FODMAP food guide
Is buttermilk low FODMAP?
FODMAP score
72
High FODMAP
No — Buttermilk is high FODMAP and is a common trigger for IBS symptoms in typical servings.
FODMAPs present
Low-FODMAP serving
1 tbsp (20 ml) in cooking
Becomes high FODMAP at
1/4 cup (60 ml) or more
Culturing lowers lactose somewhat, but a glass is still high; small cooking amounts tolerated.
Seen a different rating somewhere else?+
Usually it's a portion difference, not a disagreement. This page scores buttermilk at a serving of 1 tbsp (20 ml) in cooking; at 1/4 cup (60 ml) or more it belongs in the high band. A source quoting the larger serve will call it high, and one quoting the smaller will call it low — the same food, measured at two different amounts.
Based on published FODMAP research and reviewed reference data. Informational only — not medical advice. Tolerance is individual; verify with a dietitian during the elimination phase.
How much is OK?
This food's verdict depends on the serving. The bands below show where the load builds, group by group.
Lactose
Culturing converts only a small share of the lactose, so buttermilk stays close to plain milk — low only in a small splash, and no moderate band has been published. In baking, one tablespoon spread across a whole batch usually keeps a single slice low; for larger amounts, lactose-free milk soured with a squeeze of lemon substitutes cup-for-cup.
Bands reflect published FODMAP research for typical preparations — individual tolerance varies, especially mid-reintroduction.
Go deeper
Related foods — gentlest first
Green scores are the real swaps; matching numbers are just relatives, not alternatives.