This low fodmap salsa recipe is fresh, flavourful, and a great side dish or low fodmap appetizer to enjoy with rice crackers or a small serving of corn tortilla chips. You can also use this low fodmap salsa in Mexican dishes, such as a homemade burrito bowl with basmati rice and grilled fish, chicken, or beef.
It only takes 5-10 minutes to prepare this fodmap-friendly salsa. Nothing beats a homemade low fodmap salsa inspired by the classic Mexican salsa with fresh ingredients and seasoned with lime, salt, and pepper.
Is salsa low fodmap?
Anyone on the low fodmap diet will be happy to know that this authentic salsa is low fodmap as it is free of onion, a high fodmap vegetable that frequently triggers IBS symptoms. Most salsas are not low in fodmaps as they often contain onions that are high in the fodmap fructan.
Instead, this fodmap friendly salsa recipe is used with green onions. The green part of green onions is low fodmap and a great substitute to use instead of regular onions.
Onions are a high fodmap vegetable that many people with SIBO or IBS notice a worsening of SIBO symptoms such as burping, bloating, or abdominal cramping. You can enjoy a classic tasting fresh low fodmap salsa by substituting red or white onion for the tops of green onions.
All the ingredients in the salsa are low fodmap in the recommended serving size. Tomatoes and red peppers do contain fodmaps in higher portions, so be mindful of the amount consumed if following a strict low fodmap diet (which I don’t recommend long term anyways). Often, onions are very problematic for people with IBS and SIBO, but other vegetables, such as tomatoes and red pepper, are well tolerated.
Although people with histamine intolerance often don’t tolerate tomatoes as they are a higher histamine vegetable that can cause similar symptoms to IBS, such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. Often, histamine foods are problematic for people with IBS, and the low fodmap diet can be high in histamine.
Symptoms of histamine intolerance alongside IBS indicate gut dysbiosis and a need to rebalance your microbiome with beneficial bacteria and probiotics for histamine intolerance.
When you have fully healed your gut, you should be able to tolerate high histamine foods better and high fodmap foods. In the main time, if you don’t have histamine intolerance, enjoy this homemade fresh salsa as a low fodmap appetizer, as you will need to watch the fodmap content in larger portion sizes 🙂
Ingredients for the low fodmap salsa
- 1 cup ripe common tomatoes (2 med tomatoes)
- 1 cup red bell pepper
- ¼ cup green onion
- Juice from one fresh lime
- Touch of salt and pepper to taste
Tomatoes
According to the Monash University, Roma tomatoes are low fodmap in a 48-gram serving or 2/3 of a tomato. One Roma tomato in a 75-gram serving size is high in the fodmap fructose. A regular standard tomato is low fodmap in a 65-gram serving and contains moderate amounts of the fructose fodmap in a serving size of 75 grams; the type of tomato matters when choosing a tomato to make low fodmap salsa with.
Red peppers
Red peppers are low fodmap in a serving size of 1/3 cup per meal yet become high in the fodmap fructose in a serving size of 1/2 a cup. Ugg. So if you are intolerant to the fructose fodmap in tomatoes and red peppers, you can still enjoy this fodmap friendly salsa but only eat 1/3 of a cup at a time.
Green onions
The tops of green onions are low fodmap in a 75-gram serving size or 1.5 cups and are the best substitute for regular onions. Only 1/4 of a cup is used in the entire recipe, which is well within the recommended range, so if you love the flavor of green onions, you can add some more to flavor this yummy salsa recipe!
Lime Juice
Lime juice is low fodmap even in higher amounts as 250 grams of lime juice is still low fodmap, so go nuts with extra lime juice if you desire as it adds the best flavor and complements all the ingredients, especially when season with some sea salt and black pepper 🙂
Substitutions and tips for making the best fodmap friendly salsa
The key to making the best fresh low fodmap salsa is to chop the tomato, red pepper, and green onion finely. I swear the Mexicans are pros at chopping up vegetables for salsa, so their fresh salsa is the best! So grab a sharp chopping knife and cutting board to whip up this fresh salsa.
A serrated knife is best for slicing tomatoes, especially if your chopping knife is dull. To prepare this low fodmap salsa, wash the vegetables, chop finely, and then season with lime juice and salt and pepper.
Cucumber is another low fodmap vegetable that blends well with the peppers and tomatoes and is a great way to bulk up the recipe.
Adding freshly chopped cilantro is a great way to flavor fresh salsa. Cilantro is also great for gut health as it inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria in the gut and was one of my top superfoods for gut health on my Viome gut health test results.
If you like the garlic flavor, you can add a touch of garlic-infused oil to the salsa recipe.
You can also use lemon juice instead of lime juice. But I prefer lime juice, although lemon juice will also work in a pinch.
If you like spicy food, add finely chopped jalapeno peppers to the homemade salsa as well. However, be mindful of portion size as only a 29-gram serving or one small chili is low fodmap. A little spice goes a long way, so it’s easy to stick to a low fodmap portion size.
Cumin is also a fantastic Mexican spice that would be an excellent addition to the simple yet yummy low fodmap salsa recipe.
Store the salsa in an airtight container, or enjoy it right away. It is the perfect appetizer, side dish, or topping for low fodmap burrito bowls with rice and meat. This low fodmap salsa also complements baked salmon with basmati rice, a delicious and nutritious SIBO-friendly meal.
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Low Fodmap Salsa Recipe – Easy and Fresh
Equipment
- cutting board
- Chopping knife
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 1 cup diced red pepper
- ¼ cup diced green onion (tops)
- 1 lime juiced
- pinch of salt and cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables then finely dice and place in a medium size bowl. Squeeze fresh lime juice from 1 lime and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
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