Blue Cheese
Serving sizes
Blue Cheese changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.
- About 8 slices (40g)
- Larger portions
- Much larger portions
Blue cheese is Low FODMAP at about 8 slices (40g), an aged cheese that crumbles easily over a dish.
- About 8 slices (40g) sits low.
- Fructans build at larger portions, climbing to moderate, and much larger portions land high.
Crumble it over a salad or melt it into a sauce, and check blue cheese dressings for garlic or onion.
Why blue cheese is rated low
Blue cheese is low at about 8 slices (40g), a typical crumble, and it only reaches moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions, as fructans build with a bigger helping. Long ripening leaves mostly fat, protein and salt, with little fermentable carbohydrate behind. Strong flavour and difficult digestion are easy to confuse, and blue cheese is pungent enough that people assume it must be harsh, but pungency comes from the mould culture and the ageing rather than from anything on the FODMAP list. Low here describes the cheese itself, not the dressing, the cracker or the salad it usually arrives with.
What changes your risk
- The cheese is low, the dish may not be About 8 slices (40g) reads low, but blue cheese rarely turns up alone. Crumbled over a salad it is fine, stirred into a dressing built on garlic it is not, and it is the dressing that decides.
- Dressings, dips and sauces are the real risk Bottled blue cheese dressing and blue cheese dip are usually built on a base that carries onion and garlic powder, and some use a soft cheese base that is a different food from the aged one. Read the ingredient list, or make it at home with the cheese and a low FODMAP base so you know what is in it.
- What it is served on Wheat crackers, a baguette, an onion chutney or a fruit paste beside the cheese contribute a load of their own. Rice crackers, gluten free crackers and firm just-yellow banana keep the plate where you want it.
- Stacking the load Low is per serving rather than per meal. About 8 slices (40g) of blue cheese alongside wheat crackers, an onion chutney or a garlic dressing adds fructans from several sources, and a cheeseboard grazed over an evening is a different thing from a portion crumbled over dinner.
- Not every blue product is the aged cheese Spreadable blue cheese styles, blue cheese flavoured snacks, cheese spreads and powdered seasonings are made differently from a matured wedge and often carry added ingredients, so they are worth treating as their own thing.
What else works
You do not need a substitute for blue cheese itself, and the other aged cheeses sit alongside it: cheddar, parmesan and swiss are all reliable on a low FODMAP plate and work for grating, melting and a cheeseboard. The lookalikes worth separating out are the soft and fresh cheeses, since ricotta, cottage cheese and cream cheese are made in an entirely different way and have their own ratings rather than sharing this one. Bottled blue cheese dressing is the other imposter: it is not the same food as the cheese, and the flavour it carries usually arrives with onion and garlic. For a sharp savoury hit where blue cheese would normally go, parmesan or a mature cheddar gets closest.
How to keep it low
Buy a wedge and crumble it yourself rather than reaching for pre-made dips, dressings or crumbles in a tub, since the additions are where the trouble sits and a plain wedge lists one or two ingredients. Blue cheese keeps best wrapped in wax or greaseproof paper rather than plastic film, in the warmest part of the fridge, and a wedge that is left to come up to room temperature before serving tastes far stronger, which means about 8 slices (40g) goes a long way. Because it is so assertive, it works as a seasoning rather than a filling: stirred through a warm sauce, melted onto a steak, or crumbled over a salad of baby spinach, walnuts and strawberries. When ordering out, ask for the dressing on the side, since a wedge salad is usually about the dressing rather than the cheese.
Common questions
is blue cheese low fodmap
Yes. Blue cheese is low at about 8 slices (40g), moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions. Long ripening leaves little fermentable carbohydrate behind, which is why an ordinary crumble sits low.
can i eat blue cheese dressing on a low fodmap diet
The dressing is a different question from the cheese. Bottled blue cheese dressings and dips are usually built on a base carrying onion and garlic powder, so check the label or make your own with the cheese and a base you control.
is blue cheese ok during the elimination phase
Yes, about 8 slices (40g) is low, so it can stay on the plate during the strict phase. What it is served with, particularly crackers and dressings, is what needs checking.
what cheese is like blue cheese if i cannot find it
Mature cheddar, parmesan and swiss are the other aged cheeses that give a similar sharp, savoury note. Ricotta, cottage cheese and cream cheese are made differently and are rated separately, so they are not stand ins for this one.
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Where this rating comes from
Blue Cheese is rated from published lab measurements of its FODMAP content, using the low, moderate and high cutoffs of Varney et al. (2017).
Feedback sent through the FODMAP Foods app has led to changes in this list.
Sources
- 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 high-performance liquid chromatography (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 between healthy individuals and patients with irritable bowel syndrome. 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.
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.