Low-FODMAP snacks: what's safe, what's not
Snacking is where a low-FODMAP diet usually falls apart. Meals are planned; snacks are grabbed. Here are the options that hold up, the portions that keep them safe, and the handful of ingredients worth memorising.
Savoury snacks
Crunchy, salty options that don't rely on wheat, onion or garlic powder.
Plain salted potato crisps
Low FODMAP
Potato, oil and salt are all low FODMAP. It's the onion and garlic seasoning on flavoured packs that causes trouble.
Rice cakes with peanut butter
Low FODMAP
Rice cakes are low FODMAP, and peanut butter is fine up to about 2 tablespoons.
Corn tortilla chips
Low FODMAP
Look for chips made from corn, oil and salt only — around 50 g is a comfortable serve.
Hard cheese with gluten-free crackers
Low FODMAP
Cheddar, parmesan, swiss and brie are essentially lactose-free. Stick to about 40 g.
Popcorn
Watch the portion
Low FODMAP up to roughly 7 cups popped. Butter-flavour powders often hide milk solids and onion.
Olives, pickles, hard-boiled eggs
Low FODMAP
Naturally FODMAP-free. Check pickle brine for garlic.
Hummus
High FODMAP
Chickpeas plus garlic makes hummus one of the most common snack triggers. A garlic-infused-oil white bean dip is a better swap.
Flavoured crisps with onion or garlic powder
High FODMAP
Concentrated fructans. Sour cream and onion, BBQ and cheese-and-onion are all high FODMAP.
Sweet snacks
Sweet doesn't have to mean high FODMAP — the sweetener and the fruit decide.
Dark chocolate (30 g)
Low FODMAP
Dark chocolate is low FODMAP at about 30 g. Milk chocolate is fine at roughly 20 g, white at 25 g.
Strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, orange
Low FODMAP
Low FODMAP in normal serves — around 10 strawberries, 1 kiwi or 1 orange at a time.
Oat cookies made with maple syrup
Low FODMAP
Oats and maple syrup are fine. Honey, agave and apple juice concentrate are not.
Lactose-free yoghurt with berries
Low FODMAP
Gives you a protein snack without the lactose load of regular yoghurt.
Banana
Watch the portion
One medium unripe banana is low FODMAP. Ripe bananas gain fructans — stick to about a third.
Dried fruit and trail mix
High FODMAP
Dates, raisins, dried apple, dried mango and cashews are all high FODMAP and dried fruit concentrates the dose.
Apple, pear, mango, watermelon
High FODMAP
High in excess fructose, sorbitol or both — classic IBS snack triggers.
Sugar-free sweets and gum
High FODMAP
Sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol and xylitol are polyols that ferment fast and pull water into the gut.
On-the-go and desk snacks
Things that survive a bag or a drawer without a fridge.
Peanuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamias (about 30 g)
Low FODMAP
All low FODMAP at a small handful. Almonds are fine at about 10 nuts.
Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
Low FODMAP
Low FODMAP at roughly 2 tablespoons and easy to keep at a desk.
Rice crackers, corn thins, plain pretzels (gluten-free)
Low FODMAP
Simple starch bases with no fructan load.
Beef jerky
Watch the portion
The meat is fine; many marinades use garlic and onion powder. Read the label.
Protein bars
Watch the portion
Depends entirely on the bar — chicory root fibre and dates are the usual culprits.
Cashews and pistachios
High FODMAP
High FODMAP even in small amounts — the two nuts to leave out of your mix.
Ingredients that catch people out
- • Onion powder, garlic powder, onion or garlic extract
- • Inulin / chicory root fibre
- • Honey, agave syrup, apple or pear juice concentrate
- • High-fructose corn syrup
- • Dates, raisins, dried apple, dried mango
- • Sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, xylitol, isomalt
- • Cashews, pistachios
- • Wheat flour as one of the first ingredients
- • Milk solids, milk powder, whey concentrate
Three rules that make snacking easier
- Keep one standard serve per snack — FODMAPs are dose-dependent, not banned outright.
- Space snacks two to three hours apart so small amounts don't stack into a big one.
- Read the seasoning, not the headline. Plain versions of most snacks are fine.
Frequently asked
What snacks can I eat on a low-FODMAP diet?
Plain potato crisps, corn chips, rice cakes with peanut butter, hard cheese, popcorn, dark chocolate, strawberries, oranges, kiwi, lactose-free yoghurt, and a small handful of peanuts, walnuts, pecans or macadamias are all low FODMAP in standard serves.
Are nuts low FODMAP?
Most are, in a 30 g handful: peanuts, walnuts, pecans, macadamias, brazil nuts and about 10 almonds. Cashews and pistachios are high FODMAP even in small amounts, so pull them out of any mix.
Are chips and crisps allowed on a low-FODMAP diet?
Plain salted crisps and corn tortilla chips are fine. The problem is the seasoning — sour cream and onion, BBQ and cheese-and-onion flavours all carry onion or garlic powder, which is concentrated fructans.
Is popcorn low FODMAP?
Yes, up to roughly 7 cups popped. Beyond that the fibre load adds up, and flavour powders often contain milk solids or onion.
Can I eat chocolate with IBS?
Dark chocolate is low FODMAP at about 30 g, milk chocolate at about 20 g and white at about 25 g. Larger serves add lactose and fat, both of which can trigger symptoms.
How many snacks a day are safe?
FODMAPs stack. Even low-FODMAP snacks can add up if they are eaten back to back, so space snacks two to three hours apart and keep each one to a single standard serve.
Does gluten free mean low FODMAP?
No. A gluten-free snack can still contain inulin, honey, apple concentrate, dried fruit or polyols. Gluten is a protein; FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates.
Not sure about the snack in your hand?
Snap the ingredient list with Scani and get a Low / Moderate / High verdict, plus gut-friendly alternatives when something scores high.
Scan a snackRelated: Low-FODMAP protein bars: what to look for
This guide is general information based on publicly documented FODMAP content of common foods, not medical advice. Tolerance varies between people — talk to a dietitian before making big changes to your diet.