Are peas high in histamine?
Peas are mostly low in histamine: none was detected in nine samples, but they carry a lot of putrescine, a related amine, and frozen peas more still. None of 10 published low-histamine diets excludes them.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- 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 in 9 samples; putrescine averaged 34.28 mg/kg. |
| Other studies in the 2018 review 1 | Putrescine averaged 17.3 and 32.3 mg/kg in fresh peas and 46.3 mg/kg in 14 samples of frozen peas; histamine not reported. | |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 2 | None of the 10 exclude peas; the review names peas as a high-putrescine food the lists leave in. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peas sold in Spain 1 (Table 1, row 'Peas') | 9 | not detected | putrescine mean 34.28 mg/kg (8.74–54.44); tyramine 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
Peas are one of the few foods where a study says something about timing. The authors of a study of frozen peas linked their high putrescine to bacteria acting between harvest and freezing, or during thawing. Cook frozen peas straight from the freezer rather than thawing them first, and eat cooked peas the same day.
No histamine in 9 samples; putrescine averaged 34.28 mg/kg. (measured)
Histamine not reported; putrescine averaged 46.3 mg/kg in 14 samples. (estimate)
Not measured. Boiling did not lower pea putrescine in one study. (estimate)
Why we rate peas 1
Peas are a useful test of how the low-histamine lists were built. They have no histamine: a University of Barcelona team tested nine pea samples sold in Spain and found none, and no tyramine or cadaverine either. What they do have is putrescine, a related amine, at an average of 34.28 mg/kg and up to 54.44 mg/kg. Other studies in the team's 2018 review found averages of 17.3 mg/kg in ten samples and 32.3 mg/kg in six. A study of 14 samples of frozen peas found 46.3 mg/kg on average and up to 107 mg/kg, which its authors put down to bacteria acting between harvest and freezing, or during thawing.
That is about as much putrescine as bananas carry (37.94 mg/kg), and four of ten published diets exclude bananas. Yet none of those ten diets excludes peas, and the 2021 review that charted them names peas, with courgette, green peppers and sweet corn, as foods with relevant putrescine that no diet lists. The 2018 review makes the same point: peas are permitted while foods with similar or lower putrescine are excluded.
Whether putrescine matters is the open question. Some researchers think it competes with histamine for DAO, the gut enzyme that breaks histamine down, but the evidence is limited to old animal and laboratory work, and none of the studies we use tested peas in people.
We rate peas 1, "mostly low". On histamine alone they would be 0; the putrescine level moves them up one step, which is as far as our rule lets other amines go. Cooking will not change that. In one study cited by the 2018 review, boiling lowered putrescine in spinach, cauliflower, chard, potato and green beans by moving it into the water, but had no effect in peas.
If peas suit you, there is no histamine reason to avoid them. Cook frozen peas from frozen rather than thawing them first, and eat them the same day. If you react to peas but not to other legumes, putrescine is the likely question to raise with your dietitian.
Questions about peas and histamine
Are frozen peas high in histamine?
Histamine was not reported for frozen peas. One study found high putrescine in them, 46.3 mg/kg on average, and linked it to the time between harvest and freezing or to thawing. We rate frozen peas 1, the same as fresh, as an estimate.
Does boiling peas lower their amines?
Not in the study we use. Boiling moved putrescine into the cooking water for spinach, cauliflower, chard, potato and green beans, but made no difference for peas.
Evidence behind this page
- Nine pea samples sold in Spain had no detectable histamine, tyramine or cadaverine; putrescine averaged 34.28 mg/kg (8.74–54.44). 1
- Other studies found putrescine in peas averaging 17.3 mg/kg (10 samples) and 32.3 mg/kg (6 samples, 5.5–51.1). 1
- Frozen peas averaged 46.3 mg/kg of putrescine (14 samples, 11.7–107), which the study's authors attributed to bacterial activity between harvesting and freezing or during thawing. 1
- Boiling lowered putrescine in spinach, cauliflower, chard, potato and green beans in one study, but had no effect in peas. 1
- No published low-histamine diet in the 2021 review excludes peas, although they can carry relevant putrescine. 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)
- 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)