Are peanuts high in histamine?
Peanuts are low in histamine: none was found in seven samples tested in Spain, and other amines were very low. Peanut butter was not measured, and peanut allergy is a separate condition.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Low
- 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 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine, tyramine or cadaverine in 7 samples; putrescine averaged 0.87 mg/kg. |
| Review of plant foods, 2018 1 | Lists peanuts among plant foods some diets exclude, in its group with low levels of all amines; elsewhere suggests polyamines may explain the exclusion. | |
| Clinical review, 2024 2 | Lists nuts and legumes among foods a low-histamine diet avoids, without naming peanuts. | |
| 10 published low-histamine diets (2021 review) 3 | Peanuts have no bar on the chart; nuts are excluded by 2 of 10, and the paper does not say whether that covers peanuts. | |
| SIGHI food list 4 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peanuts sold in Spain 1 (Table 1, row 'Peanuts') | 7 | not detected | putrescine mean 0.87 mg/kg (nd–2.56); tyramine and cadaverine not detected |
| Range across all studies in the 2018 review 1 (Table 4, row 'Peanuts') | — | not detected | putrescine up to 3 mg/kg; cadaverine and tyramine not detected; spermidine 23–48 mg/kg; spermine 5–13 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 paper does not say whether the peanuts were raw or roasted, and none of our sources followed peanuts in storage. Peanut butter, peanut oil and coated or flavoured peanuts were not measured. Keep opened packs sealed and throw out any that smell stale or look mouldy.
No histamine in 7 samples; putrescine averaged 0.87 mg/kg. (measured)
Not measured. Ground peanuts, not fermented; check what else is added. (estimate)
Not measured; coatings can include soy sauce, cheese or spice mixes. (estimate)
Why we rate peanuts 0
Botanically, peanuts are legumes rather than nuts, and the University of Barcelona team's 2018 review files them with beans and lentils. Their result is as low as any legume's. Seven samples of peanuts sold in Spain had no detectable histamine, tyramine or cadaverine. Putrescine averaged 0.87 mg/kg and was absent from some samples; the highest had 2.56 mg/kg. Across the other studies the review collected, peanuts showed no histamine and no more than 3 mg/kg of putrescine.
The same review lists peanuts among the plant foods that some low-histamine diets exclude, and it is not entirely consistent about why. In its summary table it places peanuts in the group with low levels of all amines, alongside kiwi and strawberry. In its discussion it suggests that polyamines may justify excluding peanuts, as well as soybeans, lentils and chickpeas: peanuts carried 23–48 mg/kg of spermidine across studies. DAO, the gut enzyme that breaks down histamine, also handles polyamines, but with lower affinity, and no study we use tested whether peanut polyamines cause symptoms. Our rating rule does not count them.
Peanuts have no bar of their own on the 2021 chart of foods excluded by ten published low-histamine diets. The chart has a bar for nuts, excluded by two of the ten, and the paper does not say whether that covers peanuts. A 2024 clinical review lists both nuts and legumes among foods to avoid. Nuts also appear on the list of supposed histamine-releasing foods, a claim the 2021 review says has no support from studies in humans.
We rate peanuts 0, "low". Peanut butter was not measured. It is ground peanuts, not a fermented product, so we rate a plain one 0 as an estimate; the fewer added ingredients, the closer it stays to the tested peanuts. Coated and flavoured peanuts are less certain, because some coatings use soy sauce or cheese powder. Peanut allergy is a separate, immune condition, and nothing on this page applies to it: if you are allergic, these figures do not make peanuts safe for you.
Questions about peanuts and histamine
Is peanut butter high in histamine?
Peanut butter was not measured in our sources. Peanuts themselves had no detectable histamine in seven samples, and peanut butter is not fermented, so we rate plain peanut butter 0 as an estimate.
Are peanuts nuts or legumes for a low-histamine diet?
Botanically they are legumes, and the 2018 review we use lists them with beans and lentils. The 2021 chart of ten diets has a bar for nuts but none for peanuts, and does not say which it means. Either way, the peanuts tested had no detectable histamine.
Evidence behind this page
- Seven peanut samples sold in Spain had no detectable histamine, tyramine or cadaverine; putrescine averaged 0.87 mg/kg (nd–2.56). 1
- Across the studies in the 2018 review, peanuts had no histamine, putrescine up to 3 mg/kg and spermidine of 23–48 mg/kg; the review places them among excluded plant foods with low levels of all amines. 1
- The 2018 review also suggests that the polyamine content of foods including peanuts may justify their exclusion from some diets. 1
- Nuts are excluded by 2 of 10 published low-histamine diets and appear on the list of suggested histamine-releasing foods, a claim with no supporting human studies. 3
- A 2024 clinical review lists nuts and legumes among the foods a low-histamine diet avoids. 2
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)
- 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)