Young Gouda

Low FODMAP

By Michael EisenwasserUpdated September 22, 2026

Typical portion

Any typical portion Low

Young Gouda is Low FODMAP, a ripened cheese where the aging process leaves almost no fermentable carbohydrate behind.

As a ripened cheese, most of the milk sugar is fermented out during production, so young Gouda carries negligible FODMAPs and stays gentle at any typical portion.

Enjoy it sliced, cubed, or melted, and just check labels on flavored versions since added ingredients can change the picture.

Why young gouda is rated low

Young Gouda is low on a low FODMAP diet. Even at the younger end, Gouda is a ripened cheese, and the fermentation and ripening it goes through leave very little fermentable carbohydrate in the finished wheel. The ladder matches that: Any typical portion reads low, whether it is sliced onto bread, cubed onto a board or melted over a dish. Low describes a typical portion, so treat it as a dependable everyday cheese rather than an open invitation.

What changes your risk

A typical portion is the rating Any typical portion reads low. That covers the way Gouda is normally eaten, and low is not the same as unlimited.
The rest of the plate A low rating applies per serving, not per meal. Gouda melted onto an ordinary wheat roll, or served with an onion heavy chutney or a stock based sauce, sits on a plate that is high for reasons that have nothing to do with the cheese.
Flavoured and smoked versions Cumin Gouda, smoked Gouda, herb and garlic blocks and spreadable Gouda wedges carry ingredients beyond the cheese. Read the label, because added onion and garlic in a flavoured block are what change the picture.
Melting changes nothing Grilling, baking or melting Gouda does not lower or raise what it carries, because heat does not break FODMAPs down. The work was done during ripening, long before it reached the shop.
Age is not the issue here Young and aged Gouda both come out of a ripening process, so the age on the label is not what decides how this cheese fits a low FODMAP plate. What it is served alongside matters far more.

What else works

Young Gouda keeps good company among the ripened and aged cheeses: cheddar, parmesan and swiss all behave the same way and cover slicing, grating and melting. Serve them on gluten free crackers or gluten free bread, with strawberries or cucumber and carrot sticks alongside for a board that stays low across the whole plate. The cheeses that do not follow the same rule are the fresh and unripened ones, such as ricotta, cottage cheese and cream cheese, which never go through the ripening that empties a Gouda out, and ordinary milk and cream belong in that group too rather than being treated as equivalents.

How to keep it low

Buy a plain block or plain deli slices rather than a flavoured or spreadable version, and check the ingredients on anything smoked, herbed or sold in a tub. A block wrapped well keeps for weeks in the fridge, which makes it a practical staple for sandwiches, omelettes and lunchboxes when many other cheeses are off the table. Grating it over a dish stretches a typical portion further than adding more slices. On a cheese board, put the Gouda next to gluten free crackers and fruit that is also low rather than next to an onion based chutney, since the accompaniments are usually where a low FODMAP plate comes undone.

Common questions

is young gouda low fodmap

Yes. Any typical portion reads low, because ripening leaves very little fermentable carbohydrate in the cheese.

how much gouda can i eat on a low fodmap diet

Any typical portion is rated low, which covers slices, cubes or a grating over a dish. Low describes a typical portion, so it is not unlimited.

is smoked or flavoured gouda the same

Not necessarily, because flavoured blocks can include onion and garlic among the added ingredients. The plain cheese is what is rated low, so check the label on anything smoked, herbed or spreadable.

can i eat gouda on the elimination phase

Yes, young Gouda at any typical portion fits the elimination phase, plain rather than flavoured. Keep an eye on the bread, sauce or chutney it is served with, since those carry their own load.

Learn more

Where this rating comes from

Young Gouda has an estimated rating. Our sources have no direct measurement of it, so its rating is worked out from its ingredients and composition and from the closest measured foods, then checked a second time. The low, moderate and high cutoffs are those 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.