Delicious Almond Flour Pasta (Gluten-Free, Keto)

Succeeding on your keto journey, but still missing pasta? Good news!  

This 7-ingredient almond flour pasta hits the spot in a major way and is keto friendly, gluten-free, low-carb, and dairy-free.  

It has a delightfully chewy texture, and can be cut into a variety of shapes to serve with your favorite sauce.

Let’s go over the ingredients:

Superfine almond flour

Coconut Flour

Arrowroot Starch

Xanthan Gum

Kosher salt

Egg

Water

It’s important to use superfine blanched almond flour for this recipe.   Blanched almond flour means that the almonds were boiled and the skins removed prior to grinding into flour, so it has a lighter color and a softer, more refined texture and flavor.  Coarser almond meal, while tasty and good for baking cookies and breads, will lend too much texture to the pasta.

Coconut flour is added to this recipe to supplement the almond flour and add a bit of lightness to the dry mixture.  It helps add the chewy texture to the final product.

Arrowroot starch is a great substitute for cornstarch, or flours like tapioca and cassava that have high glycemic indexes and can potentially spike blood sugar if consumed in certain amounts. Arrowroot thickens soups, sauces, etc, much like cornstarch, and is highly absorbent, so even though it is slightly starchy, it can be used in moderation on a keto diet and still work as an effective binding agent.

Xanthan gum is a binding agent.

Kosher salt – for flavor.  Kosher salt is best for flavoring foods during the cooking process; save your flaky salt for finishing.  Not all salts are created equal:  If you prefer to cook with sea salt, cut the amount by half.   Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt is also roughly twice as salty as Morton’s, due to the shape and consistency of the individual crystals.

Egg helps round out the pasta in lots of ways including texture and structure.

Pro Tips & Tricks:

• The flours are pretty absorbent. You can knead for a minute or so with just the egg. Everything will come together but still be slightly dry.  Start adding the water a little at a time to activate the xanthan gum and arrowroot. This will change the texture of the dough and give it a gummier texture, which is desired.  The dough will feel ever so slightly slick –  sort of like a very moist cookie dough

• Letting the dough rest for 30-45 minutes (covered!) is important. The dough will continue to hydrate and absorb the water that you added during kneading. 

• Use a bench scraper when rolling out the dough. This handy kitchen tool comes in clutch to help lift this rather sticky dough seamlessly off of the countertop. 

• A pasta roller will not work with this dough -use a rolling pin for best results.  Make sure your surfaces are dusted with a fine layer of arrowroot starch before rolling out the dough to help with sticking.  Don’t forget to dust the rolling pin too!

Ingredients:

½ cup superfine almond flour

⅓ cup coconut flour

1/4 cup arrowroot starch

2 tablespoons xanthan gum

1 teaspoon kosher salt*

1 large egg

4-6 tablespoons water, room temperature

*for Diamond Crystal brand/1/2 teaspoon if using Morton’s

Steps:

1. Place the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine, removing any clumps of almond flour. 

2. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and crack the egg into it. Use a fork to puncture the yolk and whisk the egg.  

3. Keep whisking with the fork and begin incorporating the flour directly around the edge of the eggs, working your way out from the center.  Once a good amount of the flour is incorporated into the eggs, set the fork aside and begin kneading the dough together with your hands.  

4. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to hydrate the dough. You may not use all of it!  Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and pliant. Form the dough into a ball, cover it, and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

5. To roll out the dough, sprinkle a clean countertop with a bit of arrowroot flour. Don’t forget to coat the rolling pin with the arrowroot as well! Cut the dough into 4 quarters. Place one wedge of the dough onto the flour, keeping the other 3 covered until ready to use.  Finally, roll the dough to less than ⅛-inch thick, using gentle pressure. Press down any bits that may lift as you roll, and add more arrowroot flour as needed.  

6. Cut the dough into your desired shape using a knife or pasta roller. Once you are done, either set it aside to dry, place it on a tray and cover to freeze, or cook immediately.  Continue rolling out the remaining 3 dough quarters. 

7. To cook: bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and boil for 1 minute, then drain.  Toss with your favorite sauce or saute with butter, pepper, salt, and cheese for additional flavor.  

 FAQ:

Is almond flour good for keto?  

Yes! Almond flour is the most popular keto baking flour due to its low carbohydrate content.  It is high in protein and fiber, but also rather high in calories.  

Is coconut flour good for keto?

Yes! Coconut flour has only 6 carbs per ¼ cup – meaning it adds 2 carbs per serving in this recipe..

What noodles can I eat on keto?

Besides almond flour noodles and other low-carb flour noodles, there are many vegetable noodle options. Some notable varieties include spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, shirataki noodles (made from konjac), and kelp noodles. Check out more options for grain-free pasta here.

Does almond flour pasta have carbs?

The entire recipe contains 18 grams of carbohydrates and 7 net carbs.  This can be on the high side depending on your daily carb allotment. It may be best to enjoy this dish in moderation to remain in ketosis.

Is almond flour pasta good for you?

Each recipe of this almond flour pasta has 7 grams of protein, 12 grams of fiber, 5 grams of fat, 2 grams of sugar, and only 140 calories. It can also be combined with a sauce that is nutritious to add to the benefits of the dish.

How can I serve almond flour pasta?

Your favorite pasta sauce or pesto will go perfectly with the almond flour pasta. It can also be tossed with vegetables, butter, olive oil, or cheese instead of a sauce. 

Related Recipes:

Almond Flour Pancakes

Keto Cinnamon Rolls

Almond Flour Zucchini Bread (Shockingly Moist!)

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