When it comes to carbs, I can take or leave candy and most bread, but noodles are my ultimate comfort food. Chicken noodle soup is my favorite sick food ever. Ever ever. And really, I’m in it for the noodles just as much as anything else. My go-to recipe is this Chicken and Dumplings recipe from the darkest corners of the OBB archives. Up until about a year ago, I always used packaged noodles, but my ability to find my favorite noodles is fairly hit and miss, so I decided to learn how to make homemade egg noodles.
I present you with my short Pro-Con list of homemade noodles:
Cons:
- You have to, you know, make them.
- They’re not always as “pretty” and uniform as store-bought pasta.
- They make a bigger mess.
Pros:
- If you cook them before drying them, they don’t absorb liquid like regular noodles, so if you leave them in your soup, they’re less likely to soak up all the broth.
- It’s fun and highly satisfying to make them.
- They are surprisingly easy.
- They’re so delicious. Much like homemade tortillas, once you start making your own noodles, it’s hard to go back to not-homemade noodles.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- All-purpose flour – Flour provides the gluten that gives the noodles their chew and elasticity.
- Kosher salt – Tightens the gluten and deepens flavor.
- Whole eggs and egg yolks – Provide protein and fat that result in strong, rich noodles.
- Milk – A little dash of milk helps keep the noodles tender.
- Cold water – Water brings the dough together. Using cold water makes the dough easier to work with by keeping it nice and firm.
How to Make Homemade Egg Noodles
- Star by whisking the flour and salt together. Make a little well in the center and add the egg yolks, eggs, and a drizzle of milk.
- Using a fork, start lightly blending the mixture until it is evenly moistened and looks pebbly (kind of like scrambled eggs).
- Then you drizzle in some cold water a little at a time until it starts coming together into a ball (you’ll have to start using your hands here). Keep mixing until all the flour has been incorporated but it’s not overly sticky. It’s hard to add too much flour here–the noodle dough will take what it needs and leave the rest.
- Sprinkle a work surface with a little flour. Roll half of the dough out onto the work surface, flouring everything along the way (your hands, rolling pin, additional flour for the work surface, etc.). Flour is your friend here–at this point, the dough won’t take in any more than it needs, but it will keep your noodles from sticking to anything and everything. Any excess will just fall off in the cooking or drying process.
- Roll the dough until it is paper thin, about 1/16″. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into strips (anywhere from skinny to very wide). You can also cut the noodles to the desired length, especially if you’re cooking them right away.
- You can either cook these immediately in boiling liquid (about 2-3 minutes or until they pop up to the top) or drape them on a clean dowel or pasta drying rack and allow them to dry completely. When dry, break into pieces (or don’t if you don’t want to) and then store them in an airtight bag.
- Cook from dry for about 3-5 minutes or until tender. Enjoy!
Storing and Other Tips
- Refrigerator: Store uncooked noodles, lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking, in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Freeze noodles in nests or flat layers for up to 2-3 months. Cook straight from frozen.
- Cooked noodles: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Dried noodles: Store completely dried noodles in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-4 weeks, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Note: make sure they’re 100% dry before storing to prevent mold. There should be no bend or softness left in them before storing. If in doubt, store in the freezer!
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to dry homemade noodles before cooking?
Nope. They can be cooked immediately!
Can I use a pasta machine?
Yes, if you have one, that’s the best way to get uniform noodles.
Can I use this recipe to make gluten-free noodles?
Gluten-free flour won’t be a 1:1 swap here. While it’s totally possible to make gluten-free noodles at home, I would recommend finding a recipe that’s specifically written to be gluten-free.
How to Make Homemade Egg Noodles
Egg noodles are easier than you might think. They are a little more work than dried pasta, but the effort is worth it!
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ¼-½ cup cold water
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the egg yolks, eggs, and milk. Using a fork, start lightly blending the mixture until it is evenly moistened and looks pebbly (kind of like scrambled eggs.)
- Drizzle water, about 1 tablespoon at a time, over the mixture and mix until it starts to come together in a ball (you’ll have to use your hands at some point). Keep mixing until all the flour has been incorporated but it’s not overly sticky.
- Sprinkle about ¼ cup of flour on a clean work surface, having more flour handy if necessary. Roll half of the dough out onto the work surface, flouring everything along the way (your hands, rolling pin, additional flour for the work surface, etc.). Roll the dough until it is paper thin, about 1/16″ (about 1.5mm).
- Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into strips (anywhere from skinny to very wide). You can also cut the noodles to the desired length, especially if you’re cooking them right away.
- You can either cook these immediately in boiling liquid (about 2-3 minutes or until they pop up to the top) or drape them on a clean dowel or pasta drying rack and allow them to dry completely. When dry, break into pieces (or don’t if you don’t want to) and then store them in an airtight bag. Cook from dry for about 3-5 minutes or until tender.
Notes
Storage
- Refrigerator: Store uncooked noodles, lightly dusted with flour to prevent sticking, in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
- Freezer: Freeze noodles in nests or flat layers for up to 2-3 months. Cook straight from frozen.
- Cooked noodles: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-4 days for best results.
- Dried noodles: Store completely dried noodles in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-4 weeks, or in the freezer for 2-3 months. Note: make sure they’re 100% dry before storing to prevent mold. There should be no bend or softness left in them before storing. If in doubt, store in the freezer!
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.003g, Cholesterol: 125mg, Sodium: 406mg, Potassium: 73mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.4g, Vitamin A: 179IU, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 193kcal
Cost: $2
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Questions & Reviews
I made these the other night and they were delicious! I have always wanted to make noodles, but thought it would be too difficult without a pasta machine. Your recipe was easy to follow and the family loved them in my chicken noodle soup. Thank you! A couple of notes: I needed almost no extra water, the egg was almost enough by itself. I also used a half sheet pan silpat and wish I would have rolled the dough out in three batches and not two, so it would have fit on the silpat a little better. Last, it made enough for an extra batch to store for later. Thanks again!
Your timing is PERFECT! I have actually never had egg noodles before (please don’t ban me from the website;-) ), but I recently found a recipe for Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Soup that calls for egg noodles. Since I’m “cheating” on the ease of the soup, I think I should try these out instead of buying a package!
My husband would always tell me about having chicken noodle soup at his grandma’s on Christmas eve and I didn’t know what the big deal was (we were Campbell’s soup people too.) I learned to make her soup before she passed and now I get it, homemade noodles make it amazing!!! They are the ultimate comfort food at our house too!
I cheat and make the dough in the food processor. I don’t even use the dough blade, just the metal blade. I pulse the dry ingredients, then add and pulse the liquid ingredients until the dough forms a ball. I have never had any problems with the dough and it’s so much faster.
I think they look lovely actually!
I am definitely going to give this a try!
Christine
Of course, a few questions! Do you have any trouble cutting with a metal pizza cutter on your Roulpat? I’m always afraid to use any sort of knife on it, which makes cutting rolls, etc. such a pain since the Roulpat is totally awesome! Next questions, how long would you store the ones you dried? Should you freeze them or just leave them in their ziplock bag in the pantry?
I actually have a plastic pizza cutter that I use on my Roul’pat. And storing them in the freezer isn’t a bad idea at all–I’m a tiny bit paranoid. But SUPPOSEDLY they’re safe in the pantry.
If you want to cut more than one row of noodle at a time. I finally found a great one after years of looking. I have looked high and low for a good hand-held egg noodle cutter since my last one broke over a year ago. This one is made in Italy and imported through Fantes Kitchen Wares in Philadelphia. I has a wooden handle and steel to cut about 6 noodles at one time. I’m so excited to make some of my homemade noodles again. They are on the web, check them out for great supplies.
“Do no mock the pro-con list”. Love it.
So if you dry the noodles, how long do they keep?
They’ll store in the freezer for a LONG time–probably up to a year. That’s where I keep mine, but supposedly they’re safe in the pantry. But I’m not sure for how long. 🙂
I use a different egg noodle recipe every time i make chx noodle soup. I am so excited to try yours. My friend adds white pepper to her noodles. It adds a yummy pepper flavor without giving your noodles black speckles. Now if only the weather would cool off…
How important is the gluten (from the wheat flour) in this recipe? Do you have any idea how wheel it would work with a gluten free all purpose flour? I think what my daughter misses most since being diagnosed with Celiac is egg noodles.
It’s pretty essential–the gluten in the flour is what makes this dough so resilient. I’ll poke around the interwebs, though, and see if I can find a gluten free egg noodle recipe. 🙂
I found this recipe, but I have no idea if it’s any good or not:
http://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-egg-noodles/
I also found these gluten free noodles that seem to have good reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_15?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=gluten+free+egg+noodles&sprefix=gluten+free+egg%2Caps%2C251
(you can also buy them in bulk from walmart.com and are about $12 cheaper, at least right this second, haha.)
Good luck!