Homemade Spinach Pasta Dough (3 Variations)

This Guide will show you how I make bright-green spinach pasta dough at home without using a pasta machine.

I share a basic recipe for spinach dough and three approved variations:

• Vegan spinach dough (without eggs)
• Spinach dough with semolina
• Extra stretchy spinach dough for filled pasta like ravioli

I will also review how to pair this dough with other ingredients and store it.

At the end of this article, you will find a follow-up guide with five different pasta shapes I formed using this recipe.

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How to Make Green Pasta Dough with Spinach (Step by Step)

Making green pasta dough with spinach resembles making classic pasta dough with eggs.

There are only a few additional steps required to get that bright green and healthy variation, and the preparation is relatively easy, even without a pasta machine or food processor.

Depending on the recipe you choose, the feel and texture of the dough will differ, but the preparation steps are the same.

If you want to make vegan spinach dough, no problem! 

In the next section of this article, I go over three different variations of spinach dough, including vegan, with semolina, and an extra stretchy dough for filled pasta.

To make this recipe, you will need the following:

• A blender
• A fork
• A dough scraper (optional)

It takes me approximately 15 minutes to prepare this spinach dough and another 30 minutes to rest and develop a good elasticity.

Count for about 45 minutes to an hour before being able to shape the pasta. If you possess a powerful food processor, you can use it to make pasta dough much faster.

Here’s a quick guide for making pasta dough with a stand mixer from Kitchenaid.

Step 1: Boil the spinach for 3 minutes, cool, and squeeze out the water. 

First, I cook the spinach for about three minutes, covered with a lid. Then I let the spinach cool to wring out the water with my hands.

Please do not put the spinach in ice water to cool it down! If you do, the spinach will no longer give its color to the egg mixture, and your dough will end up yellowish with green spots (from the chopped spinach).

Step 2: Put in blender with eggs and puree.

Make sure the spinach contains almost no liquid because the eggs already carry a high liquid content.

Mix the spinach and eggs for 1 to 2 minutes to get a bright green and homogeneous mixture. 

Now you have laid the foundation for a gorgeous spinach dough. 

Step 3: Empty the flour onto the work surface, pour the egg and spinach mixture into the well, and mix.

The following steps are the same as making classic pasta dough. 

First, I empty the flour onto the work surface and form a hollow about 15 centimeters wide with a 1-centimeter thick bottom from 400 grams of flour.

Then I sprinkle in the salt and the eggs.

With a fork, I gradually incorporate the flour from the outer wall and the bottom of the flour without creating an opening.

Step 4: Work in all the flour with the dough scraper and then form a lump with your hands.

Once a “mushy” mass is formed, I run the dough scraper under the flour base from each side and fold it over the well. I then pass the mixture through several times, creating a crumbly dough.

Next, I scrape any flour residue from my dough scraper and continue with my hands. Then, I press the dough crumbs together into a clump.

You can sprinkle in some additional water if the mixture is still crumbly.

Step 5: Knead for at least 10 minutes, adding a little flour if necessary.

There are several kneading techniques, one of which I find particularly compelling:

Apply forward pressure to the dough with the heel of your hand. Then, pull the dough back again with the other hand, turning it slightly by about 45°. Repeat the process until all the dough crumbs are incorporated.

Knead the dough for at least 8 minutes or until the surface feels silky and no longer sticks.

If the dough still sticks to your hands, you need to sprinkle flour on the work surface and work it in.

Step 6: Wrap the finished pasta dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes

Once the pasta dough has the right consistency, you can wrap it in plastic and rest it for 30 minutes.

The resting time is crucial because it rearranges the protein chains responsible for the dough’s stretchiness. This is especially important if you want to thinly roll out the pasta dough.

You have successfully made spinach dough! 

Now you can process the dough into different pasta shapes and use them for the most delicious dishes.

Before I show you which shapes I created with this dough, let’s look at three popular variations for this recipe.

Spinach Pasta Dough Variations: Vegan, with Semolina, for Ravioli

The basic recipe for spinach pasta dough is a great allrounder and works for nearly every pasta shape. 

However, there is always room for some variation, especially if you want to make filled pasta like ravioli or prefer a dough without eggs.

Here are three refreshing variations of the basic spinach dough recipe!

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Eggless Spinach Pasta Dough Recipe (Vegan)

For those of us who follow a vegan diet, this is the recipe you need.

It is important to use durum wheat flour (semolina) because its high gluten content replaces the missing protein from eggs.

If the dough is too crumbly, add a little more water. It is best to use hot water so that the gluten unfolds faster and more effectively.

Recipe for Spinach Pasta Dough with Semolina (extra bite)

Fresh pasta cannot become al dente by its nature, but if you want a little more bite, you can try this recipe.

Simply use a half-and-half mixture of wheat flour and durum wheat flour, with the durum giving the dough more bite.

Spinach Pasta Dough Recipe for Ravioli (Extra Stretchy)

If you want to make spinach ravioli and make your life a little easier, use this super stretchy dough.

Adding salt increases the elasticity of the dough, so it won’t tear even when you’re shaping ravioli and tortellini.

The olive oil makes for a more pliable pasta dough that is easier to work with. Try it!

What Goes with Spinach Pasta Dough?

Even though you can’t overlook the color of this pasta dough, its taste is almost the same as classic pasta dough.

For this reason, you do not have to worry about combining this recipe with other ingredients.

However, you can make sure that the rest of the ingredients are color-coordinated with the green dough.

Here is a list of 5 ingredients you could use:

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Green beans
• Zucchini

How to Store Spinach Pasta Dough

You will usually want to make a small batch and use it immediately when making pasta dough.

However, it is sometimes necessary to keep the dough for a while due to time constraints.

In the following article, I explain how and how long you can store pasta dough.

• How to store Pasta Dough

If you want to prepare large quantities of pasta dough at once, then this article is for you:

• How to prepare Pasta dough ahead of time

All the information contained applies to pasta dough with spinach.

Follow-Up Guide: Shaping Spinach Pasta

If you want to know how I made these five pasta shapes using this recipe, check out my article about how to create stunning spinach Pasta (5 Shapes).

And here are three more resources that might interest you:

• How to make beetroot pasta Dough
• How to make squid-ink pasta dough
• How to make perfect Pasta Dough: The Full Guide

Have fun making colored pasta dough!

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