Are blueberries high in histamine?
Blueberries are low in histamine as far as the data go: they were not tested on their own, but a "red fruits" berry group had none in 7 samples. Four of 10 published diets exclude red fruits anyway.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Low
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. Blueberries were not measured on their own. A group the study calls "red fruits" had no detectable histamine, yet four of ten published low-histamine diets exclude red fruits.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine in 7 samples of "red fruits"; blueberries were not tested on their own. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 4 of 10 exclude red fruits. | |
| Fruit samples pooled, 2020 review 2 | Measured | Across 136 fruit samples, histamine averaged 0.07 mg/kg; the highest had 2.51 mg/kg. |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red fruits sold in Spain (group) 1 (Table 1) | 7 | not detected | tyramine mean 7.37 mg/kg (3.34–11.52); putrescine and cadaverine not detected |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
No study we found measured amines in blueberries during storage. Plain frozen blueberries are a reasonable stand-in for fresh, since freezing slows the bacterial activity that forms histamine, though they were not measured. Dried blueberries, blueberry jam, juice and muffins were not measured.
Measured only as part of a 'red fruits' group with no histamine in 7 samples. (measured)
Not measured; freezing slows bacterial activity. (estimate)
Why we rate blueberries 0
Blueberries are one of the most searched fruits on low-histamine diets, and one of the least measured. None of the studies we use tested blueberries on their own. The closest figure is a group that a University of Barcelona team calls "red fruits": seven samples sold in Spain, with no detectable histamine, putrescine or cadaverine. Tyramine was present in all of them, averaging 7.37 mg/kg and reaching 11.52 mg/kg. The paper does not list which fruits were in the group. In Spanish shops the name usually covers soft berries such as raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, but we cannot confirm that blueberries were among the seven samples, which is why this page says "measured as a food group".
The published diets are more cautious than the measurements. Four of the ten low-histamine diets compared in the team's 2021 review exclude red fruits, the same number as bananas and pineapple. The review does not say why, and red fruits are not on the list of suggested "histamine liberators" it quotes. Strawberries, the berry that was measured on its own, had no histamine in nine samples, yet six of ten diets exclude them.
Fruit in general is low. A 2020 review from the same group pooled 136 fruit samples from the Spanish market and found an average of 0.07 mg/kg of histamine, with no sample above 2.51 mg/kg.
We rate blueberries 0, "low", and mark the rating disputed. Nothing in the berry group had histamine, and its tyramine is under the 10 mg/kg average we treat as notable. The disputed mark is there for two reasons: four of ten diets disagree, and blueberries themselves have not been tested.
Blueberries are also one of the easier fruits to keep on hand. Plain frozen blueberries are widely sold, and freezing slows the bacterial activity that forms histamine in food, so we rate them the same as fresh, as an estimate. Blueberry muffins, jam and dried blueberries are different products with other ingredients and were not measured.
Questions about blueberries and histamine
Are berries high in histamine?
Not in the measurements we have. Strawberries had no detectable histamine in nine samples, cherries none in five, and a "red fruits" berry group none in seven. Several published diets still exclude strawberries and red fruits.
Are frozen blueberries low histamine?
Frozen blueberries were not measured, but freezing slows the bacterial activity that forms histamine, so we rate plain frozen blueberries 0 as an estimate, the same as fresh.
Evidence behind this page
- Seven samples of "red fruits" sold in Spain had no detectable histamine, putrescine or cadaverine; tyramine averaged 7.37 mg/kg (3.34–11.52). 1
- Four of ten published low-histamine diets exclude red fruits. 1
- Strawberries sold in Spain had no detectable histamine in 9 samples, and cherries none in 5. 4
- Across 136 fruit samples from the Spanish market, histamine averaged 0.07 mg/kg, and the highest single sample had 2.51 mg/kg. 2
Sources
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)