Nougat

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

Nougat 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

Excess Fructose Fructans

Nougat is High FODMAP, a chewy honey-and-nut sweet whose sugary base packs in fermentable carbs fast.

The honey brings Excess Fructose and the nuts add some Fructans, so nougat sits at moderate even at a small serving and climbs to high by a moderate serving.
Most nougat is built on honey or glucose-fructose syrup with almonds or pistachios, and added dried fruit or extra syrup only pushes the load higher.

If you are craving something chewy and sweet, a small square of dark chocolate makes an easier stand-in when you want to stay comfortable.

Why nougat is rated high

Nougat is rated high FODMAP overall. Its chewy base is typically built on honey, which brings excess fructose, and the nuts folded through it add fructans, so two subgroups arrive together in a sweet that is mostly sugar and nuts. This rating is estimated from what nougat is made of rather than measured at a set serving. The ladder has no low rung: a Small serving already reads moderate, and a Moderate serving and a Large serving both read high.

What changes your risk

Serving size The Small serving is the only rung below high, and it reads moderate, so nougat never reaches low on its ladder.
Honey in the base Honey is a concentrated source of excess fructose, and nougat leans on it heavily for its chew and flavour.
Nuts and dried fruit The nuts add fructans, and nougat studded with dried fruit or candied fruit adds more excess fructose on top.
Stacking with sweets and fruit Nougat alongside honey cakes, dried fruit, apple, mango or wheat-based biscuits stacks excess fructose and fructans into one sitting.

Swaps

For a chewy, nutty sweet, a homemade bar made with rice malt syrup or maple syrup and peanuts, macadamias, walnuts or pecans fills the same role without honey. Pumpkin seeds work well folded through as a crunchy layer. Honey, agave syrup and high fructose corn syrup are not swaps, and nougat made with pistachios or cashews swaps one problem for another. Sugar-free chewy candies sweetened with sorbitol, maltitol or isomalt are not a safer choice either.

How to lower the load

If nougat is on the table, keep to the Small serving and treat it as moderate, which means leaving honey, dried fruit and wheat bakes off the same plate. Read labels before buying, since most nougat lists honey or a glucose-fructose syrup near the top and often adds dried fruit. For a version you control at home, set a rice malt syrup and sugar base with low FODMAP nuts such as peanuts, macadamias or walnuts, cut it into portions once cool, and store it airtight so it stays chewy.

Common questions

is nougat low fodmap

No, nougat is rated high FODMAP overall, estimated from what it is made of. A Small serving reads moderate, and a Moderate serving and a Large serving both read high.

why is nougat high fodmap

Its honey base brings excess fructose and its nuts add fructans, so the two subgroups stack in every bite.

can i eat nougat on the elimination phase

No rung on its ladder reads low, so it is usually set aside during elimination. A homemade chewy bar made with rice malt syrup and peanuts or walnuts fills the same role.

what is a low fodmap swap for nougat

A chewy bar sweetened with rice malt syrup or maple syrup and made with peanuts, macadamias, walnuts or pecans. Avoid honey, agave, pistachios, cashews and sugar-free candies with sugar alcohols.

Learn more

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

Nougat 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.