GutWise

Sauces and condiments

Is Pesto Low FODMAP?

High FODMAP

Avoid during elimination. Save for a structured reintroduction challenge.

Safe serving

Certified low-FODMAP pesto only

FODMAP group responsible

  • Fructans — Oligosaccharides. Wheat, onion, garlic. The most common trigger and the hardest to avoid.
  • GOS — Oligosaccharides. Galacto-oligosaccharides — legumes, pulses and some nuts.

Why

Conventional pesto is garlic plus, in cheaper versions, cashews standing in for pine nuts — two of the highest-FODMAP ingredients in one jar. Certified versions exist, and a home version with garlic-infused oil and pine nuts works well.

What to use instead

  • Basil, pine nuts, parmesan and garlic-infused oil

    Blended together this is a genuine pesto minus the only ingredient causing the problem.

This entry is compiled from published Monash-aligned guidance rather than our own laboratory testing, and thresholds are revised as new data arrives. For the elimination phase the Monash app is the authority. See the full food list for how the categories fit together, orcheck another food.

Free download

Low-FODMAP Elimination Phase Starter Kit

A 14-page PDF: the full safe-foods list, a two-week meal plan, a printable symptom tracker and a shopping checklist you can take to the store.

Email us for the Starter Kit