Is zucchini high in histamine?
Zucchini (courgette) is low in histamine: none was detected in 41 tested samples, and none of 10 published low-histamine diets excludes it.
- 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 or tyramine in 41 samples; moderate putrescine. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 2 | None of the 10 exclude courgette. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courgettes sold in Spain 1 (Table 1) | 41 | not detected | putrescine mean 7.94 mg/kg (2.74–24.81); tyramine 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
Fresh courgette had no detectable histamine in any of 41 samples. Use courgettes while they are firm, and eat cooked courgette dishes fresh where you can: amines form as food is stored and are not destroyed by reheating.
No histamine detected in 41 samples. (measured)
Not measured; storage gives bacteria time to act. (estimate)
Why we rate zucchini 0
Courgette, called zucchini in North America, is one of the best-measured low-histamine vegetables. A University of Barcelona team tested 41 courgettes sold in Spain, a large sample for this kind of study, and none had detectable histamine. None had tyramine either. They did contain putrescine, a related amine, averaging 7.94 mg/kg and reaching 24.81 mg/kg in the highest sample.
None of the ten published low-histamine diets in the team's 2021 review excludes courgette. The review even uses courgette as an example of inconsistency in the lists: foods such as courgette, peas, green peppers and sweet corn can carry relevant amounts of putrescine, yet no diet excludes them, while bananas and citrus are excluded partly for the same amine. That says more about how the lists were assembled than about courgette. The theory that putrescine blocks the gut enzyme DAO rests on very limited evidence, and at an average of 7.94 mg/kg courgette has about a fifth of the putrescine found in bananas.
We rate courgette 0, "low". It is a dependable base for low-histamine cooking and a direct swap for higher-rated vegetables. It stands in for eggplant (aubergine) in ratatouille-style dishes, grills and stews, and for spinach as a green side. Grated courgette can also replace some of the tomato in a sauce to add moisture, although the flavour is milder.
Use courgettes while they are firm, and eat cooked courgette dishes fresh where you can. Histamine and related amines form as food is stored and are not destroyed by reheating, so a courgette dish kept for several days is less certain than one made today.
Questions about zucchini and histamine
Is zucchini the same as courgette?
Yes. Courgette is the British name and zucchini the North American one; the measurements on this page apply to both.
Evidence behind this page
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)