Easy Sourdough Pasta Recipe
This sourdough pasta is so easy to make, and only needs three ingredients and no special equipment! With a slight sourdough tang and a great texture, this recipe is easily adaptable to any recipe that calls for pasta!
Handmade pasta is such a fun treat. I love calling these rustic, artisan, hand cut noodles. These noodles have a subtle sourdough flavor that helps to deepen
Other easy sourdough discard recipes:
How to make sourdough pasta dough
What I love most about this recipe is that it is so easy to make! For the full recipe and directions, please scroll down to the recipe card below.
These directions are for rolling and cutting the pasta by hand. If you have a pasta roller, you can definitely use that as well!
- Place the flour, starter, and eggs into the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Place the dough hook on the stand mixer and mix on low until the dough comes together. It could take a full five minutes. The dough should feel silky, bounce back if you pinch it and be slightly sticky/tacky but not too much. If you touch it, a little dough should stick to your fingers but you should be still able to handle it fairly easily. Go by feel for this recipe. If the dough is too dry, you can add 1 Tablespoon of water to achieve the right consistency. If the dough is too wet, add 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is right.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes, or up to two hours. The dough won’t rise. If you want a more pronounced sourdough flavor, you can leave it on the counter for an hour or two and then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
*A Note on salt: We are not adding salt to this recipe as salt will prevent the flour from absorbing some liquid and will change the texture of the dough. Cooking the pasta in salted boiling water helps add the flavor.
How to roll and cut handmade sourdough pasta
- Flour your counter and place the dough on your counter.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions.
- Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll the dough as thin as you can. Make sure you keep picking up the dough, re-flouring your counter as needed, and turning the dough over, so it doesn’t stick to your counter. Use your rolling pin lightly – don’t push and smash the dough into the counter or it will be more likely to stick. THe dough should be easy to roll out, as long as you are being light and making sure you are keeping the counter floured.
- Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut your pasta into even strips. Don’t cut them too thin or it will be hard to pick up and they will be more likely to tear.
- Carefully pick up the pasta strands and hang them up to dry. You can hang them over a wooden spoon suspended between two glasses, or a clean broom handle suspended over two chairs, or you can even place them on a cooling rack. They just need to be separated and have some air flow to dry and not stick together.
- Repeat with the remaining sections of dough.
- When all the pasta has been cut, you can cook it or dry and store it for later.
How to cook fresh sourdough pasta noodles
- Start a large pot of salted water on high heat.
- When the water is boiling, add the pasta to the water. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. If your noodles are thinner they will require less time, and if they are thicker they will require more time.
- Drain the noodles and eat as desired!
What kind of sourdough starter does this recipe need?
This recipe uses 100 % hydration sourdough starter. You can use sourdough discard or fed and active sourdough starter for this recipe. Make sure you read up on feeding your sourdough starter the easy way!
Note: Every starter is different – some are more dry, some are more wet, and sometimes each starter behaves in its own way. Altitude and weather can also play a role in how this recipe comes together. If you need to add a little more flour or water to adjust the texture of the dough, please do so.
What kind of flour should I use?
For this recipe, I use unbleached all purpose flour. You can also use some whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose.
Can I make other shapes of pasta with this recipe?
Yes! This sourdough pasta recipe works well for any shape of pasta. It can be used to make ravioli, rustic noodles, or any shape that you can make.
How long does the pasta need to dry?
That depends. If you are planning on cooking all of the pasta and eating it right away, it only needs to hang while you get your boiling water ready.
If you want to store your sourdough noodles for later, you need to let it hang until it feels completely dry. How long that takes depends on the temperature and humidity level of your house.
How to store this pasta
When your sourdough pasta noodles are completely dry, you can place them in a ziploc bag, remove all the excess air, and place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze these noodles to save for later. Take the fresh, dried noodles and lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour. Then transfer the frozen noodles to a freezer safe container and store for up to 6 months. To reheat the noodles, add them straight from the freezer to boiling water for 8-10 minutes.
Serve these sourdough noodles with :
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Rustic Sourdough Pasta, of all shapes
Ingredients
- ½ cup 100% hydration sourdough starter discard
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Place the flour, starter, and eggs into the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Place the dough hook on the stand mixer and mix on low until the dough comes together. It could take a full five minutes. The dough should feel silky, bounce back if you pinch it and be slightly sticky/tacky but not too much. If you touch it, a little dough should stick to your fingers but you should be still able to handle it fairly easily. Go by feel for this recipe. If the dough is too dry, you can add 1 Tablespoon of water to achieve the right consistency. If the dough is too wet, add 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time until the dough is right.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes, or up to two hours. The dough won’t rise. If you want a more pronounced sourdough flavor, you can leave it on the counter for an hour or two and then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- Flour your counter and place the dough on your counter.
- Divide the dough into four equal portions.
- Working with one portion of dough at a time, roll the dough as thin as you can. Make sure you keep picking up the dough, re-flouring your counter as needed, and turning the dough over, so it doesn't stick to your counter. Use your rolling pin lightly - don’t push and smash the dough into the counter or it will be more likely to stick. THe dough should be easy to roll out, as long as you are being light and making sure you are keeping the counter floured.
- Using a sharp knife or a pizza cutter, cut your pasta into even strips. Don’t cut them too thin or it will be hard to pick up and they will be more likely to tear.
- Carefully pick up the pasta strands and hang them up to dry. You can hang them over a wooden spoon suspended between two glasses, or a clean broom handle suspended over two chairs, or you can even place them on a cooling rack. They just need to be separated and have some air flow to dry and not stick together.
- Repeat with the remaining sections of dough.
- When all the pasta has been cut, you can cook it or dry and store it for later.Start a large pot of salted water on high heat.
- When the water is boiling, add the pasta to the water. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-5 minutes. If your noodles are thinner they will require less time, and if they are thicker they will require more time.
- Drain the noodles and eat as desired!
Notes
Nutrition
One of my favorite things since joining the food blogging community is not only the vast amount of new food that I have been exposed to, but also the great relationships that I have made! One such friendship is with Shelley of C Mom Cook. Even though we have never actually met in person I count her as one of my good friends, and we talk every few days. One such evening we were chatting and I mentioned a recipe I had found for homemade noodles made with a sourdough starter. Shelley (who loves her starter as much as I love mine) immediately thought it would be fun if we did the recipe together! Since neither of us could drive a few hours for some noodle making, we made the recipes in our own kitchens and are posting about it together!
The first attempt at sourdough pasta was slightly disastrous. I tried doing it by hand, but this dough is very dry, and even after kneading it by hand for 30 minutes it was all crumbs. By this time my arms were exhausted. Even after a spin cycle in the stand mixer it was too dry, so I threw it out and started all over. I also decided that even though the original recipe called for the yolk only that I would just go ahead and throw the whole egg in.
The second batch worked great, and I highly highly recommend using your mixer!! I decided to make a ravioli for this batch, and whipped up a simple filling of ricotta, garlic, and spinach. The dough was very easy to roll and cut, but I learned I need to work on my ravioli making skills. It’s a little…rustic. Haha. The slight twang of sourdough is definitely present here but not overpowering and went really well with the filling and marinara- we liked it!
The next batch was just straight noodles, and as much as we liked the filled pasta I think the plain noodles were our favorite. They are simple and rustic, and being fresh they cook up super fast (just a few minutes in boiling water is all it takes). I really enjoyed the noodles with red sauce, but Joel said he liked the alfredo best. Ladybug gives both sauces a clean plate, so you will just have to make the decision for yourself! 🙂
I love the picture of your little one pulling on the pasta. Too cute.
Making homemade pasta without a pasta maker (cause I don't have one and the last thing I need is another one purpose kitchen appliance) is on my list of things I'll someday make. It looks like this turned out really well for you!
Oh, I am in heaven! A sourdough PASTA!!!!!
Who could imagine that? I am not sure when I'll be able to make it, but I definitely want to give it a try… what a great use for my beloved starter!
Both pastas look SO good! I love ladybug's hand reaching for the pasta 🙂 This was so much fun!
This was my first attempt at making pasta. It turned out very well for me. The directions were clear, and I appreciated the pictures. I made wide noodles (a little wider than an egg noodle). I served it with olive oil, fresh herbs, shredded Parmesan and Asiago and a little bacon. Thanks for the recipe!
What a brilliant idea! I have never heard of sourdough pasta but I will definitely be trying it now! Thanks for sharing 🙂
hello will try this at the weekend, if we do have any left to dry out do you know how long it keeps and if it should be in the fridge? thank you
Hi Joanne! Make sure the noodles are completely dried before packing them, and package them up air tight. Then store them in a cool, dry place and they should last for 2-3 months (but you have to make sure they are completely dry!) You can also twirl clumps of long noodles into bird-nest and freeze them for the same length of time! Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Will this dough work in a pasta roller? This sounds awesome.
It sure will work in a pasta roller! I didn’t use one because I don’t own one, but I have borrowed one from a friend and tried it. Works great!
Jenni, is it safe to leave the dough with egg in it out overnight? I need long-fermented recipes due to digestibility issues, and have avoided egg pastas. I can make noodles without egg, but I do love egg in noodles. Thoughts on food safety?
I would place it in the fridge overnight and let it continue to ferment in the fridge, and then bring it back to room temperature before rolling it out. Technically, any salmonella that could be present in the eggs would probably be cooked out when you cook the noodles. Especially with digestive issues, the last thing you want is salmonella, haha! I would be extra safe and let it sit in the fridge overnight! If you try it, let me know how it goes!
How long can I keep this dough in the refrigerator? I made some yesterday but don’t have time to cook it until the weekend…will it be ok or do I need to freeze it?
Hello Jenni,
I’ll try that tomorrow. Thank you for this easy recipe.
Can you tell my what kind of flour you used?
* tell me
Hi Heidi! I used all-purpose flour for this pasta!
Do you have measurements in grams? This recipe looks great!!
Hi Nina! I do not! This recipe is a rather quick and easy use of sourdough discard, and all my beginner sourdough bakers have been asking for these recipes to have US measurements instead of grams, so that is what I have been focusing on!
I have a few questions!
How long does it take to dry on th counter?
It is better to put on a cooling rack to dry?
What’s the best way to store it?
Roughly how long with the dry stuff take to cook?
Do you fresh sourdough? Discard? Would slightly old (under) starter still work?
You can use fresh or discard here, but fed and active starter will give you better results. If your starter hasn’t been fed in a while and has been hanging out in the fridge for a week or more, I would refresh it before using it!
How long do I boil it for please?
Hi! These cook like fresh pasta, so only about 2 minutes!
I just finished making the dough (by hand…no mixer)!! I’m going to let it sit overnight and make ravioli tomorrow☺
Thank you So very much for this recipe!! Now to go bust out a loaf of sourdough bread to go with the ravioli!
Will this recipe work with gluten free flour?
Hello! I have not tried it with gluten free flour, but I expect it would probably work with a all purpose gluten free flour blend! If you try it, let me know how it works!
Hi there! Do you know of a good egg substitute for this recipe?
Hi Brittney! You could try substituting with 1 Tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 Tablespoons of water (and let it sit for 5 minutes until it gets thick). I haven’t personally tried this substitute in this recipe, but that is my go-to egg substitute when I am out!
Loved this so much! My daughter and I had a blast making it. We doubled the recipe and froze half. I paired with a kale and pine nut pesto that I made with some white beans! Not sure how to add a picture but it was yummy!
The pasta turned out FABULOUS. Terrific recipe… thank you for sharing.
I wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I had never made pasta and put this to the test, also using my pasta machine for the first time. I decided to use unfed starter straight out of the fridge, guess I was feeling adventurous. I ended up adding 1 tbsp water in order to get a good consistentcy and left it out for 2 hours. Despite having to work the dough more to figure out my machine and being lazy with my starter, still came out quite delicious. So excited to try this with some proper love!
I feed my starter 2-2-1 ratio, I think that means it is 200% hydration. Do you think it could still work? Any thoughts on modifying the ingredient ratios to make sure the dough isn’t too wet?
That depends on what your parts are. If you are doing 2 parts flour, 2 parts water, 1 part starter, that’s actually still a 100% hydration because the water is in equal parts to the flour. If you are feeding 2 parts flour, 2 parts starer, 1 part water, that is a 50% hydration starter because you are using twice as much flour as water. It all depends on how much flour and water you use, not necessarily how much starter you use. Any hydration will work with this pasta, you will just need to adjust the amount of water or flour you use in the recipe to compensate.