When it comes to preparing fast dinner, pasta pops up in almost any meal planner. In recent times, we’ve seen the rise of home cooking, and with it, many more people are making fresh pasta at home.
And that begs the question, is making pasta at home worth the effort? Is making pasta at home from scratch cheaper than store-bought pasta?
The cost of making homemade pasta 17,19 oz (4 servings) is 2,07$. When compared to store-bought pasta, the results are in favor of both, homemade pasta and store-bought pasta. If you compare homemade to fresh store-bought pasta, you will pay 80% more for fresh store-bought pasta. But if you compare homemade pasta to store-bought dry pasta, you will pay 51% more for homemade.
Is it cheaper to make pasta at home from scratch? | ||||||
Weight store-bought package | Price store-bought | Price homemade from scratch | Difference | Percentage | ||
Dry Pasta (Spaghetti, macaroni, farfalle, rotini…) | 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) | $1.28 | $1.93 | -$0.65 | -51% | You pay 51% more for homemade pasta |
Fresh pasta (cheapest price) | 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) | $3.84 | $1.93 | $1.91 | 50% | Homemade 50% cheaper |
Fresh pasta (average prices) | 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) | $9.68 | $1.93 | $7.75 | 80% | Homemade 80% cheaper |
So now, let’s take all the criteria and compare fresh and dry store pasta to homemade pasta to help you decide which is the right choice for you.
In general, cooking at home is cheaper than eating out. Check out how to save from 1720$ to 4303$ with homemade food.
I’ve written a complete “is it cheaper” analysis of the most popular foods cooks make at home.
(BREAD, PIZZA, PASTA, FRIES, BEEF JERKY, LASAGNA, CHEESECAKE, GRANOLA BARS, GLUTEN-FREE BREAD, MAYONNAISE, GNOCCHI, GUACAMOLE, GROUND BEEF, BROWNIES, HUMMUS)
I outlined the costs and buying guides for the ultimate savings.
Is homemade pasta better than store-bought?
Making pasta at home is very easy. Also, pasta makers are very cheap. So this brings up the question of why doesn’t everyone make pasta at home.
One aspect is the taste, and the other is the price.
You really can’t beat the taste of homemade pasta. It is made of fresh ingredients (all-purpose flour, eggs, salt, and sometimes oil). Usually, the rule of thumb is 100g of flour to 1 large egg.
Mixing and kneading all these ingredients makes a firm dough. The dough is cut into small portions and pressed through rollers in pasta maker until you get the desired thickness. After it is air-dried, you shape it into noodles, tagliatelle, or any other shape you like. Fresh pasta is usually served with a rich sauce. The taste of homemade fresh pasta is springy and light, especially if you get the texture right and pay attention to cooking it al dente.
Dried store-bought pasta is much easier to use and cook as it comes in various shapes and sizes. It is best cooked al dente. Here are nine simple steps to get the perfect texture and the best results when cooking pasta:
- always put the pasta in boiling water
- cook them uncovered, not covered
- salt the water generously before placing the pasta in
- try donnes by squeezing them between your thumb and index finger
- the best way to achieve al dente texture is to cook them a bit shorter than labeled on the package
- never, pour cold or hot freshwater over, after they are cooked
- always save pasta water for the sauce
- serve immediately after they are cooked
- if you cook more than one batch of pasta, always cook them in the same water
How much does it cost to make pasta at home from scratch
Pasta recipe usually includes only 3 ingredients. There are also recipes where a drizzle of oil is added. To calculate the cost for four people, we considered the following criteria:
Measurement to grams: we calculated the measurement of each ingredient into grams to get the sum weight of ingredients for pasta.
Average product price: for each ingredient, we checked the latest prices in online stores and calculated the average price of ingredients per ounce, which are included in the pasta recipe.
Price per ingredient: the price for each ingredient is calculated to match the amount used in the recipe.
Sum weight of pasta: to get the total weight of pasta, we summed the weight of all ingredients in grams.
Time, utensils, and cookware: We did not include time cost or the purchase of cookware and utensils into the calculation.
Pasta recipe cost breakdown
Making pasta at home for 4 servings costs 2,07$, which is 0,52$ per serving. By using this recipe, you can make 17,19 oz (487g) of fresh pasta.
How much does it cost to make homemade pasta from scratch? | |||
Quantities | Quantities in grams | Cost | |
Flour all-purpose | 2 1/2 cups | 300 g | $0.92 |
Eggs | 3 large | 168 g | $0.88 |
Salt | 1 tsp | 5.9 g | $0.04 |
Olive oil | 1 tbsp | 13.3 g | $0.23 |
Cost of homemade pasta – servings | 4 | $2.07 | |
Cost of homemade pasta per serving | $0.52 | ||
Price per ounce | $0.12 | ||
SUM weight pasta in gramms | 487.2 | ||
SUM product weight in ounces | 17.2 |
How much money can you save if you make pasta at home from scratch
We compared the two most common pasta types to calculate the savings, fresh and dry store-bought pasta.
When comparing dry store-bought pasta to homemade pasta, the savings are zero. Homemade pasta is 51% more expensive than store-bought dry pasta. So, it is not worth making pasta at home if you only buy dry pasta.
We compared the average price of Barilla dry pasta pack 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) like (spaghetti, macaroni, farfalle, rotini…) to homemade pasta. Store-bought pasta costs 1,28$, whereas the same weight of homemade pasta costs 1.93$.
But when it comes to fresh store-bought pasta, things are much different. If we compare the price for 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) of fresh store-bought pasta to homemade pasta, the savings are very high. Homemade pasta is 50% cheaper if you buy the most affordable store-bought fresh pasta and 80% cheaper from an average priced fresh pasta.
Savings are only in favor of homemade pasta if you compare the price to store-bought fresh pasta. If you make pasta at home from scratch once every two weeks, you could save up to 186$ a year.
Is it worth making pasta at home from scratch if you make it twice a month | ||||||
Weight | Price store-bought | Price homemade from scratch | Difference | Monthly savings – making pasta twice a month | Yearly savings – making pasta twice a month | |
Dry Pasta (Spaghetti, macaroni, farfalle, rotini…) | 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) | $1.28 | $1.93 | -$0.65 | -$1.29 | -$15.52 |
Fresh pasta (cheapest price) | 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) | $3.84 | $1.93 | $1.91 | $3.83 | $45.92 |
Fresh pasta (average prices) | 1 lb (16 oz, 454g ) | $9.68 | $1.93 | $7.75 | $15.51 | $186.08 |
I’ve written a complete “is it cheaper” analysis of the most popular foods cooks make at home.
(BREAD, PIZZA, PASTA, FRIES, BEEF JERKY, LASAGNA, CHEESECAKE, GRANOLA BARS, GLUTEN-FREE BREAD, MAYONNAISE, GNOCCHI, GUACAMOLE, GROUND BEEF, BROWNIES, HUMMUS)
I outlined the costs and buying guides for the ultimate savings.
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