Low FODMAP Vegetarian Meal Plan: 7 Days With Grocery List

By the Caullie team · Published July 14, 2026 · Portions aligned to current Monash University guidance (including the June 2026 maple syrup update)

Being vegetarian on the low FODMAP diet is hard. FODMAPs are a group of carbs that some people's bodies don't absorb well, and they can trigger gut symptoms like bloating and pain in people with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Monash University created the low FODMAP diet, and their research found it helps IBS symptoms improve in about 3 out of 4 people who follow it. The problem for vegetarians is that the diet also restricts the legumes, wheat, onion, and garlic vegetarian cooking depends on. Monash's own guidance warns that a plant-based low FODMAP diet must be carefully planned, or it can fall short on protein, iron, zinc, and calcium.

This plan does that planning for you. Below is a full 7-day vegetarian plan for the elimination phase — the strict first stage of the diet, where you cut high-FODMAP foods to calm symptoms. It's free, right here, no signup required, and every meal is built from foods with verified low FODMAP serves (firm tofu, eggs, rinsed canned legumes in Monash-sized portions, lactose-free dairy), with per-meal calories and a costed grocery list that comes to about $75 at Walmart. One more thing before you start: Monash says the strict phase should last just 2–6 weeks — it is not a diet for life.

What does "low FODMAP" actually mean?

FODMAPs are a group of short-chain carbs that ferment in the gut. In people with IBS, that fermentation can trigger bloating, pain, and changes in bowel habits. IBS affects about 12% of people in the United States, according to the NIH. Monash University developed the low FODMAP diet to manage those symptoms, and it works in three phases. First comes the strict elimination phase: 2–6 weeks of cutting high-FODMAP foods. Then a reintroduction phase, about 6–8 weeks, where you test one FODMAP group at a time to see what you can handle. Last is the personalization phase, where you keep eating everything you tolerate and limit only the foods that actually trigger you. A meta-analysis of controlled trials backs up the diet's effect on IBS symptoms. Monash recommends doing it with a registered dietitian, and that goes double for vegetarians, since you're combining two sets of restrictions at once. This plan covers phase one, the strict weeks.

Can you even be vegetarian on the low FODMAP diet?

Yes. The trick is knowing which proteins are safe, and in what amount. Portion size is the whole game: Monash University, which created the diet, tests foods one by one and publishes a safe amount for each, called a low FODMAP serve. Stay under that amount and the food is fine; go over it and the same food can trigger symptoms. Here's what that looks like for vegetarian protein:

• Eggs — no FODMAPs at all. FODMAPs are a carbohydrate, and eggs are protein and fat, so there's nothing to restrict. On Monash's low FODMAP foods list with no limit.
• Firm tofu, drained — low FODMAP at a generous 170 g (1 cup) serve, because pressing squeezes out the water-soluble FODMAPs. Silken tofu doesn't qualify, since it isn't pressed, so the FODMAPs stay in.
• Canned lentils and chickpeas, rinsed and drained — canning pulls the FODMAPs out into the liquid, which is why canned legumes are the low FODMAP way in. The catch is portion: only about ¼ cup per meal (roughly 46 g lentils, 42 g chickpeas per the Monash app). This plan keeps legumes to a garnish-sized portion in each meal.
• Peanut butter — low FODMAP at a 2-tablespoon (32 g, US-tested) serve per the Monash app data.
• Lactose-free milk and hard cheeses — both on Monash's low list; aged cheddar is naturally low in lactose (~40 g serve).
• Tempeh — fermentation lowers FODMAPs; low at 100 g with ~18 g protein. It's the pricier swap option in the table below.

The ~$75 grocery list (Walmart, July 2026)

Store-brand (Great Value) where it exists. Prices come from walmart.com listings checked July 14, 2026, so treat them as estimates. Produce prices swing seasonally and by store.

Assumes you already have salt, pepper, and dried herbs on hand (oregano, basil, and chives are all low FODMAP-friendly). A couple of notes: canned lentils can be hard to find in stock, so a $1.92 bag of dry lentils, cooked and portioned yourself, works as a cheaper fallback. Any oats are fine here. Low FODMAP is not the same as gluten-free, so you don't need certified gluten-free oats unless you also have celiac disease. Garlic-infused oil pricing varies a lot ($4–6.50). If you'd rather skip it, plain oil plus scallion greens works instead (see below). The peanut butter, oils, rice, oats, and maple syrup all carry over well into week two.

Batch-cook these on day one (about 75 minutes)

• Lentil-tomato sauce (4 servings): Sauté grated carrot and diced zucchini in a tablespoon of garlic-infused oil. Add both cans of diced tomatoes, 1 cup of rinsed canned lentils, oregano, salt, and a splash of water. Simmer 20 minutes, then stir in scallion greens at the end. Each serving keeps lentils close to the ¼-cup Monash serve.
• Roast tofu tray: Press and cube both blocks. Toss with oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 425°F for ~30 minutes until golden. Half is tonight's dinner; half goes into tomorrow's fried rice.
• Pot of rice (3 cups dry) and a batch of quinoa (1 cup dry).
• Hard-boil 4 eggs for snacks and egg salad.

Food-safety note: buy garlic-infused oil instead of making your own. Homemade garlic oil can carry a botulism risk unless it's acidified commercially.

The 7-day plan (~1,600–1,800 calories/day)

Calories throughout are approximate, based on USDA FoodData Central entries for firm tofu (~245 kcal per 170 g serve), cooked quinoa (~222 kcal/cup), lentils (~58 kcal/¼ cup), canned chickpeas (~57 kcal/¼ cup), cheddar (~115 kcal/oz), and 2% milk (~122 kcal/cup, lactose-free is nutritionally the same), plus the rice, egg, banana, and peanut butter entries from our gluten-free dairy-free plan. This plan targets one moderately active adult; scale portions up or down for your own goal.

Portion watch-outs: foods Monash has re-tested

Most low FODMAP lists you'll find online are years out of date. Monash re-tests foods regularly, and the safe serving sizes change as a result. Here are the ones that matter for this plan, current as of July 2026:

Serving sizes here come from the Monash FODMAP app, by way of the dietitian sources linked above. The app itself is the always-current source, and it's worth having on hand during both the elimination and reintroduction phases.

Easy swaps

How do you cook without onion and garlic?

This is the question that trips up most people. Garlic and onion are high in fructans, a type of FODMAP carbohydrate, and fructans dissolve in water but not in oil. Monash puts it simply: "fructans are water soluble but not fat soluble". That's why a commercially made garlic-infused oil works: it carries the garlic flavor into your food while leaving the fructans behind. One bottle does most of the work in this plan's sauce, stir-fry, and roasted vegetables. For fresh onion flavor, Monash recommends using just the green tops of spring onions or chives, added near the end of cooking. Buy garlic-infused oil instead of making your own at home. Commercial versions are made safely, but homemade garlic-in-oil is a known botulism risk.

How long should I eat this way?

Two to six weeks. Then you stop restricting and start testing again. Monash is clear that the elimination phase is "not a diet for life". Once your symptoms settle, you move to phase two, reintroducing one FODMAP group at a time over roughly 6–8 weeks. Then comes phase three, where you eat everything you tolerate and limit only the foods that actually trigger you. This matters even more for vegetarians. The strict phase cuts deep into your plant protein options, so staying on it longer than necessary works against your nutrition. Monash recommends running the whole process, and reintroduction especially, with a registered dietitian, and doubly so when you're combining it with a meat-free diet.

Will this actually help my IBS?

Here's the honest answer. Monash's research found that IBS symptoms improve in 3 out of 4 people who follow a low FODMAP diet, and a meta-analysis of controlled trials supports that effect. That also means roughly 1 in 4 people don't respond, and for them, restricting food further isn't the answer. Two things matter before you start: get an actual IBS diagnosis, since these symptoms can have other causes a doctor should rule out, and treat this plan as a time-limited experiment, not a permanent change. If a few strict weeks on a plan like this one doesn't move your symptoms, that's still useful information to bring back to your doctor or dietitian.

This article covers meal logistics and cost. It isn't medical advice. If you're doing the low FODMAP diet, it's best done with guidance from a doctor or registered dietitian, especially during the reintroduction phase. FODMAP serving sizes here reflect Monash University guidance as of July 2026, based on the sources linked above. Those sizes can change as foods get re-tested, so the Monash FODMAP app remains the most current source. Calorie figures are approximate and come from the USDA FoodData Central entries linked above. Prices are walmart.com listing estimates from July 14, 2026, and will vary by store and season.