Low FODMAP Desserts

How low FODMAP baking works

Three swaps turn most desserts low FODMAP. The first is flour: wheat flour carries fructans in the amounts a cake or batch of cookies uses, so the recipes here use a gluten-free 1:1 blend or the site's own GF flour blend. Read the label on store-bought blends, since some add bean flours, inulin or chicory root.

The second is dairy. Regular milk, soft cheeses and larger amounts of cream carry lactose, so the recipes use lactose-free milk, lactose-free cream and lactose-free cream cheese where they call for more than a splash. Butter is naturally very low in lactose and stays in. Dark chocolate is low at about 30g per serving, which is why a brownie or cookie lists how much chocolate each piece holds.

The third is the sweetener. White sugar, brown sugar and pure maple syrup are low FODMAP, with maple syrup at about 1 tablespoon per serving. Honey is low only at about 1 teaspoon and high in larger amounts from excess fructose and fructans, and agave and high-fructose corn syrup are high. Sugar-free products are worth a second look: sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol and isomalt are all polyols, and they turn up in keto chocolate chips and diet sweets.

Fruit desserts need a portion check. Strawberries are low at about 5 medium berries per serving, blueberries at about 1 cup and firm bananas at up to one medium, while apple, pear, mango and watermelon are high at normal serving sizes. Each recipe lists what one slice or piece contains, and the low FODMAP food list covers the ingredients not mentioned here.

Nuts add crunch and richness but have their own servings. Almonds are low at about 10 nuts, pecans at 10 halves (20g) and walnuts at 10 halves (30g), so a recipe that folds nuts into a batter divides them across enough pieces. Peanut butter and seeds like pepitas are easy substitutes when a recipe needs more.