Cream

Low FODMAP

By Michael EisenwasserUpdated October 5, 2026

Serving sizes

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

About 2 tablespoons (40g) Low
Larger portions Moderate
Much larger portions High

Lactose

Cream is Low FODMAP at about 2 tablespoons (40g), with Lactose building at larger portions.

Plain cream is low at about 2 tablespoons (40g), a splash or a dollop.
Lactose, the milk sugar, builds with every extra spoonful, so larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high.

Use cream in the small amounts most recipes call for, and switch to lactose-free cream when you want a generous pour.

Why cream is rated low

Cream is low at about 2 tablespoons (40g), a splash in coffee or a dollop beside a dessert. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions, the kind of amount poured over a whole bowl or whipped into a thick layer, are high. The FODMAP in cream is lactose, the milk sugar, and it builds with every extra spoonful. Nothing about that makes cream a problem food. It does mean cream behaves like a finishing ingredient rather than a base you can build a plate on, and that a recipe built around a whole carton is a different proposition from a spoonful stirred into a sauce at the end.

What changes your risk

How much lands on the plate The level moves on serving alone. About 2 tablespoons (40g) is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so the pour is the lever, not the brand or the fat percentage.
Stacking lactose across the meal Lactose adds up across everything eaten together. Cream over a fruit crumble, alongside a milky coffee, on top of a dessert made with milk or ice cream, adds up even when each part looked fine on its own.
Lactose free cream Lactose free dairy is ordinary dairy with the lactase enzyme added so the milk sugar is already split. It is the sensible choice when a recipe asks you to be generous. It is not dairy free and it is not suitable for a milk allergy.
Flavoured and sweetened versions Plain cream is what these serves cover. Squirty toppings, dessert creams and flavoured pots bring their own sweeteners and additions, and anything sweetened with sugar alcohols such as xylitol or maltitol is a different question entirely.
The sauce it disappears into Cream is usually a carrier. Pan sauces, chowders and creamy pasta sauces built on onion, garlic or a stock cube carry a load that has nothing to do with the cream. Use garlic infused oil and the green tops of spring onions to build that base instead.

What else works

Cream is already low at about 2 tablespoons (40g), so the useful comparison is the dairy around it. Hard, aged cheeses such as cheddar, parmesan and swiss lose nearly all their lactose in the making and are dependable in the same meal. Lactose free milk, lactose free cream and lactose free yoghurt fill the pourable and spoonable roles. The lookalikes people assume are equivalent are the ones to watch: ordinary milk poured in quantity, ice cream, condensed milk, ordinary yoghurt, and soft fresh cheeses such as ricotta, cottage and cream cheese do not behave the way a splash of cream does, and none of them is a swap for it.

How to keep it low

Serve cream from a jug rather than the carton so the pour stays a pour, and measure about 2 tablespoons (40g) once to see what it looks like. Whipping stretches the same amount further across a plate, which keeps a small serve looking generous. When a recipe is built around cream rather than finished with it, a baked pasta, a creamy soup, a pavlova with a thick layer on top, reach for lactose free cream from the start rather than trying to ration ordinary cream at the table. In restaurants the cream is rarely the only issue: ask what the sauce is built on, because onion and garlic in the base can matter more than the cream.

Common questions

is cream low fodmap

Yes, at about 2 tablespoons (40g). Cream is moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions, because the lactose builds with the amount.

how much cream can i have

About 2 tablespoons (40g), a splash or a dollop, is low. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so cream is a finishing touch rather than a heavy pour.

what about lactose free cream

Lactose free cream is ordinary cream with the lactase enzyme added, so the milk sugar is already split. It is the better pick when you want to be generous, and it is not dairy free or suitable for a milk allergy.

can i have cream on the elimination phase

Cream at about 2 tablespoons (40g) is low, so it fits the elimination phase in that amount. Tolerance is individual, and reintroduction of anything is best worked through with a dietitian.

Learn more

Where this rating comes from

Cream 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.