Eating out · American casual dining
Low FODMAP at Applebee's
Applebee's is doable on a low-FODMAP approach, but almost nothing is safe as-listed: garlic and onion powder show up in the steak seasoning, chicken marinade, Cajun rub, and nearly every signature sauce, and most entrées default to garlic mashed potatoes. Your play is plain-grilled protein plus swapped sides — order everything "plain, no seasoning" and treat the sauces as off-limits.
✅ Safest picks
Baked Potato (side)
A plain baked potato is naturally free of onion, garlic, wheat, and other common fermentable triggers.
💬 Order it: Order it plain with butter and salt only — skip sour cream if lactose bothers you, and say no to any cheese or chive toppings.
House Side Salad
Mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, and carrot are low in fermentable carbs once you remove the croutons, onions, and garlicky dressings.
💬 Order it: Ask for no croutons, no red onion, no cheese, and dress it with oil and vinegar or plain olive oil and lemon instead of ranch or Caesar.
6 oz. Top Sirloin
Plain grilled beef has no fermentable carbs, but the house steak seasoning contains dehydrated garlic, so it must come unseasoned.
💬 Order it: Request it grilled plain with just salt and pepper — no steak seasoning — and swap the default garlic mashed potatoes for a baked potato and steamed broccoli (plain, no butter-herb toss).
Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled chicken itself is trigger-free, but the standard marinade includes garlic and onion powder and it's plated on garlic mashed potatoes.
💬 Order it: Ask if the kitchen can grill an unmarinated breast with salt and pepper only, then sub the garlic mashed for a plain baked potato and get the broccoli steamed with no seasoning.
Blackened Cajun Salmon
The salmon fillet is a safe base, but the Cajun blackening rub is built on garlic and onion powder and the default side is garlic mashed potatoes.
💬 Order it: Order the salmon grilled plain — no Cajun seasoning — with lemon on the side, and swap the garlic mashed for baked potato or plain steamed broccoli.
Basket Fries (unseasoned)
The fries are potatoes with salt — no onion or garlic seasoning — though the big portion and shared fryer make them a moderate rather than clean pick.
💬 Order it: Ask for them with salt only (no seasoning blends), skip dipping sauces like ranch or aioli, and split the basket — a large greasy portion can be rough on a sensitive gut even when it's low in trigger ingredients.
⚠️ Skip these
Good to know
- •Watch the default sides: most entrées come with garlic mashed potatoes and 'seasoned' broccoli — swap to a plain baked potato, unseasoned steamed broccoli, or salt-only fries every time.
- •Order proteins 'plain-grilled, no seasoning or marinade': the house steak seasoning, chicken marinade, and Cajun rub all contain dehydrated garlic and onion powder even when the menu doesn't mention them.
- •Treat signature sauces as off-limits — Mexi-ranch, bourbon glaze, honey pepper, and sweet Asian chile all stack garlic, onion, and honey or syrup sweeteners; get sauce on the side or skip it entirely.
- •For salads, drop the croutons, crispy noodles, and red onion, and replace creamy dressings (garlic plus lactose) with oil and vinegar.
- •Portions here are large and often fried — sharing or boxing half is an easy way to keep the fat load down, since a heavy greasy meal can stir up a sensitive gut even when trigger ingredients are low.
- •Use Applebee's online interactive nutrition and allergen tool before you go — it lists ingredients per item and lets you preview swaps, which beats quizzing the server at the table.
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Scan a menu — freeMenus and recipes change; scores reflect typical preparations and published FODMAP research. Informational only — not medical advice. Always confirm ingredients with restaurant staff.