Substitutions / rice noodles
What to use instead of rice noodles
Use glass noodles in equal amounts. Made from mung bean starch, so they turn more translucent and slightly chewier than rice noodles.
Every option, best first
| Use instead | How much | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Glass noodles | 1:1 | Made from mung bean starch, so they turn more translucent and slightly chewier than rice noodles. |
| Thin spaghetti | 1:1 | Works in a pinch but has a wheaty flavor and firmer bite; not gluten-free. |
| Zucchini noodles | 1:1 | Much lighter and lower-carb, but releases water as it cooks and won't hold up in brothy dishes. |
How much is a cup of rice noodles?
Substituting by volume and weighing are different problems, and the second one has an exact answer. Weigh rice noodles in grams →
A word on how to read these
A substitution is a trade, not an equivalence. The ratio gets the quantity right; the third column is the part worth reading, because it tells you what you are giving up. In a stew, most of these are invisible. In a cake — where flour, liquid, fat and leavening are in a fixed relationship — the same swap can change the crumb.
Why baking notices and stew doesn't →
Where these came from
These substitutions were written by Gather's own kitchen model — the same one the app uses when you tap an ingredient and ask what else would work — then checked and saved as a fixed list in July 2026. Nothing on this page is generated while you read it. They are a good starting point and not a substitute for tasting as you go.