Are black beans high in histamine?
Black beans are probably low in histamine, but no study we use measured them at all. The estimate rests on the legumes that were tested, which had none. Fermented black beans are a different, soy-based food.
- Histamine
- Not measured
- Other amines
- Not measured
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Other legumes measured in Spain 1 | White beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas and peanuts had no detectable histamine (33 samples). Black beans were not tested. | |
| Pooled legume samples, 2020 review 2 | No histamine in any of 11 legume samples; the review does not list which legumes. | |
| Clinical review, 2024 3 | Lists legumes among foods a low-histamine diet avoids, without naming black beans. | |
| 10 published low-histamine diets (2021 review) 4 | Black beans are not on the review's chart of foods the diets exclude. | |
| SIGHI food list 5 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
How freshness and processing change it
Dried black beans keep well; cooked ones are the part to watch. Histamine and related amines form as cooked food is stored and survive reheating, so eat cooked black beans within a day or freeze portions as soon as they have cooled.
Not measured; tested beans and pulses had no histamine. (estimate)
Not measured. (estimate)
Not measured; storage gives bacteria time to act. (estimate)
A different food: fermented black soybeans. Fermented soy averaged 73.95 mg/kg as a group. (estimate)
Why we rate black beans 0
Black beans are not in any of the studies we use, so this rating is an estimate and the page says so. They were not tested for histamine or for any of the related amines, which leaves them one step behind kidney beans, where at least putrescine and tyramine were reported.
The estimate leans on the legumes that were measured. A University of Barcelona team tested white beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas and peanuts sold in Spain, 33 samples in all, and found no histamine in any of them. White beans are the closest relative among them, since black beans and most white beans are varieties of the same species, the common bean, and they averaged just 0.66 mg/kg of putrescine. A 2020 review from the same team pooled 11 legume samples and found no histamine in those either, though it does not list which legumes were included. Histamine in food comes mainly from bacteria breaking down the amino acid histidine during fermentation or spoilage, and a dried bean goes through neither.
We rate black beans 0, "low", as an estimate. They have no bar on the 2021 chart of foods excluded by ten published low-histamine diets, and the earlier reviews we use do not name them. A 2024 clinical review lists legumes in general among foods to avoid.
Two things matter more than the bean. The first is storage after cooking. Black beans are often cooked in a big pot for burritos, soups and rice dishes and eaten over several days. Histamine and related amines form as cooked food is stored and survive reheating, so eat them within a day or freeze portions once they have cooled.
The second is a name clash. The "fermented black beans" used in Chinese cooking, sometimes sold as douchi, are black soybeans that have been salted and fermented, not black turtle beans. That makes them a fermented soy product, a group that averaged 73.95 mg/kg of histamine in the same team's tests, the highest of any food group they measured. We rate them 3 as an estimate. Black bean sauce made from them belongs with them, not with the beans on this page.
Questions about black beans and histamine
Are canned black beans low histamine?
They were not measured. No legume tested for histamine in our sources had any, so we rate tinned black beans 0 as an estimate. Use an opened tin within a day, as with any cooked beans.
Are fermented black beans the same as black beans?
No. Fermented black beans (douchi) and black bean sauce are made from black soybeans that have been fermented. Fermented soy averaged 73.95 mg/kg of histamine as a group, so we rate them 3 as an estimate.
Evidence behind this page
- White beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas and peanuts sold in Spain had no detectable histamine (33 samples in all); white beans averaged 0.66 mg/kg of putrescine. 1
- A 2020 review found no histamine in any of 11 pooled legume samples. 2
- Histamine in food is formed mainly by bacteria decarboxylating histidine, so foods altered by spoilage bacteria and fermented foods are the ones that accumulate it. 4
- Soy-fermented products sold in Spain averaged 73.95 mg/kg of histamine (21 samples). 4
- A 2024 clinical review lists legumes among the foods a low-histamine diet avoids. 3
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Rabell-González J, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Biogenic Amines in Plant-Origin Foods: Are They Frequently Underestimated in Low-Histamine Diets? Foods 7(12):205, 2018. doi:10.3390/foods7120205 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2018)
- Comas-Basté O, Sánchez-Pérez S, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla M, Vidal-Carou MDC. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art. Biomolecules 10(8):1181, 2020. doi:10.3390/biom10081181 (Comas-Basté O et al. 2020)
- Jochum C. Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond. Nutrients 16(8):1219, 2024. doi:10.3390/nu16081219 (Jochum C 2024)
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)