Low FODMAP Brat Burgers

Low FODMAP Brat Burgers - classic brat flavor in FODMAP-friendly burger form. They’re also free from wheat, lactose, garlic, and onion and have less sodium than your typical brat.

Happy Oktoberfest season!

My husband and I are both from a very German community in south-central Minnesota called New Ulm.

I'm German. My grandpa preferred to speak in German. And, my dad has been part of a German singing group for over 30 years. So, growing up I spent more time than most kids my age at local German festivals, like Fasching and Oktoberfest. And because of it, I enjoyed a lot of yummy German-American food.

Side note: Coincidentally, Al and I currently live near La Crosse, Wisconsin which also has one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in the US.

Many of the German-American foods that I enjoyed as a kid contained wheat, dairy, or FODMAPs. In my early twenties, I developed non-FODMAP intolerances to wheat, dairy, and black pepper. So, I haven’t been able to enjoy many of my childhood favorites ... until now!

As it’s Oktoberfest this weekend in La Crosse, I thought we’d celebrate with some FODMAP-friendly takes on two of my favorite German-American foods: brat burgers and spaetzle.

First up, Low FODMAP Brat Burgers.

Bratwursts (aka brats) are pretty common across the Midwest. Lots of communities will hold brat fry's to raise money and you can find multiple, often locally-made, brat varieties in most grocery stores. Unfortunately, some prepared brats that I’ve come across contain garlic powder or other high FODMAP/ unknown ingredients (e.g., “natural flavors”). 

As I’m not well-versed in, nor feel compelled to make my own brats, I decided to take the same general spices and make a FODMAP-friendly brat burger instead.

These low FODMAP brat burgers are spiced with a blend of nutmeg, caraway seeds, ginger, allspice, salt, and pepper. Instead of black pepper, I used white pepper which is fairly typical in brat recipes. 

Although white pepper hasn’t officially been tested by Monash, only a small amount is used. If you want to be “safe” you can certainly substitute black pepper in.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve these brat burgers on gluten-free hamburger buns. Schär Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns have been tested and are certified low FODMAP by Monash University. You could also serve these brat burgers “bunless” or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

As far as condiments go, it’s pretty typical to find brats and brat burgers served with:

• Mustard: Yellow, Dijon, and mild German mustard all are low FODMAP
• Sauerkraut: Low FODMAP in small (1 Tbsp. or 20 gram) servings
• Ketchup: Regular US ketchup is “safe” in small servings (13 grams) or you can enjoy a little more with Fody Foods Low FODMAP Ketchup

Finally, as beer is pretty synonymous with Oktoberfest celebrations, I wanted to let you know that it’s possible to “safely” enjoy one 12 oz. beer on the low FODMAP diet. If you choose to partake, please drink responsibly. 🙂

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