What pasta is keto-friendly? When facing the most challenging part of any eating program, it’s an important question. How can you still enjoy the comfort foods you love when you’re on the keto diet? Are there any pasta types that have few enough carbs to eat on keto?
Fortunately, you’ll find an array of keto-friendly pasta to make your favorite meals, whether you love alfredo, spaghetti bolognese, or lasagne. The keto diet lets you enjoy your favorite meals with simple pasta and noodle alternatives. Let’s see which keto pastas are low-carb.
What pasta is keto-friendly? The following pasta and noodle substitutes are keto-friendly:
You’ll discover what makes each keto-friendly pasta alternative suitable for your journey. But first, let’s answer the question most keto followers ask.
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The keto diet doesn’t welcome traditional pasta or noodles. Why? Regular egg noodles usually have 49 g of net carbs per serving, but homemade keto egg noodles only have 3 g of net carbs per serving (13). You’re typically only allowed 20-50 net carbs daily on keto (18).
Meanwhile, a cup of cooked, unsalted spaghetti contains 40.68 g of net carbs (23). Also, traditional fettuccine pasta has 41.2 g of net carbs per cup (6). This means that regular pasta is out of the question on keto. Instead, let’s see which pasta alternatives work for the keto diet.
A keto pasta substitute must allow you to enjoy your favorite meal without kicking you out of ketosis. So of course it must be low-carb. Also, it helps to have substitutes for the multiple pasta dishes you typically enjoy. Let’s see the top keto-friendly pasta and noodle alternatives.
Cucumbers must be the most accessible alternative for cold meals on keto. WebMD suggests a medium cucumber only has 6 g of carbs or 4 g of net carbs (17). Spiralizing cucumbers or using a Julienne cutter will give you instant noodles you don’t have to cook. However, cucumber noodles are limited to cold meals and salads.
Eggplant is the ideal alternative to make lasagne or any sheet-based pasta dish because you can cut the vegetable into thin sheets. The USDA suggests one whole unpeeled eggplant has 32.2 g of carbs but only 15.8 g of net carbs, thanks to the high fiber content (15). Slice the eggplant thinly and evenly with a mandoline slicer.
Hearts of Palm pasta is another plant-based substitute for keto noodles. You can find this pasta alternative in various brands and stores. It comes from the acai or coconut palm. A 257.6-gram package from Trader Joe’s has 12.1 g of carbs or 6 g of net carbs (7). It’s the ideal linguine substitute because it’s stringy, like mozzarella or string cheese.
Cabbage leaves work well as lasagne sheets while slicing them thinly can replace spaghetti, noodles, or other pasta in keto. One cup of shredded cabbage has 4.06 g of carbs or 2.31 g of net carbs (4). Cabbage strips have long been a favorite addition to stir-fries, and they absorb the other flavors when added to other vegetables or proteins.
Not all egg noodles are equal; some have too many carbs. However, using alternative ingredients and adding Italian spice blends will give you low-carb egg noodles. For example, this Italian-inspired recipe only has 1 g of total and net carbs (25). Egg noodles are versatile enough to replace spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, and other pasta types.
Edamame pasta looks like noodles or spaghetti and comes from the edamame plant, an immature part of soybean plants. Edamame becomes flour and has a similar taste to wheat flour pasta. However, it has 18.47 g of carbs or 6.93 g of net carbs per cup, thanks to its high-fiber content (14). It works in spaghetti dishes but also comes in lasagne sheets.
Celeriac noodles are similar to Kohlrabi noodles but with more net carbs per serving. A 3.5-ounce serving of cooked celeriac noodles has 5.9 g of carbs or 4.7 g of net carbs (12). The substitute comes from a root vegetable and works well in vegetable-based pasta dishes. You can also use celery root in chicken alfredo.
Kelp noodles are an odd substitute, but they work well in salads, stir-fries, and other Asian-style pasta dishes. A 4-ounce serving of kelp only has 1 g of net carbs (8). Kelp noodles come from brown seaweed; you can cut them into slices or use leaves in lasagne and other sheet-based pasta dishes.
Spaghetti squash is another excellent keto pasta substitute with a similar texture and consistency. A cup of spaghetti squash has 6.98 g of carbs or 5.46 g of net carbs (24). The plant-based alternative also absorbs other flavors nicely. You typically bake the spaghetti-like strips for use in spaghetti, carbonara, chow mein, and pad thai.
Zucchini noodles are a low-carb favorite substitute. A cup of Zoodles only has 3.5 g of carbs or 2.4 g of net carbs (11). You simply spiralize larger zucchinis into noodle shapes before baking or pan-frying them. Zoodles work well as a spaghetti or noodle salad, with a versatility that allows cold or hot meals.
Kohlrabi noodles come from parsnip, a relative of broccoli and cauliflower, two keto low-carb favorites. A cup of Kohlrabi noodles only has 2.5 g of carbs or 1 g of net carbs (9). It has the lowest net carbs per serving compared to the above pasta. You can buy them or cut the vegetables into any desired shape. However, it best suits cold pasta dishes and salads.
Medical News Today suggests shirataki noodles have zero net carbs because of their high fiber content (22). You count net carbs on the keto diet, subtracting the fiber content from the total carbs. Shirataki noodles have 3 g of each. So, all the carbs are dietary fiber, making this noodle perfectly carb-less.
Shirataki noodles have a gelatin-like consistency and come from konjac yam fibers. They feel slippery and have an odd texture. Also, the noodles come in a liquid that smells like fish and requires proper rinsing. However, they’re a zero-carb substitute for carbonara, noodle soup, fettuccine, and Asian noodle dishes.
Read more: Keto-Friendly Thai Food: 8 Thai Dishes to Eat and 5 to Avoid on the Keto Diet
What pasta is keto-friendly? All the above pasta substitutes will work for a keto diet. However, having some recipes to make your pasta at home will help you stay in control of what you eat on keto. Let’s see the top two keto egg pasta recipes to add to the substitutes.
Wholesome Yum has a 3-ingredient egg noodles recipe to blow your mind (20). This fiber-rich keto pasta recipe will stun you when you realize the net carbs are only 2.7 grams per serving. Eating plenty of fiber in your diet is the ideal scenario. So, make this exciting recipe.
Nutrition per serving: 248.7 calories, 7.7 g carbs, 15 g fat, 22.7 g protein, and 5 g fiber (20)
Egg noodles are an excellent way to increase protein while reducing the carbs you eat in pasta. This recipe from Curbing Carbs uses almond flour (13). It won’t have the same consistency, but you can make it a groundwork pasta alternative at home.
Nutrition per serving: 283 calories, 4 g carbs, 12 g fat, 16 g protein, and 1 g fiber (13)
Janet’s Low-Carb Kitchen recipe cuts carbs for another keto-friendly pasta alternative (1). The good news is that you can cut the pasta recipe sheets into any desirable shape, depending on the meal you wish to make. This low-calorie coconut flour recipe tastes divine.
Nutrition per serving: 45 calories, 1 g carbs, 3 g fat, 2 g protein, and 0 g fiber (1)
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What pasta is keto-friendly isn’t the only question you should ask. Instead, you also need some ideas for pasta sauce to ensure you aren’t overdoing your meal carbs. Here are some favorite keto pasta sauce ideas to use with the substitute noodles and pasta.
You can make this seasoning for an Italian-flavored pasta dish on keto. This recipe makes 4 servings.. It would taste incredible with cheese and cream-based pasta sauces. This idea is courtesy of Low Carb Yum (25).
Wholesome Yum has a tasty, low-carb basil pesto sauce for keto pasta recipes (3). Basil pesto is a pasta staple with any low-carb keto pasta substitute.
Nutrition per serving: 137 calories, 1.7 g carbs, 14.1 g fat, 1.3 g protein, and 0.3 g fiber (3)
The Diet Chef’s Alfredo sauce recipe is keto-friendly and takes ten minutes (19). Alfredo is a high-fat, low-carb joy for the keto diet. However, the sauce doesn’t keep as well as others. Also, the servings only come to two tablespoons each.
Nutrition per serving: 110 calories, 1 g carbs, 10 g fat, 2.25 g protein, and 0 g fiber (19)
Read more: Is Miso Soup Keto-Friendly? Our Top 3 Recipes Are Low-Carb, High-Protein Comfort Foods
Wholesome Yum has another brilliant recipe for a keto pasta sauce (21). The servings come to about a ¼ cup each, making it ideal for a pasta sauce you can store. Tomato-herb sauces are a favorite for pasta worldwide, but this recipe allows you to eat it on keto.
Nutrition per serving: 63 calories, 4.9 g carbs, 4.5 g fat, 1.1 g protein, and 1.2 g fiber (21)
You can eat keto-friendly egg noodles, but not the regular kind. Regular egg noodles have 49 g of net carbs per serving, but homemade keto egg noodles only have 3 g of net carbs per serving (13). Use our 3-ingredient recipe for authentic-style egg noodles on keto (20).
Chickpea pasta has too many carbs for the keto diet. Carb Manager suggests a cup of cooked chickpea pasta has 23.6 g of net carbs (10). Unfortunately, keto only allows 20-50 net carbs daily (18). So, this gluten-free pasta suits others but isn’t a low-carb pasta alternative suitable for the keto diet.
Medical News Today recommends \cauliflower rice, \riced broccoli, shredded cabbage, or Shirataki rice(2). Of these, cauliflower rice has the closest consistency and looks similar to regular rice. It’s a favorite substitute for keto.
Corn isn’t low-carb or suitable for keto. For example, corn flour has 45 g of carbs or 40.7 g of net carbs per ½ cup (5). However, ½ cup of almond flour only has 5 g of carbs or 2 g of net carbs (16). Corn flour can’t work for keto pasta. Instead, use almond flour for keto pasta.
What pasta is keto-friendly? Fortunately there are 15 pasta substitutes and recipes that will help you stay in ketosis while eating the comfort foods you love. Choose your pasta substitute, or make keto-friendly egg noodles with a keto pasta sauce that will have you licking your lips today.
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