Are leeks low FODMAP? 15 recipes included

If you are wondering, “Are leeks low FODMAP?”. Then you are in the right place.

Navigating the low FODMAP diet is difficult, especially when it comes to food groups like fruit and vegetables.

This blog covers the low FODMAP diet and whether leeks are FODMAP friendly. 

We also look at the nutritional benefits of leeks and provide low FODMAP leek recipes for you to experiment with at home.

What are leeks?

Leeks are a type of vegetable that originated in middle Asia and belong to the allium family.  

They provide a fragrant mild onion flavor, which you can enjoy as a base in many dishes such as soups, pies and stir frys. 

Foods like onions, garlic, spring onions and shallots also belong to the allium family (1).

What are the nutritional benefits of leeks? 

Like most vegetables, leeks are fat free and low in calories as well as being high in fiber. This makes leeks great for weight maintenance or weight loss. 

They are also rich in multiple vitamins and minerals including potassium, magnesium and folate (2). 

Potassium and magnesium are essential for normal heart, muscle and nerve functioning (3, 4)

Leeks also count towards one of your 30 weekly plant points; this concept involves aiming to eat 30 different types of plants each week.

Research has shown that 30 plant points per week helps to support good gut health by improving microbiome diversity (5).

What is the low FODMAP diet?

The low FODMAP diet is a diet which is low in ‘FODMAPs.’

This low FODMAP diet helps to identify if you have any food intolerances as part of your IBS. A structured reintroduction phase follows the initial restriction phase of 4-6 weeks.

To learn more, read our article, Irritable Bowel Syndrome & Low FODMAP diet. 

You can also check out this Low FODMAP grocery list + meal plan (dietitian approved) if you are already following the low FODMAP diet. 

Are leeks low FODMAP?

The answer is that leeks are both low and high FODMAP.

The green leaves found on the top portion of a leek have been tested by Monash and are low FODMAP at 100g. 

To put this into practical terms, a whole leek is approximately 90g, so you can enjoy the green leaves of leeks without restriction (6). 

The bulb, or lower white or light green part of the leek, is high FODMAP, and you should avoid this while following the low FODMAP diet. The bulb is high in fructans, an oligosaccharide (the ‘O’ in FODMAP) (7).

Are leeks better than onions for IBS?

The green leaves of leeks are a great low FODMAP substitute for onions. Most varieties of onions are very high in the FODMAP fructan. 

Therefore you should generally avoid onions on the low FODMAP diet. 

Upon reintroducing FODMAPs into the diet, you may find you can tolerate onions depending on your sensitivities.

For more information on onions and IBS see our article Onion intolerance – are onions triggering your IBS?.

Low FODMAP leek recipes

Below, we provide several links to delicious low FODMAP leek recipes that you can try at home.

Recipes also include those which use leeks as a substitute for onions. 

1. FODMAP friendly leek and potato soup
2. Spiced creamy mushroom and leek soup
3. Low FODMAP tomato and leek frittata
4. Low FODMAP ‘onion’ soup
5. Low FODMAP bacon and leek quiche
6. Tomato leek and turkey bruschetta
7. Low FODMAP bami goreng
8. Low FODMAP fajita stirfry
9. Low FODMAP roast veggie & sausage breakfast casserole
10. Low FODMAP salmon and leek risotto
11. Cheese and leek mini loaves
12. Low FODMAP chicken stock
13. Low FODMAP triple onion green beans
14. Low FODMAP salmon chowder
15. Low FODMAP vietnamese pancakes

Summary

Leeks are both low and high FODMAP depending on which part you eat.

The leafy green part of the leek is low FODMAP and is a great replacement for onions in dishes. 

If you are following the low FODMAP diet, you should avoid the white bulb of the leek, which contains the FODMAP fructans.