Lentil (canned)
Serving sizes
Lentil (canned) changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.
- About ⅓ cup (65g)
- Larger portions
- Much larger portions
Canned lentils are Low FODMAP at about ⅓ cup (65g), a handy portion of plant protein.
- A serving of ⅓ cup (65g) is low, since much of the fermentable carbohydrate leaches into the canning liquid.
- GOS and Fructans build at larger portions, reaching moderate and then high at much larger portions.
Drain and rinse them well, then add ⅓ cup (65g) to soups, salads or curries.
Why lentil (canned) is rated low
Canned lentils are low FODMAP at about ⅓ cup (65g), and GOS and fructans are the groups that build as the scoop grows. The climb is steep: a larger portion is already moderate, and a much larger portion is high. The verdict here is really about the ladle rather than the lentil. Much of a lentil's fermentable carbohydrate leaches into the canning liquid, which is why a drained and rinsed tin has a usable low serving at all, but moderate is only a spoonful or two up the bowl.
What changes your risk
- Serving size This is the whole story. About ⅓ cup (65g) is low, larger portions are moderate, and much larger portions are high, so the difference between a comfortable portion and a heavier one is a couple of spoonfuls rather than a second helping.
- Draining and rinsing Water-soluble FODMAPs leach out of legumes into the canning liquid while the tin sits on the shelf. Tip the whole tin into a sieve, let the cloudy liquid run off, then rinse under cold running water until the water stops foaming and the lentils no longer feel slippery.
- Boiled from dried is a different food Lentils simmered from dried and served in their own cooking liquid keep more of what the canning liquid would have drawn out. Do not carry the canned serving across to a pot of lentils cooked from scratch.
- Stacking across the meal A low rating is per serving, not per plate. Keep the lentils at about ⅓ cup (65g) and the rest of the meal still counts, so a bowl built from several low servings at once can add up to more total FODMAP load than any one of them suggests.
- What is in the tin and the pot with them Seasoned tins, stock cubes, curry pastes and soup bases often carry onion and garlic, and those come along regardless of how carefully the lentils are portioned. Build flavour with garlic-infused oil, chives, the green tops of spring onions and ground spices instead.
What else works
Canned lentils, drained and rinsed and kept to about ⅓ cup (65g), are the low form here, and that matters because the lookalikes are not equivalent. Lentils boiled from dried and other canned legumes are separate foods with their own serves, so a mixed bean tin or a scratch pot of lentils is not covered by this page. If a bowl needs more bulk once the lentils are portioned out, rice, quinoa, polenta and potato fill the plate, carrots, zucchini and green beans stretch a stew, and firm tofu or eggs add protein without adding another legume serving.
How to keep it low
Read the tin before it goes in the basket: plain lentils in water with salt behave predictably, while a tin flavoured with onion, garlic or a stock base does not. Rinse thoroughly in a sieve, shake dry, and portion at the stove rather than at the table. Measuring about ⅓ cup (65g) onto each plate before the dish is served is far easier than judging a helping once it is swimming in sauce. Leftovers freeze well in portioned tubs, which turns the portioning into a one time job. Eating out, a lentil soup or dahl arrives in an unknown quantity and usually on an onion and garlic base, so that is a different situation from a tin handled at home.
Common questions
how much canned lentils can i eat on low fodmap
About ⅓ cup (65g) is the low serving. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, so the portion is what decides it.
are canned lentils lower in fodmaps than lentils boiled from dried
Yes. FODMAPs in legumes are water-soluble and leach into the canning liquid, so a drained and rinsed tin runs lower than the same legume boiled from dried and served in its cooking liquid.
do i have to rinse canned lentils
Rinsing is worth doing, because the liquid in the tin holds FODMAPs that have leached out of the lentils. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until the foam stops.
can i eat canned lentils on the elimination phase
Canned lentils are low at about ⅓ cup (65g), so they can sit in an elimination phase meal at that amount. Tolerance is individual, and any wider reintroduction of legumes is worked through with a dietitian.
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Where this rating comes from
Lentil (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.
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.
Informational only, not medical advice. Individual tolerance varies. Talk to a healthcare professional or a dietitian for personal guidance.