness should be approximately 1/8 inch thick. For lasagna and ravioli, you want to roll it even thinner. In fact, it should be so thin that you can read a newspaper through the pasta.

If this sounds like a lot of muscle power is required to make homemade pasta, you are right. However, you can make it easy on yourself by using a pasta maker.

We have the Kitchen Aid Pasta Maker attachment and it rolls and cuts pasta dough in no time!

Cooking Fresh Pasta

Once the pasta is formed, you can cook it right away. However, please note that fresh pasta cooks in a fraction of the time as store-bought, dried pasta.

In fact, your homemade pasta will take just 3-4 minutes to cook in boiling & salted water.

Refrigerating or Freezing Pasta

Set cut pasta aside on a tray and leave out at room temperature if cooking it right away. However if you want to cook it in the next couple of days cover and place the mounds of pasta in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Or to make the pasta later place the noodles in an air tight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you are ready to use your pasta, remove it from the freezer and drop it right in the boiling water. It will require a minute or two longer than fresh pasta.

Dry Storing Homemade Pasta

If you want to store your egg free noodles at room temperature you can do so. However, you must make sure that the pasta is completely dry and brittle before doing so.

Place your pasta on baking sheets, pasta drying racks, or simply leave it on the counter until it becomes dry and crisp.

Depending on the humidity and temperature of your environment, it may take 24-48 hours for the pasta to completely dry out. The best way to tell if the pasta is dry is to twist a small section of the noodle.

If it is extremely brittle and breaks right away at the thickest part, it is ready to be stored. Store the dry pasta in a closed container for up to 6 months.

However, be sure to check it frequently to make sure that moisture isn’t reabsorbing into the noodles.

Enjoy!

Mary and Jim

Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.

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