“Best Store-Bought IBS-Friendly Low FODMAP Salad Dressing Brands & Products on the Market” was written by dietetic intern & functional nutritionist Krista Wale, B.S. (nutritional sciences & dietetics), and reviewed, edited, & updated by Jenna Volpe, RDN, LD, CLT.
If you find “healthy” foods like salads seem to trigger your symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), consider the possibility that the symptom trigger could be in the salad DRESSING (versus the salad itself).
That’s because most traditional homemade AND store-bought salad dressings tend to contain hidden high FODMAP ingredients (such as garlic, onions, milk, or honey) – which have been shown to trigger/worsen gas, bloating, and/or diarrhea, if you have a FODMAP intolerance.
Luckily, there’s now a variety of tasty and simple IBS-friendly low FODMAP salad dressing recipes and products on the market to choose from!
In this article we’ve created a round-up of our favorite low FODMAP salad dressing brands and products, based on key criteria such as the type and quality of low FODMAP ingredients. (Please take what you need, and leave the rest!)
Disclaimer: This article was written for general educational purposes, to supplement and enhance but NOT replace 1-1 consultation with a gut health dietitian. Consult with your healthcare team for customized recommendations tailored to your bio-individual needs and preferences.
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains affiliate links*. As an Amazon Associate, Whole-istic Living may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!
Table of Contents
What makes a salad low FODMAP? (Key criteria)
Devoid of high FODMAP ingredients
A low FODMAP diet is low in food sources of fermentable carbohydrates such as oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. So, a low FODMAP salad dressing is devoid of high FODMAP ingredients such as:
- Milk (contains lactose, a fermentable disaccharide)
- Onions and/or garlic (contain fructans, a type of fermentable oligosaccharide)
- High fructose sweeteners (such as honey, agave nectar, and/or high fructose corn syrup) since fructose is a fermentable monosaccharide
Here are a few examples of high FODMAP salad dressings with some or all of the above high FODMAP ingredients:
Brianna’s Home Style Real French Vinaigrette:
Kraft Classic Ranch Salad Dressing:
Caesar Cardini’s The Original Caesar Dressing:
Made with high quality, low FODMAP ingredients
On the other hand, a low FODMAP salad dressing can be made with any of the following ingredients:
Herbs and spices
Almost all herbs and spices (with the exception of traditional garlic/garlic powder and onions/onion powder) are considered naturally low FODMAP.
- Anise
- Basil
- Bay leaves
- Black pepper
- Cardamom
- Chili powder
- Chives / chive powder
- Clove
- Cacao
- Cocoa
- Coriander
- Cinnamon
- Cumin
- Dill
- Fennel seed
- Garlic scapes
- Ginger
- Green onions (scallions) / green onion powder
- Lemon grass
- Mustard (grain or Dijon)
- Nutmeg
- Oregano
- Parsley
- Paprika
- Red pepper flakes
- Rosemary
- Sea salt
- Tarragon
- Thyme
- Turmeric
- Vanilla extract
Recommended reading: Comprehensive List of Monash-Approved Low FODMAP Herbs and Spices (Round-Up)
Oils
All oils are inherently low FODMAP. However, some oils are healthier than others.
As holistic-minded nutrition practitioners, we encourage you to lean more into salad dressings made with heart-healthy oils high in essential monounsaturated or omega-3 polyunsaturated fats (such as avocado oil, olive oil, and/or flaxseed oil).
Oils highest in monounsaturated/omega-3 polyunsaturated fats
- Avocado oil*
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Flaxseed oil
- Garlic-infused olive oil*
Other low FODMAP oils
Note that all oils are inherently low FODMAP.
Here is a list of the most common types of oils you’ll find on a salad dressing ingredient list:
- Coconut oil
- Canola oil
- Corn oil
- Peanut oil
- Rice bran oil
- Sesame oil
- Sunflower oil
- Vegetable oil
Natural, unrefined low FODMAP sugars/sweeteners
There are many types of low FODMAP sugars and sweeteners on the market,
However, not all low FODMAP sugars and sweeteners are IBS-friendly in that the refined sugars and artificial sweeteners (cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, Splenda/sucralose, aspartame, etc.) have been shown to feed dysbiotic gut microbes associated with IBS.
Erythritol, while not on the list of high FODMAP polyols, is controversial in that it is a byproduct of yeast fermentation and seems to trigger IBS symptoms among many, even thought it is not high FODMAP.
For the above reasons, we believe the BEST low FODMAP salad dressings on the market are made with very small quantities of cane sugar/evaporated cane juice, or any of the following natural, unrefined sugars/sweeteners:
- Real maple syrup
- Coconut syrup
- Brown rice syrup
- Cassava syrup
- Less than 1 teaspoon of agave nectar or honey or coconut sugar per serving (providing 5 grams of sugar or less)
- 1 Medjool date (or 1 teaspoon of date sugar/date syrup) per serving
- 100% stevia leaf extract
- 100% monk fruit extract
Recommended reading:
- IBS and Sugar – A Holistic Perspective
- What’s the Best Sweetener for IBS?
- Gut Health Dietitian Guidance on Low FODMAP Sweeteners
- Are Stevia and IBS Compatible?
- What You Need to Know About Monk Fruit and IBS
- Splenda® (Sucralose) and IBS
- Is Erythritol Low FODMAP? (The Low-Down on Erythritol and IBS)
Citrus
Since all types of citrus fruit are low FODMAP, a low FODMAP salad dressings may be flavored with citrus juices and extracts such as lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit.
Vinegars
Vinegars go well in salad dressings to add flavor and to complement the oils and herbs.
All unsweetened vinegars are inherently low FODMAP, including but not limited to:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Balsamic vinegar (up to 1 tablespoon per serving per Monash FODMAP App)
- “Cider vinegar”
- Malt vinegar
- Red wine vinegar
- Rice wine vinegar
- White wine vinegar
Best store-bought low FODMAP salad dressings on the market
- FODY Foods Balsamic Vinaigrette*
- Ingredients: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Organic Balsamic Vinegar (Wine Vinegar [Organic], Concentrated Grape Must [Organic]), Water, Coconut Aminos (Organic) (Coconut Syrup [Organic], Water, Salt), Himalayan Pink Salt, Xanthan Gum, Black Pepper, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary.
- FODY Foods Caesar*
- Ingredients: Oil blend (Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil, Avocado Oil), Water, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Mustard Seeds, Sea Salt, Nutritional Yeast, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Rosemary Extract, Black Pepper, Xanthan Gum.
- FODY Foods Maple Dijon*
- Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Water, Sugars (Maple Syrup & Cane Sugar), Organic White Wine Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Sea Salt, Organic Cider Vinegar, Nutritional Yeast, Rosemary Extract, Black Pepper, Tarragon, Xanthan Gum.
- FODY Foods Garden Herb*
- Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Water, Organic Cider Vinegar, Organic Cane Sugar, Sea Salt, Mustard Seed, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Black Pepper, Rosemary Extract, Tarragon, Rosemary, Dill, Celery Seed, Xanthan Gum, Parsley
- Lemonette Mediterranean Herb Dressing
- Ingredients: Water, Non-GMO Sunflower Oil, Lemon Juice (from Concentrate), Salt, Sumac, Natural Flavor, Non-GMO Citric Acid, Xanthan Gum, Dried Spearmint, Aleppo Pepper.
Other store-bought low FODMAP salad dressings
While we don’t endorse or recommend these salad dressings from a holistic health standpoint (due to their ingredients), they DO meet low FODMAP criteria:
- Hidden Valley Coleslaw Dressing
- Ingredients: VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN AND/OR CANOLA), WATER, SUGAR, EGG YOLK, LESS THAN 2% OF: SPICES, NATURAL FLAVORS, VINEGAR, LEMON JUICE (WATER, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE), XANTHAN GUM, SALT, SORBIC ACID AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS.
- Wishbone Balsamic Vinaigrette (up to 2 tablespoons)
- Ingredients: WATER, BALSAMIC VINEGAR (WINE VINEGAR, CONCENTRATED GRAPE MUST, CARAMEL COLOR), SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, SALT. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL, SPICES, XANTHAN GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, ANNATTO EXTRACT (COLOR), SODIUM BENZOATE AND SORBIC ACID AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (TO PROTECT QUALITY).
Salad dressings and IBS: More to consider
Fat intolerance
Many people with IBS and SIBO have trouble digesting and tolerating high-fat foods.
This presents us with an extra layer of challenge, when it comes to *most* salad dressings, which are made with oils (and thus can be high in fat!).
If you find yourself reacting even to high quality low FODMAP salad dressings, the next thing I recommend investigating is whether or not you have a fat intolerance.
There are a few ways to figure this out…
- Keep an IBS Food Diary* and look for patterns. Are other high-fat foods (avocado, olive oil, cheese, red meat, butter, greasy foods) making you feel ill? Do your stools appear light-colored, greasy, oily or floating? If so, these are all signs of a fat intolerance.
- Add some supplemental digestive support (see below) with high-fat foods and see if this helps you feel better. If those types of supplements provide relief, you most likely have a fat intolerance.
- Run a GI MAP test (or other functional stool analysis test of choice) and check for high steatocrit levels in your stool. If the level is above the reference range, you most likely have a fat intolerance (at least to a certain degree).
If you have a fat intolerance, you may benefit from digestive herbal bitters, and/or TUDCA, and/or additional support in the form of enzyme replacement therapy.
(Note that while a low fat diet may offer symptom relief, we don’t recommend this as a long-term intervention since dietary fats are foundational for our health!)
Consult 1-1 with your practitioner for custom recommendations.
Histamine intolerance
Vinegar and citrus, two common categories of ingredients often found in salad dressings, tend to be high in histamine.
Histamine isn’t inherently bad – but many folks with IBS and/or SIBO also have a histamine intolerance!
This means your body can’t effectively clear the histamine from foods, so it builds up in your system in a way that will lead to unwanted symptoms.
If you have a histamine intolerance, you may find yourself feeling WORSE (diarrhea, bloat, pain, dizziness, rash, etc.) when consuming vinegar and/or citrus in a salad dressing.
A few things you can do to determine this:
- Keep an IBS Food Diary* and look for patterns. Are you experiencing a similar reaction when you eat other high-histamine foods (or histamine producing foods) like spinach, strawberries, sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, pineapple, or pork? If so, you may want to consult with your treatment team about reducing your histamine intake from food.
- Consider adding histamine-reducing supplements to your routine. Consult with your healthcare team about adding diamine oxidase (DAO) to your regimen if you suspect histamine intolerance. If you feel better it’s a sign that you were reacting to the histamines in the low FODMAP salad dressing.
Salad ingredients
On the other hand, most people don’t eat salad dressing without salad! If you don’t seem to be reacting to any of the fats or histamines in a low FODMAP salad dressing, you may want to take a closer look at what you’re putting into the salad.
Are you including high FODMAP veggies (like onions)? Are you adding cheese? Do you have an intolerance to too much roughage?
These are just a few top-of-mind considerations for my highly sensitive peeps out there who may experience an adverse reaction even to a high quality low FODMAP salad dressing! (To continue that conversation goes beyond the scope of a blog article.)
FODMAP enzymes
Last but not least – if you find you do react to garlic and onions but you’re too overwhelmed to worry about sticking to a low FODMAP salad dressing, another alternative is adding a sprinkle of FODZYME* (or taking FODMATE) before meals that contain FODMAPs.
More resources
Final thoughts
The best types of low FODMAP salad dressing aren’t just made exclusively with low FODMAP ingredients – they’re also made with high quality, anti-inflammatory variations of low FODMAP foods and herbs/spices.
Fody Foods is the only Monash-certified low FODMAP salad dressing on the market at this time, but they use high quality ingredients and they taste great too.
Utilize our round-up of product picks or refer back to our criteria above when looking for other low FODMAP salad dressing brands and products on the market.
Alternatively, you can consider taking enzymes that break down FODMAPs (such as FODMATE or FODZYME) to better tolerate regular salad dressings, if you aren’t ready to give up your onions and garlic. 😉
Next steps
Sharing is caring
Please feel free to share this post with others in the IBS / low FODMAP community if you found it helpful!
Low FODMAP foods list – free download
If you’d like to learn more about IBS and the low FODMAP diet from a holistic gut health nutrition standpoint, make sure to download our free high and low FODMAP foods list PDF – delivered straight to your inbox!
