I Tried the Keto-Friendly Edamame Spaghetti That Aldi Fans Are Obsessed With

In case you didn’t know: Aldi is actually a great place to find lots of keto-friendly groceries. (Stay tuned for a round-up of the best keto-friendly groceries to find at Aldi.) Not only does the discount chain carry zero-net-carb bread that almost broke the internet (or at least sent desperate shoppers to eBay!), there’s also an entire Facebook group dedicated to keto finds at Aldi (Hi, Aldi Keto Nerds!).

This Facebook group is the place to go to find out what other keto dieters are buying, what they’re liking, and what they’re making. Right now, Simply Nature Edamame Spaghetti (currently $2.49) is one of the hottest items.

I got my hands on a box of that (and the Black Soybean Spaghetti) and gave it a try. Here’s what I thought.

First, let’s address the carb thing: Most keto dieters aim for between 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day. That’s net carbs. To figure out the net carbs, you take the grams of total carbohydrates and subtract the grams of total fiber. For the Edamame Spaghetti, that leaves you with 7 grams carbs for one serving. (The Black Soybean Spaghetti comes out to 8 grams.)

I spent some more time reading the box (boxes are full of information!) and learned that there are only two ingredients in here: organic edamame bean and flour. That’s it. I also learned that, if you want more of an al dente texture, you should strain the cooked noodles, rinse them under cold water, and strain them again before serving.

I put my reading materials down and added the noodles to boiling water. They softened up pretty much right away and I started to question the necessary cook time. The box says they need three to five minutes, but my Aldi Keto Nerd friends on Facebook said that they actually need 10 minutes. Turns out, lots of people have been complaining that these noodles have a rubber band-like texture, but a commenter said that the longer cook time corrects that.

In the name of science, I set a timer for four minutes. They weren’t that rubbery, but I could see what people were saying. If you were to shovel a giant forkful of this stuff in your mouth, you’d find that it’s all a bit, let’s say, bouncy. I set the timer for six more minutes.

And… that extra time is 100 percent needed. I didn’t even need to rinse them under cold water. The noodles softened up — but still had a bit of a bite to them — and became way more pasta-y than I thought they would.

As for taste, they’re clearly not regular noodles, but they don’t overwhelmingly taste like “healthy pasta.” I added a bit of Brightland Olive Oil to my bowl, which really helped the noodles shine.

If you’re wondering, I had a similar experience with the Black Soybean Spaghetti. Doubling the cook time that’s listed on the box is definitely the way to go! The final takeaway: These boxes are great substitutions for regular pasta — whether you’re doing keto or not. Just make sure to cook the noodles for extra time.

Have you tried either of these Aldi items? Are you on the keto diet? Tell us your favorite Aldi groceries!