Pear Juice

High FODMAP

Serving sizes

Pear Juice 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 Sorbitol

Pear juice is High FODMAP, since pressing the fruit into juice concentrates its natural sugars into every sip.

Pears carry both excess fructose and sorbitol, and juicing packs those sugars in tightly, so even a small serving lands at moderate and a moderate serving climbs to high.
Most pear juices, whether from concentrate or freshly pressed, behave the same way, and blends or sweetened versions can add even more to the load.

If you want a fruity glass, reach for a low-FODMAP option like orange juice in a modest pour, and keep pear-based drinks for special occasions.

Why pear juice is rated high

Pear juice is high FODMAP overall, a rating estimated from what it is made of rather than a measured serving. Fresh pear is already a high FODMAP fruit because it carries both excess fructose and sorbitol, and juicing presses the sugars of a lot of pear into a drink while leaving the fibre behind. That makes the juice easier to take in fast and harder to keep small. A Small serving reads moderate, a Moderate serving is high, and a Large serving stays high. No rung on the ladder comes in low.

What changes your risk

Juicing Pressing pears pulls the excess fructose and sorbitol of several fruits into one drink and drops the fibre. A drink of pear juice goes down far faster than eating a whole pear.
Serving size A Small serving is moderate. Moving up to a Moderate serving takes it to high, and a Large serving is high too.
Hidden pear juice Pear juice is a common base or sweetener in fruit blends, kids' drinks, jams, fruit snacks and some 'no added sugar' products. Checking the ingredient list for pear juice or pear juice concentrate catches it.
Stacking Sorbitol and excess fructose both build up across a meal. Pear juice next to apple, mango, watermelon, stone fruit, honey, avocado or anything with sorbitol on the label adds to the same load.
Cooking it down Simmering pear juice into a syrup or a poaching liquid does not break down the fructose or sorbitol. Reducing it only concentrates them further.

Swaps

For a glass of fruit juice in the morning, whole oranges, mandarins or kiwi give a fresh, sweet flavour with the fibre still in place. Pineapple, strawberries or cantaloupe blended with water and ice make a light fruit drink. In cooking and baking, where pear juice is used to sweeten or poach, maple syrup or rice malt syrup thinned with a little water fills the role. Apple juice, mango juice and stone fruit nectars are not swaps, since they carry the same subgroups.

How to lower the load

Pear juice often hides in places that do not say 'pear' on the front, so reading the ingredient list on fruit blends, smoothies, jams and children's drinks is the most useful habit here. For poaching fruit, a syrup made with table sugar or maple syrup and water works in place of pear juice, and a firm banana or strawberries can stand in for the poached pear itself. If a recipe uses pear juice as a marinade sweetener, orange juice with a spoon of maple syrup does the same job.

Common questions

is pear juice low fodmap

No. Pear juice 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 are high.

is pear juice high in fructose

Yes. Pear carries excess fructose and sorbitol, and juicing concentrates both into the drink without the fibre of the whole fruit.

is pear juice worse than eating a pear

Juice packs the sugars of more fruit into a drink that goes down quickly, so it is easy to take in more excess fructose and sorbitol than from a single whole pear. Both the fresh fruit and the juice are high FODMAP.

what juice can i drink instead of pear juice on low fodmap

Whole oranges, mandarins or kiwi, or pineapple, strawberries or cantaloupe blended with water, give a fruity drink without pear. Apple and mango juices are not good swaps because they carry the same subgroups.

Learn more

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

Pear Juice 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.