Starting out on a low carb diet can be incredibly daunting. Instead of focusing on the benefits, our minds often wander.
Why? Because for many of us, carbs are a big part of our lives. Everyone loves pasta and noodles, right?
As soon as you start that low carb diet, noodles are often the first thing to go out the window, much to our despair.
What if you didn’t have to say goodbye to pasta, though?
The good news is that you don’t! There are some amazing low carb pasta and noodle options out there, and they’re pretty easy to get a hold of.
So, if you want some great pasta alternatives, check out our list below! You’ll probably find a new favorite.
The Low Carb Diet - What You Need to Know
The low carb diet is a popular way to either lose weight, or keep the weight off. It’s no surprise that carbohydrates are one of the biggest factors that contribute to weight gain.
However, as more research has been done over the years, more and more people have taken to the low carb diet.
There are three basic options on a low carb diet, but they depend on the goal of whoever is dieting. These three options could be something like:
- 100-150g of carbs every day - ideal for someone who is on this diet to maintain their weight or does a lot of high-intensity workouts. This amount of daily carbs offers plenty of room for the dieter to enjoy fruits and vegetables, and even potatoes and some other starchy foods.
- 50-100g of carbs every day - ideal for someone who wants to gradually lose weight or maintain weight. This option also leaves plenty of room for the dieter to enjoy fruits and vegetables.
- Under 50g of carbs every day - ideal for someone who intends on losing weight. Plenty of vegetables can be consumed, but fruit needs to be severely limited to berries that have a low GI.
Anyone who is taking part in a low carb diet needs to minimize their consumption of things like potatoes, grains, high-sugar junk food, and drinks high in sugar.
Because of the prevalence of these items, low carb diets can be very difficult to stick to.
This is especially the case when the most affordable food items are usually the ones that are high in sugar, and things like potatoes and grains.
OUR TOP PICK
You might recognize this name from the “Zero Carb” bread they make!
This brand is pretty experienced when it comes to making low carb products, especially doughs.
The fiber present in this pasta makes it perfect for anyone who likes the al dente texture, since it has a little bite to it.
Coming in at 8g of net carbs for a serving, you should be pretty happy with this product in your low carb lifestyle.
Sure, it’s not zero carbs, but for pasta it’s going pretty good. Unlike a number of other pastas on the market, you don’t see huge amounts of protein in this product.
You can expect to only get 4-6g of protein per serving, and they are soy free!
If you’re interested in trying out some of this pasta, we’ve got news for you!
You can have fun with fettuccine, rotini, penne, and macaroni - there’s no dish you can’t make with this stuff.
Ingredients in this product include:
- Oat fiber
- Wheat fiber
- Wheat protein isolate
- Egg whites
- Durum flour
EDITORS CHOICE
Next up, we have Organic Soybean Spaghetti by The Only Bean.
The ingredient list for this one might surprise you, because the only thing in this spaghetti is, you guessed it, soybean!
This spaghetti is pretty incredible, and definitely worth a try if you want to test out some low carb pasta options.
First of all, the texture of these noodles is perfect.
Al dente, but without the guilt of all the carbs. In fact, you can expect to only ingest 9g of net carbs in every serving, which is pretty amazing.
Not only that, but this spaghetti is the ideal thing to use if you like the pasta sauces more than pasta itself - because it’s tasteless.
You get the great texture, but you are free with the flavors.
It’s worth pointing out that the recommended servings for these noodles are… pretty big.
As a result, even halving the serving usually results in more than enough food! So, you’re probably going to be cutting those net carbs down from 9 to around 4.5!
As an added bonus, that just means that this spaghetti will last you longer than you realize.
As you might remember from our previous articles, soybeans are great to use in cooking.
Their GI is very low, only around 18! This means that they are great options for keto.
Not to mention that they are organic soybeans, which means that you don’t have to suffer the effects of GMO products.
As an added bonus, anyone who is looking for protein in their diet can get 25g in a serving.
If you love your egg noodles, these soybean noodles are an amazing replacement. Their texture is almost identical, as is the coloring.
So, if you want to try and trick your mind into enjoying a noodle that’s a little healthier than the egg noodle alternative, you need to try these.
Since they can be a little al dente, you can just cook them down a little more after boiling by stir frying!
Ingredients in this product include:
Organic soybean
BEST VALUE
Much like the spaghetti above, this spaghetti is also made with one simple ingredient - black soybeans.
This product contains only 2g of fat per serving, meaning that while they aren’t great for keto, they are fantastic for a low carb diet overall.
Black soybean spaghetti doesn’t have an overwhelming taste, but you might notice a hint of black soybean in there.
When it comes to the texture, they’re incredibly similar to buckwheat or soba noodles.
In other words, they’re a lot softer and not the al dente texture that many people love.
However, as a result, these noodles are incredible for Asian noodle dishes such as stir fries.
Ingredients in this product include:
Organic black soybean
RUNNER UP
Okay, next up is the Almond Love With brand. Specifically their ziti pasta.
As you might expect from the name, this brand uses almond flour to make their pasta.
While this pasta might be a little more difficult to get hold of, it is definitely worth the struggle.
With only 3g of net carbs for one serving, you won’t be disappointed with this product.
Ingredients in this product include:
- Almond flour
- Pea protein isolate
- Oat fiber
- Egg whites
- Psyllium Husk
- Xanthan gum
RUNNER UP
If you’re looking for some great Asian noodle options, you have to check out the next four options.
The first of these is Miracle Noodles’ Shirataki noodles. With 0g of net carbs per serving, you can prepare to be blown away with this product.
What can you use Shirataki noodles for? Two classic dishes include Yakisoba and Japchae - both are definitely worth checking out!
However, you can also use these noodles in more Western-style dishes if you like.
Sometimes they work well for Western dishes, sometimes they don’t - but you can always try.
Just be wary of how the texture can change depending on how the noodles get prepared - at least they aren’t an expensive option, right?
Ingredients in this product include:
- Water
- Konjac flour
- Citric acid
RUNNER UP
Alternatively, you can give the Well Lean Organic Shirataki Noodles a try!
This brand does better on some fronts than the aforementioned Miracle Noodles, all because they use some different ingredients!
They use organic konjac and oat fiber, which helps improve the texture. These noodles are pretty affordable, too, so they’re worth a try.
Ingredients in this product include:
- Purified water
- Organic konjac flour
- Organic oat fiber
- Calcium hydroxide
RUNNER UP
This brand used to be called Zeroodle, but that name brought in a lot of confusion.
Now, with LIVIVA, things seem a little more straightforward. LIVIVA has a load of different pasta varieties, including oat and black bean flavor.
If you don’t feel like something so pasta-y, you can even opt for a rice shape! So, whatever meal you’re planning on making, you can probably use these products for anything!
Their variations and shapes isn’t the only great thing about them, though. Everything is organic, too.
That means that you won’t have to deal with the pitfalls of genetically modified ingredients.
The texture of these products is what you might expect from a soybean base. You can expect the texture of something resembling instant ramen when you follow the instructions for preparation.
As a result, you can get away with using them in recipes that are more Western if you feel like changing things up.
If you want to try out some variations of this brand’s pasta, check out these different ones available:
- Organic black bean spaghetti - 11g net carbs
- Organic soybean spaghetti - 7g net carbs
- Organic edamame spaghetti - 5g net carbs
- Shirataki and oat fiber rice - 1g net carbs
- Shirataki and oat fiber spaghetti - 1g net carbs
- Shirataki and oat fiber fettuccine - 0g net carbs
Ingredients in this product include:
- Organic soybean
- Water
RUNNER UP
Looking for a noodle with 0 net carbs? Kelp noodles might be the perfect one for you to try out! These 0 net carb keto friendly pasta noodles are perfect for stir-frying and many Asian dishes.
As you might expect with noodles made from kelp, their texture is a little crunchier and harder than your regular noodle.
However, they soften up very nicely and have the ability to allow flavors to soak into them like you wouldn’t believe.
With that being said - these are best if you have some patience. These noodles need to be cooked longer than other noodles to allow them to soften up.
If you don’t give them enough time, they will be pretty inedible. To help with the cooking process, it is recommended to use something that is acidic to help get them to soften.
If you’re planning on using them in a stir fry, consider using them with something like rice vinegar.
Ingredients in this product include:
- Water
- Kelp
- Sodium alginate
RUNNER UP
If you’re looking for something super natural with only ONE ingredient - you found it.
Natural Heaven will make you feel like you’re in heaven with their Hearts of Palm spaghetti.
This spaghetti is very low in carbohydrates, but isn’t your typical pasta. It has a far cruncher texture, something you might not be expecting if you didn’t real up on it!
The texture resembles that of bamboo shoots or similar items. Because of this, this spaghetti option probably won’t fit in with a lot of more Western recipes.
However, it could work in a number of recipes if you know what you’re getting into! If you want to play it safe, this spaghetti option is great for Eastern recipes.
With that being said, when you pair this natural spaghetti up with your favorite sauce, you will probably love it.
Because these Hearts of Palm pasta substitute is not very nutrient rich, you will need to remember to add other ingredients to it.
Things like fats or oils are necessary to make the most of this pasta. If you don’t want to be adding straight oils, why not add some high quality cheese to pump it up?
Ingredients in this product include:
Heart of palm
RUNNER UP
This spaghetti substitute is very similar to the Natural Heaven Hearts of Palm spaghetti.
However, this brand has been around a lot longer and is more widely available because of that.
Although it is similar to the Natural Heaven product, it has been ranked lower because it also contains salt, water, and citric acid.
While there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with any of these ingredients, they are additions that aren’t actually needed, which Natural Heaven proves.
Ingredients in this product include:
- Sliced hearts of palm
- Water
- Natural sea salt
- Citric acid
RUNNER UP
This option is for the people who are a little less strict with their low carb diets.
Cappello’s Fettuccine and Lasagna Grain Free Pasta is a product that is only lower in carbs than regular pasta, but isn’t low enough for the fitness buffs out there.
This pasta is a great keto product because of its increased fat content, which the other pastas on this list don’t have.
In fact, there is 11g of fat per serving, which is great for keto.
Not only that, but it has a super low GI, thanks to the fact that they use almond flour. For those of you who forget, almost flour has a GI of 0 - so it’s pretty amazing!
This brand’s great pasta is a go-to for many people, and beyond the fat and GI of this pasta, it also comes frozen instead of dried.
That means that storage is pretty easy, and you get that fresh taste when you choose to have it.
The two main ingredients in this product are almond flour and eggs. Specifically cage-free eggs!
Everything else mentioned on the ingredient list is there to help bind everything together, so there aren’t huge amounts in there.
What makes this pasta even better? The tapioca flour has resistant starch, which means that you can cool the noodles overnight, then reheat them, even in a microwave.
This lowers the GI of the noodles!
Ingredients in this product include:
- Almond flour
- Eggs
- Tapioca flour
- Xanthan gum
- Sea salt
Why is Resistant Starch so Important?
You might be wondering why resistant starch is such a great thing. Starch is starch, right? Wrong.
When it comes to Cappello’s noodles, the resistant starch doesn’t cause the blood glucose levels to rise like they would if you had regular pasta.
Most pastas do not have resistant starch, which is why this rising of blood sugar levels happens.
These noodles keep you saturated for a much longer time than anything else on this list, too. So, why wouldn’t you want to try them out?
You can choose from fettuccine or lasagna, and go to town on them. When it comes to serving sizes, 57g contains 18g of net carbs.
So, while they aren’t super low on carbs, they are lower than a lot of other options on the market.
The fact that this product also comes frozen rather than dried just makes them so much more delicious. Even the pasta lovers will shout their love for this pasta from the rooftops.
The nutrient dense noodles will keep you full for longer, so you really don’t need to have a lot of it. Just make sure you follow the cooking instructions to get the best results - they cook real quick!
RUNNER UP
Another option that probably won’t be a strict low carb dieter’s dream.
This product is moderately low in carbs compared to mainstream options, but definitely isn’t the lowest out there.
Buying this, you can expect to get 17g of net carbs in every serving. So, while they are not high in carbs, they certainly aren’t low, either.
The texture of these is very similar to that of regular pasta.
The main ingredient in these noodles is durum semolina flour, which is typically found in normal pasta.
Still, it’s a nice option to have when you feel like something a little more carb heavy and want that authentic durum taste.
Ingredients in this product include:
- Durum semolina flour
- Wheat gluten
- Non GMO digestive resistant cornstarch
- Non GMO defatted soy flour
- Whole eggs
- Water
Keto Pasta Noodles to Buy – Top 10 Low Carb Pasta Brands Buyer's Guide
What About Low Carb Sauces to Go With the Noodles?
There are a couple of great sauce options you can try out with your low carb noodles.
When you’re thinking about low carb sauces, you might think that they all taste like liquid sadness, but that isn’t necessarily true!
You can try ones like Rao’s Arrabbiata Sauce, or even Organico Bello Spicy Pasta Sauce. If you want a red sauce, these are definitely the two that you will want to try.
They are the two sauces with the lowest net carbs, so they make a super tasty and easy option for when you want a quick bite.
If you’re wondering, each of these sauces have 3g of net carbs per serving (½ a cup).
If you don’t feel like a red sauce to top your delicious meal, don’t worry. There are some other great options for you to try out. One of these is Alfredo sauce. What!
It makes sense if you think about it, especially if you’re on keto. Alfredo sauce is made up of Parmesan cheese, butter, and heavy cream, along with some garlic.
You can’t admit that those ingredients literally sound perfect for keto. It is high in fat and low in sugar and carbs, so it’s perfect.
Alfredo sauce doesn’t only taste amazing, but it also looks pretty cool when it is paired with something like black bean spaghetti.
If you like your food to look as good as you, this is the perfect combination for you.
Just toss in some grilled shrimp or chicken, throw some parsley on top, and you have a meal that looks like it came straight out of a 5-star restaurant.
To add that little extra bit of goodness, add some MCT oil to the sauce. Doing this will help you negate the effects that the carbs will have on you.
It’s an easy but smart way to do things, so why not try it?
Final Thoughts
So, while the low carb diet can be very difficult, especially at the beginning, it is very possible. As you go on, you learn about all the tips and tricks that you can implement into your routine.
By finding some great pasta alternatives, saying goodbye to heavy carbs is easier than ever.
Of course, there might be options that you don’t like, but from the list we’ve given, there’s bound to be something that you will fall in love with. Just try them out!
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