Easy low FODMAP side dishes for dinner come down to three moves: roast or boil plain vegetables and potatoes, build salads from measured toppings, and make your own dressing so no hidden onion sneaks in.
Picture a weeknight where the main course is sorted and the sides are the problem. This guide groups the options by cooking method so you can pick one hot side and one cold side quickly. It sits alongside our wider collection of low fodmap recipes for ibs, and pairs well with a low fodmap soup recipes round-up when you want a lighter meal.
Side dishes at a glance
| Method | Side dish | Planning use |
|---|---|---|
| Roasting | Roast vegetables with a ginger maple glaze | A flexible hot side that works with almost any main course |
| Boiling and dressing | Potato salad with a sweet and tangy mustard dressing | A cold side that can sit on the table while the main course finishes |
| Mashing | Creamy mashed potato | Comfort-food side, best with a gravy you control |
| No cooking | Caprese salad with cherry tomatoes, bocconcini and basil | Quick cold side; a ½ cup serving is the stated amount |
| Baking ahead | Stuffing | Can be prepared the day before to take pressure off dinner |
These dishes come from the recipe collections at A Little Bit Yummy’s low FODMAP salad recipes and its low FODMAP Thanksgiving recipe round-up.
Recipes on the salad page have been reviewed by a FODMAP-trained dietitian and are described as suitable for the first phase of the diet. The same page carries a caution worth repeating: a strict low FODMAP diet should only be started under the supervision of a healthcare professional. Recipes are a way to eat well within the plan, not a treatment on their own.
Roasted vegetable sides
Roasting is the easiest way to turn plain vegetables into a dinner side, because the oven does the work and the flavour comes from a glaze rather than from onion or garlic. It suits anyone who wants a hot side with minimal attention.
Ginger maple glaze
A ginger maple glaze for roast vegetables is listed among the low FODMAP sides in this Thanksgiving collection, where the author calls it her mum’s secret weapon in the kitchen. The glaze is the useful idea here. It gives the vegetables sweetness and bite, so the tray tastes finished without a seasoning blend that might hide onion or garlic.
Sweet potato and other cooked vegetables
Sweet potato has a low FODMAP serving size, so it works as a roasted side as long as you keep to that serving. The same collection of recipes shows that peas, sweet corn and artichoke hearts in brine each have a low FODMAP serving size too, according to A Little Bit Yummy’s recipe index. The takeaway is practical: these vegetables are not off the menu, but the portion is the condition. Look up the current tested amount for each in the Monash University FODMAP Diet app before you pile a tray high, and mix in the vegetables you tolerate freely so no single one dominates the plate.
Potato sides
Potatoes are the most dependable starting point for low FODMAP side dishes. Potato salad and creamy mashed potato both appear in dietitian-reviewed collections of low FODMAP recipes, so plain potato is a safe base for a dinner side.
Potato salad with mustard dressing
The potato salad in the low FODMAP salad collection features tender potatoes with a sweet and tangy mustard dressing. This is the best choice when you need a side that can be made ahead and served cold. Dijon mustard can supply the tang in a home-made version, which keeps the dressing short and easy to read.
Mashed potato
Creamy mashed potato with gravy is listed as a low FODMAP recipe in the Thanksgiving round-up. It suits cold evenings and anyone who wants a soft, gentle side. The gravy is where care is needed, because the same author notes that it is hard to find instant gravy packets without high FODMAP ingredients.
Roasted potatoes
Roasted potato pieces make a crisp alternative to mash and need nothing more than oil and herbs. They pair well with a chicken main; our low fodmap chicken recipes include plenty of dishes that sit comfortably next to a tray of potatoes.
Salad bases and toppings
A salad works as a low FODMAP side when each topping has a known serving size. Caprese is the clearest example: the salad collection uses a low FODMAP serving of cherry tomatoes with bocconcini (baby mozzarella balls) and fresh basil, and says you can enjoy a ½ cup serving size.
For toppings such as artichoke hearts in brine, peas and sweet corn, the index at A Little Bit Yummy confirms that a low FODMAP serving exists but leaves the amount to the recipe, so check the app for the figure.
A practical approach is to choose a small number of toppings per bowl rather than a long list. Each extra ingredient is another portion to track, and a simple bowl is easier to repeat when you know it sits comfortably with you.
Cheese in side dishes
Cheese can finish a salad or hot side, but the portion matters as much as the type. The recipes in this set use cheeses in defined amounts: bocconcini in the caprese, parmesan alongside garlic-infused oil and spinach in a dip, and cream cheese, which has a low FODMAP serving size. A home-made ranch uses a low FODMAP amount of sour cream rather than a free pour.
Treat those as examples of a pattern rather than a list of cheeses that are free of lactose. For a cheese you plan to crumble on top, look up its tested serving in the Monash University FODMAP Diet app and measure it once, so the topping becomes a habit instead of a guess.
Salad dressings and bottled ingredients to avoid
Home-made dressing is the safest route for low FODMAP salad dressing, because you decide every ingredient. Bottled dressings are harder, since a short label can still hide onion or other flavourings that were never tested.
Dressings that work
- Mustard-based dressings. A maple mustard dressing is used to coat a chicken salad in the salad collection, and a sweet and tangy mustard dressing goes on the potato salad. Dijon mustard is a natural base for this style of dressing.
- Ranch without onion. The team at A Little Bit Yummy made its own ranch dressing that contains a low FODMAP amount of sour cream and has no onion, as noted in its recipe index. It is a good option when a creamy dressing is wanted.
- Garlic-infused oil. Garlic-infused oil supplies the savoury note in a spinach and parmesan dip on the same site, so it is a sensible way to add depth to a vinaigrette or a dip without chopping garlic.
What to check on a bottled label
- Onion in any form. The reason the ranch recipe is rebuilt from scratch is to leave onion out, so a bottled creamy dressing is the first one to read carefully.
- Seasoning mixes and instant bases. Instant gravy packets often contain high FODMAP ingredients, according to the Thanksgiving recipe round-up. Treat any powdered or ready-made seasoning the same way and read the full ingredient list.
- Sauces that have not been tested. Where an untested bottled sauce is called for, the safer move is to swap it for a tested alternative rather than assume it is fine.
If an ingredient list is long, vague or lists flavourings without detail, make the dressing at home. A jar with oil, lemon, mustard and a pinch of salt takes minutes and removes the guesswork.
Choosing sides for tonight
Use this short checklist to settle on a pair of sides without overthinking it.
- Pick the hot side first: roasted vegetables with a ginger maple glaze, roasted potatoes or mashed potato.
- Add a cold side with a defined serving, such as caprese or a potato salad with mustard dressing.
- Look up each vegetable and topping in the Monash University FODMAP Diet app and measure the portion.
- Make the dressing yourself, and read the label on anything bottled.
- Prepare what you can early. Stuffing, for example, can be made the day before.
Frequently asked questions
Can any of these sides be made ahead?
Yes. Stuffing can be prepared the day before, and a mustard-dressed potato salad is a natural make-ahead dish because it is served cold.
Is instant gravy safe with mashed potato?
Not by default. Instant gravy packets often contain high FODMAP ingredients, so a home-made gravy is the better pairing for mash.
What should replace an untested hot sauce?
One recipe swapped a bottled red hot sauce that had not been tested for FODMAPs for sriracha sauce. Check the current tested status of whichever sauce you choose.
Do I need a professional before using these recipes?
Recipes reviewed by a FODMAP-trained dietitian suit the first phase, but a strict low FODMAP diet should only be started under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
