Store-bought noodles are nonnegotiable in our pantries, but homemade noodles? They are something else—earthy, chewy, and ridiculously fun. So grab an apron and let us show you how toMake Your Own Noodles.We've got glorious recipes, expert tips, handy guides, and so much more.
My current TikTok obsession is a series of fresh pasta videos from user PetersPasta. Starting with a single yolk in the first post, the Pittsburgh-based chef has doubled the number of egg yolks and amount of flour in each subsequent installment. As I’m writing this, he’s up toa staggering 2,048 yolks. Watching the massive quantities of dough come together is incredible, but it does beg the question—why? Not just why is he doing this (most of the pasta is being donated to local food pantries), but why use eggs to make pasta at all? And why do you add eggs to some noodles and not others? Luckily, you don’t need a thousand yolks to answer that question. You just need a bit of chemistry.
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There are countless varieties of egg noodles, from many Italian pastas to noodles like Turkish kesme, Filipinomiki, and Chinese lo mein. Other noodle styles, like Japaneseramen andudon, often omit eggs, opting instead for a combination of a flour and/or starch and water. Italiansemolina noodles, made with finely ground durum wheat, also typically skip eggs.
According to molecular biologist turned cookbook author Nik Sharma, the most obvious way to tell if noodles contain eggs is by using your eyes. “Initially [once the eggs are incorporated], you’ll see a nice yellow tinge to the dough compared to a dough that doesn’t have any eggs.” Still, color isn’t always dependable. After all, water-based noodles can feature a similar yellow tint—like with ramen or semolina pasta. In the former’s case, the darker color isgenerated by an alkali liquid in the dough that reacts with the wheat and produces anegg-like shade without a single yolk. With semolina pasta, the beige color of unbleached durum wheat is enough to create a yellow-ish hue.
Egg-based noodles are generally stickier and more flexible compared to their egg-free counterparts. According to Sharma, this is because fats and proteins in the egg yolk hinder the over-development of gluten in the flour, binding the dough without letting it get too tough. Compare that to a water-based noodle like udon, which relies on a well-developed gluten network to hold its long, bouncy shape.
When I asked chef and cookbook author Sheldon Simeon why he opts for eggs inhis miki noodle recipe, he gave a simple, satisfying reply: “It gives the noodles an egg flavor.” Think of the signature sauciness of omurice or the yolky richness of carbonara, and you can appreciate this is no small thing. Egg noodles are generally richer, denser, and more pliable than their water-based siblings, with a subtle but distinct savoriness that helps them stand out in heavier sauces. If you want proof, you only need two eggs to make Simeon’s recipe, which is 2,046 less than you need to film a TikTok.
Take a crack at it
Fresh Filipino miki egg noodles waiting for your next soup or stir-fry.
