21 Low-Histamine Snacks to Make or Buy

Histamine is an important chemical in the body. It helps with digestion, carries messages between the brain and the nervous system, and forms part of our immune response. 

Sometimes, though, histamine levels in the body can become too high – a condition known as histamine intolerance.

One way of addressing histamine intolerance is to adopt a low histamine diet. Avoiding foods generally known to have high histamine levels can help reduce the symptoms of histamine intolerance. 

Learn more about getting started on a low histamine diet.

Rice is a low-histamine food, which means that rice-based snacks are ideal! In addition to being very low in calories, rice cakes also come in whole-grain versions made from brown rice.

For a quick and easy snack, you can eat them just as they are. There are so many varieties of flavored rice cakes available these days that it’s easy to find a brand that will appeal to you. 

For a more substantial snack, try spreading them with cream cheese or hummus. You may prefer to make your own hummus in order to avoid any ingredients – like lemon juice – that may act as a trigger for your symptoms.

Packaged version recommendation: Lundberg Family Farms Organic Brown Rice Cakes.

Fortunately, there are plenty of delicious fruits that you can enjoy on a low-histamine diet. 

These low histamine fruits include:

• Apples
• Apricots (fresh)
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Cherries
• Coconut
• Cranberries
• Dates (fresh)
• Figs (fresh)
• Grapes
• Kiwifruit
• Lingonberries
• Lychees
• Mangoes
• Melons
• Nectarines
• Passion Fruit
• Peaches
• Persimmons
• Pomegranates

If you want to make your fruit snacks more interesting, try freezing some of them – frozen grapes, for example, are amazing!

Alternatively, make a simple fruit salad and add some fresh mint. You may also like this Ambrosia Salad that can be made histamine-friendly and made with fresh fruit and without any yucky ingredients such as corn syrup.

Remember to choose fresh fruits as opposed to dried fruits on a low-histamine diet as dried fruits are on the list of high histamine foods.

Popcorn is not restricted on a  low-histamine diet, although it may trigger symptoms in some people.

For that reason, it’s best to start with a little and see how you do!

The safest option is to make your own popcorn at home, as then you will know exactly what it contains. Try popping kernels in coconut oil (which is also low in histamine) and then sprinkling them with sea salt for a tasty, whole-grain treat.

Other topping ideas include a little honey or low-histamine spices like cinnamon and turmeric.

If you do choose the store-bought variety for your low-histamine snack, look for a brand with as few additional ingredients as possible. I also like the LesserEvil Organic Popcorn with Coconut Oil.

See my related article, “Is Skinny Pop Good For You?“

Corn is a low-histamine food so tortilla chips made from 100% corn are a snack you should be able to enjoy without any problems.

Try pairing them with homemade hummus, a histamine-friendly veggie puree, or salsa made without tomatoes. 

For a healthier low-histamine snack option, why not try making your own baked tortilla chips? 

Simply cut a corn tortilla into wedges and place them on a baking tray. Cook at 350°F for 5 minutes, turn, sprinkle with salt, and bake for between 6 to 8 minutes more. Remove them from the oven as soon as they look pale gold in color.

Or, try this recipe for Air Fryer Tortilla Chips.

My packaged version recommendations include: Late July Organic Sea Salt Thin & Crispy Tortilla Chips or Siete Grain-Free Tortilla Chips (Sea Salt).

Low in both histamines and calories, plus high in nutrients, zucchini is a safe food on a low histamine diet.

Unless you’re a real vegetable lover, though, you might find a plate of cooked zucchini a little uninspiring! 

So why not try turning it into chips instead? Zucchini chips are easy to make and help satisfy that craving for something crisp and savory!

To prepare them, slice your zucchini as thinly as possible (preferably with a mandoline). Blot off as much liquid as you can with paper towel, then pop the slices onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush with a little oil and sprinkle with salt, then bake at 225ºF for around 2 hours until dry and crisp.

Or, try this recipe for Air Fryer Zucchini Chips.

If you want to buy zucchini chips appropriate for a low-histamine diet, try the Rhythm Superfoods Organic Zucchini Chips (simple sea salt flavor).

This Indian drink is made from a blend of milk, turmeric, and other spices like ginger.

Fresh, pasteurized milk is usually well-tolerated on a low-histamine diet, or you could try making golden milk with rice or coconut milk instead.

Both of these have some natural sweetness that works really well! 

To prepare golden milk, simply warm 2 cups of milk in a pan with a teaspoon of fresh ginger, a teaspoon of fresh turmeric, and a pinch of ground ginger (ground cinnamon is customary, but it’s often recommended to avoid cinnamon when on a low-histamine diet). Once it has turned a deep yellow color, strain it into your cup and enjoy.

Alternatively, you can purchase prepared golden milk and golden milk powder mixes online. But they can be expensive and don’t offer the same benefits as the homemade variety.

Some brand options include: Gaia Herbs Golden Milk or Turmaquik Golden Milk Blend.

Hard pretzels make a convenient snack for a low-histamine diet. They are one of the healthier snack options out there as they are baked rather than fried. 

That being said, store-bought pretzels can be very high in salt. Look for low-sodium or unsalted brands, which you can enjoy alone or serve with a low-histamine dip. 

You can also find plenty of recipes online to make your own. If you’re worried that you don’t have the skills to create that classic pretzel shape, you can easily bake pretzel rods instead.

Some packaged versions include: Snyder’s of Hanover Unsalted Mini Pretzels or Quinn Snacks Gluten-Free Pretzels (Touch of Honey).

Carrot sticks make a crunchy and refreshing low histamine snack. They are also a great source of nutrients and particularly rich in carotenoids, which help support eye health. 

But you can do more with carrots than just cut them into sticks! You can use them to make carrot chips, roast them with a honey glaze, or grate them and mix them with eggs and flour to create tasty carrot fritters. 

See some of my favorite carrot recipes here: Air Fryer Baby Carrots, Instant Pot Carrots, and Carrot Juice.

You may also like my related article with the best gluten-free dairy-free snacks.

You can get plenty of healthy fruits into your diet by making a smoothie, even on the busiest days.

Better still, you won’t have to worry about aggravating your symptoms if you combine any of the low-histamine fruits mentioned above.

Smoothies made with coconut milk are a good dairy-free alternative if cow’s milk is problematic for you. Other great options include rice milk or oat milk. Throw in some chia gel for an extra boost of nutrients and a thicker texture.

I have a ton of smoothie recipes on my site, including ones with low-histamine fruits such as my Honeydew Smoothie!

Avoid the smoothie recipes with high-histamine fruits such as strawberries.

Once you’ve discovered how delicious roasted chickpeas are, they will become a snack you’ll turn to often! Packed with protein and low in histamine, they are wonderfully crunchy and lend themselves well to all sorts of flavorings.

For convenience, you can buy roasted chickpeas at the grocery store. But it is much cheaper to make your own – and then you have full control over the ingredients too!

To prepare them, you’ll need a batch of canned or cooked chickpeas. If you choose the canned variety, drain and rinse them first. Heat your oven to 425°F, then spread your chickpeas out on a kitchen towel. Dry them thoroughly- they won’t go crispy if they are moist.

Toss with a little olive oil and salt (or other flavorings you enjoy), then spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast for around 20 to 30 minutes, until crispy.

Try these recipes for Air Fryer Chickpeas or consider these brands: Biena Chickpea Snacks (Sea Salt) or The Good Bean Crispy Chickpeas (Sea Salt).

A tasty twist on standard hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs are versatile and can be made with all sorts of ingredients.

Simply make your boiled eggs as usual, then peel them and cut them in half. Remove the yolks, place them into a bowl, and mix them with mayonnaise until creamy.

If mayonnaise is problematic for you, try pureeing cottage cheese and adding that instead. It gives just the right texture.

See my favorite recipe for Keto Deviled Eggs.

You then have the basic mixture to fill your eggs, to which you can add your favorite low-histamine ingredients. These could include salsa (made without tomatoes), garlic powder, paprika, hummus, or chopped chives.

Trail mix is a tasty and satisfying snack, made of a combination of nuts, seeds, granola, and dried fruit. The problem with store-bought trail mix is that it will usually contain peanuts and other nuts high in histamine. 

The solution is to make your own!

To prepare a low histamine trail mix, use any of the low histamine nuts listed above and combine them with shredded coconut and your choice of chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower seeds. Leave out the dried fruit as this tends to trigger the symptoms of histamine intolerance. 

Toss together with melted coconut oil and honey, plus a little salt and vanilla. Finally, bake at 325°F until dry (around 30 minutes), mixing well from time to time.

See my recipe for Keto Trail Mix or consider these brands: Go Raw Sprouted Organic Trail Mix or PaleoValley Superfood Trail Mix (check for low-histamine ingredients).

One of the world’s most nutrient-dense green veggies, kale can help lower cholesterol and protect against cancer. Fortunately, it is also relatively low in histamine.

Not everyone enjoys eating kale as part of a meal – but one thing many people agree on is that kale chips are utterly delicious!

It is possible to buy them at the grocery store, but they can be quite expensive. So you might prefer to make them at home – they only take around 30 minutes from start to finish.

First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a bunch of kale and remove the leaves from the stems, then tear them into smaller pieces.

Wash and then dry thoroughly (a salad spinner is useful for this).  Toss with olive oil and salt, then bake until the edges start to turn brown and the leaves are crispy.

For actual recipes, try my Oven Baked Kale Chips or my Air Fryer Kale Chips.

Packaged versions include: Rhythm Superfoods Kale Chips (Original) or Brad’s Plant Based Kale Chips (Naked).

One of the best foods for low histamine snacking, cottage cheese is high in calcium and protein. 

People tend to love it or hate it, but it’s really worth experimenting with to see if you can find a way to use it that suits you. If you don’t like the lumpy texture, then blend it until smooth.

It pairs well with either sweet or savory ingredients – a bowl of cottage cheese with sliced peaches, for example, tastes wonderful, especially when topped with a small handful of low histamine nuts or seeds for texture. Watermelon is another good choice.

If you prefer a more savory flavor, serve it on rice cakes, cucumber slices, or with tortilla chips.

Note: cottage cheese is not dairy-free so it’s not appropriate for dairy-free or vegan diets.