Kohlrabi Pasta: Low-Carb Noodles and Sauce Ideas

Most vegetable noodle substitutes have a problem. Zucchini noodles release so much water that they turn your sauce into soup. Sweet potato noodles are starchy and heavy. Carrot noodles taste like carrots no matter what you do to them.

Kohlrabi noodles are different. They hold their shape, don’t dump water everywhere, and have a mild enough flavor to let the sauce do the talking. They’re not wheat pasta — nothing is — but they’re the most pasta-like experience you can get from a vegetable.

Why Kohlrabi Makes Good Noodles

Three things matter for vegetable noodles: water content, structural firmness, and flavor neutrality. Kohlrabi scores well on all three.

Low water release. Zucchini is about 95% water and releases it readily when heated. Kohlrabi is denser and holds its moisture better during cooking. Your sauce stays the consistency you intended.

Firm texture. Kohlrabi’s dense flesh spiralizes cleanly and maintains its shape through cooking. It has a pleasant bite — closer to al dente pasta than to soft, wilted vegetables. Even after sautéing for several minutes, the noodles stay distinct rather than dissolving into mush.

Mild flavor. Kohlrabi tastes slightly sweet with a faint cabbage-family edge that disappears almost entirely when cooked. It takes on whatever flavor you pair it with, which is exactly what you want from a pasta substitute.

The Carb Advantage

One cup of cooked wheat spaghetti has about 37g of net carbs. One cup of spiralized kohlrabi has roughly 3.5g of net carbs. That’s more than a 10x reduction. Check out our full kohlrabi nutrition breakdown for detailed numbers.

You can eat a genuinely large plate of kohlrabi noodles and barely register on a carb counter. That psychological satisfaction — having a full plate rather than a tiny portion — matters when you’re trying to sustain a low-carb diet long-term.

Three Ways to Cut Kohlrabi Noodles

The cutting method determines the texture and what sauces work best.

Spiralized Noodles

This is the most popular approach and the closest to traditional spaghetti.

What you need: A spiralizer (countertop or handheld) with a thin noodle blade.

How to do it:

1. Peel the kohlrabi thoroughly — remove both the skin and the fibrous underlayer. This is critical. Any remaining fiber creates tough, woody strands that ruin the noodle experience.
2. Trim the top and bottom so you have flat surfaces.
3. Center the kohlrabi in the spiralizer and turn steadily. Kohlrabi is harder than zucchini, so you’ll need more pressure. A countertop spiralizer handles this better than a handheld one.
4. Cut any excessively long noodles with kitchen scissors. Aim for 6-8 inch strands — easier to eat than endless spirals.

Best for: Spaghetti-style dishes, cold noodle salads, stir-fry noodle bowls.

Ribbon-Cut (Pappardelle Style)

Wider noodles that pair well with heavier, chunkier sauces.

What you need: A vegetable peeler (preferably a Y-peeler) or mandoline.

How to do it:

1. Peel the kohlrabi.
2. Hold it firmly and draw the peeler down the length, creating wide, thin ribbons.
3. For more uniform results, use a mandoline set to about 1/16 inch thickness, then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide strips.

Best for: Bolognese-style sauces, cream sauces, anything you’d serve over pappardelle or fettuccine.

Thin-Sliced Rounds (Lasagna Style)

Flat sheets that work as lasagna noodle replacements.

What you need: A mandoline or very sharp knife.

How to do it:

1. Peel the kohlrabi.
2. Slice into rounds about 1/8 inch thick using a mandoline.
3. For lasagna, par-boil the slices for 2-3 minutes to soften them slightly before layering.

Best for: Lasagna, layered casseroles, wraps.

How to Cook Kohlrabi Noodles

You have two main approaches, and they produce noticeably different results.

Sautéed (Recommended)

This is the best method for most preparations. It removes excess moisture while adding some caramelization.

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the kohlrabi noodles in a single layer or close to it. Don’t overcrowd — work in batches if needed.
3. Cook for 3-4 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the noodles are just tender but still have some bite.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add your sauce directly to the pan and toss everything together for 30 seconds to marry the flavors.

Key tip: Don’t overcook. Kohlrabi noodles go from pleasantly al dente to soft and limp in a narrow window. Pull them off the heat while they still have some resistance when you bite.

Boiled

Closer to the traditional pasta experience but requires more care.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the kohlrabi noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes. No more.
3. Drain thoroughly — shake the colander well. Any residual water will dilute your sauce.
4. Toss immediately with sauce.

Boiled kohlrabi noodles are softer than sautéed and have a more delicate texture. They work well with lighter sauces where you want the noodle to fade into the background.

Raw

Yes, you can eat kohlrabi noodles raw. They have a crisp, apple-like crunch that works surprisingly well in cold preparations. Toss spiralized raw kohlrabi with sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chili flakes for a quick Asian-style cold noodle salad. No cooking required.

Five Sauce Pairings That Work

Not every pasta sauce translates well to kohlrabi noodles. Here are five that genuinely work, tested and adjusted for the vegetable’s characteristics.

1. Garlic Butter and Parmesan

The simplest option and arguably the best starting point.

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt and black pepper

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add garlic slices and cook until just golden — about 90 seconds. Don’t let them burn. Add the sautéed kohlrabi noodles, toss to coat, then remove from heat. Add Parmesan and parsley, toss again. Season to taste.

This works because the sauce is essentially fat and seasoning, which clings to the kohlrabi noodles without weighing them down.

2. Pesto

Store-bought or homemade, pesto is one of the most forgiving sauces for vegetable noodles.

Toss 2-3 tablespoons of pesto per serving with warm (not hot) kohlrabi noodles. Add a splash of the noodle cooking water or a drizzle of olive oil if it seems tight. Top with pine nuts and extra Parmesan.

Why it works: Pesto’s bold flavor covers any residual vegetable taste, and its oil-based consistency coats the noodles evenly without making them soggy.

3. Bolognese

A slow-cooked meat sauce is rich and flavorful enough to carry kohlrabi ribbons. Use your standard Bolognese recipe — the sauce doesn’t need modification. The kohlrabi does.

For Bolognese, use ribbon-cut kohlrabi rather than spiralized. The wider noodles hold up better against the chunky, heavy sauce. Sauté the ribbons for 4-5 minutes (slightly longer than usual) so they’re soft enough to complement the tender meat sauce.

4. Sesame-Ginger (Cold)

This cold preparation is where kohlrabi noodles might actually be better than wheat pasta.

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• 1 teaspoon honey or sugar-free sweetener
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Sriracha to taste

Whisk the sauce together. Toss with raw spiralized kohlrabi noodles. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors absorb. Top with sesame seeds, sliced scallions, and crushed peanuts.

The raw kohlrabi’s natural crunch is a feature here, not a compromise. It mimics cold sesame noodles with a freshness that cooked wheat noodles can’t match.

5. Creamy Mushroom

• 8 oz mushrooms (cremini or mixed), sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• Fresh thyme
• Salt and pepper

Sauté mushrooms in butter until deeply browned — 6-8 minutes over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds. Pour in cream, add thyme, simmer 2-3 minutes until slightly thickened. Add sautéed kohlrabi noodles and Parmesan, toss to combine. Season to taste.

The cream sauce coats the noodles without sliding off, and the earthy mushrooms pair naturally with kohlrabi’s subtle sweetness.

Kohlrabi Lasagna

This deserves its own section because it’s a complete meal and one of the best uses of kohlrabi as a pasta substitute.

Ingredients

• 2 large kohlrabi, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch rounds
• 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Salt, pepper, Italian seasoning

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2. Par-boil kohlrabi slices in salted water for 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
3. Brown the meat, drain fat, and stir in marinara sauce.
4. Mix ricotta with the egg, half the Parmesan, and Italian seasoning.
5. Layer in a 9x13 baking dish: thin layer of meat sauce, kohlrabi slices, ricotta mixture, mozzarella. Repeat 2-3 times. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
6. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 15 more minutes until bubbly and golden.
7. Let rest 10 minutes before cutting.

The kohlrabi slices soften to a texture remarkably close to traditional lasagna noodles. The slight sweetness of the kohlrabi complements the tomato sauce and cheese layers well.

Tips for Success

Buy large kohlrabi. Bigger bulbs give you longer noodle strands and more usable flesh relative to the peel-and-trim waste. Look for bulbs 3-4 inches in diameter.

Peel aggressively. Can’t stress this enough. The fibrous layer under the skin creates woody, chewy strands that ruin the noodle illusion. Peel until the flesh looks uniformly smooth and translucent-white.

Season the noodles, not just the sauce. Salt the kohlrabi noodles while cooking them — whether sautéing or boiling. Unseasoned vegetable noodles taste flat no matter how good the sauce is.

Don’t skip the fat. Vegetable noodles don’t absorb sauce the way wheat pasta does. A good amount of oil, butter, or cream in the sauce helps it cling to the noodles rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.

Make extra. Kohlrabi noodles reheat well. Sauté leftover noodles in a hot pan with a little oil for 2-3 minutes. They crisp up slightly on the edges, which is a bonus. For the same reason, kohlrabi fries make excellent leftovers too.

Meal Prep Considerations

You can spiralize or ribbon-cut kohlrabi up to 3 days ahead. Store the raw noodles in an airtight container lined with paper towels. They hold up much better than zucchini noodles, which start breaking down within hours.

For meal prep, keep the noodles and sauce separate until you’re ready to eat. Combine and reheat at mealtime. This prevents the noodles from absorbing too much sauce and becoming soggy.

Kohlrabi pasta isn’t trying to be wheat pasta. It’s a genuinely good way to eat a satisfying, noodle-shaped meal with a fraction of the carbs. Start with garlic butter and Parmesan — if that doesn’t convince you, nothing will.