Name: Fried Pasta Snacks
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 (16-ounce) box rotini, celentani, or other shaped pasta (no long pasta strands); vegetable oil or canola oil; kosher salt; finely grated Parmesan cheese; Cheddar cheese powder (optional)

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Let’s be real: I have never met a piece of pasta I didn’t want to hoover down immediately. But crunchy fried pasta is a whole new revelation.

It’s crispy like a chip, and you can season it any way you want, like a chip, but it’s pasta.

And it doesn’t have to be a headache to make at home, either.

hand grabbing a piece of fried pasta out of a bowl — Photo: Casey Barber

When I was researching fried pasta, I discovered that so many online recipes make the prep a multi-step process: first you cook the pasta in boiling water, then you drain, then you dry, then you refrigerate for a few hours to firm it up.

Stop. Don’t turn away. I propose an easier method.

Soaking dried pasta for a few hours, then draining and drying, gives you more hands-off time.

pasta soaking in bowls of water — Photo: Casey Barber

I mean, you’re already going to cook the pasta when you fry it, so why not take a little pre-prep time out of the equation?

Here’s how to make fried pasta and live your best and crunchiest snack life.

What pasta shapes to use

Technically, you can fry any shape of pasta (or noodle). But since you’ll be snacking on this fried pasta, I do think a few shapes work better than others.

Squiggly pasta shapes, like rotini, celentani, and radiatore, make a very satisfying crunch with all their nooks and crannies. They’re my number one pick for choosing a pasta shape for snacking on.

bowls of fried pasta: rotini, lasagna, and celentani — Photo: Casey Barber

If you want a tubular pasta, like penne or rigatoni, choose one of the smaller versions of this shape. This gives you a more snackable size to work with. (You’ll often see mezze rigatoni or mini penne at the store.)

Flatter pasta shapes, like farfalle and lasagna, can also work, but you’ll want to cut down on the soaking time (see below).

In the case of lasagna, you should break each long sheet into smaller pieces before you soak it.

Small pasta shapes, like ditalini, elbows, or shells, can also be fried. But be careful: these shapes are like Goldfish crackers in that you can scoop them up by the handful and they’ll disappear quickly!

Long pasta strands, like spaghetti and angel hair, work really well as garnishes for other dishes. (You’ve also probably had fried nests of rice noodles on top of Thai curries and other similar bowls.) Save those for another day!

How long to soak the pasta before frying

Most pasta shapes need about 2 hours to soak.

You don’t want the pasta to be fully limp and rehydrated; it should still retain some firmness and bounce .

For farfalle, lasagna, and more delicate shapes, check the pasta at 1 hour and then again at 90 minutes.

If these shapes over-soak, they’ll stick to the towel when you’re drying off the excess moisture and then to one another when you’re frying.

Speaking of the excess moisture: yes, you need to pat the pasta dry after draining it from its soaking liquid.

Drain well, then spread the pasta out on a non-terrycloth cotton towel. Use a towel with a flat weave, such as a flour sack towel, to keep the pasta from velcro-ing itself to the material.

How do I deep fry, again?

No worries, I got you! I have a full video tutorial and post on the very subject of deep frying on the stovetop.

Now go forth and fry all the pasta in the house, no regrets.