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After more than one year of keto, I have been missing pasta, and I have searched all the low-carb options in the Netherlands. I thought it was impossible to find some decent alternative, but I discovered that there is enough choice.
If you are craving a plate of pasta, keep reading: you can have better options than shirataki, I promise!
Read also:
Keto & Low-carb snack bars in The Netherlands
Grassfed meat in the Netherlands
Low-carb and keto crackers in the Netherlands
Best low-carb Tortillas in the Netherlands
Can I eat pasta on a keto diet?
A ketogenic diet keeps the carbs really low. Regular pasta has 72 grams of carbs for 100 grams. Even if you would eat 10 grams – and that is exactly 2 pieces of pennette (maybe!), the problem is the ingredients.
Wheat flour has a high glycemic index. That’s why would be ideal to avoid it.
Best Keto low-carb pasta alternatives in the Netherlands
Let’s name all the keto and low-carb pasta options, available in the Netherlands.
Shirataki
Values: 10 calories, 0,2 net carb, 0 fat, 0 protein
Pros: almost 0 carb
Cons: smell, consistency, weird to chew
Shirataki, made of konjak. They are sold in different shapes (noodles, lasagna, and even rice). Their form is quite soft and weird to bite. It’s almost 0 carbs and counts maximum of 20 calories for 100 gr.
Some people love it, some hate it.
At the beginning of my journey, I knew only shirataki noodles, and my relationship with them is love/hate.
They are 0 carbs and they look like real pasta, wonderful! The problem is, the consistency is not nice. I feel weird eating them and I cannot digest them.
And I also hate the smell prior to cooking them (weird fishy smell). I have to waste so much water to rinse them.
You can find shirataki at Action, Prozis, and Amazon,.
Palmini Pasta
Values: 26 calories, 2,7 net carbs, 0 fat, 1,3 protein
Pros: look and texture are similar to pasta
Cons: taste is not really similar to pasta, expensive cost
Palmini pasta it’s made out of hearts of palm. Available in fettuccine, spaghetti, lasagna, and rice. You can find Palmini Pasta on Amazon.
The calories are very low. This pasta has no fats, so the macros are pending on carbs. I like this pasta but is quite expensive, A can cost between 6 and 8 euros and claims 3 portions.
Edamame Pasta
Values: 351 calories, 15 carbs, 8 fat, 45 protein
Pros: made 100% of edamame beans, high in protein
Cons: is not real pasta – no con
This Edamame pasta is available in spaghetti and fettuccine. Made only with edamame beans, is keto-friendly and very proteic. Read also: Planet Plant-based Edamame Pasta review.
You can find online also this edamame pasta alternative, great for keto and low-carb.
Zucchini noodles (zoodles)
Values: 16 calories, 2,3 net carbs, 0,18 fat, 1,2 protein
Pros: low-carb, low-calories
Cons: low in fats. They don’t taste like pasta. They release a lot of water.
As you can easily imagine, zoodles are spaghetti made of zucchini. You can do them easily with the right kitchen tool, called spiralizers. You can find them ready in AH and also in LIDL. Cook them for 5 minutes in a pan and then season as you want. I don’t like having them: the taste, look, and consistency is not like pasta. Also, they release a lot of water, making it difficult to eat them without making a mess.
Pumpkin squash spaghetti
Values: 26 calories, 6 net carbs, fat 0,1, 1 protein
Pros: low-calories
Cons: low-fat. Doesn’t taste or look like pasta. Long procedure.
This option is the same as zucchini noodles: is not pasta! Plus you have to cook it for long time. Here’s the procedure, if you want to give it a try.
Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Place the pumpkin halves side by side on a baking tray and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and other spices you like.
Bake for about 40 minutes at 180° C (preheated oven). As soon as you can easily stick a knife into the pulp, it is done.
Loosen the pulp with a fork and it falls into strings. Now you can easily process them further as spaghetti.
You can add your favorite pasta sauce.
Low-carb Pasta – Kruidvat
Values: net carbs: 361 calories, 22 net carbs, 8,6 fat, 17 protein
Ingredients: green pea flour 75%, blond linseed meal 25%
Pros: very low-carb, good taste
Cons: is not real pasta
Adam’s pasta
Values: net carbs: 381 calories, 4,3 net carbs, 6,7 fat, 70,7 protein
Ingredients: Wheat gluten, pea protein, 20% fresh eggs, wheat bran.
Pros: very low-carb, good taste
Cons: shape not really similar to pasta
Adam’s pasta alla Eva is low in carb. The shape is thin, and not really similar to any pasta. It’s similar to a Fusillo, but less curly. Some parts are shorter.
For 4,3 net carbs per 100 grams, the taste is very good. The consistency and the final effect is not bad.
This pasta doesn’t grow in volume, therefore I suggest you not season this pasta with sauces. Use rather other ways to eat it, such as carbonara seasoning with real pancetta pieces. You can also add other ingredients to improve the volume, such as mozzarella, tomatoes, tuna, and olives.
Other low-carb pasta options in the Netherlands (but not keto!)
Atkins penne
The label on the penne from Atkins says 11,5 net carbs. But this value is for 50 grams.
Therefore, the 100 gr value is 23 net carbs. This pasta can be a good option for low-carb diets, but not keto.
Values: 330 calories, net carbs 23, fat 2,2, protein 50
Ingredients: Wheat gluten, oat fiber, durum wheat grits, pea protein, celery protein.
Carb Zone pasta
Values: Calories 339, 14 net carbs, 3 fat, 60 protein
Ingredients: isolated soy protein, egg albumin, wheat flour, wheat gluten, wheat fiber, stabiliser (gum gum)
Pros: shape and taste similar to pasta
Cons: has wheat flour on it!
Carb zone is available in many web shops, such as Body & Fit.
The look is most similar to normal pasta. The taste and consistency are good as well. The negative note is that it contains wheat gluten. So, if you are following a ketogenic diet rather than a low-carb, try to avoid this pasta.
My favorite options
So far my favorite options are the Palmini Pasta and the Edamame pasta.
I haven’t tried to make my own pasta, because following a diet and preparing most of my meals is already challenging.
As mentioned above, I am not a fan of shirataki, zoodles, or any other based-vegetable fake pasta.
When I crave pasta, I firmly believe I need something very similar, to calm my desire and go on with my lifestyle. I am very grateful we have in the Netherlands these keto options.
I believe that from time to time, indulging in a well-worth low-carb pasta, it’s necessary to keep you motivated in the long run. This is how I make keto sustainable for me.
If you are dying for real pasta, zoodles or shirataki won’t stop the desire.
You will end up cheating with real, high in carbs, pasta.
So it’s not better to have a small portion of a low-carb pasta when you need it?
And believe me, after you will try Adam’s pasta, you won’t desire a plate of real pasta for a long time.
Best sauces for your low-carb pasta
Homemade or store-bought pesto
Tomato sauce
Aglio e olio
Cream and salmone
Ham and Cream
Tuna, tomatoes and olives
Summer pasta: olives, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, olive oil
I hope you like my pasta analysis: all these keto alternatives are available in the Netherlands and most of the European countries. I will keep this post updated as new options arise.
Hi, I’m Simona! After experiencing the restrictions of keto, I’m now enjoying a balanced diet that brings freedom and happiness to my eating habits.
You find me on Instagram, Pinterest, and sometimes on Facebook.
I also write a lot of keto recipes on my Italian blog keto-with-simona.
Check also:
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