The Low Oxalate Foods List: What You Can Actually Eat (And Enjoy) on a Low Oxalate Diet

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You’ve seen what to avoid. Now here’s what to put back on your plate.

If you’ve spent any time learning about oxalates, you’ve probably had the same experience most people have: a wave of relief at finally understanding why you’ve been feeling the way you have, immediately followed by a wave of panic when you realize how many of your go-to foods are on the “limit or avoid” list.

Spinach. Almonds. Sweet potatoes. Dark chocolate. Swiss chard. Beets. The foods that built your “healthy” identity for years.

It feels, for about 24 hours, like there’s nothing left to eat.

There is. There’s a lot left to eat. The low oxalate diet is not a deprivation diet, it’s a swap diet. For nearly every high oxalate food you’ve been relying on, there is a low oxalate food that does the same job, often tastes better, and lets your body actually use the nutrients you’re putting in.

This post is the complete low oxalate foods list. Vegetables, fruits, proteins, grains, fats, dairy, herbs and spices, drinks. Real categories. Clear groupings. The foods you can build a daily plate from without thinking twice.

By the end of this post, your “what can I eat” panic will be gone, and you’ll have a working mental grocery list to take into your kitchen.

How to use this low oxalate foods list

The low oxalate approach works from a tier-based framework, Low, Medium, and High, and the goal is to shift your daily diet predominantly into the Low tier. For context, the average American diet contains roughly 200 to 300 mg of oxalate per day, and a “clean eating” diet heavy in spinach smoothies, almonds, and sweet potatoes can easily exceed 1,000 mg per day.¹ Those numbers aren’t targets to count toward, they’re context for how far the typical diet sits from a genuinely low oxalate one.

Foods on this list are generally considered low oxalate and can be eaten in normal portions without pushing your body into high-oxalate territory. A few notes that apply to everything below:

• Portion still matters. A “low oxalate” food eaten in massive quantities can still add up. Normal serving sizes are assumed throughout this list.
• Cooking method matters. Boiling vegetables and discarding the water can reduce soluble oxalate content by 30 to 87 percent.² When in doubt, boil.
• Individual tolerance varies. People with compromised gut health absorb significantly more oxalate than people with healthy digestion, sometimes 30 to 50 percent or more of what they eat, compared with a normal absorption rate of about 5 to 10 percent.³ If a “low oxalate” food doesn’t sit well with you, trust your body over the list.
• Reduce gradually. Do not flip from a high oxalate diet to a strict low oxalate one overnight. Sudden reduction can trigger oxalate dumping (we’ll cover that in another post). Make one swap at a time, let it settle in, then move to the next.

With that grounding in place, here’s what’s on your plate.

Low Oxalate Vegetables

Vegetables are where most people panic first, because so many of the so-called “superfoods”, spinach, swiss chard, beets, are at the top of the high oxalate list. The good news: there’s a deep bench of low oxalate vegetables, and many of them are nutritionally excellent.

Leafy greens (the spinach replacements):

• Lacinato Kale (Dinosaur Kale)
• Bok choy
• Arugula
• Romaine lettuce
• Iceberg lettuce
• Butter lettuce
• Cabbage (all varieties, green, red, savoy, napa)
• Mustard greens
• Watercress

Kale is the most important name on this list to internalize. It’s the closest functional swap for spinach in cooking, it sautés similarly, holds up in soups and stews, and pairs with the same flavors. If you can build a habit of reaching for kale where you used to reach for spinach, you’ve solved 80 percent of the leafy green problem.

Cruciferous vegetables:

• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Bok choy

Cauliflower deserves its own callout. It’s one of the most flexible swaps in the entire low oxalate world, it stands in for rice, mashed potatoes, pizza crust, and roasted starches. Roasted cauliflower in particular becomes the backbone of countless low oxalate dinner plates.

Try it: Low Oxalate Roasted Cauliflower is an easy place to start.

Root vegetables and starches (the sweet potato replacements):

• Rutabaga
• Turnips
• Cauliflower (again)
• Daikon radish
• Radishes

Other low oxalate vegetables:

• Cucumber
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Red Bell Peppers
• Mushrooms (most varieties)
• Onions
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Peas
• Cherry tomatoes (small amounts, tomatoes are moderate, not high)

Between these categories, you have everything you need to build vegetable-forward meals every day of the week.

Low Oxalate Fruits

Fruits are where the low oxalate diet feels almost easy. Most common fruits are low to moderate in oxalates, with only a few standout high oxalate offenders to avoid (rhubarb being the most notable, at roughly 541 mg per cooked cup⁶, alongside star fruit, which can be genuinely dangerous for people with kidney issues)⁷.

Reliably low oxalate fruits:

• Apples
• Pears
• Bananas
• Blueberries
• Strawberries (in moderation)
• Cherries
• Grapes (red and green seedless)
• Peaches
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew
• Mango
• Pineapple
• Papaya
• Lemons and limes
• Cranberries (fresh, avoid concentrated juices)

Apples are the anchor of the low oxalate fruit world. They’re available year-round, they pair with almost anything, they make a satisfying snack on their own, and they’re consistently low oxalate across all varieties. If you’re rebuilding your snacking habits, leaning on apples is a low-risk, high-reward move.

Citrus deserves a special mention too. Lemons and limes are not just low oxalate, they’re actively useful for low oxalate eating because the citrate they contain helps inhibit calcium oxalate crystal formation in urine.⁴ A glass of lemon water with meals is one of the small habits that meaningfully supports the larger strategy.

A note on berries: Blueberries are reliably low. Strawberries are moderate, fine in normal portions but worth not overdoing. Raspberries and blackberries are higher and worth limiting if you’re sensitive.

Low Oxalate Proteins

This is where the diet gets surprisingly easy. Almost all animal proteins are oxalate-free or extremely low in oxalates, because oxalates are produced by plants.⁸ Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and most dairy are off the worry list entirely from an oxalate perspective.

Low or zero oxalate proteins:

• Chicken (all cuts)
• Turkey
• Beef
• Pork
• Lamb
• Fish (salmon, cod, tilapia, sole, halibut, sardines, etc.)
• Shellfish (shrimp, scallops, lobster, crab)
• Eggs
• Cheese (most varieties, see dairy section below)
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Cottage cheese

This is a key reframe for people coming from a plant-heavy diet: a low oxalate diet is generally easier when you let animal proteins do more of the work on your plate. That doesn’t mean you have to become a carnivore, it just means the protein sources you may have been avoiding (chicken, eggs, fish, beef) are now your reliable backbone.

Plant proteins, handle with care: This is the trickier category. Many traditional plant proteins are high in oxalates:

• Most beans and lentils are moderate to high (navy beans, for example, are around 76 mg per cooked cup⁶)
• Soy products (tofu, tempeh, soy milk) are generally moderate to high
• Most nuts and seeds are moderate to high (almonds, in particular, are around 122 mg per ounce⁶)

Lower oxalate plant proteins to lean on:

• Garbanzo beans
• Pea protein
• Pumpkin seeds (in small amounts)

If you’re vegetarian or vegan and trying to do this diet, this is where it gets genuinely difficult. There are paths through, but it requires more careful planning than for omnivores. We’ll go deeper on this in a future post.

Put it into practice: Try Cilantro Lime Pulled Chicken or Low Oxalate Salmon Cakes.

Low Oxalate Grains and Starches

Grains are a mixed bag, and this is one of the categories where the wellness narrative is most directly inverted by the oxalate reality.

Reliably low oxalate grains:

• White rice
• Oats (rolled or steel-cut, in moderation)

Higher oxalate grains to limit or avoid:

• Buckwheat (high)
• Quinoa (moderate to high)
• Whole wheat / whole grain breads (moderate, due to bran)
• Bulgur
• Millet

The headline here: white rice is your friend on a low oxalate diet. The wellness world spent the last twenty years telling you to swap white rice for brown rice, brown rice for quinoa, and quinoa for buckwheat. From an oxalate perspective, you’d want to walk that ladder back the other direction.

For most people on a low oxalate diet, white rice becomes a daily staple, as a side, as the base of bowls, in soups, in stir-fries. It’s clean, neutral, low oxalate, and easy to digest.

Make it easy: Use this Low Oxalate Instant Pot White Rice recipe for a dependable meal-prep staple.

Low oxalate flours for baking:

• Oat flour
• White rice flour
• Coconut flour
• Cornstarch

Notably absent: almond flour, which is the most popular “healthy” flour in modern baking and one of the highest oxalate flours available. If you’ve been baking with almond flour, this is one of the bigger swaps you’ll make. Coconut flour, white rice flour, and oat flour all become your go-tos instead.

Low Oxalate Fats and Oils

Almost all fats and oils are oxalate-free, because oxalates are water-soluble and don’t carry over into pure fats. This category is essentially a green light.

Low or zero oxalate fats:

• Olive oil
• Avocado oil
• Coconut oil
• Butter
• Ghee
• Lard
• Tallow
• Most other cooking oils

You can cook freely with any of the oils above. Olive oil and butter are the go-to fats for low oxalate cooking, between them, you can handle nearly every cooking technique and dressing application.

Low Oxalate Dairy

Most dairy is low oxalate, and dairy is one of the more useful categories for a different reason: the calcium content of dairy can actually help bind oxalates in your gut and reduce absorption.

Low oxalate dairy:

• Milk (whole, 2%, skim)
• Plain yogurt (Greek or regular)
• Cottage cheese
• Cream cheese
• Sour cream
• Heavy cream
• Most cheeses (cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, parmesan, feta, goat cheese, brie, etc.)
• Butter and ghee (already covered under fats)

Eating calcium-rich foods alongside oxalate-containing foods is one of the simplest mechanical strategies in low oxalate eating. The calcium binds the oxalate in your gut, forming an insoluble compound that gets carried out in stool rather than absorbed into circulation.⁵ A piece of cheese with your meal, a glass of milk alongside dinner, or yogurt with breakfast all work this way.

Non-dairy alternatives to be aware of:

• Coconut milk (low oxalate, good substitute)
• Rice milk (low oxalate)
• Hemp milk (low oxalate in moderation)

Notably high oxalate alternatives:

• Almond milk (high)
• Soy milk (moderate to high)

If you’ve been drinking almond milk daily, this is a meaningful swap. Coconut milk and rice milk are the clean replacements. I particularly like the Califia refrigerated coconut milk sold in grocery stores.

Low Oxalate Herbs, Spices, and Condiments

Herbs and spices are mostly fine in the small quantities they’re typically used. The exception is when you’re using something in large enough volume that it stops being “a sprinkle” and becomes a meaningful dietary component (like, say, a pesto built around large amounts of basil and pinenuts).

Low oxalate herbs and spices to use freely:

• Sea salt and white pepper
• Garlic (fresh and powdered)
• Onions (fresh)
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Sage
• Oregano
• Bay leaves
• Cilantro
• Chives
• Dill
• Mint (in normal amounts)
• Ginger
• Nutmeg
• Paprika (sweet)

Higher oxalate seasonings, use sparingly:

• Black pepper in extremely large amounts. Replace with white pepper.
• Turmeric (moderate to high, small amounts in cooking are fine; turmeric supplements or daily turmeric lattes are different)
• Parsley in large amounts (a garnish is fine; a tabbouleh built around it is not)
• Cumin

Strict avoid:

• Cinnamon, ground cinnamon is high oxalate and is not compatible with a low oxalate kitchen regardless of portion. Use cinnamon extract instead.

Condiments:

• Most vinegars (apple cider, white, red wine, balsamic in moderation)
• Mustard
• Mayonnaise
• Most hot sauces (in normal amounts)

Cocoa and chocolate are the major condiment-adjacent food to flag, both are high oxalate, with dark chocolate being particularly concentrated. White chocolate is lower.

Spice alternatives:

A great, low oxalate way to get the flavor of an off-limit spice is to use the spice extract. I rely heavily on cinnamon extract in my baking, rather than using ground cinnamon. I also use cumin extract for many dinner recipes.

Low Oxalate Drinks

The drinks list is where some of the bigger surprises live for daily wellness habits.

Reliably low oxalate drinks:

• Water (still and sparkling)
• Lemon water and lime water
• Most herbal teas (rooibos, chamomile, ginger tea, peppermint tea in moderation)
• Coffee (in normal amounts, moderate oxalate, not high)
• White wine (in moderation)
• Most beers (in moderation, oxalate content varies)
• Milk and dairy-based drinks
• Coconut water (in moderation)

Higher oxalate drinks to limit or avoid:

• Black tea (especially in large quantities)
• Green tea (moderate)
• Chai
• Matcha
• Hot chocolate / cocoa drinks
• Almond milk
• Soy milk
• Most “green smoothies” (especially anything with spinach or kale at smoothie volume)

The two daily wellness drinks that surprise people most are black tea and green smoothies. Black tea is a meaningful oxalate source for daily tea drinkers, a few cups a day adds up. And green smoothies, even ones built on “healthy” greens, can deliver enormous oxalate doses in a single glass because of how much spinach or kale fits into a smoothie compared to a cooked portion.

If you’re a tea drinker, rooibos and white tea are clean swaps. If you’re a smoothie drinker, building smoothies around fruit, coconut milk, and small amounts of low oxalate greens is the path forward.

Putting It All Together: A Mental Grocery List

If you take nothing else away from this post, take this loose mental shape of a low oxalate plate:

• A protein (chicken, fish, eggs, beef, pick one)
• A non-spinach vegetable (kale, cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms, pick two)
• A non-sweet-potato starch (white rice or rutabaga, pick one)
• A fat (olive oil, butter, cheese, already on the plate via cooking and seasoning)
• A piece of fruit on the side or for dessert (apple, banana, blueberries, melon)

Build that plate four or five times a week, with variety inside each category, and you have the structural backbone of a low oxalate diet. Once that pattern is automatic, everything else is variations and refinements.

You are not stuck eating five foods. You are eating differently, but you are still eating well, and probably more sustainably than you were on the version of “healthy” that quietly made you feel worse.

What Comes Next

Knowing what to eat is the first half of the equation. The second half is putting it together into actual meals you’ll actually make on a Tuesday night when you’re tired.

If you’re at the start of this journey, go to the Start Here page. It will guide you through the beginner path in order, from understanding oxalates to choosing foods and making your first practical changes.

If you already understand the basics, choose the next step that matches your question: use the Food Lookup for a specific ingredient, or browse the Recipe Index when you need meal ideas.

Frequently asked questions about low oxalate foods

Read These Next

• The High Oxalate Foods List, The complete reference for what to avoid and what to limit, the other half of the picture.
• Start Here, Follow the beginner journey in order and choose the next resource that matches where you are.
• Low Oxalate Breakfast Ideas: 15+ Ways to Start the Day, Practical ideas for the meal most people find hardest to change, no spinach, no almond flour, no sweet potatoes.

Sources

1. University of Chicago Kidney Stone Program. “How To Eat A Low Oxalate Diet” (typical diet ≈ 200 to 300 mg/day). kidneystones.uchicago.edu
2. Chai W, Liebman M. “Effect of Different Cooking Methods on Vegetable Oxalate Content.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2005 (boiling reduced soluble oxalate 30 to 87%). ACS Publications
3. “Intestinal Oxalate Absorption, Enteric Hyperoxaluria, and Risk of Urinary Stone Formation in Patients with Crohn’s Disease.” Nutrients, 2024 (normal absorption ≈ 5 to 10%, higher with compromised gut). PMC10821467
4. Phillips R, et al. “Citrate salts for preventing and treating calcium-containing kidney stones in adults.” Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2015. Cochrane Library
5. Hess B, et al. “High-calcium intake abolishes hyperoxaluria and reduces urinary crystallization during a 20-fold normal oxalate load in humans.” Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 1998. PubMed
6. University of Chicago Kidney Stone Program, oxalate food values (rhubarb, navy beans, and almonds among higher-oxalate foods). kidneystones.uchicago.edu
7. Chen C-L, et al. “Star fruit nephrotoxicity: a case series and literature review.” BMC Nephrology, 2018. BMC Nephrology
8. University of Chicago Kidney Stone Program, animal proteins (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) are negligible in oxalate. kidneystones.uchicago.edu

The information on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Oxalate sensitivity and related conditions vary significantly between individuals. Always consult your healthcare provider before making significant dietary changes or starting any supplementation, especially if you have kidney disease, a history of kidney stones, or any other diagnosed health condition. Read our full medical disclaimer for more information.