© 2020 Society of Chemical Industry BACKGROUND: Polysaccharides may enhance/inhibit lipid digestibility of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions because of their emulsifying and/or stabilizing ability and can also affect the formation, stability, and viscosity of emulsions. Tamarind seed gum (TSG) was used as the sole emulsifier/stabilizer to stabilize an O/W emulsion prepared using high-speed homogenization. We investigated the effects of various TSG concentrations (50–150 g kg−1) on the lipid digestibility, rheological properties, and stability of O/W emulsions during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. RESULTS: A low concentration (50 g kg−1) and a high concentration (150 g kg−1) of TSG reduced lipid digestibility by about 33% and 45%, respectively, compared to the control sample (without TSG). However, the emulsion containing the intermediate TSG concentration at 100 g kg−1 was the most efficient in the inhibition of lipid digestion, reducing lipid digestibility by about 70% compared to that of the control sample. The stability of emulsion tended to enhance as the concentration of TSG increased. The size of oil droplets before passing through the intestinal phase and the viscosity of the intestinal digested system may be important factors for enhancing/inhibiting lipid digestibility of emulsions. The destabilization of the emulsion during digestion was not clearly detected by rheological analysis because rheological characteristics (e.g. flow behavior index) were mainly driven by TSG. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of TSG in O/W emulsions inhibited lipid digestibility. TSG at a concentration of 100 g kg−1 was the most efficient in the inhibition of lipid digestibility, suggesting that TSG is an attractive alternative ingredient for control of lipid digestibility of emulsion foods. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.