Our Low FODMAP Green Tea With Passionfruit is simply chilled low FODMAP green tea, optionally sweetened, served with passionfruit ice cubes. It almost doesn’t need a recipe, but many folks want to know what they can drink while following the low FODMAP diet beyond water. We are here to show you that we have many beverage ideas for you – that are even suitable for Elimination. (BTW we went with the “passionfruit” spelling as that is how Monash University spells it. You might also see it spelled as “passion fruit”). You might also be interested in our article, Tea & FODMAPs, for general tea information.
Stay Hydrated – With Flavor!
Staying hydrated is an important part of taking care of our overall health and digestion. We spend a lot of time talking about low FODMAP foods, but what about beverages? We invite you to take some time looking around the site.
We have an awesome article on Mocktails & Cocktails that will link you to many of them. And we have an article on Coffee, IBS and the Low FODMAP Diet that deserves a read.
Green Tea
For a full discussion on tea, please see our article Tea & FODMAPs. For this recipe we are focusing on green tea.
Green tea is made from leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant (as is all tea). Green tea is made by taking fresh leaves and “cooking” them to prevent oxidation. While green teas can vary hugely in flavor depending on where and how they are grown and also how they are processed, in general they do contain higher concentrations of chlorophyll, polyphenols and antioxidants than some other types of tea, such as black.
We brew loose tea every day here in our Test Kitchen and encourage you to explore the world of green teas (as well as black and oolong; as of now white tea has not been lab tested for FODMAPs).
Just as the saying goes that you should cook with wine that you enjoy drinking, so should you use a green tea for this recipe that you enjoy drinking plain. If that means brewing loose and chilling, using tea bags, or even buying a bottle of green tea – go for it! Whatever pleases you.
Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested green tea for FODMAPs. Monash says that a Green Light low FODMAP portion is 250 ml (a little over 1 cup) when “brewed strongly” and made from “1 teabag”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at “1 bag” or 1.5 g.
Buying Green Tea
Here are some recommendations for green tea that we like with our passionfruit ice cubes. Note that some of these are flavored teas, but they work beautifully with the passionfruit in this recipe.
Loose Green Tea:
- Harney & Sons Sencha Green Tea
- Harney & Sons Loose Leaf Organic Gunpowder Green Tea
- Numi Organic Tea Gunpowder Green
- Green Tea Leaves Sencha, JAS Certified Organic, Japanese Uji-Kyoto
- Ocha & Co. Premium Organic Japanese Fukamushi Deep-Steamed Sencha Loose Leaf Green Tea
Green Tea Bags:
- Harney & Sons Sencha Green Tea Bags
- Harney & Sons Green Tea with Coconut, Ginger and Vanilla Sachets
- Authentic Maeda-en Japanese Sencha Green Tea
- Organic Green Tea Bags
Brewed Green Tea:
- Ito En Oi Ocha Unsweetened Green Tea
- Teas’ Tea Organic Cold Brew Green Tea, Unsweetened
- Ito En Green Tea, Unsweetened
Passionfruit & FODMAPs
Our Test Kitchen is in Massachusetts in the northeast U.S. We are not in a tropical climate and yet, there are certain fruits like bananas, that while not local to us, that we eat almost every day.
Passionfruit is not an everyday indulgence for us and in fact they are usually quite pricey in our markets – when we can get them. But they do have a generous low FODMAP serving size, so we wanted to take them into the kitchen to play with.
Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested passionfruit. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ½ cup (of pulp) or 150 g. Monash gives them a Green Light low FODMAP serving size at 46 g or 2 average fruit. With passionfruit you are always just eating the flesh and seeds, never the rind or skin, so these low FODMAP amounts reflect the inner parts of the fruit.
Passionfruit are more tart than sweet and very aromatic and flavorful. A little goes a long way, thankfully, since for many of us they can be pricey.
Choosing The Right Passionfruit
Ripe passionfruit will be very wrinkly. In fact, they must be very wrinkly.
Select fruit that is heavy for its size, and wrinkled. The exterior will be purplish/brownish and sporting dimples, wrinkles and even look a bit shriveled, which are all signs that the fruit is ripe. Avoid smooth-skinned passionfruit, which are underripe. If you do have unripe fruit, leave them on the counter and wait three to five days or until really wrinkly.
To use, we simply cut in half and scrape the pulp into ice cube trays, add water and freeze!
Ice Cube Trays
Ice cube trays are one of those things that are not standardized. And of course, many people have ice makers in their refrigerators and haven’t “made” ice manually for years, but for this recipe you need an ice cube tray.
The average standard-sized ice cube is actually often described by volume and is made with 1-ounce (30 ml) of liquid (usually water), which equals about 2 tablespoons.
If your ice cube tray only has 12 or 14 wells, you can still make the recipe. You will just have less ice per person.
How To Make Passionfruit Ice Cubes
Simply use a cereal spoon to scoop out the passionfruit flesh and seeds. It will come out easily.
Divide the flesh and seeds amongst your ice cube tray wells, as seen below.
Then just top off with water and freeze!
Once frozen, you are ready to place the cubes in your glass and add your iced green tea. I like using a clear goblet to show off the exotic, tropical ice cubes.
To Sweeten Or Not To Sweeten
You can enjoy this drink unsweetened, of course, but if you want to sweeten it, we suggest using pure granulated white sugar for a couple of reasons.
First of all, white granulated sugar (cane or beet) is low FODMAP. Secondly, it has a very neutral flavor, which is what you want here to highlight both the green tea flavors and the passionfruit flavors. We prefer to use cane sugar and use Domino in the Test Kitchen.
For cold drinks, such as this, we like to make a Simple Syrup, which is simply sugar and water boiled together. This way it dissolves instantly!
Keep some in your fridge all summer long for instant sweetening of cold drinks.
More Tea Recipes
Low FODMAP Iced Green Tea With Passionfruit
Our Low FODMAP Green Tea With Passionfruit is simply chilled low FODMAP green tea, optionally sweetened, served with passion fruit ice cubes. It almost doesn’t need a recipe, but many folks want to know what they can drink while following the low FODMAP diet beyond water. We are here to show you that we have many beverage ideas for you – that are even suitable for Elimination.
Ingredients:
Passionfruit Ice Cubes:
- 2 ripe passionfruit
- 1 ice cube tray; ours has 16 wells
Assembly:
- 4 cups (960 ml) chilled brewed green tea
- Simple Syrup, to taste
Preparation:
-
Cut open the passionfruit and use a small spoon to scrape out the flesh and seeds and divide into the wells of the ice cube tray. Fill with water, place in freezer and freeze until solid.
-
Divide cubes in glasses – clear glasses are best for a pretty visual – then top with chilled green tea, divided among glasses. Sweeten to taste, if desired, by stirring in a little Simple Syrup. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Tips
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
- Green Tea: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested green tea for FODMAPs. Monash says that a Green Light low FODMAP portion is 250 ml when “brewed strongly” and made from “1 teabag”. FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at “1 bag” or 1.5 g.
- Passionfruit: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested passionfruit. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ½ cup (of pulp) or 150 g. Monash gives them a Green Light low FODMAP serving size at 46 g or 2 average fruit. With passionfruit you are always just eating the flesh and seeds, never the rind or skin, so these low FODMAP amounts reflect the inner parts of the fruit.
- Sugar: Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have both lab tested white, granulated sugar. Monash states that a Green Light low FODMAP serving size of white sugar is ¼ cup (50 g). FODMAP Friendly simply states that they have tested 1 tablespoon and that it is low FODMAP. Regular granulated white sugar is sucrose, which is a disaccharide made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. Sucrose is broken down and absorbed efficiently in the small intestine.
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
