Is tempeh high in histamine?
Tempeh is likely high in histamine: it was measured only within fermented soy products, which averaged 73.95 mg/kg, the highest of any food group tested, with single samples up to 730.06 mg/kg.
- Histamine
- Varies by sample
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. Fermented soy had the highest average histamine of any food group in the survey we use, but only four 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 (food group) 1 | Measured | Soy-fermented products averaged 73.95 mg/kg of histamine in 21 samples; 5% were above 486.31 mg/kg. Tempeh was not reported on its own. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 4 of 10 exclude soy-fermented products. | |
| Review of low-histamine diets, 2020 2 | Fermented soy derivatives are excluded by 20–60% of the diets it compared. | |
| Clinical review, 2024 3 | Lists fermented soybean products among foods a low-histamine diet avoids. | |
| SIGHI food list 4 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soy-fermented products sold in Spain (group) 1 (Table 1, row 'Soy-fermented products') | 21 | mean 73.95 mg/kg, range nd–730.06 mg/kg, 95th percentile 486.31 mg/kg | tyramine mean 187.24 mg/kg (up to 1730.17); putrescine mean 13.48 mg/kg; cadaverine mean 6.88 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
Histamine in fermented foods forms during fermentation, before you buy them, so a fresh-looking block may already carry it, and frying, steaming or baking will not remove it. Keeping an opened pack for days only adds time. Pasteurised and frozen tempeh were not measured separately.
Not measured on its own; the fermented soy group averaged 73.95 mg/kg. (estimate)
Not measured; still fermented, and marinades often add soy sauce. (estimate)
Why we rate tempeh 3
Tempeh is a firm cake of cooked soybeans bound together by fermentation, and that last step is what decides its rating. Tempeh itself has not been measured in the studies we use. What has been measured is the group it belongs to: a University of Barcelona team tested 21 samples of soy-fermented products sold in Spain and reported them together, without saying which products were included.
The results are the highest in their 2021 table. Histamine averaged 73.95 mg/kg, more than sauerkraut (43.74 mg/kg), cured cheese (33.10 mg/kg) or dry-fermented sausages (21.57 mg/kg). The spread was enormous: some samples had none, 5% were above 486.31 mg/kg, and the highest reached 730.06 mg/kg, the highest single figure for any food in the table. Tyramine, an amine the review ties to fermenting bacteria, averaged 187.24 mg/kg. The plain soybeans the same team tested had no histamine at all.
The review explains the pattern. In fermented foods, histamine depends on how clean the raw materials and processing are and on whether the bacteria doing the work can make histamine, which is why samples of the same kind of food differ so much. You cannot tell from the pack which kind you have.
We rate tempeh 3, "high", and mark it disputed, because the lists are less strict than the measurements. Four of the ten published diets in the 2021 review exclude soy-fermented products, and a 2020 review from the same group found that 20–60% of diets exclude fermented soy. A 2024 clinical review lists fermented soybean products among the foods to avoid. The rating comes from the group, not from tempeh samples, so it would change if tempeh were measured on its own and came out low.
Cooking does not help, since histamine is heat-stable. The usual swap is plain tofu, which had no detectable histamine in six samples and takes a marinade or a hot pan in much the same way; pressed firm tofu comes closest to tempeh's chewy texture. For "tempeh bacon" in a sandwich, thin slices of firm tofu fried until crisp do the same job.
Questions about tempeh and histamine
Is tempeh high in histamine?
Probably. Tempeh was not measured on its own, but fermented soy products as a group averaged 73.95 mg/kg of histamine, with some samples far higher. We rate it 3 from that group figure.
Is tempeh better than tofu for histamine?
No. Plain tofu is not fermented and had no detectable histamine in six samples. Tempeh is fermented and falls in the highest-histamine food group measured.
Evidence behind this page
- Soy-fermented products sold in Spain averaged 73.95 mg/kg of histamine (21 samples), with 5% above 486.31 mg/kg and a maximum of 730.06 mg/kg; tyramine averaged 187.24 mg/kg. 1
- In fermented foods, histamine depends on the hygiene of the raw materials and processing and on the histamine-forming capacity of the fermenting bacteria; tyramine is strongly associated with lactic acid bacteria. 1
- Plain soybeans sold in Spain had no detectable histamine (5 samples). 1
- Four of ten published low-histamine diets exclude soy-fermented products; an earlier review found 20–60% of diets exclude fermented soy derivatives. 12
- A 2024 clinical review lists fermented soybean products among the foods a low-histamine diet avoids. 3
- Plain tofu sold in Spain had no detectable histamine (6 samples). 5
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)
- Jochum C. Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond. Nutrients 16(8):1219, 2024. doi:10.3390/nu16081219 (Jochum C 2024)
- 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)