Is Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce low FODMAP?

No — Lee Kum Kee Hoisin Sauce is a tough fit for a low FODMAP approach, and the label explains why. The US ingredient list runs sugar, water, fermented soybean paste (water, salt, soybeans, wheat flour), salt, modified food starch, then under 2% each of sweet potato powder, sesame paste, caramel color, spices, dehydrated garlic, salted chili peppers, acetic acid, Red 40, and potassium sorbate. Dehydrated garlic is the deal-breaker: it is a concentrated fructan source, and hoisin is not a dash condiment — it gets brushed onto ribs, ladled into stir-fries, and spread on pancakes for Peking duck by the tablespoon. The fermented soybean paste with wheat flour adds a secondary layer of fructans and GOS that fermentation only partly reduces, and the sweet potato powder contributes a little mannitol. The sugar itself, despite being the first ingredient, is plain sucrose and not the issue. Because typical servings are generous and the garlic scales with every spoonful, this bottle lands firmly on the high end. If you love the flavor, a garlic-free homemade version gets surprisingly close.

📏 Typical uses — glazing, stir-fry sauce, Peking duck spread — run 2 or more tablespoons and stack the garlic quickly. If you experiment at all, keep it to about a teaspoon brushed thin rather than a ladled glaze.