Low-Carb Pasta Substitutes That Actually Work

What is the best low-carb pasta substitute?

Shirataki noodles are the best low-carb pasta substitute, with close to 0 g net carbs per serving because they're made almost entirely of water and glucomannan fiber from the konjac root, not wheat starch.¹ They swap in at a 1:1 ratio by weight for any noodle shape and hold up well in both hot and cold dishes once rinsed and dried properly.

Zucchini noodles and palmini (hearts of palm pasta) are close runner-ups when you want a fresher taste or a firmer bite. Both stay under 5 g net carbs per serving, compared to roughly 40 to 43 g net carbs in a single cup of regular cooked wheat spaghetti.²

What are the best low-carb pasta substitutes, ranked?

The seven best low-carb pasta substitutes, ranked by net carbs and everyday usability, are shirataki noodles, zucchini noodles, palmini, spaghetti squash, kelp noodles, cabbage noodles, and edamame or black-soybean pasta. Each swaps in for a different pasta shape and sauce style — the right pick depends on whether you want near-zero carbs, a firmer bite, or a warm baked-dish filler.

1. Shirataki (konjac) noodles

Net carbs: about 0 to 1 g per 4 oz (113 g) serving.¹ Swap ratio: 1:1 by weight for spaghetti, fettuccine, or rice-shaped noodles. Taste and texture: neutral, slightly chewy and gelatinous straight from the package; a dry sear removes most of that texture and lets it take on sauce flavor. Best for: stir-fries, cold sesame noodle salads, and any saucy dish where you want true noodle strands.

2. Zucchini noodles (zoodles)

Net carbs: about 3 g per 1 cup raw (roughly 124 g), using a total-carb count near 4 g minus about 1 g fiber.³ Swap ratio: 1:1 by volume; one medium zucchini spiralizes into about 1 to 1.5 cups of noodles. Taste and texture: mild, fresh, slightly watery unless salted and drained first. Best for: light tomato sauces, pesto, and quick weeknight bowls.

3. Palmini (hearts of palm pasta)

Net carbs: about 3 to 4 g per 1 cup drained serving, per the brand's nutrition label.⁴ Swap ratio: 1:1 by volume for linguine or lasagna sheets. Taste and texture: firm, slightly tangy from the brine until rinsed well; closest of the vegetable swaps to al dente wheat pasta. Best for: baked lasagna, creamy alfredo, and dishes that need a noodle with real bite.

4. Spaghetti squash

Net carbs: about 7 to 8 g per 1 cup cooked, from roughly 10 g total carbs minus about 2 g fiber.⁵ Swap ratio: 1:1 by volume; one 3 lb squash yields roughly 4 to 5 cups of strands. Taste and texture: naturally sweet, slightly crisp strands that separate with a fork. Best for: baked casseroles and simple butter-garlic or marinara preparations where a little natural sweetness works.

5. Kelp noodles

Net carbs: check the package's total carbohydrate and fiber because products and serving sizes vary. Sea Tangle describes its kelp noodles as very low in carbohydrate and reports 54.8 mcg of iodine per 4 oz serving.⁶ Swap ratio: 1:1 by weight for thin noodles like angel hair or vermicelli. Taste and texture: crunchy and translucent raw; a quick warm soak in hot water or broth softens them toward a noodle-like chew. Best for: Asian-style soups, cold noodle salads, and pad-thai-style stir-fries.

6. Cabbage noodles

Net carbs: about 3 g per 1 cup shredded raw, from roughly 5 g total carbs minus about 2 g fiber.⁷ Swap ratio: 1:1 by volume for wide, flat noodle shapes like pappardelle. Taste and texture: mild cabbage flavor that mellows and sweetens with sautéing. Best for: buttery garlic noodle dishes and haluski-style skillet meals.

7. Edamame or black-soybean pasta

Net carbs: about 10 to 13 g per 2 oz dry serving, higher than the other options here because it's a legume-flour pasta, not a vegetable noodle.⁸ Swap ratio: 1:1 by dry weight; cooks like standard pasta in boiling water. Taste and texture: the closest to real wheat pasta in chew and appearance, with a mild bean flavor. Best for: occasional higher-carb-budget days or families transitioning off wheat pasta who want a familiar texture; count it against your daily carb total more carefully than the other swaps.

How do the swaps compare to regular pasta?

Every substitute on this list beats regular pasta's net carbs by at least 3-to-1, and most beat it by 40-to-1 or more. Regular cooked wheat spaghetti runs about 40 to 43 g net carbs per cup, so even the highest-carb option here — edamame pasta — still cuts that by roughly three-quarters.

Substitute	Net carbs (per serving)	Swap ratio	Best for
Regular wheat pasta (baseline)	~40–43 g / 1 cup cooked	—	—
Shirataki (konjac) noodles	~0–1 g / 4 oz	1:1 by weight	Stir-fries, saucy dishes
Kelp noodles	Label-specific / 4 oz	1:1 by weight	Soups, cold salads
Zucchini noodles	~3 g / 1 cup raw	1:1 by volume	Light sauces, pesto
Cabbage noodles	~3 g / 1 cup raw	1:1 by volume	Buttery garlic noodles
Palmini (hearts of palm)	~3–4 g / 1 cup drained	1:1 by volume	Lasagna, alfredo
Spaghetti squash	~7–8 g / 1 cup cooked	1:1 by volume	Casseroles, marinara
Edamame/soybean pasta	~10–13 g / 2 oz dry	1:1 by dry weight	Occasional higher-carb days

How do you cook and swap in low-carb pasta?

Most low-carb pasta swaps fail for the same reason: too much water left in the noodle before the sauce hits the pan. Vegetable and konjac noodles carry far more water than dried wheat pasta, so the fix is always the same three-step sequence — rinse, dry-heat, then sauce.

1. Rinse thoroughly. For shirataki and palmini, drain the packing liquid and rinse under cold water for about a minute to clear the natural odor and briny taste.
2. Dry-fry the noodles. Heat the drained noodles alone in a dry, non-stick pan for 2 to 3 minutes (or salt-and-blot zucchini/cabbage noodles for 10 minutes) to pull out excess water before sauce goes in.
3. Add the sauce last. Toss the dried noodles in hot, already-reduced sauce off the direct heat for 1 to 2 minutes so they absorb flavor instead of watering the sauce down.

Use our net-carb calculator to plug in your exact brand and portion, check the keto food list for other swap-friendly staples, and revisit calculating your keto macros if you're building a full day of eating around one of these dishes. If you're stocking a keto pantry more broadly, our low-carb rice substitute guide covers the same "veg-as-starch" swap logic for rice dishes, and our keto cauliflower mac and cheese recipe shows the swap technique applied to a baked pasta dish.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I use instead of pasta on keto?

Shirataki noodles are the top keto pasta swap at close to 0 g net carbs per serving. Zucchini noodles, palmini, spaghetti squash, kelp noodles, and cabbage noodles are all strong low-carb alternatives depending on the dish.

Do shirataki noodles taste like real pasta?

On their own, no — they're neutral and slightly chewy. Rinsing well and dry-frying before saucing removes most of the natural odor and lets them take on the sauce's flavor much closer to real pasta.

How many net carbs are in zucchini noodles vs regular pasta?

One cup of raw zucchini noodles has about 3 g net carbs, versus roughly 40 to 43 g net carbs in one cup of cooked regular pasta — a difference of more than 90%.

Is palmini pasta keto-friendly?

Yes. Palmini, made from hearts of palm, has about 3 to 4 g net carbs per cup, making it one of the closest textures to real pasta while staying well within a keto carb budget.

Can you eat spaghetti squash every day on keto?

In moderate portions, yes. At about 7 to 8 g net carbs per cup it's higher than shirataki or zoodles, so track it against your daily limit if you eat large servings or pair it with other carb sources that day.

Works cited

1. Shirataki Noodles: Diet, Weight Loss, and More — Healthline — August 18, 2026 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/shirataki-noodles-101
2. Pasta, cooked, enriched — FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture — August 18, 2026 https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
3. Squash, summer, zucchini, includes skin, raw — FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture — August 18, 2026 https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
4. Palmini Original Lasagna and Linguine Nutrition Facts — Palmini — August 18, 2026 https://eatpalmini.com/
5. Squash, winter, spaghetti, cooked, boiled, drained, or baked — FoodData Central, U.S. Department of Agriculture — August 18, 2026 https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/

Article history

1. August 24, 2026Replaced a secondary kelp source and removed a universal carb estimate
2. August 18, 2026First published