Have you ever tasted kelp noodles? They’re delicious! Lately, I’ve been eating my fair share of this tasty low-carb noodle. They’re my new favorite food. We eat these gluten-free noodles several nights a week with dinner. They’re the perfect paleo pasta.
What are kelp noodles? They’re simply noodles made from seaweed. These paleo noodles have changed my life because they’re incredible in Asian dishes, which are a favorite of mine. Here’s how to prepare kelp noodles!
Kelp Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 package kelp noodles
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Instructions
- Using a strainer, thoroughly rinse noodles
- Place noodles in a medium bowl
- Fill with warm water, lemon juice, and salt
- Let stand for 30 minutes
- Rinse and strain
- Serve
Equipment
Kelp noodles have a slightly crunchy texture that is different than that of traditional pasta. The soaking preparation method above will make the noodles far less crunchy. The lemon juice and salt do a wonderful job in softening the noodles so that they have an incredibly palatable texture.
My favorite way to serve this seaweed based noodle is in my low-carb Sesame Noodles recipe, a Chinese take-out style dish just like the kind we used to eat before I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998. Those were the days when I lived in New York City, stayed up all hours of the night working, and ate loads of Chinese food!
Here are some of my paleo condiment recipes that are delicious served over kelp noodles:
Jen Springer says
I have had these for YEARS and haven’t known what to do with them. Maybe at this point throw them out and get some new ones. Ha ha.
Do you have any recipes, especially traditional Asian seaweed salad that’s gluten free?
You are amazing!
Elana says
Jen, here you go:
https://elanaspantry.com/sesame-kelp-noodles/
Enjoy!
Elana
Robin says
I get the same kelp noodles you do! We love them in my house too. I use them as a replacement when I make meatballs and they go wonderfully well in this Paleo Chicken Alfredo recipe I make! You reminded me I need to stock up on some more of them! I love that they are so healthy too and you’re getting a nice dosage of iodine. :)
Elana says
Thanks Robin!
SarahBeth says
Elana:
Thanks so much for sharing this incredible treasure with us! Kelp noodles have totally changed my life. I substitute them for pasta in every kind of pasta dish, and they are incredible. My 1.5-year-old daughter is also a huge fan. Important to note though, they are definitely not filling unless loaded with some extra calories! When I first ate them at dinner, I couldn’t figure out why I was so hungry at 11pm ;)
Elana says
Thanks SarahBeth!
Arlene says
WOW! Made this recipe last night using red wine vinegar subbed for the plum and a couple shakes of soy sauce. How wonderful it was! Added some diced fresh cucumbers. So so good. Just made it again now and ate all of it :) This time I added some cukes and also some diced red pepper. Used the plum vinegar, equally delicious. I added some siracha hot sauce and 2 t of fish sauce.
The noodles get softer after the sauce is added. Tomorrow going to roast fresh tomatoes, add some olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and make a tomato sauce. Will see how that tastes. Must order more noodles. Amazon has 6 16 oz packages for $23, I think.
Elana says
Arlene, thanks for letting me know this recipe was wonderful!
Lori says
I ordered a couple packages of kelp noodles for the first time and have found that I really like them! They have no flavor but take on the flavor of what you put on them. Now wish I had ordered a few more!
My main use is in a big dinner salad in the evening. I prepare my salad with romaine, raw sauerkraut, raw sunflower seeds, and now the raw kelp noodles. They take on the flavor of the dressing, and it is such a pleasure to enjoy a noodle again. Plus the iodine in the noodle is very healthy for me.
As I’m the only one in the house that eats them, I store the rest of the unused noodles in a jar of pure water in the fridge and they keep quite a long time.
Elana says
Thanks Lori!
Tina says
My family and I LOVE these. We have been enjoying them since about November of 2011 and wow they have made a huge difference! Once thing to keep in mind is you can cook them to make them soft and if you put them in soup then never get mushy so in the winter I made tons of chicken noodle soup for those cold evenings after working outside all day. We use them in “egg rolls” where I basicly make an asian style filling and steam for a bit (no actual wrap or I wrap in kale). We also make turkish meat balls and laddle them over these… alright we make way more than that but this is just a comment not a full blown add for these beyond amazing noodles.
Elana says
Thanks Tina!
Sara says
I just made an oriental pasta salad with these and they were amazingly delicious. Thanks for recommending them!
Elana says
Sara, you’re welcome!
Natural Allergies Guy says
Thanks for this Kelp Noodle recipes. My son who has allergies to most foods cannot eat many things. This however is one of his favorites and to find a new recipes!! thanks so much!
Jon @ AllergEase
Elana says
You’re welcome Jon!
Monique says
I eat them with Thai curry. The thick hot curry softens them and they lose their crunch. They also take in the curry flavors beautifully! Delicious!
Elana says
Thanks Monique!
janet @ the taste space says
I love kelp noodles! They are crunchy at first but as leftovers they are more akin to glass noodles. It all depends on the sauce you use, so the variations are endless. I think they lend best to Asian dressings, though. ;)
Elana says
Thanks Janet!