Black bean pasta is a gluten-free noodle made from legume flour instead of wheat, and the quickest place to buy it is online: Amazon, Vitacost, Thrive Market, and the brand sites carry more shapes than any grocery shelf. In stores, look in the natural foods or gluten-free aisle at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Kroger-family banners, and some Walmart and Target locations. Before you order, check one line on the box. The best-known brands grind soybeans, not the turtle beans in a can of chili, and that changes the protein figure, the allergen warning, and the taste.
This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Soybean or Turtle Bean: Which One Is in the Box?
Two different plants get sold under the same name. Black soybeans are a dark-skinned soybean variety, and Explore Cuisine’s spaghetti lists a single ingredient: organic black soybean flour. The turtle bean is the common black bean of Latin American cooking, and makers such as Liviva and Pasta Lensi list black beans or their flour rather than soybeans. Both boxes say black bean on the front. Only the ingredient line tells you which you bought.
Why it matters: soybeans carry far more protein than common beans. The soybean spaghetti’s product page lists 45 grams of protein and 19 grams of fiber per 3.5-ounce serving, while Pasta Lensi announced its sedani at 21 grams of protein and 17 grams of fiber per 100 grams. Roughly the same weight, about half the protein. Both types are vegan when the box lists only beans, or beans and water, so plant-based shoppers can choose on protein and taste alone. If a high protein count is the reason you’re switching from regular pasta, buy the soybean version. If you want something that tastes closer to a burrito filling than to tofu, buy the turtle variety.
Soy is also one of the nine major food allergens the FDA requires labels to declare. Anyone avoiding soy should skip the soy versions entirely and read the facility warning on turtle-variety boxes too, since the Liviva fettuccine listing notes it is made in a plant that also processes soybeans.
One more mix-up worth clearing: pasta with black beans is a recipe, usually wheat noodles tossed with canned black beans, garlic, bell peppers, cilantro, and lime juice. Searching for that dish brings up the wrong product on retail sites, so search the brand name instead.
Black Bean Pasta Brands in October 2026: What You Can Still Buy
The category has shrunk. Several boxes that older shopping guides recommend have been discontinued or pulled from their brand sites, and resellers still list the leftover stock.
| Brand | Legume used | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Explore Cuisine | Soybean flour only | Active brand; this spaghetti showed sold out on its own store on October 14, 2026 |
| Liviva (earlier sold as Zeroodle) | Organic black beans and water | Listed by Canadian and US grocers, including H-E-B and Harris Teeter |
| Pasta Lensi | Bean flour | Sedani announced in 2018; current US stock unconfirmed |
| The Only Bean | Soybean | Brand renamed Only Snacks and now sells only roasted snacks |
| Tolerant | Organic legumes | Barilla-owned brand announced its closure in 2024 |
| Ancient Harvest POW! | Legume blend | Its elbows no longer appear on the brand’s product page |
The soybean brand in the first row is the one you’ll actually find most often. It was founded in 2010 and is based in Red Bank, New Jersey, and it also sells chickpea, red lentil, and other legume cuts. If you already keep chickpea pasta in the pantry, the soybean version is the higher-protein, firmer-textured option of the two.
Where to Buy Black Bean Pasta Online
Online is the dependable channel, because a single grocery store rarely stocks more than one brand in one shape. Check the best-before date in every listing, since discontinued brands are still being sold off.
Amazon
Browse the selection on Amazon #ad for single boxes, six-packs, and variety bundles. The two active names from the table above are the ones to look for. Review volume is the real advantage, because texture complaints surface quickly, but read the seller name: a third-party seller listing a discontinued brand may be moving short-dated stock.
Vitacost, Thrive Market, and iHerb
Vitacost carries natural food pasta lines and discounts them regularly. Thrive Market, a membership site for organic groceries, once listed Ancient Harvest’s legume elbows; that item is no longer on the brand’s own page, so treat any listing as old stock. Thrive only pays off if you already order there monthly. iHerb is worth a search when you’re placing a pantry order anyway.
Walmart.com and eBay
The Walmart website lists multipacks from third-party sellers that the store shelf does not stock, including Liviva fettuccine six-packs. Sellers on eBay list multipacks too, sometimes below retail. On both, the date printed on the box in the listing photo matters more than the price.
Brand Websites
The soybean brand runs its own store, and it’s the place to confirm a current ingredient list and serving data, since formulas change and marketplace listings lag. When this spaghetti is sold out there, its other legume cuts are the closest substitute from the same maker.
In-Store Aisles That Stock Legume Noodles
Skip the Italian aisle. Supermarkets shelve legume noodles with the gluten-free pasta or in the natural and organic set, and a store may carry one brand in a single shape.
Natural and Organic Grocers
Whole Foods, Sprouts, Natural Grocers, and Wegmans give legume pasta the most shelf space. Our roundup of the best things to buy at Whole Foods covers more of that aisle. Trader Joe’s rotates its legume pasta lineup by season, so call your store before a special trip.
Kroger Banners and Regional Chains
Kroger and its banners keep legume noodles in the natural foods set. Harris Teeter, a Kroger company, and Texas chain H-E-B both carry product pages for Liviva cuts, which makes their apps a fast way to check a nearby shelf before driving over.
Target, Walmart, and Warehouse Clubs
The Target brand page for Ancient Harvest is the place to check its corn-quinoa and lentil pasta, though the brand no longer lists the elbows from its POW! line, and Walmart’s in-store selection is narrower than its website. Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s carry legume pasta only as an occasional rotating item. Check current availability through Instacart before a club run.
Gluten-Free Labels and the Nutrition Panel
A gluten-free label in the United States means the food tests under 20 parts per million of gluten, the limit the FDA set in its 2013 labeling rule. Beans contain no gluten, so the risk is a shared mill or line, not the recipe. Shoppers with celiac disease should look for a third-party certification seal and avoid blends that add grain flour.
For carbohydrates, read the panel instead of assuming. Soybean noodles generally print low net carbs because so much of the weight is protein and fiber, which suits low carb plans, though no legume noodle is strictly keto at a full serving. The American Diabetes Association advises choosing quality carbohydrates; a fiber-rich pasta dish counts, but portion size still decides the outcome, so check with your dietitian before making it a staple.
Compare protein per serving and grams of fiber on the same serving basis. Some brands print per 2 ounces, others per 3.5 ounces or 100 grams, and a side-by-side glance at mismatched serving sizes makes one box look twice as good as it is.
How to Pick and Cook Your First Box
- Read the ingredient line. Soybean flour means high protein and a soy allergen; plain black beans mean milder protein and a softer, earthier flavor.
- Match the pasta shape to the dish. Spaghetti and fettuccine suit garlic and olive oil or pesto; penne, rotini, and fusilli hold a creamy sauce or work in cold meal prep salads.
- Buy one box before a case. Texture varies more between brands than flavor does, and a bad six-pack sits in the pantry for a year.
- Use a big pot and follow the package time. Legume starch foams and boils over faster than wheat, and the soybean spaghetti in the table cooks in 4 to 6 minutes, far shorter than regular pasta.
- Sauce boldly. Tomato paste, garlic, chili, and herbs carry the earthy flavor; butter and plain cheese leave it exposed.
The cooking water turns a murky purple-gray and can tint a pale sauce. Rinsing after you drain removes some of that color along with surface starch, but follow the brand’s instruction, since some makers advise against it. For a vegan cheesy finish, a spoonful of nutritional yeast works better than dairy cheese on these noodles, and a little fresh parsley or cilantro is enough garnish.
Start with a smaller portion the first few times. A single serving carries several times the fiber content of wheat spaghetti, and some people notice the change.
Storage and When to Toss a Box
Go by the best-before date. Legume flour carries more natural oil than wheat flour, and oil goes rancid long before dry starch does, so an opened bag belongs in an airtight container in a dark cabinet, not on the shelf above the stove.
Three signs a box is finished regardless of the date: a sharp or paint-like smell, clumping from absorbed humidity, and noodles that fall apart in the first minute of boiling. Cooked leftovers follow standard USDA guidance and hold 3 to 4 days refrigerated. Toss any batch with a slimy film.
Top Picks and Legacy Listings
These picks rank on ingredient count, what the label reports per serving, and whether the brand is still making the product. Prices are left out on purpose, because marketplace pricing for these boxes swings week to week with reseller stock.
Best overall: Explore Cuisine Organic Black Bean Spaghetti. One ingredient, the highest grams of protein on any label here, and the widest distribution. Not for anyone avoiding soy. Check price on Amazon
Best soy-free recipe: Liviva. Organic black beans and water, sold as spaghetti and fettuccine, with milder flavor and lower protein than the soybean boxes. Find it through the Amazon and Walmart searches above or a regional grocer.
Legacy listings: buy only with a fresh date. These three products still show up from resellers, but each maker has stopped selling them through its own channels. See it on Amazon for The Only Bean Organic Spaghetti, a single-ingredient soy noodle from a brand that now makes only edamame snacks. Check price on Amazon for Tolerant Simply Legumes cuts, from the brand that wound down in 2024. See it on Amazon for Ancient Harvest POW! Black Bean Elbows, a blend no longer on the brand’s product page.
| Pick | Label | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Explore Cuisine | Soybean only | Protein content, easiest to find |
| Liviva | Beans and water | Soy-free shoppers (check facility warning) |
| Pasta Lensi | Bean flour | Short cuts for baked dishes |
| Legacy brands | Varies | Only with a fresh best-before date |
Start by deciding between the soy and turtle varieties, then order a single box of black bean pasta online from a seller who shows the best-before date. Cook it plain on a weeknight before committing to a multipack. If neither version works for your household, a cauliflower pizza crust night, a chickpea blend, or Beyond Meat products cover the same plant protein goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is black bean pasta gluten-free?
Yes, when it is made only from legume flour, because legumes contain no gluten. A US gluten-free label means under 20 parts per million of gluten. People with celiac disease should still look for a third-party seal and skip blends that add a grain.
Is it the same as Korean black bean noodles?
No. Jajangmyeon, the Korean dish usually called black bean noodles, is wheat noodles served in a sauce made from a fermented soybean paste. The noodles themselves contain wheat, so they are neither gluten-free nor high in legume protein.
Is it low carb or keto?
It is lower in carbohydrates than wheat pasta but not keto at a full serving. Soy versions print some of the lowest net carbs among legume noodles; edamame noodles are similar, and konjac products are lower still. Read the panel on the exact box.
Why does it make some people gassy?
Fiber is the usual reason. One serving can carry several times the fiber of wheat spaghetti, and a sudden jump causes bloating for some people. Smaller portions for the first few meals, plenty of water, and a gradual increase help most eaters adjust.
Does it need to be refrigerated?
Dry boxes do not; keep them sealed in a cool, dark cabinet and move an opened bag to an airtight container. Cooked noodles go in the refrigerator and keep 3 to 4 days under standard USDA leftover guidance.
About This Guide
Reviewed by the wheretobuyguides.com editorial team. Brand status, ingredient lines, and retailer listings checked October 14, 2026.
Compare it with fresh pasta, or browse our full food products category for more buying guides.