Potato Chips
Tested serving
- 1 cup (22g)
Plain potato chips are Low FODMAP at 1 cup (22g), making them an easy snack when you're craving something crunchy and salty.
- Plain potato chips are made from potatoes, which naturally carry little in the way of FODMAPs, so at 1 cup (22g) there are no elevated subgroups to worry about and the level sits comfortably low.
- The catch is usually in the seasonings: chips flavored with onion or garlic powder can shift the picture, since those are potent Fructan sources, so it pays to check the ingredients on flavored varieties.
When in doubt, reach for lightly salted or plain chips and enjoy them as a satisfying, gut-friendly crunch.
Why potato chips is rated low
Plain potato chips come in low at 1 cup (22g), and the published serving data records no raised FODMAP subgroup for them at that amount, so there is no single trigger to steer around. That makes them one of the more straightforward salty snacks to keep in the cupboard. The two honest caveats are the cup and the coating. Amounts larger than 1 cup (22g) are not tested here, so that cup is the serving the data actually covers rather than an open invitation to the rest of the bag. And the rating describes plain chips. Once onion powder, garlic powder or a savoury seasoning blend is dusted over them, the flavouring brings its own high FODMAP ingredients that the potato underneath never had.
What changes your risk
- Serving size The tested amount is 1 cup (22g), and larger helpings are simply not covered by this data. Eating straight from a sharing bag makes that cup impossible to see, so tip the serving into a bowl and put the bag away before you start.
- The flavour coating Onion powder and garlic powder are high FODMAP seasonings, and they are the backbone of French onion, sour cream and onion, cheese and onion, barbecue and most savoury flavour blends. Plain salted chips, or lightly salted varieties with a short ingredient list, are the ones this rating describes.
- What you dip them in The dip is usually the bigger load. Hummus is made from chickpeas, French onion dip is built on onion, and creamy dips often start from sour cream or cream cheese. Chips on their own stay simpler than chips with a bowl of something beside them.
- Stacking through the meal A low rating is per serving, not per day. A serving of chips alongside several other low servings in one sitting adds up to a bigger total FODMAP load for that meal, so it helps to spread snacks across the day rather than lining them all up at once.
- Chips that are not potato Vegetable crisps, lentil chips, chickpea puffs and mixed root vegetable chips are different foods made from different raw materials, and none of them are covered by the potato chip serving data.
What else works
Plain potato chips are themselves the low option here, so the real choice is which bag rather than which snack. Lightly salted or plain salted chips fit the data. French onion, sour cream and onion, cheese and onion and most barbecue seasonings do not, and neither do lentil or chickpea based crisps, which are legume products at heart. If you want something else with crunch, carrot sticks, cucumber, bell pepper strips, peanuts, macadamias, pecans and pumpkin seeds all work at ordinary snack amounts. Leave the hummus and the onion dip out of the picture and use a squeeze of lemon, salt, or a little garlic-infused oil on the vegetables instead.
How to keep it low
Read the ingredient list rather than the front of the packet, since a chip sold as "original" can still list onion or garlic powder, and a chip sold as "salt and vinegar" often does not. Single serve bags take the guesswork out entirely. If you are buying the large bag, measure 1 cup (22g) into a bowl, clip the bag shut and leave it in the cupboard rather than on the couch beside you. Keep opened bags sealed so they stay crisp, because stale chips tend to get eaten absent mindedly rather than enjoyed. When eating out, plain fries or chips from the fryer are usually just potato and oil, but seasoned fries, loaded fries and anything described as "seasoned" or "spiced" are worth asking about.
Common questions
how many potato chips can i eat on a low fodmap diet
The tested serving is 1 cup (22g) of plain potato chips, and it comes in low. Larger amounts have not been tested here, so treat that cup as the amount the data actually covers.
are flavoured potato chips low fodmap
This rating describes plain chips. Onion powder and garlic powder are high FODMAP seasonings and they appear in most savoury flavour blends, so flavoured varieties are not covered by it. Check the ingredient list rather than the flavour name.
can you eat potato chips on the elimination phase
Yes. Plain potato chips at 1 cup (22g) are low and fit the elimination phase. Tolerance still varies between people, and reintroduction is something to work through with a dietitian.
are vegetable crisps a better choice than potato chips
No. Vegetable crisps, lentil chips and chickpea puffs are made from different ingredients and are not covered by the potato chip serving data. Plain potato chips at 1 cup (22g) are the version with tested low serving data behind them.
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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.