Do you love smoothies? So do my clients! It’s one of my top requests when providing recipes or meal plans. Low FODMAP Smoothie posts have also been my most popular on Instagram and Pinterest. That’s why I decided to provide a guide on how to make your own Low FODMAP Friendly Smoothies!

Why I recommend Smoothies for IBS (and gut health in general)

Table of Contents

I love recommending smoothies to my gut health clients for a variety of reasons. The first is that they are easy to digest, as the blending breaks everything down for you so your stomach has a bit less work to do. They’re also very easy to prepare if you do it right. My favorite tip is to prep your ingredients ahead of time and put them in a ziploc bag in your freezer. When you’re ready, just add liquid to your blender and dump the freezer components in! The third reason is that they’re portable. You can exactly eat a salad on your drive into work, but you can sip on a balanced smoothie during your commute!

If you’re new to the Low FODMAP diet, be sure to check out my Beginner’s Guide to the Low FODMAP Diet here.

Smoothie Basics

There are a few components that make up a basic smoothie. At a minimum, it’s fruit (or a vegetable if that floats your boat) and a liquid. My basic components are a tad more involved because I want my clients (and myself!) to get balanced nutrition from smoothies, especially if it is going to be your meal.

So what makes up a balanced meal? Plants (i.e. fruits, veggies, etc), protein, healthy fat and fiber. The actual amounts may change based on the individual, but you’re looking to get in 10-20 grams of protein and 5-10 grams of fiber in a meal…and a smoothie! So how do we get there?

Fruit
- This helps you get to your fiber goal, provides plant diversity and tastes delicious.
Greens
- adds a little bit more fiber and provides you with extra vitamins and minerals.
Liquid
- this is the base of a smoothie but also provides you an opportunity to get in extra calcium and/or protein
Fiber
- Because many fruits are high in FODMAPs in larger quantities, we want an additional way to reach our fiber goals.
- My favorites are chia seeds, ground flax seed, rolled oats or nut butters.
Healthy Fat:
- nuts, seeds, nut butters, avocados. Fat is satiating and important for fat soluble vitamin absorption! All of these options also include fiber as well.
Protein
- This is going to help keep you feeling full post smoothie.
- Easy options are protein powders, yogurt or cow’s milk.

Low FODMAP Smoothie Basics

FODMAP Friendly Fruit:

1 cup blueberries
1 firm (greenish) banana or ⅓ ripe banana
⅓ cup raspberries
5 strawberries
Dragon fruit
Guava
Kiwi
Melon: ¾ cantaloupe or ½ cup honey dew (sorry, no watermelon!)
1 Orange
Papaya
Passion fruit (2)
Pineapple
Prickly pear

Greens:

A handful of spinach, kale or other greens is perfectly fine!
I find spinach to be an easy addition that does not overwhelm the other flavors.
Great option if you’re having trouble getting in extra (or any) greens during your day!

FODMAP Friendly Liquids:

Lactose free cow’s milk and most plant based milks are ok in small quantities. My go-to is unsweetened vanilla almond milk (love the 365 brand from Whole Foods) but it doesn’t add a ton of nutritional value.
You can read more about Low FODMAP Milk options here.
Juice: most juice is high in FODMAPs and I would be concerned with FODMAP stacking if you used fruit and juice in a smoothie.

FODMAP Friendly Fiber

Chia seeds
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1-2 Tbsp rolled oats

Low FODMAP Protein Powders

Check out my post on Low FODMAP Protein Powders here
Some other, newer options: TumLove, Drink Wholesome Collagen or Egg White, HUM Nutrition Vanilla CoreStrength. Find these and more in my Amazon store.
Other Low FODMAP Protein options include lactose free yogurt or lactose free Greek Yogurt and FairLife Lactose Free Milk

Low FODMAP Smoothie Tips

Keep it small

Avoid giant 16-24oz smoothies! Think about all the components that you’re putting into your smoothie and all of that liquid sitting in your stomach. While it’s much easier to digest, it can still cause you to feel bloated and uncomfortable. A good goal is 8-12oz, maybe 16oz if you promise to drink it slowly.

Keep your fruit portion in check

Using too much fruit may turn your Low FODMAP Smoothie into a High FODMAP Smoothie! Stick to Low FODMAP serving sizes and be aware of FODMAP stacking.

Drink slowly

You wouldn’t eat your dinner in 5 minutes so don’t suck down your smoothie in 5 minutes! Take your time

Easy Low FODMAP Smoothie Recipes

Looking for more? I’ve curated a recipe collection of done for you smoothies so you won’t need to think about what components to use or potential FODMAP stacking.Grab my 20 Low FODMAP Smoothies Recipe E-Book!

Low FODMAP Smoothie Guide (2024)