Keto Pasta Noodles

Low carb pasta is an amazing substitute for anyone who misses regular pasta because of being on a Keto or low carb diet. After all, who doesn’t love pasta? It’s one of those things that I really miss eating which makes it more special to me to bring this recipe to you.

It is easy and quick to make, there are only 2 ingredients in this keto pasta recipe and it’s only 1.5 NET Carbs per serving!

Low carb pasta is the perfect thing to eat when you are craving carbs and is close to the real thing. This low carb noodles recipe is a great alternative to satisfy that craving you get for pasta. 

It is really soft and has a true cheesy flavor…seeing that it is made from just 2 ingredients, mozzarella cheese and eggs. 

Steph and I made these keto pasta noodles, threw some low carb tomato sauce on top of them. So try them out on your family one night for dinner and see what they think. Can’t wait to hear what they say!

Is Pasta Keto-friendly?

Traditional pasta is not keto-friendly, we all know that because it’s made from high carb wheat flour. Since we can’t eat it when we are on a low carb diet, it’s nice to have a keto pasta recipe that can take its place.

1 cup of traditional pasta has 40 grams of carbs, so certainly by eating it you won’t be in ketosis. With this ketogenic pasta recipe, you can eat the same portion for only 1.5 NET Carbs.

What Kind of Pasta is Keto-Friendly?

Thankfully, if you are on a keto/low carb diet there are some replacements for traditional pasta that you can eat. We are going to show you how to make one type of low carb pasta noodles that are made from only keto-friendly ingredients. 

There are several other types of keto-friendly pasta that are good for a low carb diet. There may be more choices but here are a few of my favorites:

• Keto Pasta – This is pasta that is made from keto-approved ingredients, like this recipe for keto pasta noodles that is made from mozzarella cheese and egg yolk.
• Zoodles – You can make spaghetti shaped noodles out of zucchini. By using a spiralizer, you put the zucchini in, and outcomes zoodles! 
• Spaghetti Squash – Another great veggie for making spaghetti shaped strands. You can even try a cheesy spaghetti squash casserole!
• Shirataki Noodles – Spaghetti shaped noodles made in Asia for over 1000 years, from the root of the konjac plant.  
• Almond Flour Pasta – For those who have to be dairy-free, you can also make Almond Flour Pasta, which is a low carb pasta without the cheese. It’s drier and similar to regular noodles. We are working on that recipe now so stay tuned.
• Cucumber Noodles – Similar to Zucchini noodles, just a bit wetter.
• Bean Sprout Pasta – You can buy them at the store already sprouted or if you have a green thumb you can grow them right in your kitchen on the window sill.
• Eggplant Noodles – Cut the eggplant lengthwise into long sheet size pieces and use them like lasagna sheets, layered between meat, cheese, and sauce.
• Cabbage Noodles – Also cut into large pieces, and layered in a pan with meat, cheese and sauce make a great one-dish lasagna. 
• Kelp Noodles – Made from seaweed, similar to shirataki noodles.

How Many Carbs are in Keto Noodles?

There is an incredible difference in carbs between keto-friendly noodles and regular wheat flour ones. 

Traditional noodles made from wheat flour are really high in carbs and can have more than 40 carbs per serving. In comparison, this keto pasta recipe, incredibly, has only 1.5 NET Carbs per serving.

If you want you can eat the entire portion yourself for only 3 NET Carbs!

What Kind of Noodles are Carb-Free?

While you may be looking for carb-free noodles, all kinds of pasta have at least a few carbs, even Keto spaghetti noodles.

Noodles that are made from cheese and egg yolk are sometimes referred to as carb-free pasta or no-carb pasta, but they still have 1.5 NET Carbs per serving. 

However, by sticking to low carb or no carb ingredients like cheese, eggs, almond flour, vegetables, etc, you will be able to have noodles that are great for a “carb-free” diet.

What Ingredients is Keto Pasta Made of?

Mozzarella Cheese – This cheese is a good base for low carb pasta and keto bread recipes because it melts well and the stringiness helps hold the pasta or bread together.

Low moisture mozzarella is the key so that the keto pasta noodles are not too wet, and we found that the whole milk version was better than skim.

Egg Yolk – Eggs hold or bind things together, also Keto-friendly pasta. Just the yolk is needed because the white of the egg is too runny.

Best Mozzarella for this Recipe

The best cheese to use in a keto pasta dough recipe is one that is low moisture. We also found that the whole milk version works better in this recipe than the skim or low fat type.

Buy the pre-shredded mozzarella in a bag instead of a block that you shred yourself. The block has too much moisture when you use it freshly shredded. 

I know it sounds strange, but when making this low carb pasta recipe, resist the urge to shred the cheese yourself and use the pre-shredded one instead because after it has been shredded and packaged up it is drier than freshly shredded mozzarella.

Best Low Carb Flour

The two best kinds of flour for making homemade keto pasta are almond flour and coconut flour.

We chose not to use any flour in this recipe, but we do use both of these low carb flours in a lot of cookies, cakes, pancakes, and they are both perfect for ketogenic pasta too.

Does this Recipe Taste Like Real Pasta?

These low carb pasta noodles hold up pretty well, but they are not flexible enough to twirl on your fork like regular noodles. However, they do have a decent texture to them…chewy and bouncy. 

They do not taste exactly like real pasta, but instead they taste like cheese. No wonder because they are made of primarily mozzarella cheese! 

When you put tomato sauce on top of them they just taste like soft noodles or a saucy, cheesy casserole.

Different Shapes of Low Carb Noodles

For this keto noodle recipe, the best shape to make them is long and wide, because of the stringy, cheesy consistency. I would say they are similar to Tagliatelle, but not as long. The dough is not the right consistency to be able to form many traditional pasta shapes. 

When you make other keto pasta dough recipes that have low carb flour or other low carb ingredients in them, they become easier to mold into pasta shapes. 

Some of the easier shapes to make are orecchiette, cavatelli, and farfalle.

Tools to Use

• Pizza Cutter – Used in cutting the fathead noodles into long strips.
• Baking Sheet – To place the keto spaghetti noodles in the refrigerator to keep them flat.
• Parchment Paper – To roll out the noodles and then cut them into strips.
• Rolling Pin – To roll out the dough.
• Glass Bowl – Mix the ingredients together in the bowl with a large spoon.
• Thin Flat Spatula – You will need this to loosen the keto noodles from the parchment paper.

How do You Make Keto Pasta Noodles from Scratch?

Now we will show you step by step how to make your own keto pasta dough recipe. It is very easy to do. This recipe for keto noodles is made from only 2 ingredients.

Forming the Pasta Dough

STEP 1: The first thing to do to make homemade keto pasta is to put the mozzarella in a bowl and heat it in the microwave for a total of about 1 minute.

Start with 30-second increments, and be sure to stir it well. Heat them up for another 30 seconds until the cheese is melted.

STEP 2: Now let the mozzarella cool for about 1 minute. 

• TIP: If you add the egg to the cheese too soon it will start to cook from the heat and if you wait too long it will be too hard to blend together.

STEP 3: Add the egg yolk and stir until the egg and cheese are completely blended together.

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STEP 4: Place your dough on a piece of parchment paper and then place another piece on top.

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STEP 5: Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is about ⅛ inch thick.

STEP 6: Remove the upper piece of parchment paper and now with a pizza cutter, cut the dough in long strips, about ½ inch wide.

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STEP 7: Refrigerate the keto pasta strips on the paper for at least 6 hours, but overnight is ok too.

Cooking

STEP 1: Take the keto pasta noodles out of the refrigerator. Carefully remove them from the parchment paper and place them on a plate and put them back in the refrigerator for about an hour to chill back up.

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STEP 2: Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add the keto pasta noodles and cook for about 30 seconds. You will begin to see the noodles float to the top.

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TIP: Do not cook the  keto noodles too long because the cheese will break down and melt….after all, it’s just cheese and the heat will make a mess of it.

STEP 3: Drain the pasta in a colander and immediately run it under cold water to help retain the shape of the noodles and prevent them from melting and sticking together.

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When the pasta cools it will firm back up.

STEP 4: Now serve your homemade keto pasta with your favorite pasta sauce.

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Best Tips Low Carb Noodles

Here are some of our best tips for this recipe and the answer to common problems you might have.

• You can also add a tiny bit of xanthan gum to the keto pasta recipe to add a little more stability to the noodles. Try ¼-½ tsp. 
• Be careful not to use the whole egg because the egg white will make the cheese too runny.  Trust me I did that by accident one time and it did not work out at all. 
• After heating the cheese in the microwave, let it cool for only 1 minute before adding the egg. If you do it too soon it will cook the egg. If you add it too late the cheeses will be too thick to mix thoroughly with the egg.
• Mozzarella cheese tends to be salty enough, so avoid salting the water.
• When cooking the low carb noodles, only cook for about 30 seconds. Remove and immediately run under cold water to help the noodles hold their shape. Otherwise, you will end up with a melted pile of cheese.
• It is important to refrigerate the low carb pasta noodles for a minimum of 6 hours, but overnight is good too. The colder the noodles the more they will retain their shape.
• If you are having trouble getting the uncooked noodles off the parchment paper, stick them in the freezer for an hour to firm them up.

The Cheese and Egg Don’t Blend Well

The cheese and egg will blend well if the cheese is still warm when you mix in the egg yolk. If you wait too long the cheese will be too hard and therefore will not mix in well.

The Pasta Dough Gets Stuck to the Parchment Paper

One frustrating situation is when the low carb pasta dough gets stuck to the parchment paper.  One solution to this problem when making the dough is that it’s better to remove the top layer of parchment paper and then refrigerate.  

Being uncovered will help the easy low carb noodles to dry out better which will help them to come off the paper and also to retain their shape better while cooking. If the fathead noodle dough is not cold enough it may stick to the parchment paper.

Another trick that makes it easier to remove the low carb noodles from the paper is to very lightly spray it with coconut oil before rolling out the dough.

Freezing the keto pasta noodles for an hour after refrigerating it helps to get the dough off the parchment paper.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

• Gluten-free – There is no gluten in this easy pasta recipe.
• Nut-free – This simple, 2-ingredient recipe has no nut flour.

What to Serve with Low Carb Pasta

Let’s see what kind of sauce and other toppings you can serve with the low carb pasta, and what other things that you can serve on the same plate.

Sauces

• Low Carb Tomato Sauce – The best sauce, in my opinion,  to use on top of your low carb noodles.
• Pesto Sauce – The taste of basil goes so well with the pasta.
• Olive Oil –  w/ garlic.
• Low Carb Alfredo Sauce – a nice creamy and cheesy sauce.
• Meat Sauce – A tomato sauce blended with meat such as ground beef and sausage.
• Carbonara – Creamy, sauce with egg yolks and bacon.

Pasta Dishes

• Shrimp Scampi – Shrimp, olive oil, and garlic sauce.
• Sausage – Olive oil and garlic sauce.
• Broccoli Rabe – Sausage, oil, and garlic.
• Clams – Chopped with garlic and oil.
• Stroganoff – made with ground beef and a mushroom gravy.
• Chicken Parm – Breaded chicken and tomato sauce on top of the noodles.

We also love to serve our chewy Keto dinner rolls with low carb noodles and use them to soak up all the leftover sauce at the end!

Honestly, there is an endless number of low carb pasta dishes you can make with this recipe!

Making Noodles Ahead

It’s a good idea if you want to do some of the prep work done ahead of time for your dinner, to make the noodles ahead of time. 

To make the keto noodle recipe ahead of time, roll out the dough, slice them into long strips and refrigerate.

Once they are cold enough, at least 6 hours, you can take them off the parchment paper, put them in a bowl and cover until you are ready to cook them.

How to Store

The best way to store your leftover, cooked keto egg noodles is to put them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will stay fresh there for about 3 days.

If you haven’t eaten the fathead noodles for a couple of days, just stick that same airtight container into the freezer.

How to Reheat Keto Noodles?

To reheat Keto noodles, just stick them in the microwave for only about 30 seconds. Don’t heat them too long or you will end up with just a melted pile of cheese. Just 30 seconds will do the trick. 😉

Can you Freeze Low Carb Pasta?

Keto Pasta can be frozen, both before it’s cooked and afterward.

• Uncooked – Make your low carb pasta dough and stack layers using parchment paper. Cover them with plastic wrap and freeze up to 1-2 months.
• Cooked – If you want to freeze the cooked keto pasta noodles, just place them in an airtight plastic container and freeze them for 1-2 months. 

When it’s time to eat the low carb noodles just take them from the freezer and thaw them out slowly in the refrigerator before cooking.

FAQs

Can I Buy Low Carb Pasta?

Yes, you can buy low carb pasta, there are several brands and types out there. 

• Quest, Miracle Noodles, and Pasta Zero, just to name a few are popular brands of pasta made from the konjac plant.
• Cappellos is another brand of low carb/dairy-free pasta.
• ThinSlim Impastable pasta is another choice, the net carbs are low because it’s loaded with fiber.
• Ciao Carb has several types of low carb kinds of pasta.

These kinds of pasta can be eaten as a variety or as a quick fix in your meal planning, but on the downside are kind of expensive, so why not try to make low carb pasta yourself since it’s’ not hard to do and it will cost you less.

Other Low Carb Italian Recipes

If you are in the mood for some more low carb Italian recipes, check out these:

• Crispy Keto Chicken Parmesan
• Keto Eggplant Parmesan
• Low Carb Pizza Crust
• The BEST Keto Lasagna
• Easy Fathead Pizza Crust

All of them are low carb and Keto-friendly and will have your friends and family raving!

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