Cashew

High FODMAP

By Michael EisenwasserUpdated October 6, 2026

Serving sizes

Cashew changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.

About 2 nuts (3g) Low
Larger portions Moderate
Much larger portions High

Fructans GOS

Cashews are High FODMAP at a usual serving, though about 2 nuts (3g) is low.

Cashews are low only at about 2 nuts (3g).
GOS and Fructans climb to moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions, so a snack handful is high.
They also turn up in creamy sauces, vegan cheeses and nut milks, which carry the same load, so check how much cashew a product uses.

For a crunchy snack, peanuts or macadamias are lower FODMAP picks.

Why cashew is rated high

Cashews are High FODMAP, and unlike most nuts they carry two fermentable groups at once: fructans and GOS, the same pair that makes wheat and legumes difficult. That combination is why cashews behave more like a bean than like a macadamia. About 2 nuts (3g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so the low serve is a nibble rather than a snack. During the strict phase of a low FODMAP diet, cashews are one of the few nuts worth leaving out altogether rather than portioning down.

What changes your risk

Serving size About 2 nuts (3g) is low, and anything like a handful is well past it. Treating a smaller scoop as a workaround does not get you far, because the low serve is barely a taste.
Hidden cashews in creamy things Cashews are the backbone of a lot of dairy-free cooking: vegan cheese, cashew cream, dairy-free cream cheese, nut milks, satay-style and korma-style sauces. Blending does not touch fructans or GOS, so a sauce built on cashews carries the same load the nuts did.
Soaking and blending Soaking cashews overnight softens them for sauces, but you then blend the whole nut into the dish, so nothing has been removed. Pouring off soak water is not a reliable way to make cashews low, and it is not a step to lean on.
Roasting, salting and grinding Dry roasting, honey roasting, salting or turning cashews into cashew butter changes flavour and texture only. Butter is if anything more concentrated, since it takes a lot of nuts to fill a jar.
Stacking with its own subgroups Cashews sit in the same fructan and GOS families as wheat bread and pasta, onion and garlic, chickpeas and lentils. A stir fry with a soy-and-garlic sauce, a side of flatbread and a scatter of cashews piles the same two groups into one meal.

Swaps

For the crunchy snack role, peanuts, macadamias, walnuts, pecans and pumpkin seeds all do the job without cashew's fructan and GOS load, and peanut or macadamia butter stands in for cashew butter on toast or in a satay-style sauce. For the creamy blended role that cashews usually play, lactose-free milk thickened on the stove works for pasta sauces and soups, and a grating of a hard cheese such as parmesan or cheddar gives the savoury richness that cashew cheese is imitating. Firm tofu blended smooth also gives body to a dressing or dip. Do not reach for a chickpea or lentil base as a substitute, because that swaps cashew's GOS for more of the same.

How to lower the load

Check ingredient lists rather than the front of the pack: dairy-free cream cheeses, vegan parmesans, nut milk blends, muesli bars, trail mix and pesto often use cashew as the cheap creamy base, and it can sit low in the list while still being the main body of the product. In restaurants, cashews turn up whole in stir fries, kung pao and cashew chicken, scattered over Thai salads, and ground into korma and satay sauces, so ask for the nuts left off and ask what the sauce is thickened with. At home, keep a jar of peanuts or macadamias where the cashews used to live, since the swap is easiest when it is the thing you reach for without thinking.

Common questions

how many cashews can i eat on low fodmap

About 2 nuts (3g) is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so an ordinary handful is well past the low serve and cashews are easier to leave out during the strict phase.

why are cashews high fodmap when other nuts are fine

Cashews carry both fructans and GOS, the same two groups that make wheat and legumes difficult, while nuts like macadamias, peanuts and pecans do not carry them in the same way.

does soaking cashews remove the fodmaps

No. Soaking softens the nut for blending, but you then use the whole cashew in the sauce, so the fructans and GOS go in with it. Soaked cashew cream is still high.

is cashew milk or cashew cheese ok on the elimination phase

Both are built from cashews, so they bring the same fructans and GOS and are best left out during the strict phase. Lactose-free milk and hard cheeses such as cheddar or parmesan fill those roles instead.

Learn more

Where this rating comes from

Cashew 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.

See our full rating method →

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.