What to use instead of acini di pepe
Cooked in the broth it is served in. Clear soups, wedding soup, a chicken broth with egg. Too small for any sauce.
The closest swap: orzo
Larger grains.
Acini di pepe is pastina, 2 to 3 mm long, 6 to 9 minutes in the pot. Orzo sits in the pastina family and cooks in 7 to 10 minutes. Match the cook time first. A swap that is right in shape and wrong in time still ends up wrong on the plate.
Every swap for acini di pepe, ranked
A substitute must behave the same way with the sauce you are making. The ones marked as chosen are hand-picked. The rest score on family, cavity, surface, size, and shared sauces.
- 1
Orzo
Pastina · All of Italy
Larger grains (chosen)
- 2
Stelline
Pastina · All of Italy
Stars of the same size (chosen)
- 3
Pastina
Pastina · All of Italy
Any tiny shape (chosen)
- 4
Alphabet pasta
Pastina · All of Italy
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 2 sauces, close in size
- 5
Semi di melone
Pastina · All of Italy
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 2 sauces, close in size
- 6
Ditalini
Pastina · Campania
Same family, also smooth, shares 3 sauces, close in size
- 7
Quadrucci
Pastina · Lazio
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 3 sauces
- 8
Anelli
Pastina · Sicily
Same family, also solid, also smooth, shares 2 sauces
Match the sauce, not the look
Acini di pepe is listed against 3 sauces. Pick the swap that holds the one you are cooking.
- Best pasta for in brodo: A clear meat or chicken broth. Pastina or filled pasta, cooked and served in the liquid.
- Best pasta for minestrone: A thick vegetable soup with beans and a small pasta added at the end. Ditalini, conchigliette, or anellini.
- Best pasta for pasta e ceci: Chickpeas, rosemary, garlic, and a small pasta. Roman. Ditalini, quadrucci, or maltagliati.
Side by side
The measured difference between acini di pepe and each swap.
Where to buy
Find a substitute for any shape · The full acini di pepe page