Low-FODMAP Chinese food
Steamed dishes are your friend — a steamed protein and greens with ginger, sauce on the side, sidesteps most triggers. Oyster sauce, black bean sauce, and hoisin all carry garlic and onion; plain soy and ginger are the safer flavors. Rice yes, wheat noodles and dumpling wrappers no.
Chinese order card
phasediet.com/eating-out/chinese✓ Order
- Plain steamed white rice
- Steamed fish or chicken with ginger
- Plain steamed greens
~ Ask for a change
- Stir-fries
- Soy sauce
- Rice vs fried rice
✗ Skip
- Dumplings, wontons, spring rolls and lo/chow mein
- Fried rice
- Oyster-sauce and black-bean-sauce dishes
- Sweet-and-sour and other battered dishes
Say this
- “Can the kitchen cook this with no garlic, no onion, no scallion, and no oyster sauce?”
- “Steamed white rice and steamed fish with ginger, please.”
Checked July 2026 — menus and recipes change, so confirm with staff. From phasediet.com/eating-out/chinese
What to order
These are the dependable low-FODMAP picks — and why each one is a safe bet.
Plain steamed white rice
A dependable low-FODMAP base.
Steamed fish or chicken with ginger
Ask for it without garlic, onion, or scallion.
Plain steamed greens
Request no garlic; a clean side.
What to ask the kitchen to change
These can work — with one question or one small adjustment. Here’s exactly what to ask.
Stir-fries
Ask for it cooked with no garlic, onion, scallion, or oyster sauce — a plain protein-and-veg stir-fry with a little soy and ginger is often doable.
Soy sauce
Regular soy sauce has wheat; a small amount is usually fine, or ask for a wheat-free option.
Rice vs fried rice
Steamed white rice, not fried rice (onion, soy sauce, and egg).
What to skip
Not forever — most of these come back during reintroduction. During elimination, they’re the reliable triggers to leave off.
Dumplings, wontons, spring rolls and lo/chow mein
Wheat wrappers and noodles.
Fried rice
Onion, garlic, and soy.
Oyster-sauce and black-bean-sauce dishes
Garlic and onion.
Sweet-and-sour and other battered dishes
Wheat and HFCS.
The exact words to say
Specific beats vague every time. Most staff won’t know what “low FODMAP” means, but they can absolutely answer “is there onion or garlic in that?”
“Can the kitchen cook this with no garlic, no onion, no scallion, and no oyster sauce?”
“Steamed white rice and steamed fish with ginger, please.”
Good to know
- →Steamed dishes are your friend — a steamed protein and greens with ginger, sauce on the side, sidesteps most triggers.
- →Oyster sauce, black bean sauce, and hoisin all carry garlic and onion; plain soy and ginger are safer.
- →Rice yes, wheat noodles and dumpling wrappers no.
More cuisine guides
Or browse all eating-out guides.
This guide is for general information only and is not medical advice. Menus, recipes, and kitchen practices change and vary by location, and FODMAP tolerances differ from person to person — always confirm with staff and go by your own experience. New to the diet? Start with our guide to the low-FODMAP diet.