Shirataki Noodles
Published June 1, 2022 • Updated March 8, 2026
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Zero carb konjac noodles that I've been cooking with for over 12 years on keto. Prep them right and they lose the smell, pick up any sauce, and hold up like real pasta.
I was eating these before most food blogs even knew they existed. Back in 2012 when I started keto, this was it. The only pasta option. A rubbery, strange-smelling noodle in a bag of liquid that made most people gag on sight. I kept making them anyway because I missed pasta that much, and somewhere around batch 50 I figured out exactly how to make them work.
These are konjac noodles, made from glucomannan fiber pulled from the root of the konjac plant. About 97% water and 3% fiber, which is why they clock in at zero net carbs. The fiber is soluble and non-digestible, so your body doesn’t absorb the carbs. I’ve paired them with every sauce in my rotation over the past decade: stir fry sauce, cheese sauce, marinara, alfredo, ramen broth. They take on whatever flavor you give them, which is the whole point.
What are shirataki noodles?
The word “shirataki” means “white waterfall” in Japanese, which is exactly what these translucent noodles look like when you hold them up. They’re made from the konjac plant, common in Japan, China, and other parts of Southeast Asia. The same plant is used to make raindrop cake, which is a fun connection I didn’t make until years after I’d been eating both.
Glucomannan is a soluble fiber that absorbs water, and that’s essentially all these noodles are. The carbs from the glucomannan are not digestible, which is why most brands land at zero net carbs per serving. If you’re looking for another low-carb pasta swap, I also rotate in hearts of palm pasta when I want something with a bit more bite.
What KetoFocus fans think about the konjac noodle
” These are my go-to keto noodles when I need them to be zero carbs. As long as you make them correctly and follow directions, they work just fine.”
➥ from Instagram follower @ketogirl_330
How to cook shirataki noodles so they don't smell or taste rubbery
- Drain and rinse for the full 3 minutes. I used to do a quick 30-second rinse and wondered why they still smelled. The full rinse time is non-negotiable. Run cold water over them until you can’t detect any odor at all.
- Try the vinegar water boil. For an even deeper clean, I boil them in water with a splash of white vinegar for 2-3 minutes before draining. This neutralizes the smell at a level rinsing alone can’t reach. I started doing this after my third year of making them, and it was a noticeable jump in quality.
- Dry them in cast iron, not nonstick. I’ve done this in nonstick and it’s not close. Cast iron runs hot enough to dry them out instead of letting them steam. Keep them moving in the dry pan (no oil) until you hear them squeak against the surface. That squeak is your signal.
- Microwave shortcut when you’re in a hurry. Place the rinsed noodles in a bowl, microwave for 2 minutes, then pat dry with paper towels. I use this method on weeknights when I don’t want to pull out the cast iron. The texture isn’t quite as good, but it works.
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Ingredients
7 oz shirataki noodles -
1 tablespoon olive oil, optional
-
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese, optional
-
salt and pepper, optional
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Open and strain
Open the contents of the shirataki noodle bag into a colander and drain the liquid.
Rinse
Rinse noodles under cool water for 1-3 minutes or until the smell goes away.
Cook off excess moisture
To finalize noodle texture, add noodles to a saucepan or skillet and cook over medium heat until noodles are dry and moisture has evaporated off. Add remaining ingredients if using or add in your favorite sauce.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between angel hair, spaghetti, fettuccine, and rice shirataki?
I've cooked all four shapes extensively. Angel hair and spaghetti are thin and dry out fastest in the pan, so they get the best texture. Fettuccine is thicker and stays chewier no matter how long you cook it, which I actually prefer for cream sauces. The rice shape works well in soups or as a side where I'd normally use cauliflower rice. My go-to for weeknight pasta is spaghetti shape.
Why do they smell so bad out of the bag, and how do I actually fix it?
The smell is from the liquid the konjac noodles are packed in. I dealt with it for years before I nailed the fix. Rinse under cold water for a full 3 minutes (not 30 seconds like I used to). For an even better result, I boil them in water with a tablespoon of white vinegar for 2-3 minutes, then drain and dry-fry. The vinegar boil made the biggest difference in my prep routine.
Can I boil shirataki noodles in vinegar water to remove the smell?
Yes, and I wish I'd started doing this years earlier. I add about a tablespoon of white vinegar to a pot of water, boil the noodles for 2-3 minutes, then drain and move to the dry pan step. It neutralizes the odor at a deeper level than rinsing alone. I tested both methods side by side and the vinegar batch was noticeably cleaner in taste.
Can shirataki noodles interfere with medications?
This is something I learned from my research over the years. Glucomannan can reduce the absorption of oral medications because it slows gastric emptying. I take my supplements and any medications at least 1 hour before or 4 hours after eating these noodles to be safe. If you're on prescription medication, check with your doctor.
How long do cooked shirataki noodles last in the fridge?
I store my cooked leftovers in an airtight container and they keep for up to a week in the fridge. I've meal-prepped batches on Sunday and eaten them through Thursday with no texture change. Just reheat in a dry pan for a minute to bring back the firmness. I wouldn't freeze them though, as the texture goes off.
Can I microwave shirataki noodles instead of dry-frying?
I use the microwave method when I'm short on time. Rinse the noodles, put them in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 2 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels. The texture isn't quite as good as the cast iron method, but it gets you 80% of the way there. I do this on busy weeknights and it works fine.
Is the dry pan step really necessary or can I skip it?
It's the single most important step in my prep. I skipped it for my first year of making these and never understood why the texture was slimy. The dry pan evaporates the excess moisture that makes them rubbery. Use cast iron if you have it. I've done this in nonstick and it's not close. Cast iron runs hot enough to actually dry them out instead of steaming them.
What dairy-free substitute works for the parmesan finish?
I've tested nutritional yeast as a swap and it works well. Start with 2 teaspoons instead of a full tablespoon because it's more concentrated than parmesan. Salt and pepper alone is solid too. The olive oil carries most of the flavor anyway, so you're not missing much without the cheese.
Pasta was the trade I made when I went keto three years ago, and I told myself it didn't matter. It mattered. Rinsed these properly, did the full dry pan step, finished with olive oil and a little parmesan. Sat there eating quietly. They're not pasta, but close enough that I stopped grieving it.
Figured I could shortcut past the dry-pan step since I've prepped enough cauliflower rice to know when a step is there for texture vs. just filler. I was wrong. My first batch (pan-skipped) came out slippery in a way that even heavy sauce couldn't fix, but when I followed the method the second time the parmesan coating actually held. Do these hold up cold, like in a pasta salad situation, or does the texture get weird once they're out of the sauce?
Kept seeing shirataki in keto groups and skipping past them because a water-and-fiber noodle holding up under real sauce seemed like wishful thinking, not a texture sub. Finally bought a bag that sat in my pantry for two months before I cracked it open. Did the full routine. Dry skillet is where something changed. You can hear it go from slippery to actually having resistance. Figured it might hold. Tossed with Rao's and let it reduce a few minutes. They held. Four stars because I'm still not over the fact that this registered zero on the nutrition label and I ate a full bowl.
That sound is the tell. Rao's was the right call, it clings instead of pooling. The zero carb thing still catches me off guard sometimes and I've been eating them for 12 years.
Doing a big Sunday meal prep and want to work these into my lunches all week. If I rinse and pan-dry a batch Sunday morning, will they hold up through Friday? Most keto noodle alternatives I've tried turn to mush by Tuesday, so hoping these are different.
Yep, easily. I've made them Sunday and eaten through Thursday with no texture change at all. Keep them in an airtight container, then just reheat in a dry pan for a minute or two.
Oh that explains so much. I've been microwaving everything and wondering why it all gets weird by Wednesday.
zero carbs is wild but the texture isn't doing it for me
Which shape did you get? Fettuccine always stays chewier than I'd like no matter what I do to it. Angel hair is the one that actually gets close.
Most shirataki prep guides I've followed skip the dry-toast step and the smell lingers no matter how long you rinse. Cooking off the moisture in a dry pan first is the fix. After that the noodles actually absorb sauce instead of shedding it, which is the whole point.
The sauce shedding is what finally got me to take the dry pan step seriously. Before that I just thought shirataki noodles were supposed to be watery. Cast iron on medium-high gets the moisture out fastest.
I'd been nervous about the smell everyone warns about, but rinsing them for a full three minutes made it completely disappear. Tossed them in a pan with olive oil and couldn't believe how well they picked up the sauce.
Three minutes. I used 30 seconds for months and never figured out why mine still smelled off. The sauce pickup is what makes these worth it.
My husband has been side-eyeing every keto swap I bring into the house for two years, so when he finished a bowl of these and asked what kind of noodles I'd used, I actually had to laugh. The rinsing actually works. No weird smell by the time they hit the pan, and once I tossed them in olive oil and parmesan they looked and felt like real pasta. He asked me to make them again Thursday night. That's the win.
Two years and one bowl. The parmesan is what closes the gap, I think. Coats them and they stop reading as a swap.
I've made shirataki noodles more times than I can count. The dry-cooking step is the one most people skip, which is why they end up with that rubbery, waterlogged texture. A few months ago I started finishing them in Kerrygold butter instead of olive oil, and the difference in sauce absorption is real. Made a batch last week with Rao's marinara and the noodles actually tasted like they'd been simmering in the sauce, not just tossed in at the end. The edges went slightly golden too, which I wasn't expecting. If you've tried shirataki before and written them off, the butter swap and a longer dry-cook time are worth another shot.
Butter makes sense. Higher fat than olive oil, probably why the sauce actually sticks. Golden edges next batch.
I've been buying shirataki noodles on and off for probably three years, spending most of that time annoyed at myself for buying them. The smell never fully left, the texture stayed slippery no matter what I did, and I'd end up back at zoodles out of frustration. Found this after another bad batch and the dry pan step is what I was missing the whole time. I'd seen other methods but nobody explains that you're actually cooking off surface moisture, not just 'prepping' them, and once I got that I actually did the full 1-3 minute rinse plus the skillet time instead of skimping on it. Put them in Rao's marinara the first night and Primal Kitchen alfredo two days later. Both times they held up in a way I didn't expect from shirataki. The alfredo especially, they were pulling the sauce in instead of just sliding through it. Six bags in my pantry now and I'm not going back.
Three years to one dry pan step is so common. The alfredo pulling sauce in is the sign. That only happens when the moisture is actually gone.
The dry-fry step is what finally made these click for me. Rinse, then let them sit in a dry skillet over medium heat and they actually absorb sauce instead of watering it down. Mine needed closer to 5 minutes to lose that spongy bite, not the 2-3 I expected.
Yeah 5 minutes is more realistic. The shape makes a big difference too - angel hair dries out faster, fettuccine can take even longer than that.
After rinsing, I throw them in a dry skillet on medium-high and just listen for the squeaking to stop. That's when they're ready for sauce. Cut my gummy noodle problem in half.
The squeak stopping is the best tell. I use it too. Medium-high is the sweet spot, lower heat and it drags on forever.
Tried maybe four different prep methods before landing on this one. The dry pan step to cook off moisture is what every other guide skips, and that's exactly why nothing ever stuck to sauce. It actually works.
Most guides stop at rinsing. The dry pan is where the texture actually changes.
Made a big pasta dish with these for my sister's birthday dinner (she's not keto, most of the table wasn't either) and nobody said a word until I brought it up after dessert. The rinsing step is non-negotiable though, learned that the hard way the first time I tried to rush it.
Non-keto guests at a birthday dinner and nobody noticed until you told them. The rinsing is where people find out the hard way.
Fourth time making these. Finally figured out that an extra minute in the dry pan matters when you're going with a heavier sauce. Went with Rao's marinara and they held up way better than my earlier batches. Still hate the prep. But that texture keeps pulling me back.
The sauce moisture thing is real. I noticed it first with a creamy vodka sauce, needed almost two extra minutes in the pan before it would hold up. The prep is what it is.