Can you eat egg noodles on keto diet?

Quick Answer

Egg noodles are not keto-friendly due to their high carb content. Most types of egg noodles contain around 20-25 grams of net carbs per serving. In order to stay in ketosis on a keto diet, it’s recommended to limit net carbs to 20-50 grams per day. While small amounts of egg noodles can potentially fit into this range, they do not align with a true low-carb keto diet. There are some lower-carb noodle alternatives like shirataki noodles that may be better options on keto.

What Are Egg Noodles?

Egg noodles are a type of pasta made with eggs and wheat flour. The egg provides richness, flavor, and structure while the wheat flour is the main source of carbohydrates. The typical ingredients in egg noodles are:

• Wheat flour
• Eggs
• Salt
• Water

There are some variations that include milk or oil for added moisture and richness. Egg noodles have a dense, chewy texture and mild egg flavor. They work well in dishes like chicken noodle soup, stroganoff, casseroles, and pasta salads.

Some popular types of egg noodles include:

• Wide egg noodles – thick and wide noodles good for beef stroganoff or baked dishes.
• Extra-wide egg noodles – very thick noodles that are almost 1/2 inch wide.
• Lasagna noodles – wide, flat noodles perfect for layered lasagna.
• Fettuccine – long, thin, flat noodles.
• Linguine – slightly thinner flat noodles.
• Small egg noodles – thin noodles good for soups.

The main differences between various egg noodle varieties are the width and thickness. But they all provide the rich egg taste and dense, chewy texture when cooked.

Carb and Calorie Content of Egg Noodles

The main reason egg noodles are not keto-friendly is their high carbohydrate content. A typical 2 oz dry serving (56 grams) of egg noodles contains:

• Total carbs: 25 grams
• Fiber: 1 gram
• Net carbs: 24 grams
• Protein: 7 grams
• Fat: 1 gram
• Calories: 130

This nets out to over 100 calories and 24 grams of net carbs per dry 56 gram serving. When cooked, egg noodles roughly triple in weight. So a 2 oz dry serving of noodles makes about 6 oz (168 grams) of cooked noodles.

It’s important to pay attention to the nutrition facts on the specific brand and type of egg noodles, since there can be some variation. But most mainstream brands of egg noodles contain 20-25 grams of net carbs per 2 oz dry serving.

Sometimes egg noodles made with part whole wheat flour have slightly higher fiber and lower net carbs. But they still contain too many carbs to fit a true ketogenic diet.

Keto Diet Guidelines for Carbs and Calories

To understand whether egg noodles can be part of a keto diet, it’s helpful to look at the typical keto recommendations for net carbs, calories, and other nutrients:

• Net carbs: 20-50 grams per day, with 20-30 grams ideal for most people to stay in ketosis.
• Protein: 0.6-1.0 grams per pound of lean body mass. This is a moderate protein intake.
• Fat: Enough fat to feel satisfied and reach your desired calories, roughly 60-80% of calories.
• Calories: A 5-20% calorie deficit for weight loss, maintenance level for maintaining weight.

Keto macronutrient ratios translate to roughly:

• 55-60% fat
• 30-35% protein
• 5-10% net carbs

Following these evidence-based guidelines will help you get into ketosis and experience the benefits of keto like weight loss, stable energy, and reduced hunger.

Do Egg Noodles Fit Into a Keto Diet?

Looking at the carbohydrate content of egg noodles, it’s clear they do not fit into a classic ketogenic diet. A 2 oz serving of egg noodles contains 24 grams net carbs. That Uses almost your entire daily carb allotment in one meal.

Some people may be able to fit small amounts of egg noodles into a keto diet, using just 1 oz dry noodles at a time. This provides 12g net carbs, leaving room for more veggies and low carb foods throughout the day. But this will make it harder to maintain ketosis.

Ideally on keto, grains, legumes, starchy veggies and nutrient-poor processed carbs are avoided. Egg noodles fall into the starchy, processed category. They don’t provide much nutrition compared to low-carb veggies, meats, eggs, nuts and seeds emphasized on keto.

You may be able to stay under 50g net carbs including egg noodles in very small amounts. But this is not considered true keto. Most people will get better results sticking to 20-30g net carbs from green veggies, avocado, nuts, berries, and other keto-friendly foods.

Health Concerns with Egg Noodles on Keto

There are a few potential drawbacks to including egg noodles on a ketogenic diet:

• May prevent ketosis due to excess carbs
• Provides mostly refined carbs, lacking nutrients
• Can trigger cravings and overeating of carbs
• Causes unstable blood sugar levels

Even in small amounts, egg noodles are likely to spike blood sugar and insulin compared to low-carb vegetables and high fat foods. For most people sticking to a 20-30g net carb keto diet without processed carbs will provide the best health results.

Low Carb Noodle Alternatives for Keto

If you are following a ketogenic diet and miss noodles, there are several excellent low carb noodle options:

Shirataki Noodles

Shirataki noodles are made from konjac fiber or glucomannan. They contain just 1-3 grams net carbs per serving. Shirataki noodles have a gelatinous texture that works especially well in Asian dishes with flavorful sauces. They come in fettuccine, linguine, macaroni and rice shapes. Popular brands are Miracle Noodle, Skinny Noodles, and NoOodle.

Zucchini Noodles

Spiralizing zucchini into noodles is an easy way to make a vegetable mimic pasta. Zucchini noodles contain about 3 grams net carbs per cup. They have a fresh flavor and aren’t quite as sturdy as traditional noodles. Zucchini noodles work best in light sauces or pasta salads vs. heavy, baked pasta dishes.

Spaghetti Squash

When cooked, spaghetti squash strands separate into spaghetti-like strings. It contains 5 grams net carbs per cup. Spaghetti squash has a very mild flavor. It works nicely baked with tomato sauce and parmesan cheese for a low carb alternative to spaghetti and meatballs.

Keltpasta Seaweed Noodles

Keltpasta brand noodles are made from seaweed and contain just 1 gram net carb per serving. They have a crunchy texture similar to al dente pasta. Keltpasta seaweed noodles work well in stir fries, pasta salads, casseroles and other noodle dishes.

Explore Asian Noodles

Several low carb noodles are used in Asian cooking. Options like kelp noodles, bean thread noodles, glass noodles and konjac rice noodles are naturally low in carbs. They can be used for dishes like pad thai, pho, lo mein, and chow mein.

High Protein, Low Carb Pasta

There are newer keto-friendly pasta options made with high protein, low carb ingredients like hearts of palm, black beans or edamame. While these are processed and higher in carbs than zucchini or shirataki noodles, they may provide 5-10g net carbs per serving and are suitable for some higher carb keto diets. Popular brands are Explore Cuisine, Thrive Market and Chickapea.

Simple Low Carb Noodle Recipes

Here are a few easy low carb noodle recipes for a keto diet:

Chicken Zoodles in Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups zucchini noodles
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
• 1/4 cup full fat cream
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Spiralize 2 medium zucchinis into noodles. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Add diced chicken breast. Cook 5-7 minutes until chicken is fully cooked.
4. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
5. Add heavy cream, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
6. Add zucchini noodles and cook 3-5 minutes until warmed through but still al dente.
7. Top with extra parmesan cheese and serve.

Beef Stroganoff with Shirataki Noodles

Ingredients:

• 4 cups shirataki noodles, rinsed and drained
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup full fat sour cream
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Rinse shirataki noodles well and drain excess liquid.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and cook 5 minutes until translucent.
3. Add ground beef and mushrooms. Cook until beef is browned and mushrooms are tender.
4. Mix in tomato paste and cook 2 minutes.
5. Stir in beef broth and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
6. Remove from heat and mix in sour cream and dijon. Add shirataki noodles and stir well to coat in sauce.
7. Heat through and serve.

Tips for Low Carb, Keto-Friendly Pasta

Here are some helpful tips for keeping pasta dishes low in carbs and keto-friendly:

• Choose noodles with 1-5g net carbs per serving like shirataki, zucchini or kelp noodles.
• Read labels and measure portions carefully.
• Avoid calorie-dense sauces. Opt for olive oil or pesto over thick, creamy alfredo sauce.
• Load up on veggies like spinach, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes to make a veggie-centric dish.
• Add protein from chicken, shrimp or sausage to help fill you up.
• Use moderate portions of pasta. Veggies and protein should make up the bulk of the dish.
• Skip bread, carb-heavy sides or sugary desserts to save carbs for noodles.
• Make sure the rest of your daily meals and snacks are very low carb.

With smart planning and the right low carb noodle choices, you can enjoy keto pasta dishes while still keeping net carbs very low.

Conclusion

Egg noodles are too high in carbs to fit into a true ketogenic diet. Most brands of egg noodles contain 20-25 grams net carbs per 2 oz dry serving. This takes up nearly the full daily carb allotment on keto. While very small 1 oz portions of egg noodles can potentially be worked into a higher carb keto diet, avoiding processed, refined carbs is recommended to reap the most benefits.

There are many delicious low carb noodles like shirataki, zucchini, spaghetti squash and kelp that allow you to enjoy “pasta” on keto. With 5 grams net carbs or less per serving, these low carb noodle alternatives are perfect for staying in ketosis. Using transitional favorite recipes with a swap of low carb noodles keeps the meal satisfying while aligning with a keto diet.