Are raspberries high in histamine?
Raspberries are low in histamine on the data we have: they were not tested alone, 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. Raspberries 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 or putrescine in 7 samples of "red fruits"; raspberries were not tested on their own. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 4 of 10 exclude red fruits. | |
| Review of low-histamine diets, 2020 2 | Histamine in food forms mainly through bacterial enzymes, in spoiled and fermented foods. | |
| 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
Raspberries are among the most fragile fruits you can buy, and no study we found measured amines in them as they age. Buy them close to when you will eat them, keep them in the fridge and throw out soft or mouldy berries. Plain frozen raspberries were not measured, but freezing slows the bacterial activity that forms histamine.
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 raspberries 0
Raspberries have not been tested for histamine on their own in any study we use, so this page leans on a group figure. A University of Barcelona team measured seven samples of what it calls "red fruits", sold in Spain, and found no histamine, no putrescine and no cadaverine. The one amine present was tyramine, averaging 7.37 mg/kg, with the highest sample at 11.52 mg/kg. The paper does not say which fruits made up the group. In Spain, "red fruits" is the usual shop name for raspberries and other soft berries, but that is our reading of the name, not something the paper states, so we label raspberries "measured as a food group".
Four of the ten published low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review exclude red fruits. That is a minority, but it is more than exclude grapes, cherries or kiwi, and no reason is given. Red fruits are not among the suggested "histamine liberators" the review lists, and the measured group had no putrescine, the amine behind most citrus and banana exclusions. The tyramine is real but modest: it is under the 10 mg/kg average we treat as notable, and far below the 140.9 mg/kg average in dry-fermented sausages from the same table.
We rate raspberries 0, "low", and mark the rating disputed: the group had no histamine, but raspberries were not tested by name, and four of ten diets exclude the group.
What may matter more than the rating is how quickly raspberries spoil. They are one of the most fragile fruits in the shop, and histamine in food forms mainly when bacteria break down histidine over time. Buy them close to when you will eat them, keep them cold, and throw out berries that have gone soft or mouldy. Plain frozen raspberries are a practical choice for baking, porridge and smoothies; they were not measured, but freezing slows that bacterial activity. Raspberry jam and raspberry leaf tea are different products and are not covered here.
Questions about raspberries and histamine
Are frozen raspberries low histamine?
Frozen raspberries were not measured. Freezing slows the bacterial activity that forms histamine, so we rate plain frozen raspberries 0 as an estimate, the same as fresh.
Are raspberries better than strawberries on a low-histamine diet?
Neither had histamine in lab tests. Strawberries were measured on their own (9 samples) and raspberries only as part of a "red fruits" group (7 samples). Six of ten published diets exclude strawberries and four exclude red fruits.
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; six exclude strawberries. 1
- Histamine in food is formed mainly by bacteria decarboxylating histidine. 12
- Dry-fermented sausages sold in Spain averaged 140.9 mg/kg of tyramine. 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)
- 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)