Most beans are high in FODMAPs, but you can still include several types in your diet if you choose the right varieties and pay attention to serving sizes and preparation. The key is understanding that how a bean is processed matters just as much as which bean you pick.
Why Most Beans Cause Problems
Beans are rich in a type of carbohydrate called galacto-oligosaccharides, or GOS. Your body doesn’t produce any enzyme capable of breaking down GOS, so these sugars pass through your digestive tract completely undigested. When they reach the large intestine, gut bacteria ferment them and produce gas. In a healthy gut this is actually beneficial, feeding good bacteria and acting as a prebiotic. But if you have IBS, where the gut is hypersensitive and motility is already disrupted, that fermentation leads to bloating, cramping, and changes in bowel habits.
This is why beans land on the high FODMAP list as a category. Red kidney beans, split peas, baked beans, and falafel (made from chickpeas in large amounts) are particularly high in GOS. But “high FODMAP” doesn’t mean every bean at every serving size is off limits.
Beans You Can Eat on a Low FODMAP Diet
The Monash University FODMAP system, which is the gold standard for FODMAP testing, rates foods using a traffic light system: green (low), amber (moderate), and red (high). Several legumes earn a green rating at controlled serving sizes. The important thing to know is that serving size is everything. A food can be green at a quarter cup and red at a full cup.
Canned chickpeas and canned lentils are two of the most accessible low FODMAP bean options when drained and rinsed. Butter beans (lima beans) in small portions also test lower. Monash updated its full pulses category in mid-2025, so checking the Monash FODMAP app gives you the most current serving sizes for each specific legume.
Two soy-based options also deserve a spot on your list. Firm tofu and tempeh are both rated as low FODMAP alternatives to whole beans. Tofu’s production process washes away most of the GOS during pressing and draining. Tempeh goes through fermentation, which breaks down the problematic sugars further. Both are excellent protein sources when you’re trying to replace beans you’ve had to cut back on.
Sprouted Mung Beans
Sprouted mung beans are a standout. Unsprouted mung beans rate high in FODMAPs, but after sprouting, they drop from a red rating all the way to green on the Monash scale. When a seed germinates, enzymes inside it activate and break down the oligosaccharide chains. In mung beans, this enzyme activity is strong enough to meaningfully reduce the FODMAP content. You can find sprouted mung beans (often labeled “bean sprouts”) at most grocery stores, and they work well in stir-fries, salads, and soups.
Not every legume responds to sprouting the same way, though. In some cases, the enzymes don’t act strongly enough to make a real difference, so don’t assume sprouting will fix any high FODMAP bean.
Canned and Rinsed Beats Dried Every Time
The single most practical thing you can do to lower the FODMAP content of beans is to buy them canned, then drain and rinse them thoroughly. GOS dissolves in water. When beans sit in canning liquid, a significant portion of the oligosaccharides leaches out into that liquid. Draining it away removes those sugars. Rinsing under running water takes it a step further, potentially reducing gas-causing carbohydrates along with cutting sodium by up to 40%.
The same principle applies if you cook dried beans at home. Soak them, discard the soaking water, boil them in fresh water, and drain well. Each water change pulls more GOS out of the beans. The worst thing you can do from a FODMAP standpoint is cook dried beans and then eat them in their cooking liquid, like in a soup or stew where nothing gets drained.
Beans to Limit or Avoid
Some legumes remain high FODMAP even at small servings. Red kidney beans, split peas, black-eyed peas, and baked beans (which often include added sugars and onion, both FODMAP triggers) are consistently rated high. Navy beans and broad beans (fava beans) also tend to be problematic. If these are staples in your diet, swapping to canned and rinsed chickpeas or lentils at smaller portions gives you a similar nutritional profile with less digestive risk.
Practical Tips for Adding Beans Back
During the elimination phase of a low FODMAP diet, you’ll likely cut beans entirely or limit them to the smallest green-rated servings. During the reintroduction phase, beans are one of the GOS challenge foods. This means you’ll gradually increase your serving size over a few days to test your personal tolerance.
Many people with IBS find they can handle more beans than they expected, especially canned and rinsed varieties. Your threshold might be a quarter cup of chickpeas with no symptoms and a half cup where bloating starts. That personal ceiling is worth finding, because beans are one of the best plant-based sources of protein, fiber, and iron. Cutting them out entirely when you could tolerate a small serving means missing out on real nutritional benefits, including the prebiotic effects that feed beneficial gut bacteria.
A few strategies that help: spread your bean intake across meals rather than eating a large portion at once, combine beans with low FODMAP grains like rice or quinoa to dilute the GOS load per bite, and stick with canned varieties until you know your limits. If you’re using the Monash app, check the specific entry for each bean type, because ratings can differ between canned and dried versions of the same legume.