Dried Pear
Tested serving
- 6 pieces (27g)
Dried Pear is High FODMAP at 6 pieces (27g), driven by its concentrated sorbitol content.
- Drying pears removes the water and concentrates the natural sorbitol, a sugar polyol that tends to be poorly absorbed and can trigger symptoms for many people. At the tested serving of 6 pieces (27g), the sorbitol load lands in the high range.
- Dried fruits like this are easy to nibble by the handful, and because they are so compact it takes only a small amount to add up, so they are often enjoyed as an occasional accent rather than a main snack.
If you are craving something sweet and chewy, a small serving of low-FODMAP dried fruit or a piece of fresh, well-tolerated fruit can scratch the same itch.
Per 6 pieces (27g): 2.19g sorbitol.
Why dried pear is rated high
Dried pear is high FODMAP at 6 pieces (27g), and sorbitol is what puts it there. Pear is one of the strongest sorbitol carriers in the fruit aisle to begin with, and drying it takes away the water while leaving all of that sorbitol in place, so the dried pieces are a concentrated version of a fruit that was already a problem. Only one serving has been tested, 6 pieces (27g), and it is high, so the data offers no lower rung for dried pear and no tested amount that comes in under the line.
What changes your risk
- Concentration, not transformation Drying does not change what pear is, it just removes the water. The sorbitol that was diluted through a juicy fruit ends up packed into leathery slices.
- One rung on the ladder 6 pieces (27g) is the only tested serving for dried pear and it is high. There is no published level for fewer pieces, so there is no tested portion to fall back on.
- Sorbitol adds up across the day Fresh pear, apple, blackberry, apricot, plum, peach and anything sweetened with sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol or isomalt all draw on the same subgroup. Several separate low servings in one afternoon can still land you in a high total.
- Pear juice concentrate counts Concentrated pear shows up as a sweetener in bars, baby snacks and drinks marketed as having no added sugar. Juicing and concentrating move the sugars in the same direction as drying does.
- Poaching and baking will not help Heat does not break sorbitol down. Simmering dried pear for a compote leaves it in the dish, and any that moves into the syrup is served with the fruit anyway.
Swaps
For the chewy, sweet, slightly floral thing dried pear does, there is no safe dried-fruit stand-in worth naming, and it is more honest to say so than to point you at dried apple or dried apricot, which carry the same sorbitol. On a cheese board, grapes with cheddar or parmesan give you the same sweet and salty contrast. In porridge or granola, a firm just-yellow banana, strawberries, blueberries or raspberries bring the sweetness back. For a lunchbox snack, mandarin segments, kiwi, pineapple or a mix of pecans, walnuts and pumpkin seeds fill the slot. Fresh pear and apple are not gentler versions of this food and should not be treated as the fallback.
How to lower the load
Dried pear is often sold blended rather than alone, so the packaging rarely announces it. Look through mixed dried fruit tubs, fruit medley packs, cheese board selections, muesli and granola clusters, and children's fruit bites, and watch labels for pear juice concentrate in bars, cereals and drinks where it is doing the sweetening. If you are assembling a snack box for work or travel, packing it yourself from nuts, seeds and whole fresh fruit avoids the mixed-fruit packs entirely, since once pear pieces are in the blend there is no practical way to portion around them.
Common questions
is dried pear low fodmap in small amounts
The data does not support that. The only tested serving, 6 pieces (27g), is high in sorbitol, and no smaller amount of dried pear has a published level.
is dried pear high in sorbitol
Yes, sorbitol is the subgroup behind the rating, and drying concentrates it so that 6 pieces (27g) lands in the high range.
can i have dried pear on the elimination phase
It is high FODMAP at the tested serving, so it is normally kept out during elimination. Reintroduction is something to plan with a dietitian, and individual tolerance differs.
what is a good low fodmap swap for dried pear on a cheese board
Grapes with cheddar or parmesan give the same sweet and salty pairing. Dried apple and dried apricot are not swaps, since both carry sorbitol as well.
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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.
Last reviewed September 22, 2026.