If you’re on a low-carb diet you’ve likely realized that regular pasta isn’t low in carbs. What can you have in place of higher-carb pasta?
Some low-carb pastas include:
- Kelp noodles
- Spiralized veggies (zucchini)
- Shirataki noodles
- Hearts of Palm pasta
- Spaghetti squash
Just low in carbs are these low-carb pastas? We have the answers next!
Carbs in pasta
Carbohydrates (carbs) are a type of nutrient in certain foods that provide your body with energy and turn into blood sugar when you eat them. Foods that contain carbs include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and certain types of dairy products like milk and yogurt. Sugar is also a type of carb, whether it’s natural sugar like honey or a manmade sweetener like corn syrup.
Pasta is generally a higher-carb food because it’s typically made from wheat, a type of grain. Even grain-free pasta made from things like legumes (chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, etc) can be higher in carbs – primarily from starch and fiber, not so much sugar.
Some people prefer a low-carb diet for many reasons, including health reasons like blood sugar imbalances (prediabetes, diabetes, etc) or following a very low-carb diet like keto.
If you’re on a low-carb diet, most types of regular pasta are considered “off limits” because of their higher carb content. However, there are certain types of low-carb pasta that you can substitute for regular pasta, which we’ll cover next!
5 low-carb pastas
Low-carb pastas aren’t made from wheat and are low-carb alternatives to pasta, which means they aren’t technically pasta (the definition of pasta refers to the kind made from wheat).
*Note that the carbs listed are total carbs – the net carbs are lower because fiber is subtracted, giving you the amount that impacts your blood sugar since your body doesn’t digest fiber. Check out the nutrition table at the end of the article to see what we mean!
Kelp noodles – 3 grams of carbs per serving
It’s a bit of a stretch to call kelp noodles “pasta”, but if you’re on a low-carb diet you have to think outside the box at times to swap out things that are typically high in carbs!
Kelp noodles are made from a jelly-like extract that remains after steaming edible kelp. They are crunchy and are semi-transparent. Not only are they very low in carbs, but they barely contain any calories as well.
You don’t need to boil kelp noodles before eating them, but they should be softened first. The recommended way to soften kelp noodles is to mix them with vinegar and baking soda and then rinse them under water.
Spiralized veggies (zucchini) – 3.9 grams of carbs per serving
If you’re up for making your own low-carb “pasta”, all you need is a spiralizer tool. Spiralizers turn things like veggies into noodle-like strands, which are a popular low-carb pasta option.
Zucchini is especially popular for making spiralized veggie pasta, but you can also use other vegetables – just keep in mind that some are higher in carbs than others, like potatoes.
Shirataki noodles – 4 grams of carbs per serving
This low-carb favorite is made from konjac flour, which is low in carbs and made from a root vegetable called the konjac plant (native to China).
Shirataki noodles can also be made from tofu, and that version is also low in carbs.
Hearts of Palm pasta – 5 grams of carbs per serving
This low-carb pasta alternative is made from vegetables called the hearts of Palm, which come from the core of certain types of palm trees such as coconut trees. Hearts of Palm “pasta” has a noodle-like shape and is low-carb and keto-friendly (and Paleo, too!).
Spaghetti squash – 7 grams of carbs per serving
Spaghetti squash is a unique type of squash that has noodle-like strands once it’s cooked. You can prepare spaghetti squash like regular pasta – add a meat sauce, cheese, and Italian spices and you have a low-carb comfort food!
Nutrition comparison of low-carb pastas
Net carbs = total carbs – fiber
| Pasta | Calories | Total fat (saturated) | Total carbs (fiber) | Net carbs | Protein |
| Kelp noodles – 1.2 cups | 6 | 0 g | 3 g (1 g) | 2 g | 0 g |
| Spiralized veggies (zucchini) – 1 cup | 21 | 0.4 g (0 g) | 3.9 g (1.2 g) | 2.7 g | 1.5 g |
| Shirataki noodles – 100 grams | 5 | 0 g | 4 g (2 g) | 2 g | 0 g |
| Hearts of Palm pasta – ½ cup | 20 | 0 g | 5 g (3 g) | 2 g | 1 g |
| Spaghetti squash – 1 cup | 31 | 0.6 g (0.1 g) | 7 g (1.5 g) | 5.5 g | 0.6 g |
FAQs:
Some types of low-carb pastas are gluten-free, but it doesn’t always go the other way around. Some types of gluten-free pastas are a significant source of carbs, such as lentil pasta and brown rice pasta.
Egg noodles contain eggs in addition to wheat flour – they aren’t just made of eggs (it’s a common misconception!). Egg noodles have a very similar carb content as regular pasta, so they don’t have significantly fewer carbs – they’re about the same in terms of total carbs.
Some keto-friendly pasta swaps are shirataki noodles, kelp noodles, and hearts of Palm pasta.
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