Plain beef broth made from just bones, water, and salt is low FODMAP. The problem is that almost no commercial beef broth stops there. The vast majority of store-bought broths, stocks, and bouillon cubes contain onion and garlic, which are among the highest-FODMAP ingredients you can eat. So the real answer depends entirely on what else is in the broth.
Why Most Store-Bought Broth Is Not Safe
Onion and garlic both contain fructans, a type of short-chain carbohydrate that pulls water into the gut and ferments rapidly in people with IBS. These two ingredients show up in nearly every commercial beef broth, stock, and bouillon cube on the market. Even brands that seem simple often list onion powder, garlic powder, or both somewhere on the label.
The ingredient list can also hide them. On meat and poultry labels, the USDA allows garlic powder, garlic juice, onion powder, and onion juice to be listed simply as “natural flavor,” “flavor,” or “flavors.” So a broth that looks clean at first glance may still contain significant amounts of both. If the label says “natural flavors” or “spices” without specifying what those are, you have no way to confirm it’s safe during the elimination phase.
Bouillon cubes are particularly tricky. Most contain onion powder as a core flavoring ingredient, and some also include barley, which adds gluten and fructans. When the makers of Better Than Bouillon were asked directly, they confirmed that all of their products contain onion or garlic.
Cooking Out Onion and Garlic Doesn’t Work
A common workaround people try is simmering whole onion or garlic cloves in the broth, then fishing them out before eating. This does not make the broth safe. Fructans are water-soluble, which means they leach directly into the liquid as the broth cooks. Removing the solid pieces leaves the FODMAPs behind in the water you’re about to drink. Monash University, the research group that developed the FODMAP system, has specifically warned against this strategy.
Certified Low FODMAP Brands
A small number of brands make beef broth specifically designed for the low FODMAP diet. Gourmend is the most widely available option in the U.S. and carries Monash University’s low FODMAP certification. Their broth uses green leek tops and scallion tops instead of onion and garlic to build flavor. You can find it at some grocery chains, on Amazon, or through their website.
Massel beef-style stock cubes are another option that people on the diet report tolerating well. Because options are limited, checking for a Monash or FODMAP Friendly certification logo on the package is the fastest way to confirm a product has been lab-tested and verified.
Making Your Own Low FODMAP Beef Broth
Homemade broth gives you full control over what goes in. Start with beef bones (marrow bones and knuckle bones work well), water, and salt. From there, the flavor comes from choosing the right vegetables and aromatics.
Safe additions for the vegetable base include carrots, a small amount of celery (up to half a stalk per serving stays within tested limits), fresh thyme, bay leaves, and black peppercorns. For the savory, aromatic depth that onion and garlic normally provide, use chive sprigs, green leek tops (the dark green part only, not the white bulb), and the green parts of scallions. These substitutions deliver a surprisingly similar flavor profile because they share some of the same sulfur compounds as onion and garlic without the fructan load.
For extra umami richness, try adding a small piece of nori seaweed or a splash of soy sauce (regular soy sauce is low FODMAP at one tablespoon). These give the broth the deep, satisfying backbone that you’d normally get from long-simmered onion. A tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar added early in the simmer helps draw minerals from the bones and rounds out the flavor.
Simmer everything for at least four to six hours (or use a pressure cooker for about two hours), strain out the solids, and you have a broth you can freeze in portions and use confidently in soups, risottos, and sauces throughout the elimination phase.
What to Check on Every Label
If you’re buying broth off the shelf and it doesn’t carry a FODMAP certification, read the full ingredient list and look for these specific red flags:
- Onion in any form: onion powder, dried onion, onion extract, dehydrated onion
- Garlic in any form: garlic powder, garlic extract, roasted garlic
- “Natural flavors” or “flavors” without further detail
- “Spices” listed generically, which can include onion or garlic
- Barley or wheat-based thickeners, which add fructans
- Honey or high-fructose corn syrup, occasionally added to some stocks
If a broth passes all of those checks, meaning the only ingredients are beef, water, salt, and vegetables you recognize as low FODMAP, it’s likely safe. But “likely” is the best you can do without certification or making it yourself. For the elimination phase, when precision matters most, homemade or certified broth removes the guesswork entirely.