Top 10 Low FODMAP Pizza Toppings

And once you are ready to make low FODMAP pizza at home, be sure to check out all of our low FODMAP pizza recipes and articles, from the best pizza sauce, to info on equipment and ingredients, several gluten-free doughs, sourdough, deep-dish and so much more.

General Pizza Ingredient Background Info: Crust, Sauce & Cheese

For general cheese info, please refer to our article Is Cheese Low FODMAP? And if you want more info on how wheat and gluten figure into the low FODMAP diet, you can read our article explaining why the diet is not gluten-free, and also our general bread article will be very informative. Tomatoes and tomato products have low FODMAP serving sizes as well.

Top 10 Low FODMAP Pizza Toppings

We did a bunch of pizza topping research. It was hard, but someone had to do it. Here’s the deal; lists didn’t always match in order of which toppings are most popular, but we have tried our best to cover the toppings that are the top requested time and again. The order might not be the way you would organize them, but we bet you find your faves below.

1. Pepperoni

It is probably no surprise that pepperoni is #1 on most lists. Some polls state it is requested on 36% of all pies and well over 250 million pounds of pepperoni is used on pizza – both stats from the U.S. National Pepperoni Pizza Day is September 20^th, BTW. The salty, porky chewiness of pepperoni complements a well-made crust, piquant pizza sauce and the mellow cheesiness of mozzarella, but is it low FODMAP? It depends on the pepperoni, but you can find low FODMAP versions. You are going to have to read labels. 

Some pepperoni contains onion and/or garlic; these are the most common high FODMAP ingredients listed, but also keep an eye out for fillers. Here is a very important point to learn: if an ingredient is listed on a label as less than 2%, it is unlikely to trigger symptoms. This even goes for onion and/or garlic. Please review our article, How To Decipher “Natural Flavors” & “Spices” on Food Labels for the Low FODMAP Diet. Rules vary country to country; the article covers Australia, Europe, Canada and the U.S.

Another article to read is High FODMAP Foods With Low FODMAP Serving Sizes.

Examples of a pepperoni that we have used and tolerated are:

Hormel: Pork, Beef, Salt, Contains 2% or less of Water, Dextrose, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Oleoresin of Paprika, Garlic Powder, Sodium Nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid.

Applegate Naturals: Pork, Beef, Sea Salt. Contains Less Than 2% Of The Following: Turbinado Sugar, Water, Spices, Cultured Celery Juice Powder, Granulated Garlic, Cherry Powder, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (Not From Milk), Rosemary Extract, Oleoresin Of Paprika, Lime Juice Concentrate.

Margherita Pre-Sliced Pepperoni: Pork, Beef, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Dextrose, Natural Flavors, Oleoresin Of Paprika, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Dehydrated Granulated Garlic, Sodium Nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid.

Vermont Smoke & Cure Smoked Pepperoni: Pork, Sea Salt, Less Than 2% Of: Sugar, Spices, Swiss Chard Powder, Paprika, Cherry Powder, Garlic Powder, Spice Extractives, Lactic Acid Starter Culture (not from milk), Encased In Beef Collagen Casing.

Delallo Pepperoni: Pork, Beef, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% Of Spices, Dextrose, Lactic Acid Starter Culture, Flavorings, Oleoresin Of Paprika, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid.

2. Extra Cheese

First things first: the low FODMAP diet is not dairy-free. It is lower in lactose. Luckily, most of the typical cheeses that we want on our pizzas are low FODMAP. Whether you are looking for mozzarella, parmesan, or even cheddar and Monterey jack (southwestern pizza, anyone?), all of these cheeses have low FODMAP serving sizes.

Please read our article Is Cheese Low FODMAP?, which teaches you how to tell if any cheese is low FODMAP.

But what about “extra” cheese? Here’s the deal. Most cheeses on the Monash University smartphone app show serving sizes of 40 g but, and this is a big but, you should note that the small print says that only trace amounts of FODMAP were detected. Also note that no Moderate or High FODMAP levels are given for many hard and semi-soft cheeses. That is because none exist. You can actually have “extra” cheese and still be low FODMAP. The 40 g serving size is based on healthy eating guidelines and not FODMAP content. Please read our article, What Is A Low FODMAP Serving Size?

3. Sausage, Bacon, Ham & Hamburger

We know we gave pepperoni its own entry, but that’s because it is the king of pizza toppings. Various kinds of sausage (sweet and hot), bacon, ham and ground beef are all quite popular, especially on loaded meat pizzas. Pure ground beef contains no FODMAPs, so that is an easy one to check off the “yes” list. 

Our articles on Bacon and Ham have lots of information on how to choose low FODMAP cured meats. You absolutely can find low FODMAP versions; it’s just a matter of reading labels. Sausage is a bit more complex as the varieties are greater. Again, you have to read labels, or ask questions of the butcher if you are buying at a meat counter. Some of them have high FODMAP ingredients listed – such as garlic and onion – but if they are less than 2%, they are unlikely to be an IBS trigger.

Please read How To Decipher “Natural Flavors” & “Spices” on Food Labels for the Low FODMAP Diet.

PS: If your ham is cooked, use as is. For bacon, sausage and hamburger, cook prior to using as a pizza topping.

4. Mushrooms

While mushrooms might not be everyone’s cup of tea – or preferred fungus, as it were – they are a popular pizza topping. While we more enjoy working with fresh mushrooms than canned, there are both options for the FODMAPer and either can work for pizza. 

We know that oyster mushrooms are not the ‘shroom that you might usually shop for, but they have a very generous low FODMAP serving size of 75 g. Sautéed in a bit of olive oil before placing on your pizza is the best approach. Canned button mushrooms, drained, also have a low FODMAP serving size of 75 g.

5. Bell Peppers

Peppers find their way into the top fave pizza toppings. Green bell peppers seem to be a bit more common, but red bell peppers appear too. Both red and green bell peppers have low FODMAP serving sizes, although not the same.

Green bell peppers have a serving size of 75 g. Red bell peppers have been a source of confusion. Initial lab tests by Monash University showed that they contained no FODMAPs. Subsequent tests showed low FODMAP servings sizes of 43 g, which sent everyone into an unnecessary tizzy. You can read more in our article Monash University Lab Testing Explained. The short story is that both lab tests were accurate for the peppers tested at that time – and the peppers you eat will not be the same as either tested. Please read the article – and enjoy your peppers!

6. Black Olives

Olives, black and green, have generous low FODMAP serving sizes; you can have 60 g of either even during Elimination. Canned, sliced black olive are the typical pizza olive and you can add them to your list of pizza toppings that you can enjoy.

7. Spinach

We happen to love green veggies on our pizza and spinach is the top choice in polls – and has low FODMAP serving sizes. Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested baby spinach and mature spinach. Monash’s recommendations are the following: Baby spinach 75 g; mature spinach 75 g. FODMAP Friendly’s recommendations are the following: Baby spinach 37 g with max serving size of 370 g; mature spinach 38 g with max serving size of 1000 g. These are all for raw spinach and as you probably know, while these are large volumes, but they can cook down to not very much at all. We usually cook spinach when using as a pizza topping; just make sure you squeeze it dry very well to extract any excess moisture after cooking before placing on your pie.

8. Pineapple

Love it or hate it on pizza, we know there are die-hard fans out there. The great news is that whether it is fresh or canned, there are low FODMAP serving sizes.

Fresh pineapple is low FODMAP in 140 g portions; canned in juice is low FODMAP in 90 g portions. Canned in syrup is low FODMAP in 65 g portions, but it would be our third choice.

9. & 10. Onion and Garlic!

Okay, we know that on non-FODMAP pizza topping lists onions in particular usually rank quite high. And garlic, whether it is fresh sliced or granulated to shake on top, are popular as well. Let’s dive in from a FODMAP perspective.

If you have passed your onion fructans Challenge, you could sauté a mess of onions and top your pizza; or use raw, if that’s your preference and you tolerate them well. For the rest of us, we have to be more creative. Our Low FODMAP Onion-Infused Oil is perfect to drizzle on your pizza, and once you make it, you will find many other uses for it, too. We also like FODMAZING Onion Replacer Substitute and also FreeFod Onion Replacer, which you can sprinkle on top, right before serving. Smoke ‘n Sanity has a salt-based onion seasoning if you want to go in that direction. Scallion greens and leek greens can be sautéed and used as an oniony low FODMAP topping, and you can even add up to 14 g of leek bulb; yes, a small part of the bulb is low FODMAP!

When it comes to garlic, if you have not passed your garlic fructan Challenge, here are our top recommendations. Olive oil based Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil is great for drizzling; make your own or research store-bought. We also like FreeFod Garlic Replacer or FODMAZING Garlic Replacer Substitute; these dry powdery toppings can be sprinkled on top of your finished pizza when it emerges from the oven. Smoke ‘n Sanity has a salt-based garlic product if you’d like to try that.

No need to feel onion and garlic flavor deprived!

Special Mentions:

Red Pepper Flakes: Many pizzerias have a shaker jar of red pepper flakes to add to your taste. We have more info on chile peppers in our article All About Chile, Chili and Chilli & The Low FODMAP Diet, which we encourage you to read. Basically, they have been lab tested and are low FODMAP, but chiles, which contain capsaicin, can be a gut irritant.

Dried Oregano: Dried oregano is also a popular add-your-own topping. Both dried Mediterranean and Mexican oregano have been lab tested by Monash University and are low FODMAP in 3 g amounts, which is 1 teaspoon.

Fresh Basil: If you are a classic Margherita fan, then you want to know about fresh basil. Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested fresh basil and the recommended low FODMAP serving size is 16 g, or about 1 cup, which is plenty! 

More Pizza

Because we are talking pizza, we would be remiss if we didn’t point you towards our other pizza articles and recipes.

• Start here with what we consider our main hub article for everything low FODMAP pizza related – Everything You Need To Know About Low FODMAP Pizza
• Low FODMAP Pizza Equipment & Ingredients
• Low FODMAP Pizza Sauce
• Easy Low FODMAP Pizza
• Low FODMAP Pizza 2.0
• 72-Hour Ferment Low FODMAP Pizza
• Low FODMAP Deep-Dish Pizza
• Low FODMAP Grilled Pizza
• Low FODMAP Sourdough Pizza
• Caputo Fioreglut Gluten-Free Low FODMAP Pizza
• Wood-Fired Low FODMAP Neapolitan-Style Pizza
• Using The Ooni Karu 16-Inch Multi Fuel Pizza Oven
• Low FODMAP CBD Oil Pizza with Sausage
• Mini Polenta Pizzas
• Low FODMAP Pizza Chicken Wings