Oh hello! You lovely humans surprised me by going crazy (in the good way) when I posted the below photo on social media. Your questions on my post made me realise that having a visual guide of how to use leek leaves to replace onion on the low FODMAP diet would be super handy.
I created this simple photo to show you exactly what part of the leek you can use while on the low FODMAP diet. The leek bulb and the lime green bits are high FODMAP, but the dark green leaves are low FODMAP.
The dark green leaves are my ‘go-to’ replacement for onion.
Exciting right? It’s the perfect way to enjoy that oniony flavour without the tummy ache. Naturally, you then wanted to know how to prep it, how to cook it and what to do with any leftover leek leaves.
So here is your visual guide to using leek leaves on the low FODMAP diet.
Step One: Find a leek with long dark green leaves. My friends, your local Farmers Market is likely to be a leek treasure trove as the vendors are less likely to trim the leek leaves.
Then separate the dark green leaves. Don’t throw the leek bulb out. Instead, pop the leek bulb in a glass of water on the window sill. Over the next few days, the leek leaves will start to reshoot.
Step Two: Wash the leek leaves. Dirt likes to get stuck in between the leaves so give them a good rinse under cold running water.
Step Three: Remove any lime green bits from the leaves. These lime green areas are high in FODMAPs and can trigger unpleasant gut symptoms for some people.
If you have been eating these lime green bits and haven’t had any issues, then this is a great sign that you tolerate some fructans.
Step Four: Now you want to stack the leek leaves together. This makes them super easy to cut quickly and is much more efficient then trying to cut each leaf individually.
Step Five: Thinly slice the leek leaves. My cook’s tip is to make sure your knife is super sharp as this will make this step much easier.
Step Six: Thinly dice the leek leaves just like you would chop a regular onion.
Step Seven: Figure out how much chopped leek you need for your recipe. I tend to use about 1 cup of chopped leek leaves for a small onion.
You can experiment with this in your recipes! You can use up to 1 cup per serving.
Step Eight: Fry over medium heat until fragrant and soft. You want the leek leaves to go slightly caramelised which means they will have delicious little golden bits.
Leek leaves are best used in cooked dishes like soups, casseroles, stews, and stir-fries. I don’t recommend using them in raw dishes as they are too chewy!
Step Nine: If you have any spare leek leaves, then you can save them for later! Leek leaves freeze super well. Rinse and chop them, before popping them into an airtight container or plastic bag.
Are you ready to take control of your gut symptoms?
No thanks, my gut is perfect.
I tend to freeze the leek leaves in 1 cup or 1/2 cup portions. That way I can just grab out a bag and pop the frozen leek straight into a hot pan. You can fry the leek leaves from frozen!
Image credit: Alana Scott from A Little Bit Yummy
Check Out These Delicious Recipes
Now that you know how to be a kitchen goddess or god when prepping leek, it’s time to put your skills into action.
Here is a round-up some of my absolute favourites that just happen to feature leek as an ingredient. Enjoy!
Roast Chicken with Homemade Stuffing & Gravy
Mini Crepes with Savoury Mince
Roast Veggie & Sausage Breakfast Casserole
Slow Cooked Beef Cheeks
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Low FODMAP Falafel
Simple Lamb Stew
Easy Peasy Beef Stew
Low FODMAP Spaghetti Bolognese
Carrot & Fennel Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
This is so helpful! I was wondering how I could use leek greens in cooking.
Yay! It’s great to hear you enjoyed the guide Allyson.
This is great – do they work well in risotto? And have you tried them in leek and potato soup? I’m ill and craving it but onion/garlic are big triggers for me.
Hi Catherine,
Yes they work fantastic in risotto and I have used them in leek and potato soup too. We also have a gorgeous recipe for leek and potato soup in our FODMAP Recipe Club if you need a recipe: https://alittlebityummy.com/low-fodmap-recipe-club/
Thank you so much for your demonstration. I looked and looked but could not find an all-in-one how to. You started from the beginning all the way to the end with exactly what I was looking for. Now I’m going to go cut some leeks!
You are very welcome Holly! Have fun with your leek leaves and let us know what you end up making.
This is such a helpful step by step blog Alana, thank you! I’m new to the low fodmap world and have found not being able to have onions during the elimination phase (and potentially beyond) really difficult. I love to cook and many of the dishes I make use onions so it’s great to know how exactly to use leeks as a potential alternative. Great tip about freezing too 🙂
Dear Alana, Another Thank You! The visual was very helpful.
I have understood that it is helpful to blanche chopped leeks before freezing. I wonder if you have experimented n blanching then freezing Leeks…….. or never had a reason to include this step. I confess I slice in about 1 inch slices—- so perhaps finer slices eliminates this suggestion.
All Best
Hi Ruth,
Thank you for commenting. We always finely dice the leek leaves before freezing – when we do this, we find we don’t need to blanch the leek. This means we actually haven’t experimented with blanching the leeks and unfortunately can’t give you any extra information.
Kind regards,
Alana + ALBY Health Team
This is wonderful to read and so helpful. I am so bloated, always tired. My doctor recommended that I try a fodmap lifestyle to see if that helps. I had no idea where to start. Now I have a starting place and recipes. Thank you so much.
Hi Rhonda,
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback. We hope the low FODMAP diet helps you identify your trigger foods and feel better. If you need more support then you might like to check out our FODMAP Made Easy program: https://alittlebityummy.com/fodmap-made-easy/