As their name suggests, rice noodles are made from rice flour, which sets them apart from other types of noodles.
There are a few varieties of rice noodles to choose from (from extra thin to flat). Though really, the type of rice noodle that a recipe uses entirely depends on where the recipe originates. Some Asian dishes are better suited for thicker noodles, and others are thinner.
Some people think every type of noodle can simply be replaced with another one, but that is not the case. Some rice noodle substitutes work better than others.
Our 3 Substitutes for Rice Noodles
Very little else usually goes into making rice noodles aside from water and rice flour. However, this limited combination gives the noodles a very chewy, springy texture.
The flour itself is very neutral, much like white rice. Instead of already being flavoured, rice noodles absorb and adapt to whatever dish you are making.
Here are our top 3 substitutes for rice noodles:
1) Udon Noodles
As udon noodles are one of the most popular Asian noodles used in the UK, they are just as easy to find but especially so in recent years. If you are struggling to find udon noodles in the pantry section at your local supermarket, try the frozen section.
Even the thinnest udon noodles are still greatly thicker than thick rice noodles. They are intended to be a key ingredient in meaty broths rather than used for bulking purposes like rice noodles might.
As such, you will want to be mindful of the type of dish you pair udon noodles with, as their thicker size makes them very filling.
Udon Noodle to Rice Noodle Ratio
When replacing thick rice noodles, use 1/2 as many udon noodles. But when substituting thinner noodles, use even less to prevent overfilling your plate.
2) Cellophane Noodles
Both cellophane and rice noodles originate from China. However, cellophane noodles are made exclusively using mung bean flour and water.
You may have heard cellophane noodles be called glass noodles or simply transparent noodles. This is not necessarily because the noodles are thin (though they can be), but rather because the mung bean flour creates a near see-through noodle.
The mung bean flour does not affect the noodle’s flavour noticeably. Instead, it produces a very slippery noodle that does not become sticky when cooked like wheat-based noodles.
How Long Do They Take to Cook?
Cellophane noodles should not take any longer than 5 minutes to cook. Though you will need to test a noodle to ensure that it is cooked, as it is difficult to tell with the noodle’s transparency.
3) Soba Noodles
Soba noodles are not rice based noodles but instead are made using buckwheat. This makes the noodle a perfect gluten-free rice noodle substitute but does alter the flavour of the noodles.
Buckwheat flour is made from a fruit seed but tends to be much more expensive than other easier-to-grow grain alternatives. As such, soba noodles are fairly expensive compared to rice noodles.
Soba noodles have a distinct nutty flavour as a result of buckwheat. They are also a much darker colour for the same reason.
The noodles are more robust than rice noodles, making them less springy because of the lack of gluten within the flour. Though they are significantly chewier.
Are They Really Gluten-Free?
Because buckwheat seeds are not true cereal grains but a fruit seed from the same family as rhubarb, the buckwheat flour used makes soba noodles gluten-free.
Other Substitutes for Rice Noodles
Unless you are a big fan of Asian food, most UK households will probably have more European noodles in their pantry rather than the Asian noodles listed above.
Here are a few more common rice noodle alternatives you can use instead:
- Linguine – The noodles for linguine tend to be flatter than rice noodles. But linguine is very plain with a neutral flavour that absorbs other flavours, similarly to rice noodles.
- Fettuccine – Unlike most of the other substitutes on this list, fettuccine is made using eggs, making the noodles softer rather than chewy. But they are one of the most commonly brought noodles in the UK, so they are a quick and easy go-to substitute in most cases.
Summary
Rice noodles are one of the most popular noodles used in Asian cooking because of their neutral flavour, which makes them easy to pair with just about any dish. The best rice noodle substitutes are those that are as plain as rice noodles, such as udon noodles.