The invention discloses a method for preparing alum-free vermicelli based on modified starch. The method comprises the following steps of: (1) preparing starch milk by taking starch as the raw material, and then, preparing cross-linked starch by taking phosphorus oxychloride as a cross-linking agent; (2) preparing starch milk by taking starch as the raw material, and then, preparing octenyl succinic acid modified starch by taking octenyl succinic anhydride as an esterifying agent; (3) preparing starch milk by taking starch as the raw material, and then, preparing high cross-linked starch by taking phosphorus oxychloride as a cross-linking agent; and (4) adding starch with a certain mass into water to prepare starch milk, rapidly pouring boiling water into the starch milk to prepare starchy sauce paste, adding the cross-linked starch, the octenyl succinic acid modified starch and the high cross-linked starch in a certain proportion, mixing and uniformly stirring the cross-linked starch, the octenyl succinic acid modified starch and the high cross-linked starch, placing the mixture into a vermicelli machine for extrusion forming, cooking the vermicelli for several seconds, then, rapidly placing the cooked vermicelli into cold water to cool and retrograde for several minutes, and drying to obtain a finished product of the vermicelli. Compared with the traditional vermicelli preparation method, the method has the advantages that no alum is used, the property of the vermicelli is improved, and the prepared vermicelli has favorable boiling fastness, favorable toughness and favorable retrogradation resistance.