Apple (raw)
Fruits · Pome Fruits
A whole raw apple is not low FODMAP. A medium apple, about 100 g, is rated red, carrying 0.67 g of excess fructose and 0.5 g of sorbitol. Only a small wedge, about 20 g, is rated green. Apple is a double hit: two FODMAP groups rise together as the portion grows, which is why it is such a common IBS trigger.
Last updated 3 September 2026Serving sizes for apple (raw)
A small wedge, about 20 g, is rated green. A medium apple, about 100 g, is rated red.
Tested serving sizes
| Serving | Amount | Main FODMAP | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small wedge | 20 g | Fructose 0.08 g | |
| Medium apple | 100 g | Fructose 0.67 g |
Breakdown for 20 g
Is apple (raw) low FODMAP?
Apple carries excess fructose and sorbitol at the same time, and that pairing is what makes it difficult. At 20 g, a small wedge, there is 0.08 g of excess fructose and 0.05 g of sorbitol, and the serve is rated green. At 100 g, a medium apple, excess fructose reaches 0.67 g, more than four times the 0.15 g high threshold, while sorbitol reaches 0.5 g, on the high line for a polyol. Sorbitol also interferes with fructose absorption, so the two together are harder to handle than either would be alone.
Apple (raw) and IBS: what to know
Apple is one of the foods people name as a trigger long before they have heard of FODMAPs, and the double load explains why. It also means a reaction to apple tells you little about which group is your problem, since fructose and sorbitol both jump at the same time. Peeling changes neither. If you want to keep apple in your week, the honest version is a wedge on a cheese board rather than an apple in your bag, and it is worth weighing 20 g once so your eye learns what that portion looks like.
Gut-friendly ways to eat apple (raw)
Reach for fruit with a more generous green serve instead: grapes are green at 15 grapes, 75 g, and strawberries at 10 medium berries, 140 g. Both cover the crisp, sweet, snackable role apple plays. Watch apple in processed form, because juicing and drying concentrate it, and apple juice has its own amber entry in the guide. Heat does not remove fructose or sorbitol, so stewed apple and apple sauce carry the same two groups as the raw fruit. Pears sit in the same fructose and sorbitol family, so they are not a swap.
Frequently asked questions
Can I eat apples with IBS?
Not a whole one, during a strict low FODMAP phase. A medium apple, 100 g, is rated red with 0.67 g of excess fructose and 0.5 g of sorbitol. A small wedge, 20 g, is rated green, so apple works as a slice on a plate rather than as a snack in its own right.
Which apples are low FODMAP?
The guide rates raw apple as one food, so variety does not change the picture: sweet or tart, a medium 100 g apple is rated red. Sweetness reflects the sugar balance you taste rather than the FODMAP load. The lever that matters is portion, and the green serve is a 20 g wedge whatever type of apple you cut it from.
Is cooked or stewed apple low FODMAP?
No. Fructose and sorbitol are not destroyed by heat, so stewed apple, apple sauce and baked apple carry the same groups as raw. Cooking usually concentrates them, because water evaporates and portions grow. If you want warm fruit, a measured 20 g of apple stirred through porridge keeps you at the green serve.
What fruit can I eat instead of apple?
Grapes are the easiest like-for-like: 15 grapes, 75 g, are rated green and travel just as well in a bag. Strawberries are green at a generous 140 g. Both keep the fresh, sweet role apple usually fills, and both give you a portion you can finish without crossing out of green.
Check a whole plate in seconds.
Not sure about a whole meal? Scan it with the Gut Friendly app.
Get the app
