Bell Pepper / Capsicum (red)
Vegetables · Nightshades
Half a medium red capsicum, 75 g, is rated green, carrying 0.05 g of fructans and nothing from the other five groups. The number matters less than the job it does: when onion comes out of your cooking, the first things to disappear are colour and background sweetness, and roasted red pepper is the cheapest way to put both back.
Last updated 3 September 2026Serving sizes for bell pepper / capsicum (red)
The tested serve is half a medium pepper (75 g), rated green.
Tested serving sizes
| Serving | Amount | Main FODMAP | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 medium pepper | 75 g | Fructans 0.05 g |
Breakdown for 0.5 peppers
Is bell pepper / capsicum (red) low FODMAP?
The reading is close to empty. Half a medium pepper carries 0.05 g of fructans, half the 0.1 g level where fructans begin to count, and zeros across excess fructose, lactose, GOS, sorbitol and mannitol. That zero for fructose is the useful one, because a ripe red capsicum tastes noticeably sweet: its fructose arrives with enough glucose alongside to be absorbed with it, so none of it counts as excess. Red and green peppers are listed as separate entries in this guide, and both are rated green.
Bell Pepper / Capsicum (red) and IBS: what to know
Capsicum belongs to the nightshade family along with tomato, potato and eggplant, and some people find nightshades disagree with them for reasons unconnected to FODMAPs. A green rating covers fermentable carbohydrates and nothing else, so if peppers bother you while the rest of your low FODMAP food does not, that pattern belongs in a food diary rather than being dismissed. The skin is the other common complaint: it is tough and often passes through undigested, so charring and peeling it, or slicing very thinly, can be the whole fix.
Gut-friendly ways to eat bell pepper / capsicum (red)
Roast red capsicum until the edges blacken and the flesh turns jammy, because that concentrated sweetness is what stands in for the depth an onion base used to give. Blend the roasted flesh into a pasta sauce, blitz it with olive oil, paprika and toasted nuts for a romesco-style dip, or start a sofrito with diced pepper and the green tops of spring onion in garlic-infused oil. Raw strips also bring colour to a lunchbox next to cucumber and carrot.
Frequently asked questions
How much red bell pepper can I eat on a low FODMAP diet?
Half a medium pepper, 75 g, is the serve that has been tested, and it is rated green. Larger amounts are not covered by the data, though the profile at that serve is close to empty. Half a pepper is already a generous amount in most dishes, so this is rarely the ingredient constraining a recipe.
Is red or green capsicum better for IBS?
Both are rated green and each has its own entry in this guide, so the choice is about flavour rather than FODMAPs. Red is riper and sweeter, which is why it works better as a stand-in for the sweetness onion used to bring. Green is more bitter and holds up to long cooking. Some people find the tougher green skin harder work.
Are jarred or roasted red peppers low FODMAP?
The pepper is, but the jar is a label question. Roasting changes nothing about the fructan figure, and roasted peppers in oil are one of the easiest low FODMAP flavour bases to keep in the fridge. Check the brine before you buy, because garlic, onion and honey turn up regularly in marinated versions, and any one of them undoes the point.
Can red capsicum replace onion in cooking?
Partly, and it is the closest single ingredient to try. Diced red pepper sweated slowly gives a sauce the sweetness and body an onion base provided, though not the sulphurous savoury note. Pair it with garlic-infused oil for that, and with the green tops of spring onion for the fresh oniony edge. Between the three, most onion-based recipes can be rebuilt.
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