Apple Syrup

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

Apple Syrup changes rating with portion size. Its rating is estimated from what it is made of, so the servings are described rather than weighed.

Small serving Moderate
Moderate serving High
Large serving High

Excess Fructose

Apple syrup is High FODMAP, a concentrated sweetener that carries all the fruit sugar of apples in a very small pour.

Because it is boiled down from apples, the syrup is a strong source of Excess Fructose: a small serving already lands moderate, and it climbs to high by a moderate serving and stays there at larger amounts.
It shows up in dressings, marinades, and baked goods as a natural sweetener, so it is worth checking labels when a product tastes fruity-sweet, since the concentrated form adds up fast.

When you want that sticky-sweet note, a drizzle of pure maple syrup or a little table sugar gives sweetness without the fructose pile-up.

Why apple syrup is rated high

Apple syrup is high FODMAP, and the culprit is Excess Fructose. The syrup is apple juice boiled down until most of the water is gone, so the fruit sugar of a lot of apples ends up in a very small pour, and apples carry more fructose than the body absorbs easily. This rating is estimated from what the syrup is made of rather than from a weighed, measured serving, so the ladder here is described in words rather than amounts. That ladder is honest about one thing worth knowing: a Small serving already reads moderate rather than low, and by a Moderate serving it is high, staying high at a Large serving. So there is no rung on this page where apple syrup comes in low, and scraping the spoon a little less full is not a strategy that gets you there.

What changes your risk

Serving size The climb is steep and it starts early. A Small serving is already moderate, a Moderate serving is high, and a Large serving is high, so the useful decision with apple syrup is whether it goes in at all rather than how much.
Concentration Boiling apple juice down removes water and leaves everything else behind, which is exactly why a thin drizzle of syrup carries far more fructose than a bite of fresh apple would. Any product built the same way, such as apple juice concentrate used as a sweetener, behaves the same.
Stacking with other fructose sources Excess Fructose adds up across a meal. Apple syrup in a glaze alongside honey in the dressing, mango in the salad, or watermelon for dessert piles the same subgroup into one sitting, and the total is what your gut meets.
Cooking will not help Simmering the syrup into a glaze, baking it into a cake or reducing it further does not break fructose down. Heat leaves it exactly where it was, and reducing it further only concentrates it.
Hidden in the label Apple syrup is sold as a natural sweetener, so it turns up in barbecue sauces, marinades, granola, cereal bars and salad dressings. If a savoury product tastes fruity sweet, the ingredient list is worth a read before the jar goes in the basket.

Swaps

For the sticky, dark, caramel sweetness apple syrup brings to a glaze or a tray bake, pure maple syrup is the closest match and is low FODMAP at its tested serving. Rice malt syrup gives the same thick pour with a milder flavour and works well in marinades and baking, and plain table sugar dissolved into a little water makes a simple syrup for brushing and basting. For a fruity note without the concentrated fructose, cook down strawberries or raspberries with a little table sugar. What will not rescue the situation is swapping to honey, agave syrup or high fructose corn syrup, since all three carry the same Excess Fructose problem, and neither will pear or watermelon in the same recipe.

How to lower the load

Treat apple syrup as an ingredient to leave out rather than one to measure carefully, because the ladder gives you no low rung to aim at. When a recipe calls for it, replace the whole quantity with maple syrup or rice malt syrup rather than using a smaller amount of the apple version. Eating out, fruity glazes on pork, ribs and roast vegetables are the usual hiding place, so ask what the glaze is sweetened with and order the meat plain with a side of garlic-infused oil and herbs instead. At home, keep maple syrup in the spot where the apple syrup used to live so the reach for a sweetener is already solved, and check the label on granola, cereal bars and bottled marinades, where it tends to appear partway down the ingredient list.

Common questions

is apple syrup low fodmap

No. Apple syrup is high FODMAP overall. The lowest rung on its ladder, a Small serving, still reads moderate, and it is high at a Moderate serving and a Large serving.

is apple syrup high in fructose

Yes. Excess Fructose is the subgroup behind its rating, because the syrup concentrates the fruit sugar of many apples into a small pour.

can i use apple syrup on the elimination phase

It is not a fit for the elimination phase, since even a Small serving comes in moderate. Maple syrup, rice malt syrup or table sugar fill the same role without the fructose load.

what can i use instead of apple syrup in a glaze

Maple syrup is the closest match for that dark, sticky finish, with rice malt syrup as a milder alternative and a simple syrup made from table sugar for basting.

Learn more

Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.

Apple Syrup is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

References

Fructan and free fructose content of common Australian vegetables and fruit. Muir et al. (2007), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55(16):6619-6627.
Measurement of short-chain carbohydrates in common Australian vegetables and fruits by HPLC. Muir et al. (2009), J. Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57(2):554-565.
Quantification of fructans, galacto-oligosaccharides and other short-chain carbohydrates in processed grains and cereals. Biesiekierski et al. (2011), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 24(2):154-176.
Dietary sorbitol and mannitol: food content and distinct absorption patterns. Yao et al. (2014), J. Human Nutrition and Dietetics 27(Suppl 2):263-275.
FODMAPs: food composition, defining cutoff values and international application. Varney et al. (2017), J. Gastroenterology and Hepatology 32(Suppl 1):53-61. Supplies the low, moderate and high cutoffs used on this page.