Chocolate Pasta Dough

This is an easy and versatile chocolate pasta dough recipe that you can use to make all kinds of different shapes and styles of sweet chocolate pasta.

The best thing about making homemade pasta is being able to do exciting things with it. This chocolate pasta dough is a perfect example. A totally unexpected combination that might seem a bit out there, but once you taste it you'll see it makes perfect sense.

This isn't the first time I've posted sweet pasta. One of the most popular posts on the blog is my sweet cinnamon pasta which is a nostalgic childhood recipe for me that hits all the comfort notes.

One day I thought, why not with chocolate? And my, my am I happy I thought to try it.

Chocolate pasta tastes amazing. It's a bit like eating warm chocolate crepes or even warm chocolate milk in solid form. Chocolate in combination with that springy, soft, elastic texture of pasta is such a perfect match I'm a bit surprised this dish isn't more popular. But maybe in time.

Ingredients

• Flour: This chocolate pasta dough is just made with plain white flour. If you have a specialty flour like tipo 00 or high protein bread flour then those would make for an even better texture. If you want more info on what flour to use, see my post on Choosing the Best Flour for Homemade Pasta.
• Eggs: Eggs add structure to the pasta dough. I don't have a recipe for egg-free chocolate pasta but I do have other egg free doughs in my pasta guide - I haven't tested this but I think you could make an egg-free dough by replacing about 12% of the flour weight with cocoa powder (but your mileage may vary - only try this is you've made egg-free pasta dough before).
• Milk: The milk adds a bit of moisture to the dough which helps the gluten develop and gives it a better texture.
• Cocoa powder: Regular unsweetened cocoa powder is all you need to turn regular pasta dough into chocolate pasta dough.
• Sugar: The noodles need a bit of sugar to counteract the natural bitterness of the cocoa powder. The sugar is just enough to give them a hint of sweetness.
• Cinnamon: The cinnamon is there to enhance the chocolate flavor. You don't really taste straight cinnamon, just a hint.
• Salt: A tiny bit of salt balances and enhances the other flavors.

Equipment

This recipe doesn't require any special equipment. You can make pasta dough with as little as a rolling pin and sharp knife.

If you want more detailed information about different equipment that's helpful for making different shapes, please see How to Make Pasta Dough: Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide.

Instructions

To make the chocolate pasta dough

Add the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt to a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Note that cocoa powder tends to form little clumps which can create bitter spots in the pasta. To make sure everything is evenly mixed, be sure to sift the cocoa powder if you notice any chunks.

Once the dry ingredients are mixed, make a well in the center and add the sugar, egg and milk.

Use a fork to mix it all up until a shaggy dough forms, and then get in there with your hands. Knead the dough until it comes together into one smooth ball as shown in the photo below. This should take about 4-5 minutes.

Once the dough is a smooth ball, cover it up with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and rest it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

You can also rest it for longer or even overnight if you want to make the pasta the next day.

When ready to make the pasta, you'll need to very liberally flour your work surface as shown in the photo below.

The dough is on the stickier side due to the sugar and therefore more prone to sticking. There's nothing worse than rolling out a beautiful thin sheet of dough only to see it's stuck and can't be picked up without tearing. So sad.

To make the noodles

Roll the dough out basically as thin as you can get it. Normally with regular pasta dough, you would be able to see your hands through the dough - that's how thin it is.

With cocoa in the dough you won't be able to see through it but at least this example gives you a point of reference.

Once the dough is rolled, then you're going to roll it up like a carpet. Use a very sharp knife and cut the dough into strips.

Be sure to cut straight downward (don't rock the knife at all) so you get straight noodles without any notches in them.

You can make different pasta shapes depending on the width you cut, for example chocolate spaghetti would be about 2mm or 0.07inch wide.

Slightly wider noodles like the fettucine shown here are easier and faster to make.

Be sure to keep the noodles well floured so they don't stick together.

If you don't plan to make them right away then I recommend spreading them out to dry on a pasta drying rack if you have one or perforated tray/wire rack.

The pasta can dry out for up to an hour with no issues, but any longer than that and I recommend freezing them.

To make different pasta shapes

For more detailed information on making different pasta shapes with this dough, see my pasta guide which has step-by-step photos for different shapes.

Serving Suggestion

I used the chocolate pasta dough to make chocolate fettucine noodles with a super simple 3 ingredient Nutella sauce.

To really up the pizzazz I garnished with some fresh strawberries cut into adorable little hearts and a handful of rough chopped roasted hazelnuts.

So delicious - highly recommend.

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