Homemade Flat Rice Noodles Recipe: Easy & Gluten-Free

When people think of rice noodles, they often picture those stiff, brittle bundles you find in the dry goods aisle—just waiting to be soaked and tossed into a stir-fry. And while there's nothing wrong with dry rice noodles in a pinch, once you’ve tried fresh rice noodles, there’s really no going back.

Fresh rice noodles are silky, chewy, and have that delightful bite that’s hard to find in anything packaged. But here’s the thing—they’re hard to come by. Most grocery stores don’t carry them, and when some specialized Asian grocery stores do, they’re tucked away in a dry rack section with a short shelf life and a tendency to break apart or clump together.

That’s why I started making them myself.

The Texture Difference Is Real

Dry rice noodles can often feel a little tough or rubbery, even after cooking. That’s partly because they’re made to last on a shelf, not to impress your taste buds. Fresh rice noodles, on the other hand, are soft, elastic, and just a bit translucent. They soak up flavor beautifully and don’t require any soaking—just a quick steam and boil.

Homemade rice noodles are like the pasta of Southeast Asia—once you’ve had them fresh, you’ll wonder how you ever settled for anything else.

Gluten-Free and Ramen-Friendly?

Absolutely. While rice noodles aren’t traditional in ramen, they make an excellent gluten-free alternative for folks who still want that slurpable noodle experience without wheat. The flavor is mild, the texture holds up in hot broth, and they can easily be paired with ramen-style toppings like miso-marinated eggs and chashu.

They’re also incredibly versatile: use them in Thai Pad see ew, Cantonese Chow Fun, or Singapore curry fried rice noodles.

Ingredients for Homemade Flat Rice Noodles Recipes

If you’ve got rice flour, tapioca flour, water, and a steamer, you’re pretty much there. I use a KitchenAid mixer to blend the batter, but a regular whisk works just fine too. No special equipment needed.

What makes rice noodles surprisingly approachable is that they don’t require kneading, rolling, or cutting from a stiff dough like ramen or pasta. Instead, rice noodles are made from a pourable batter that’s steamed into delicate sheets and then sliced into strips. No flour-dusted counters, no hand-crank rollers, no stand mixer attachments—just a bowl, a steamer, and a little patience.

This steaming method makes rice noodles especially accessible for home cooks who may not want to invest in noodle-making tools. And because the batter is naturally gluten-free, there’s no need to worry about developing elasticity the way you would with wheat-based doughs.

Here’s a simple way to make them at home:

1. Mix the flours – Combine 60g of rice flour and 20g of tapioca flour in a mixing bowl (for one serving).

2. Add water – Slowly pour in 157g of room-temperature water, mixing until smooth. The batter should be thin and pourable—like crepe batter.

3. Prep your steaming setup – Lightly oil an 8-inch round baking pan or a heatproof plate. This helps the noodles release easily.

4. Steam the batter – Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and steam for 2 minutes. The noodle sheet should look translucent and cooked through.

5. Remove and cut – Carefully lift the noodle sheet out with a spatula or bench scraper, transfer it to a cutting board, and slice into strips.

6. Repeat – You’ll get around 4 sheets from this batch. Repeat until you’re out of batter.

7. After that, the noodles are ready to use! You can boil them for a few seconds to soften them or toss them straight into a stir-fry with your favorite sauce and protein.

Why Bother?

Because food tastes better when it’s fresh. Because learning how to make your own noodles is surprisingly satisfying. And because once you try a bowl of steaming noodles you made yourself, you’ll realize how much more connected you feel to the meal in front of you.

Fresh rice noodles aren’t just a cooking project—they’re a little slice of comfort, rolled out and steamed to perfection.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re looking for a gluten-free ramen alternative, trying to avoid store-bought additives, or just in the mood for something fun and hands-on in the kitchen, fresh rice noodles are 100% worth trying. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start playing around with thickness, stir-fry combos, or even tossing them into brothy bowls of ramen.

Because sometimes, the best things in life really are made from scratch.

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Manville Chan is the Founder and Chief Experience Officer at The Story of Ramen.