Is eggplant high in histamine?
Eggplant (aubergine) is high in histamine: it averaged 39.42 mg/kg in lab tests, the highest of any vegetable measured, although only 3 of 10 published low-histamine diets exclude it.
- Histamine
- Present
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. Eggplant had the highest average histamine of any vegetable measured, yet only three of ten published diets exclude it. We follow the measurements.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | Histamine in all 23 samples, average 39.42 mg/kg. |
| Other published measurements 2 | Measured | From 4 to 101 mg/kg of histamine. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 3 of 10 exclude eggplant. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggplant sold in Spain 1 (Table 1) | 23 | mean 39.42 mg/kg, range 4.17–100.64 mg/kg, 95th percentile 98.84 mg/kg | putrescine mean 34.30 mg/kg (24.10–48.63) |
| Range reported by other studies 2 (Table 4) | — | range 4–101 mg/kg | putrescine 24–49 mg/kg |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
The 2021 review links higher histamine in vegetables such as eggplant to bacterial activity during storage. Choose firm, fresh eggplant and cook it soon after buying. Grilling, roasting or frying does not lower histamine.
Every sample tested contained histamine. (measured)
Histamine survives cooking; leftovers add storage time. (estimate)
Why we rate eggplant 3
Eggplant, called aubergine in Britain, is the clearest case of a food the published low-histamine lists underrate. When a University of Barcelona team measured 23 eggplants sold in Spain, every sample contained histamine, from 4.17 to 100.64 mg/kg, and the average was 39.42 mg/kg. That is the highest average of any vegetable they measured: higher than spinach (31.77 mg/kg) and far above tomato (2.51 mg/kg). One sample in twenty was above 98.84 mg/kg. Eggplant also carried a lot of putrescine, averaging 34.30 mg/kg, an amine that may compete with histamine for the enzyme that breaks it down, although the evidence for that effect is thin.
Despite this, only three of the ten published low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review exclude eggplant, compared with nine of ten for tomato. Many diets seem to be built from older lists rather than from measurements, and the review's main finding was that only 32% of commonly excluded foods could be justified by their histamine content. Eggplant runs the other way: a food that the measurements would justify excluding, but that most lists leave in.
We rate eggplant 3, "high", and mark it disputed, because our rating disagrees with most published diets. We follow the measurements. If you have been eating eggplant without problems, this page does not mean you must stop. If you are doing a structured elimination with a dietitian, though, eggplant is worth raising with them, and worth remembering if you react to moussaka, ratatouille, baba ganoush or curries that contain it.
Histamine is heat-stable, so grilling, roasting and frying do not lower it, and boiling helps less than it does for spinach: in one study, eggplant boiled for 10 minutes lost only 11–14% of its histamine. Courgette (zucchini) is the closest swap in texture and use, and it had no detectable histamine in 41 samples.
Questions about eggplant and histamine
Is aubergine the same as eggplant?
Yes. Aubergine is the British name and eggplant the North American one; the measurements on this page apply to both.
Why do most low-histamine lists allow eggplant?
We do not know for certain. A 2021 review found that published diets often do not match measured histamine: only 32% of the foods they exclude could be justified by histamine content, and eggplant is a food the measurements point to that most lists leave in.
Evidence behind this page
- All 23 eggplant samples sold in Spain contained histamine, from 4.17 to 100.64 mg/kg (average 39.42 mg/kg). 12
- In one study, eggplant boiled at 100 °C for 10 minutes lost 11–14% of its histamine. 2
- Three of ten published low-histamine diets exclude eggplant. 1
- Only 32% of foods excluded by published low-histamine diets could be justified by their histamine content. 1
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)
- 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)
- 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)