Chickpea (canned)

Low FODMAP

By Michael EisenwasserUpdated October 5, 2026

Serving sizes

Chickpea (canned) changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.

About ⅓ cup (80g) Low
Larger portions Moderate
Much larger portions High

Fructans GOS

Canned chickpeas are Low FODMAP at about ⅓ cup (80g), with Fructans and GOS building at larger portions.

Canned chickpeas are low at about ⅓ cup (80g).
Fructans and GOS climb to moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions; draining and rinsing helps, because both are water-soluble.

Keep chickpeas to about ⅓ cup (80g) per serve as a topping or side, and bulk the bowl out with rice, quinoa or potato.

Why chickpea (canned) is rated low

Canned chickpeas are low FODMAP at about ⅓ cup (80g), moderate in larger portions and high in much larger portions. The FODMAPs in chickpeas are fructans and GOS, and the step from low to moderate is small, only a spoonful or two. About ⅓ cup (80g) works as a topping or a side, but the moment chickpeas become the main event, such as a chickpea curry, a bowl of hummus or a roasted chickpea snack, the serving is already heading toward moderate and then high.

What changes your risk

Serving size About ⅓ cup (80g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. The first step is narrow, so measure rather than guess.
Canned versus boiled from dried Fructans and GOS are water-soluble and leach into the canning liquid, so canned chickpeas that are drained and rinsed run lower than chickpeas boiled from dried. The serves here are for canned chickpeas.
Drain and rinse Tip the can into a sieve, discard the liquid, and rinse the chickpeas under running water before measuring. Do not cook with the canning liquid (aquafaba), since that is where the leached fructans and GOS end up.
Hummus and falafel Hummus is mostly chickpeas blended with garlic, and falafel usually includes onion and garlic, so both pack more chickpea and more fructans than a portioned scatter on a salad.
Stacking with fructans and GOS Chickpeas stack with other legumes such as lentils, kidney beans and baked beans, with cashews and pistachios, and with wheat bread, onion and garlic. A chickpea salad with pita and garlic dressing adds up fast.

What else works

For the protein and bulk that chickpeas bring to a bowl or curry, firm tofu is the closest swap, and eggs, chicken or fish all work too. For crunch on a salad instead of roasted chickpeas, try pumpkin seeds, peanuts or walnuts. To fill out a grain bowl, rice, quinoa, potato or polenta carry the bulk without more fructans or GOS. The lookalikes that are not low are chickpeas boiled from dried, a bigger scoop of canned chickpeas, hummus, falafel, and other legumes such as kidney beans and baked beans.

How to keep it low

Open the can, drain and rinse the chickpeas in a sieve, then measure about ⅓ cup (80g) and store the rest in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer for later meals. Use them as a topping on a rice or quinoa bowl, scattered through a salad, or stirred into a curry built on garlic-infused oil and lots of potato or carrot. For a low FODMAP hummus-style dip, keep the chickpea portion portioned and lean on tahini, lemon and garlic-infused oil for flavour. When eating out, treat hummus plates and chickpea curries as high unless the portion is clearly small.

Common questions

how much canned chickpeas is low fodmap

About ⅓ cup (80g) of drained, rinsed canned chickpeas is low FODMAP. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high.

are chickpeas high in gos

Chickpeas carry GOS and fructans. At about ⅓ cup (80g) canned they stay low, in larger portions they are moderate and in much larger portions they are high.

are canned chickpeas better than dried for fodmap

Yes. Fructans and GOS leach into the canning liquid, so drained and rinsed canned chickpeas run lower than chickpeas boiled from dried.

is hummus low fodmap

Most hummus is not, because it contains garlic and a large amount of chickpeas per serving. Keep the chickpeas to about ⅓ cup (80g) and use garlic-infused oil for flavour.

Learn more

Where this rating comes from

Chickpea (canned) 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.