10 pasta machines in the test: My conclusion after 2 years

If you buy a product via a link marked with (*), I will receive a small commission. This way I can continue to offer independent, honest buying advice. Thank you for your support! Learn more.

I tested 10 pasta machines for 2 years. My favorite is the Pastamaker 7000 from Philips*. The fully automatic machine kneads the dough and dispenses fresh pasta within 10 minutes. It offers the largest selection of pasta types and there is a helpful community that regularly provides inspiration for tried and tested recipes.

I tried my hand at homemade pasta for the first time almost 6 years ago. It wasn’t long before I was allowed to move into my first hand-operated pasta machine.

3 years later, I discovered fully automatic pasta makers. I bought 5 of them to do the community a service and find the best appliance in a big test.

What can I say, the video was very well received by you and has now been viewed by over 100,000 people. Thank you!

Since then I have been able to gain new insights, and in this article I will bring you up to date.

The best pasta machines at a glance

The Philips Pastamaker 7000* is my recommendation among the fully automatic pasta machines. It is easy to use and produces fresh pasta in record time. As there is a large community, you can find tried and tested recipes with all kinds of ingredients and pasta types. There’s never a dull moment, because in addition to the eight supplied pasta shapes, you can order more from a huge collection.

To the detailed test report

The Pastamaker Pastarella from Rommelsbacher* promises high-quality pasta production with an intelligent design and numerous functions. It has an excellent finish and offers the best dough yield compared to other products. Unfortunately, the choice of pasta types is limited to the supplied molded discs.

To the detailed test report

The Marcato Atlas 150* pasta machine is a first-class choice for lovers of traditional pasta. It has an excellent finish: The rollers run smoothly and can be adjusted precisely. It is a one-off investment that will last for several generations if used carefully. Marcato offers a 10-year guarantee on the product.

To the detailed test report

Comparison table

Manual & fully automatic pasta machines: These are the differences

You can prepare delicious, fresh pasta with both a manual and a fully automatic pasta machine.

However, they work on two different principles: the roller and extrusion principle.

Both operating modes have a different effect on several aspects of pasta production:

• The time required
• The possible types of pasta
• The taste

In the following sections, I will briefly discuss each of these points.

Time required

One of the biggest differences between the two types of operation is the time required to make the pasta.

Simple tagliatelle takes about 60 minutes to make using a manual pasta machine. Other types of pasta can take longer, especially if they are formed individually by hand (e.g. lorighittas).

With a fully automatic pasta maker, fresh pasta is ready in 15 minutes. In contrast to a manual pasta machine, cleaning the Pastamaker takes an additional 5 minutes.

For regular use, a fully automatic model is the more efficient solution. If you only want to make pasta occasionally and like to take your time, you can achieve great results with a manual model.

Pasta varieties

The second important difference lies in the variety of pasta types available. With a manual pasta machine, the dough can be rolled out into very thin sheets of pasta.

They are often used to make simple tagliatelle or pappardelle, but the pasta sheets are also particularly suitable for filled pasta such as ravioli, tortellini, cappeletti and caramelle.

There are also numerous traditional types of pasta that can be shaped by hand, such as cavatelli, orecchiette, garganelli or trofie.

With a fully automatic pasta machine, the variety of noodles depends on how many shapes are available. All appliances tested include attachments for ribbon noodles (spaghetti) and vermicelli (tagliatelle), as well as an attachment for tube noodles (penne) and lasagne sheets.

With the pasta maker from Philips*, you can buy additional pasta shapes. The selection is huge, there is a suitable attachment for almost every type of pasta, including spiral pasta (fusilli), shell pasta (conchiglie), motif pasta(fir tree shape*) and other special types of pasta (funghi).

Here you will find a list of my favorite shaped discs for the Philips Pastamaker.

Flavor

The two types of pasta production also differ in taste, even if the same basic ingredients are used.

Firstly, handmade pasta dough contains more liquid than pasta from a fully automatic pasta machine.

This can be recognized by the different consistency: The former is shaped into a ball, the latter is crumbly:

Secondly, the pressure is different when forming the pasta:

• During the rolling process, the pasta dough is repeatedly folded and rolled.
• In the extrusion process, the dough is pressed together once under high pressure.

This has a direct effect on the protein networks in the dough and therefore on the consistency of the pasta.

In direct comparison, I like the consistency of the pasta from the manual pasta machine a little better.

On the other hand, the texture of the pasta from the fully automatic pasta machine is rougher, which means it sticks better to the pasta!

Conclusion: Which pasta machine is the right one?

The choice between a manual and a fully automatic pasta machine ultimately depends on individual preferences, time budget and willingness to invest.

If you want to learn more about making pasta with a manual pasta machine, take a look at the following article:

If you are interested in a pasta maker, I recommend reading the following article:

Test winner: The Philips Pastamaker 7000

The Philips Pastamaker 7000* is my recommendation among the fully automatic pasta machines. It is easy to use and produces fresh pasta in record time. As there is a large community, you can find tried and tested recipes with all kinds of ingredients and pasta types. There’s never a dull moment, because in addition to the eight supplied pasta shapes, you can order more from a huge collection.

Test report: Pastarella from Rommelsbacher

The Pastamaker Pastarella from Rommelsbacher* promises high-quality pasta production with an intelligent design and numerous functions. It has an excellent finish and offers the best dough yield compared to other products. Only the choice of pasta types is limited to the supplied pasta shapes.

Test report: Marcato Atlas 150

The Marcato Atlas 150* pasta machine is a first-class choice for lovers of fresh, home-made pasta. It has an excellent finish: The rollers run smoothly and can be adjusted precisely. It is a one-off investment that will probably last for several generations. Marcato offers a 10-year guarantee on the product.

This is how I tested

I did extensive research for the test and selected and ordered the ten most interesting pasta machines. I carried out 2 main tests:

• In the first test, I made spaghetti using a recipe provided by the manufacturer.
• For the second test, I wanted to push the pasta machines to their limits with a dough for wholemeal pasta.
• In addition to the two main tests, I have used the pasta machines repeatedly over several years and have been able to gain experience in this way, which has been incorporated into this report.

I rated the machines according to four criteria:

• Quality & workmanship: What material is the machine made of? Is it well made? Do the parts seem stable during use?
• Design & handling: Can a beginner operate the machine? Is the design practical and aesthetically pleasing? Are there any special functions that set it apart from the competition?
• Pasta variety & recipes: How many shaping discs or attachments are supplied? Are there any extra shaping discs to buy? Do the shaping discs produce good results? Is a recipe book included? Is there an active community?
• Price-performance ratio: How does the price compare with the performance?

I gave each criterion a score between 1 and 10.

All pasta machine tests

Philips Pastamaker 7000 in test

Rommelsbacher’s Pastarella in the test

Marcato Atlas 150 in the test

Philips Pastamaker 5000 in test

Razorri Pastamaker in the test

Marcato Atlasmotor in the test

Nina from Springlane in the test

Pasta machine from Monzana put to the test

Pasta machine from Bremermann put to the test

Read next