After posting my gluten free granola recipe without oats, I wanted to develop a low FODMAP version. Nuts and seeds can be tricky to navigate on the low FODMAP diet and often require a bit of math. I’m no math whizz but I’ve done the hard work for you with this low FODMAP granola. It’s gluten free, dairy free and vegan – no oats in sight.
Low FODMAP granola (gluten free)
As mentioned, this granola is low FODMAP, gluten free and vegan. It is also jam packed with nuts, which is no easy feat on the low FODMAP diet.
There are a few criteria that were important to me for this recipe. Firstly, I wanted to ensure that it contained a regular quantity of nuts and seeds. Some of the low FODMAP granola recipes I looked at online contained a measly amount of nuts. It takes a bit of balancing, but it is entirely possible to make a low FODMAP granola with lots of nuts.
Secondly (and on a somewhat related note) I wanted to ensure the portions were generous while still being low FODMAP. There is nothing worse than a low FODMAP recipe where the portion size is 2 tablespoons to account for the FODMAPs. This granola can be eaten in generous servings (AKA: a handful at a time from the jar) just as intended.
Finally, I wanted this recipe to be oat free. Oats are not considered gluten free in Australia. When produced in a facility (and field) without cross contamination they can be called wheat free, but not gluten free. This is because oats contain a protein called avenin which is very similar to gluten. Coeliac Australia says not enough research has been done to determine whether this protein causes a reaction in coeliacs.
This low FODMAP granola fits all those criteria and more. It’s incredibly easy to make and tastes delicious.
Nuts and seeds for your low FODMAP granola
Making low FODMAP granola is not quite as easy as throwing whatever nuts you have in the pantry into the mix (like with my gluten free granola recipe). However, with a bit of admin, it is entirely possible to create a nutty and delicious mix.
My aim with this granola is to not stack any of the same FODMAP. For example, Brazil nuts and almonds both contain GOS as their FODMAP. My understanding of FODMAP stacking is that it’s quite individual to the person, so creating a recipe based on two of the same FODMAP has the potential to be inappropriate for some people.
As such, I have designed the recipe to use nuts and seeds from different FODMAP groups.
First off, our base nuts: macadamias and peanuts. Both of these nuts are low FODMAP. Monash has recently deleted a number of upper threshold entries for ingredients. They told me via email that this is temporary in order to make the app more clear, but it is annoying in the interim.
Either way, I am basing these thresholds off information previously written under the entries for peanuts. This entry specified that peanuts only contained trace FODMAPs and can be eaten freely. Monash have recently added a moderate threshold of 328g (for fructan). they are still low FODMAP, but it’s worth mentioning as they were previously deemed FODMAP free.
I will update the recipe if anything else changes following the app update. For now, this makes them a fantastic base for the nut portion of our low FODMAP granola.
Next, we’re using either pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or walnuts (see notes below). Both of these ingredients previously had fructans as their primary FODMAP, so we’re choosing one. Alternatively, you could use 1/4 cup of each (as I did in some of the photos).
To complete the granola, you have the choice of coconut flakes (sorbitol) or hemp seeds (GOS). You could also safely use 1/4 cup of each.
A note on the walnuts
Monash has (very recently) changed their entry for walnuts. Not only do they have a much lower FODMAP threshold, but they have also changed FODMAP! Where they were previously listed as a fructan containing nut, they are now listed as a GOS containing nut.
The new entry for walnuts states that walnuts are low FODMAP in 30g serves or approximately 15 nut halves. In 31g serves, they contain moderate amounts of GOS. In 36g serves, they contain high amounts of GOS.
This makes walnuts a much higher FODMAP choice. Of course, if you have had no issues eating walnuts then this doesn’t matter. If you can tolerate them, great.
1/2 cup of walnut halves is 60-65g and this recipe serves 4-8. This means that using walnuts will take 1/4th of the granola to 16.25g of walnuts per serve. It is still low FODMAP, but less so than it used to be.
An alternative is to use pecans, which have recently had their FODMAP content upgraded. Pecans are low FODMAP in 30g serves, but don’t become moderate for fructans until they reach serves of 269g or more.
Ingredient notes
First and foremost, let’s discuss the sweeteners. I know it’s annoying to use two sweeteners but I promise it for a good reason. Maple syrup provides a lovely sweetness but does nothing to create clusters in your granola. Rice malt syrup is a bland and mild sweetener, but does a fantastic job of creating clusters. Further, because rice malt syrup is a very mild sugar, it doesn’t make the granola overly sweet. The perfect match.
If you’d like to play around with the nuts and seeds in this recipe, go for it. Keep in mind that you will need to ensure the FODMAP quantities remain low. I have a post of the FODMAP contents of nuts and seeds here. I don’t have any suggestions for you other than what is listed, so you will need to do your own maths.
Suggested inclusions for this granola are spices and dark chocolate chips. They’re both optional, but add a little something.
If you don’t want to use peanut butter, you can use tahini instead. Hulled tahini has a higher FODMAP threshold when compared to unhulled, so I recommend using hulled tahini (the jar normally says which type it is in smaller print somewhere). The primary FODMAP for tahini is GOS, so try and keep the GOS content lower if you choose tahini.
FODMAP notes
The FODMAP thresholds in this post have been checked in May 2024 to ensure they remain current.
We have discussed the nuts and seeds side of the granola, but there are a few other things to keep in mind.
Monash lists ‘rice flakes’ as low FODMAP in 30g serves. They don’t specify an upper limit, nor whether this is white rice flakes, brown rice flakes or both.
White rice and it’s products (flour, etc) are all low FODMAP in serves of up to 500g. To me, it stands to reason that white rice flakes would be too.
Although Monash has no specific entry for brown rice flakes, I would recommend using white rice flakes here. Brown rice flour has FODMAP thresholds on the app, so it might follow that brown rice flakes do as well. I buy my white rice flakes in the Indian section at the supermarket. They are often called poha.
Monash says that maple syrup is low FODMAP in 50g serves. They don’t specify an upper limit. This granola uses 75g maple syrup.
Rice malt syrup is low FODMAP in 28g servings and remains low FODMAP in serves of up to 500g.
Peanut butter has different FODMAP entries based on where you live. US peanut butter is low FODMAP in 32g serves, according to Monash. They don’t currently specify an upper limit. Peanut butter elsewhere (although Monash don’t specify where) is low FODMAP in 50g servings. Again, no upper limit is specified.
Tips for your low FODMAP granola
- Rice flakes are very crunchy raw, and remain quite crunchy after baking. To me, this makes them perfect for splashing with milk – they soften, but not excessively, leaving a good amount of crunch. With that said, they’re not pleasant to eat raw (just in case you lick the spoon like I do).
- Lining your baking tray is important here. Because the sugars melt together, they will end up stuck to the baking tray if left to their own devices. I use reusable baking paper.
- Leaving some small chunks in the mix is fine when you stir your granola. These chunks will help create a clumpy granola.
- Speaking of: don’t stir or touch the granola when it comes out of the oven. When the sugars cool they will glue the granola together, which you can then break into chunks.
- Read the tips in the body of the post for FODMAP notes and best results. I promise I don’t write them for fun.
More low FODMAP breakfast recipes
- Gluten free buckwheat wraps
- Gluten free seeded bread (xanthan gum free, vegan)
- Low FODMAP, gluten free and vegan sausages
- Gluten free vegan bagels
- Gluten free, oat free porridge
Low FODMAP granola (no oats)
Ingredients
- 200 g (2 Aus cups) white rice flakes
- 75 g (½ Aus cup) peanuts
- 75 g (½ Aus cup) macadamia halves
- 75 g (½ Aus cup) pepitas or ½ Aus cup pecans (fructans)
- 30g (½ Aus cup) shredded coconut sorbitol or ½ cup hemp seeds (GOS)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 125 g (1/3 Aus cup) rice malt syrup
- 75 g (1/4 Aus cup) maple syrup
- 75 g (¼ Aus cup) natural smooth peanut butter (only ingredients should be peanuts and salt)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F. Line a large rimmed baking tray.
- Add all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the wet ingredients, then stir thoroughly until all the nuts and seeds are thoroughly coated in the wet ingredients. Some small chunks of nut butter are OK, but large chunks of unmixed wet ingredients will make for an average granola.
- Once you’re happy, spread the granola onto your lined baking tray. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool almost completely on the tray to allow the granola to form clumps. Break the granola into clumps of your choosing. Serve with fruit and milk or yoghurt. Store leftovers in an airtight container on the bench.
Notes
- Serving sizes are highly dependent on how much granola you eat and what you’re eating it with. To keep the granola low FODMAP, the minimum amount of serves is 4.
- Fat can affect gut motility, which is something to keep in mind when choosing your nuts and seeds.
- This recipe uses Australian cups. Use scales for accuracy if you are not Australian based. All scales (American scales included) have a function for grams.
- Read the notes in the body of the post for FODMAP notes, tips and tricks. I write extensive notes for all recipes, particularly low FODMAP ones.
- To keep this granola low FODMAP, serve it with low FODMAP milk, low FODMAP yoghurt and low FODMAP fruit.
- FODMAP breakdown for the nuts specified in the recipe:
- Peanuts have only trace FODMAPs in large serves.
- Macadamias are low FODMAP in 30g serves but don’t become moderate for fructans until they exceed 328g serves per person.
- Pumpkin seeds or pepitas are low FODMAP in 23g serves and contain high amounts of fructans in 100g serves. This recipe uses 75g pepitas, which is under the (conservative) threshold.
- Monash have recently dramatically changed the entry for walnuts. They have changed FODMAP and lowered the threshold significantly. Although the photos use walnuts, I now recommend pecans in their place.
- Although pumpkin seeds and pecans both contain the same FODMAP (fructans) their FODMAP thresholds suggest they could potentially be used together if you know your FDOMAP triggers and thresholds (and don’t eat a whole batch of granola at once).
- Shredded coconut is low FODMAP in 30g serves and moderate for sorbitol in 45g serves. This recipe uses 30g (1/2 cup) total and contains no other sorbitol containing ingredients.
- Hemp seeds are low FODMAP in 20g serves and contain moderate amounts of GOS in 50g serves. This recipe uses 75g hemp seeds, which is under the conservative threshold and well below the moderate serve.
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