Broccoli

High FODMAP

Tested serving

1 cup (94g) High

Fructans

Broccoli is High FODMAP at 1 cup (94g), driven by its Fructans content.

The Fructans in broccoli are what push it into High FODMAP territory at the tested 1 cup (94g) serving, which is a fairly generous helping in most meals.
Broccoli is often eaten steamed, roasted, or tossed into stir-fries, and it is worth noting that the stalks and florets can differ in how they sit with you, so pay attention to which part you are using and how it is prepared.

If you love broccoli, keeping it as a small flavor accent alongside more tolerable vegetables can help you enjoy it while managing your fructan load.

Per 1 cup (94g): 0.66g fructans.

Why broccoli is rated high

Broccoli is high FODMAP because of its fructans. The published data tests 1 cup (94g) and finds it high, and that is the only serving on record, so there is no smaller tested rung that comes in low or moderate. This is worth saying plainly, because broccoli has a reputation as the safe green vegetable that gets added to everything: the stir fry, the tray bake, the side of steamed greens, the pasta. On a low FODMAP diet it is the fructan content that decides, not how plain or healthy the vegetable looks.

What changes your risk

One tested serving, and it is high 1 cup (94g) is the only published serving for broccoli and it sits at high. No lower amount has been measured, so this page cannot point you at a smaller helping as a workaround.
Stacking fructans Broccoli usually appears next to other fructan sources: garlic in the stir fry sauce, onion in the base, wheat noodles or pasta. Those share a subgroup with broccoli, so a single dish can be carrying the same load from four directions.
Cooking water Fructans are water-soluble, so boiling broccoli in plenty of water and tipping the water away removes some of them. Steaming, roasting, air frying and stir frying do not, because nothing leaves the florets. Cooking does not destroy fructans at all, and there is no tested serving for boiled broccoli, so the rating above is what stands.
Sauces and stocks Broccoli is rarely eaten dry. Stir fry sauces, cheese sauces and vegetable stocks very often start with onion and garlic, which adds fructans to a dish that already has them.
Frozen and chopped is the same food Freezing, chopping and blending change texture and shelf life, not FODMAP content. Frozen florets and broccoli blitzed into a soup carry what fresh broccoli carries.

Swaps

Green beans are the most direct swap for broccoli on a plate: they steam, roast and stir fry the same way and hold a sauce just as well. Bok choy is the one to reach for in Asian cooking, since the stems give you crunch and the leaves wilt down like the florets do. Zucchini rounds and bell pepper strips fill out a tray bake or a stir fry with colour, and baby spinach folds into pasta for green without the fructan load. Do not swap broccoli for cauliflower or Brussels sprouts, which will not help you. For the garlicky edge that usually comes with broccoli, use garlic-infused oil, chives or the green tops of spring onions.

How to lower the load

The hardest place to avoid broccoli is a ready-made stir fry mix or a frozen vegetable medley, where it is usually the bulk of the bag, so buy your vegetables loose and build your own mix from green beans, bok choy, bell pepper and carrot. When you order a stir fry or a grain bowl out, ask for the broccoli to be swapped rather than picked out, because the sauce it was cooked in has already been in the pan with it. Green beans keep about as long as broccoli in the fridge and take the same treatment: a hot pan, oil, salt and a squeeze of lemon. If you are cooking for a household that eats broccoli, steam it separately rather than sharing a pan, and dress your own portion with garlic-infused oil.

Common questions

how much broccoli is low fodmap

There is no low serving in the published data. The one tested serving, 1 cup (94g), is high, and no smaller amount has been tested.

is broccoli high in fructans

Yes. Fructans are the subgroup behind broccoli's high rating at 1 cup (94g).

can i eat broccoli on the elimination phase

Broccoli is high at its only tested serving, so it is not eaten freely during elimination. Whether it works for you later is worked out in reintroduction with a dietitian.

is frozen broccoli lower in fodmaps than fresh

No. Freezing changes texture and shelf life, not fructan content, so frozen broccoli carries what fresh broccoli carries.

Learn more

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

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.