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Egg Noodles

We use these noodles for many of our favorite comfort foods, from chicken soup to tuna casserole. Does it matter which one you buy?

By Lauren Savoie ･ Published Oct. 1, 2018.

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WINNERPennsylvania Dutch Wide Egg Noodles (also sold as Mueller's)

Tasters loved these “big, wide spirals,” which had “plenty of curves” that were “perfect for catching sauce.” Thanks to the relatively high amount of fat, this product tasted “rich” and “ultra-eggy” and “held its own” against competing ingredients in soup and casserole. “The perfect egg noodle,” summarized one taster.

Fat: 3 gShape: CorkscrewWidth: 0.5 inLength: 1.5 inIngredients: Semolina, durum flour, egg yolks, niacin, ferrous sulfate (iron), thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acidPrice at Time of Testing: $2.50 for 12 oz ($0.21 per oz)

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See Everything We Tested

What You Need to Know

Egg noodles are at the heart of many of our favorite comfort foods, whether they’re swimming in chicken soup, laced through a casserole, or supporting an ample serving of beef stroganoff. Unlike most boxed pastas you find in the supermarket, these noodles have a deeper yellow color and slightly savory flavor from the addition of eggs to the dough and are most commonly found in a broad, loose corkscrew shape (though other shapes and styles do exist).

In search of the best egg noodles, we tried seven top-selling products priced from $2.50 to $4.15 per package ($0.21 to $0.27 per ounce). If a company made more than one shape, we picked its “wide” or “broad” noodle, which we call for most often in recipes. All the products in our lineup are available nationally, except for one; our former winner from Pennsylvania Dutch is a major seller but must be mail-ordered if you live on the West Coast. We sampled the noodles boiled and tossed with butter, in Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup, and in Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Our lineup of egg noodles illustrates how much the noodles' shapes and sizes vary from product to product.

Tasters Favor A Classic Corkscrew Shape

Ultimately we can recommend all the noodles we tried, but there were some key differences that set our favorite products apart. The first was shape. Though all the noodles are sold as “wide” or “broad,” these terms aren’t standardized. In fact, the noodles in our lineup ran the gamut from thin, wispy corkscrews to long, thick, flat planks. Shape had no bearing on the noodles’ flavor, but we found that it did make a difference in the overall texture and cohesiveness of a dish.

The products also ranged in length, from 1½ to 4½ inches, and the longest two fell to the bottom of our rankings. When we used these noodles in casserole, tasters thought the dish was less cohesive—the lengthy strands didn’t hold the other ingredients together very well—and when we ate them in soup, they slipped off our spoons. But shorter wasn’t always better. One corkscrew-shaped product was the right length yet too narrow: Less than ¼ inch wide, these noodles evaded our forks when we ate them plain and disappeared among the other ingredients in tuna-noodle casserole. The noodles we liked best were a thick corkscrew shape, about ½ inch wide and 1½ inches long when dry. Once cooked, these noodles were easy to scoop up with a spoon in soup or pierce with a fork when eaten plain or in casserole—no chasing noodles around our plates. Their gentle curves also held on to sauce, tuna, and peas in casserole, providing perfectly cohesive bites.

Associate Editor Kate Shannon portions samples of Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup ahead of a blind taste test of egg noodles.

The Importance Of Using Whole Eggs

The factor that had the biggest impact on flavor was the amount and type of egg used in each noodle. Some of the companies tout their noodles as “yolk-free” to appeal to people watching their cholesterol or saturated fat intake. These products still contain egg whites and were almost indistinguishable from yolk-rich products in tuna-noodle casserole, where there were a lot of other ingredients competing with the noodles. But yolk-free products fell short when we tasted them plain or in soup, where the noodles were front and center; tasters described them as too pale and firm, “like rice noodles.”

Both flours are milled from the same type of wheat, but semolina is ground coarser, which gives the noodles more grip.

Our favorite products embraced rich, fatty yolks. The top two had 3 and 2.5 grams of fat per serving, compared to just 1 to 2 grams in most of the lower-ranked products. Since most of the fat in noodles comes from egg yolks, it’s likely that our top-ranked products used more of them; tasters said they were richer and heartier.

Look For Egg Noodles With Semolina Flour

Finally, type of flour separated our winner from the rest of the pack. While most of the noodles we tried are made with only durum flour, our winner also uses semolina. Both flours are milled from the same type of wheat, but semolina is ground coarser, giving the noodles more grip. We thought sauces clung especially well to the product made with a combination of semolina and durum flours.

Our winner is once again Pennsylvania Dutch Wide Egg Noodles (also sold as Mueller’s). It had a relatively high amount of fat compared to the other noodles in our lineup, and it held on to sauce well thanks to the addition of semolina. Its thick corkscrew shape was perfect for soups, casseroles, and just eating plain. For readers on the West Coast, where our winner isn’t available, we recommend our runner-up, Manischewitz Wide Egg Noodles. These noodles are also corkscrew-shaped and performed well in all our tests. We’ll continue to rely on these standbys for our favorite comfort foods.

Short, thick corkscrew shape that’s versatile for soups, casseroles, and eating plain
More fat, likely an indication of more egg yolks, which add richness
Made with coarsely ground semolina flour for added grip

Taste plain, boiled in salted water until al dente and tossed with a measured amount of butter
Taste in Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
Taste in Skillet Tuna Noodle Casserole

Everything We Tested

These corkscrew-shaped noodles were a bit longer and thinner than our winning product but still perfectly “thick” and “substantial.” They were “savory,” with a “hint of nuttiness,” and shaped well for both forks and spoons. In casserole, they “played well with other ingredients,” providing a “neutral base” for vegetables and tuna.

Fat: 2.5 gShape: CorkscrewWidth: 0.4 inLength: 1.6 inIngredients: Durum flour (wheat), egg yolks or eggs, niacin, ferrous sulfate (iron), thiamin, mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and folic acidPrice at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 12 oz ($0.25 per oz)

Manischewitz Yolk Free Wide Noodles

These yolkless noodles boasted the same thick, twisty shape and hearty size as their yolk-rich counterpart. But when cooked, there was no mistaking them for traditional egg noodles: The spirals were “pale,” “mild” in flavor, and “overly springy.” Though they were “too plain” to eat on their own, tasters thought they were perfectly fine in soup and casserole, where their “subtle” flavor was boosted by other rich ingredients.

Fat: 1 gShape: CorkscrewWidth: 0.4 inLength: 1.6 inIngredients: Durum flour (wheat), egg whites, niacin (vitamin B3), iron (ferrous sulfate), thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid (vitamin B9)Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 12 oz ($0.25 per oz)

Light 'n Fluffy Wide Egg Noodles (also sold as Skinner, American Beauty, and Creamette)

These noodles lived up to their name; tasters indeed described them as “light” and “fluffy.” However, they were a bit “too light” and seemed “collapsed” under the weight of tuna-noodle casserole. Some tasters also mistook their lack of heft for a yolk-free noodle even though they do contain yolks and are comparatively high in fat. We did like them in soup, where they “floated effortlessly” in the broth and had a “nice savory flavor.”

Fat: 2.5 gShape: CorkscrewWidth: 0.3 inLength: 1.8 inIngredients: Durum wheat flour, dried egg yolks or eggs, niacin, ferrous sulfate (iron), thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acidPrice at Time of Testing: $3.24 for 12 oz ($0.27 per oz)

No Yolks Noodles, Broad

These “teensy,” “thin” corkscrews drifted pleasantly onto our spoons when we tried them in soup, but they eluded our forks when we ate them plain and felt a bit “insubstantial” in casserole. They're made without yolks, which lent them a “neutral” flavor, “bordering on bland.” Still, their “firmer,” “springy” texture held up well in soup, and some tasters liked the extra “chewiness.”

Fat: 1 gShape: CorkscrewWidth: 0.2 inLength: 1.7 inIngredients: Semolina (wheat), durum flour (wheat), corn flour, wheat flour, dried egg whites, niacin, ferrous sulfate (iron), thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acidPrice at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 12 oz ($0.25 per oz)

Essenhaus Homestyle Wide Egg Noodle

These noodles are a famous staple of the Das Dutchman Essenhaus restaurant in Indiana's Amish country, where they're produced. Tasters thought the long, thin strands were reminiscent of linguine but loved their “slightly doughy,” almost “dumpling-like” texture and “savory” flavor that was “like homemade pasta.” However, due to their length, they were hard to scoop up with a spoon in soup and seemed a bit “unusual” in casserole. We'll save them for a side dish or for serving with sauce.

Fat: 3 gShape: FlatWidth: 0.2 inLength: 4.5 inIngredients: Durum flour (niacin, ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, eggsPrice at Time of Testing: $3.65 for 16 oz ($0.23 per oz)

Recommended with reservations

Mrs. Miller's Old Fashioned Noodles

These long, wide noodles looked a lot like “pappardelle” or “the kind of noodles you'd find in Chicken and Slicks.” While we enjoyed their “hearty,” “chewy” texture and “ultrasavory” flavor, their shape made them “hard to eat.” They slipped past our spoons in soup and overshadowed the other ingredients in tuna-noodle casserole. Still, we think they'd be fine served on their own or with sauce.

Fat: 2 gShape: FlatWidth: 0.5 inLength: 3.8 inIngredients: Extra fancy durum wheat flour, whole eggs, waterPrice at Time of Testing: $4.15 for 16 oz ($0.26 per oz)

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

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