Hemp Seed Oil
Typical portion
- Any typical portion
Hemp seed oil is Low FODMAP, a pressed oil that's essentially pure fat with nothing fermentable along for the ride.
- Since it's pressed straight from the seeds, hemp seed oil carries negligible carbohydrate and no FODMAPs, so it stays gentle at any typical portion you'd use in the kitchen.
Drizzle it over salads or finished dishes to enjoy its nutty flavor, and keep it off high heat since it's best used cold or added at the end of cooking.
Why hemp seed oil is rated low
Hemp seed oil is low FODMAP. The rating is estimated from what it is made of rather than a measured serving: it is the oil pressed out of hemp seeds, so it is fat with essentially no carbohydrate, and nothing fermentable comes along with it. Any typical portion is rated low. The important distinction is between the oil and the seed. Whole hemp seeds, hemp protein powder and hemp milk are made from more of the seed than its fat, so the oil's rating does not transfer to them, and the pesto, dip or dressing you stir the oil into is judged on its own ingredients.
What changes your risk
- Seed versus oil Hemp seeds, hemp hearts, hemp protein powder and hemp milk are separate foods with their own ratings. Only the pressed oil is covered here.
- Pesto and dips Hemp seed oil is a favourite in green pestos and seed dips, which are often made with raw garlic and sometimes cashews. Those set the FODMAP load, not the oil.
- Blended and infused oils A hemp oil blend with garlic or onion pieces left in the bottle carries those foods with it. A strained garlic-infused oil does not, because the FODMAPs in garlic do not dissolve into oil.
- Keeping it off the heat Hemp seed oil is used cold or added at the end because heat spoils its flavour, not because heat changes its FODMAP content. Heat neither adds nor removes FODMAPs, in the oil or in anything cooked with it.
- The whole bowl In a grain bowl or salad the oil contributes nothing, so the total comes from everything else. Several ingredients that each carry some FODMAPs in one sitting still add up.
What else works
For a nutty finishing oil, extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil fills the same role, and for nutty texture on top of a dish, walnuts and pumpkin seeds are low FODMAP picks. If you want the garlic flavour of a classic pesto, make it with garlic-infused oil, basil, parmesan and walnuts or pumpkin seeds rather than raw garlic. Cashews are not a low FODMAP swap, so avoid seed and nut pestos or dips built on them. The other lookalikes are the rest of the hemp aisle: hemp seeds, hemp protein and hemp milk are rated separately and should not be assumed to share the oil's rating.
How to keep it low
Hemp seed oil is delicate, so buy it in a dark bottle, keep it in the fridge once opened, and choose a bottle you will finish while it still tastes fresh and grassy rather than bitter. Use it where its flavour shows: stirred into a finished soup, over roasted potato or carrot, whisked into a lemon dressing, or spooned over rice and eggs. Add it after cooking rather than frying with it, and season the dish with chives, the green tops of spring onions or garlic-infused oil instead of a stock cube or spice blend that may contain onion and garlic.
Common questions
is hemp seed oil low fodmap
Yes. Hemp seed oil is rated low FODMAP, estimated from what it is made of, a pressed fat with essentially no carbohydrate. The rating covers Any typical portion.
are hemp seeds low fodmap like hemp seed oil
Not automatically. Hemp seeds, hemp protein and hemp milk are made from more of the seed than just its fat, so they are rated as separate foods and the oil's rating does not carry over.
can i cook with hemp seed oil on a low fodmap diet
Its FODMAP rating does not change with heat, but it is best used cold or added at the end because high heat spoils the flavour. For frying, a plain neutral oil does the job better.
can i have hemp seed oil on the elimination phase
Yes, it fits the elimination phase. Just watch what it is mixed into, since pestos and dips that use it often include raw garlic or cashews.
Try FODMAP Foods
Scan any food with your camera, search every rating in this list, and see your safe portion before you eat.
Learn more
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.
Hemp Seed Oil 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.
Last reviewed October 17, 2026.