Is black pepper high in histamine?
Black pepper is low in histamine as far as the evidence goes: none was detected in a group of 12 spices sold in Spain, though the spices in that group are not named.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain (food group) 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine in 12 spice samples; the spices are not named. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 2 | Black pepper is not on the review's chart of foods the diets exclude. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spices sold in Spain (group) 1 (Table 1, row "Spices") | 12 | not detected | individual spices not named; other amines not reported |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Peppercorns are dry and keep for a long time; whole ones hold their flavour longer than pre-ground pepper. Seasoning blends such as lemon pepper and steak rubs contain other ingredients and were not measured.
A group of 12 spices had no histamine; black pepper is not named in it. (estimate)
Same estimate; dry and not fermented. (estimate)
Why we rate black pepper 0
Black pepper has not been tested for histamine on its own in the studies we use. The closest figure is for spices as a group. A 2020 review by a University of Barcelona team reported histamine by food category for products sold in Spain, and its twelve spice samples had none detectable in any of them; the mean, median, lowest and highest values were all below the detection limit. The review does not name the spices, so we cannot confirm black pepper was among them.
Black pepper is the dried fruit of a tropical vine, picked unripe and dried until the skin turns black. It is not related to bell peppers or chillies, which are fruits of a different plant; the shared name is historical. So the bell pepper results on this site tell you nothing about peppercorns. For the record, the team found no histamine in nine green and eight red bell peppers, but green ones carried a lot of putrescine, 90.04 mg/kg on average. None of that applies to black pepper.
Like other dried spices, black pepper is not a protein food and not a fermented one, and the studies we use trace high histamine in food mainly to bacteria acting on spoiled protein foods and to fermentation. It is also used by the pinch, so it makes up a very small part of any meal.
Black pepper does not appear among the foods charted as excluded by the ten published low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review. It is not among the examples of suggested "histamine liberators" the review lists, and the review notes that there are no human studies showing that any food releases the body's own histamine.
We rate black pepper 0, "low", on the strength of the spice group, as an estimate for pepper itself. Whole peppercorns keep their flavour longer than pre-ground pepper, so grind them as you need them. White pepper and green peppercorns come from the same vine and were not measured separately. Lemon pepper, steak rubs and other seasoning blends can contain salt, citrus peel, garlic, sugar or flavourings, so read the label.
Questions about black pepper and histamine
Is black pepper a histamine liberator?
It is not among the examples of suggested histamine-releasing foods listed in the 2021 review we use, and that review says there are no human studies showing that any food releases the body's own histamine.
Is black pepper related to bell pepper?
No. Black pepper is the dried fruit of a vine; bell peppers and chillies come from a different plant. The bell pepper measurements on this site do not apply to peppercorns.
Evidence behind this page
- A group of 12 spice samples sold in Spain had no detectable histamine; mean, median, minimum and maximum were all not detected. The review does not name the spices. 1
- Nine green and eight red bell peppers sold in Spain had no detectable histamine; green peppers averaged 90.04 mg/kg of putrescine. 4
- Black pepper does not appear among the foods charted as excluded by ten published low-histamine diets, or among the examples of suggested histamine-releasing foods the review lists; the review notes there are no human studies supporting the histamine-liberator idea. 2
Sources
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)