Standard hoisin sauce is not low FODMAP. Most commercial versions contain garlic, onion, and high-fructose sweeteners, all of which are significant FODMAP triggers. However, you can find certified low FODMAP alternatives or make your own version at home with simple ingredient swaps.
Why Regular Hoisin Sauce Is High FODMAP
Traditional hoisin sauce is built on a base of fermented soybean paste, sugar, vinegar, garlic, and various spices. The two biggest FODMAP problems are garlic and the sweeteners used. Garlic contains fructans, a type of carbohydrate that ferments rapidly in the gut and causes bloating, gas, and pain for people sensitive to FODMAPs. Even small amounts of garlic can be enough to trigger symptoms during an elimination phase.
The sweetener situation makes things worse. Many store-bought hoisin sauces use high-fructose corn syrup, which creates an excess of fructose relative to glucose. That imbalance is what makes fructose hard to absorb for people with fructose malabsorption, one of the core issues the low FODMAP diet addresses. Some brands also add wheat flour as a thickener, which introduces fructans from a second source. Between the garlic, the sweeteners, and sometimes onion powder buried in the ingredient list, a standard bottle of hoisin sauce hits multiple FODMAP categories at once.
What to Look for on the Label
If you’re scanning hoisin sauce bottles at the store, the ingredient list is your best tool. Watch specifically for these high FODMAP ingredients:
- Garlic (including garlic powder, garlic extract, or garlic salt)
- Onion (including onion powder)
- High-fructose corn syrup
- Honey (high in excess fructose)
- Wheat flour (contains fructans)
Many commercial hoisin sauces contain three or four of these in a single product. Ingredients like regular sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce made from soy and wheat (in the small amounts present in soy sauce, wheat is typically tolerated), and spices like five-spice powder are generally fine on a low FODMAP diet.
A Certified Low FODMAP Option
San-J makes a Gluten Free Hoisin Sauce that has been certified by FODMAP Friendly, one of the two major testing organizations for FODMAP content. It’s built on San-J’s tamari soy sauce, which uses 100% soybeans with no wheat. This is currently one of the few hoisin-style sauces that has gone through lab testing to verify its FODMAP levels at a standard serving size.
Certification matters because ingredients alone don’t always tell the full story. Fermentation can change the FODMAP content of soy-based products, and the amount of each ingredient relative to the serving size affects whether a sauce passes or fails testing. A certified product takes the guesswork out of that calculation. Look for the FODMAP Friendly logo (green and white circular logo) or the Monash University certification mark on the packaging.
Making Your Own Low FODMAP Hoisin
A homemade version gives you the most control and comes together in minutes. The key is replicating hoisin’s sweet, salty, slightly tangy depth without garlic or onion. A simple approach uses brown sugar, soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free), white wine vinegar, mirin, five-spice powder, salt, and optionally a small amount of chili paste like sambal for heat. The five-spice powder is what gives the sauce its characteristic warmth, since it typically contains cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel seed, and Sichuan pepper.
You can also add garlic-infused oil to get that garlic flavor back safely. Fructans are water-soluble but don’t dissolve into oil, so oil that’s been infused with garlic and then strained carries the taste without the FODMAPs. A teaspoon or two stirred in at the end gives the sauce a much more authentic flavor profile. Just make sure you use a properly infused oil where the garlic pieces have been fully removed, not oil with garlic bits still sitting in it.
Homemade hoisin keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks. It works as a glaze for roasted meats, a stir-fry sauce base, a dipping sauce for spring rolls, or a marinade ingredient.
Serving Size Still Matters
Even with a certified or homemade low FODMAP hoisin, portion size plays a role. FODMAP testing certifies products at a specific serving size, and exceeding that amount can push the FODMAP load past your tolerance threshold. For condiment-style sauces, the tested serving is typically one to two tablespoons. Most people use hoisin in small enough quantities that this isn’t an issue, but if you’re using it as a heavy marinade or dumping several tablespoons into a stir-fry that serves one, it’s worth being mindful of how much ends up on your plate rather than in the whole dish.
During the elimination phase of the low FODMAP diet, stick closely to tested serving sizes. Once you move into the reintroduction phase and have a better sense of your personal triggers, you may find you can be more flexible with ingredients like small amounts of regular soy sauce or slightly larger servings of certified sauces.