Wasabi

High FODMAP

By Michael EisenwasserUpdated October 6, 2026

Serving sizes

Wasabi changes rating with portion size. These are the amounts tested in the literature behind our ratings.

About 1g Low
Larger portions Moderate
Much larger portions High

Sorbitol

Wasabi is High FODMAP at a usual serving, though about 1g is low.

At about 1g, a tiny dab, wasabi is low.
Sorbitol drives the climb, reaching moderate at larger portions and high at much larger portions.
Much of the wasabi sold is a horseradish and mustard blend, and prepared versions can hide extra ingredients, so check the label.

Keep it to a tiny dab with sushi, or try fresh ginger for a similar zing.

Why wasabi is rated high

Wasabi is rated high because of sorbitol, a polyol it carries in a concentrated form. The low serve is a tiny dab: about 1g is low, a larger portion is moderate, and a much larger portion, such as the teaspoon-sized mound that comes with sushi, is high. That is easy to miss with a condiment, because nobody thinks of a condiment as a portion, but a normal smear is already past the low serve.

What changes your risk

The low serve is a dab About 1g is low, larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high. A mound of paste on the side of a sushi plate is a much larger portion, so think in tiny dabs if you use it at all.
Nothing in the preparation lowers it Sorbitol is not destroyed by heat, chilling or mixing, so stirring wasabi into soy sauce, mayonnaise or a dressing spreads it through the dish rather than reducing it.
Stacking with other sorbitol sources Sorbitol adds up across a meal. Wasabi alongside stone fruit or sugar-free gum and mints sweetened with sorbitol builds one load out of several small ones.
What is in the tube Most wasabi sold outside Japan is a blend rather than pure wasabi root, and some pastes carry added sweeteners of their own. Check the ingredient list for sorbitol and other sugar alcohol sweeteners such as xylitol, maltitol and isomalt, which are listed by name or by number.
The rest of the plate at a sushi counter Wasabi rarely arrives alone. The pickled ginger, the sauces and the dressing on the side salad are all worth a look, since it is the total across the meal that matters rather than the condiment on its own.

Swaps

For heat and sharpness without the sorbitol, fresh ginger grated fine, fresh chilli, chilli flakes and cracked black pepper all do the job, and a little rice vinegar lifts them the way wasabi lifts soy sauce. With sushi and sashimi, plain soy sauce with grated ginger and a slice of chilli gets close to the same effect. Note that calling something "wasabi" on the label does not tell you it is different: the rating is for wasabi as sold, and the horseradish and mustard blends usually sold under the name are not a known lower option.

How to lower the load

At a sushi counter, ask for the plate without the wasabi rather than trying to leave it on the side, since a paste sitting against rice and fish spreads on contact and a mixed dipping bowl cannot be undone. If you want a little, take a dab of about 1g on the tip of a chopstick rather than stirring the mound into soy sauce. Keep grated fresh ginger or a jar of chilli flakes with your own soy sauce at home so the heat is built in from the start. If you buy a prepared tube or a powder, check the ingredient list for sorbitol and other sugar alcohol sweeteners before you open it, and treat anything labelled wasabi-flavoured, including peas, crisps, mayonnaise and dressings, as needing the same check.

Common questions

is wasabi low fodmap

Only as a tiny dab. About 1g is low, but larger portions are moderate and much larger portions are high, because of sorbitol.

how much wasabi is low fodmap

About 1g is the low serve. Larger portions are moderate and much larger portions, such as the usual mound served with sushi, are high.

is wasabi high in sorbitol

Yes. Sorbitol is the group driving its rating, and it builds quickly past about 1g.

what can i use instead of wasabi with sushi

Grated fresh ginger, fresh chilli or chilli flakes and cracked black pepper give heat and sharpness without the sorbitol, stirred into plain soy sauce.

Learn more

Where this rating comes from

Wasabi 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.

See our full rating method →

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.