Croissant

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

Croissant changes rating with portion size. Its rating is estimated from what it is made of, so the servings are described rather than weighed.

Small serving Moderate
Moderate serving High
Large serving High

Fructans

Croissants are High FODMAP, since they're built on wheat flour that carries fermentable carbs from the very first bite.

The fructans in wheat flour drive the level here: a small serving sits at moderate, but it climbs to high by a moderate serving and stays there at a large serving, so the load adds up fast.
Croissants come in plain and filled versions, and buttery layers don't change the wheat base, though sweet or savory fillings can add their own FODMAPs on top.

When you want that flaky fix, a certified gluten-free croissant or pastry lets you enjoy the texture without the wheat fructans.

Why croissant is rated high

A croissant is high, and the reason is the flour it is built from: the fructans in wheat are there from the first layer of dough, and the butter, the lamination and the proving do nothing to remove them. That rating is estimated from the composition of a standard croissant rather than a weighed, measured serving. The tested pattern is worth knowing exactly, because it never reaches low: a Small serving already reads MODERATE, a Moderate serving is HIGH, and a Large serving is HIGH. There is no rung on this ladder where a croissant comes in low, so the honest answer is that a pastry this size made from wheat flour is a high FODMAP breakfast regardless of how carefully it is portioned.

What changes your risk

The flour, and nothing about the technique Wheat flour brings the fructans, and lamination, resting, proving and baking leave them intact. Heat does not break fructans down, so a longer bake, a darker crust or a night in the freezer changes the texture and not the FODMAP content.
The ladder starts at moderate The smallest tested rung is a Small serving at moderate, and it is high by a Moderate serving. That matters because the usual coping strategy of having a little does not land anywhere low here, and there is no smaller tested amount to point to.
Sourdough fermentation does not apply to this one A long, traditional sourdough fermentation does break down much of the fructan in wheat, which is why traditional sourdough bread is treated differently from ordinary yeasted bread. Croissants are yeast raised and laminated on a short timeline, so they do not get that benefit, and a bakery calling its viennoiserie sourdough is not making the same claim.
Fillings add their own load on top Savoury croissants usually arrive with a sauce, a pesto or a deli filling built on onion or garlic, which puts more fructans on a base that is already high. Sweet fillings are judged on their own ingredients, and honey drizzled over the top is another high choice rather than a lighter one.
The rest of the breakfast stacks Fructans accumulate across a meal, so a croissant alongside wheat toast, a wheat based cereal or a garlic heavy filling in the same sitting compounds a load that was already at the top of the range on its own.

Swaps

The closest swap for the flaky, buttery role is a certified gluten free croissant or pastry from a bakery that makes them properly, since gluten free pastry gets you the laminated texture without wheat fructans. Failing that, traditional sourdough spelt or traditional sourdough wheat bread, toasted with plenty of butter and jam or maple syrup, is the realistic weekday substitute for a bakery breakfast, and gluten free bread does the same job. Beyond bread, eggs any way you like them, oats made into porridge, rice based breakfasts and a bowl of strawberries or blueberries with lactose-free yoghurt fill the breakfast slot without the fructan question. What does not help is switching to a wheat pain au chocolat, a brioche, a wheat bagel or a plain wheat roll, since all of those carry the same fructans as the croissant.

How to lower the load

Buy the gluten free version from a dedicated gluten free bakery rather than hoping an ordinary bakery has one, since laminated gluten free pastry is a specialist product and most cafe counters will not have it. Frozen gluten free pastry and gluten free puff pastry sheets are widely sold and bake into something genuinely croissant shaped at home, which is the most reliable route. Gluten free pastries stale quickly, so freeze what you are not eating and warm it from frozen rather than buying a batch to sit on the counter. In a cafe, the usable order is gluten free toast with butter and jam, or eggs, rather than negotiating a smaller croissant, because the smallest tested serving on this food is already at moderate and there is no lower rung to aim for.

Common questions

are croissants low fodmap

No. Croissants are high, driven by the fructans in wheat flour, and the rating is estimated from what the pastry is made of. The smallest tested rung is a Small serving at moderate, and it is high from a Moderate serving upward.

can i have a small croissant

A Small serving is the lowest rung tested and it reads moderate, not low. There is no tested amount of a wheat croissant that comes in low, so a gluten free croissant is the better route if you want the pastry.

are croissants high in fructans

Yes. The wheat flour base is the source, and the butter and the laminated layers do not change it. Baking, toasting and freezing leave fructans intact.

what can i eat instead of a croissant for breakfast

A certified gluten free croissant or pastry is the direct swap. Otherwise traditional sourdough spelt or wheat toast, gluten free toast with butter and jam, eggs, or porridge oats with berries cover the same breakfast slot.

Learn more

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

Croissant is an estimated rating: it is inferred from the food's ingredients and composition and cross-checked, not measured directly in the papers below. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are still those of Varney et al. (2017).

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.