I worked on this recipe for longer than I care to admit, mostly because I kept eating the results before I could properly evaluate them. These muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, and low histamine, and they actually taste like something you would choose to eat, which is a bar I set deliberately high after years of dutiful consumption of things that were technically fine but not especially enjoyable.
The ginger is generous and intentional. Ginger is one of the few warming spices that sits comfortably on a low histamine food list, where cinnamon, which I used to use in everything, does not. It also has natural antihistamine properties, and on days when my histamine bucket is full, fresh ginger chewed raw or made into a strong tea is often my first move. In these muffins it is warm and rounded rather than sharp, particularly once they have been in the fridge overnight. I do like a lot in these, though, I often use 2 tablespoons of ginger 🙂
These freeze beautifully and thaw in the lunchbox by afternoon tea, which makes them one of the most practically useful recipes I make. I keep a permanent stock in the freezer.
You can learn more about which foods are low and high histamine in the Happy Without Histamine – Low Histamine Foods Guide.
Ginger, Carrot and Apple Muffins:
- Prep time: 20 mins
- Cook time: 30-35 mins
- Total time: 55 mins
- Serves: 12
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Low histamine
- No refined sugar
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rice milk or oat milk
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 2 medium-sized carrots
- 1 medium apple
- 1 cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped
- 1 and 1/3 cups buckwheat flour
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free)
- 1/2 tsp bicarb soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
- 4 tbsp honey
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180 C and prepare a 12-hole muffin tray with paper cases.
- Create a ‘buttermilk’ by mixing together the rice milk and ACV. Set aside.
- Grate the apple and carrot in a food processor or by hand. Chop up the macadamia nuts. Set these aside as well.
- Combine the buckwheat flour, flaxseed, tapioca flour, bicarb, baking powder, salt and ginger and mix together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, olive oil, honey and “buttermilk” mixture.
- Create a well in the middle of the dry mix and pour the wet mix into it. Mix the wet ingredient mixture into the dry mixture. As you mix, add in the carrots, apples and macadamia nuts.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin papers. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the tops are just firm to touch, puffed up in the centre and golden brown.
- Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze.
Note on apple cider vinegar and lemon juice: Both are histamine-relevant ingredients. Apple cider vinegar is generally better tolerated than other vinegars, and lemon juice is a histamine liberator for some people. If you are in the elimination phase, you can reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon and the muffins will still work. Alternatively, an extra teaspoon of baking powder provides similar lift.
Variations
Egg-free version: use 1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water per egg, rested for 15 to 20 minutes before adding to the mix.
More ginger: if you love ginger as much as I do, try 2 tablespoons. It is a lot. It is also very good.
To improve your gut health a prebiotic such as inulin or PHGG can be added. I replace 1 tsp of the buckwheat flour with the prebiotic. Prebiotic fibres such as these encourage the growth of good gut bugs, not the histamine producing ones!
More low histamine baking
For more low histamine baking options, see the recipe roundup on this site, or the full 4-Week Reboot Low Histamine Meal Plan, which includes a broader range of low histamine baked goods and snacks.
Why ginger instead of cinnamon?
Cinnamon is one of those spices that appears in almost every low histamine baking recipe on the internet, and it is also one that causes problems for a meaningful number of people with histamine intolerance. It sits in the moderate-to-high histamine and high salicylate category, which is a combination that can be genuinely aggravating.
Ginger does not have that problem. It is low histamine, sits on most safe spice lists, and has actual antihistamine and anti-inflammatory properties that make it worth including on days when the histamine bucket is already close to full.
Frequently asked questions
Is buckwheat flour low histamine?
Yes. Despite the name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is naturally gluten-free. It is considered low histamine and is one of the more nutritious gluten-free flour options, with a good protein content and a slightly earthy, nutty flavour that works well in muffins and baked goods.
Can I use my own gluten-free flour blend instead of buckwheat?
Yes. The homemade low histamine gluten-free flour blend on this site, made from brown rice flour, sorghum flour, arrowroot, and tapioca, works as a substitute here. Use the same quantity.
Do these muffins freeze well?
Yes, and freezing is the best way to make them work as a regular snack. Freeze in individual portions and thaw at room temperature or in the lunchbox. They are fine eaten cold or at room temperature. If you want them warm, a brief microwave works well.
How long do the muffins keep?
Up to 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. In the freezer, up to 3 months. Because histamine can increase in foods over time, I would not keep them in the fridge beyond a few days if you are highly reactive.
Is honey low histamine?
Honey is generally considered low histamine and well tolerated by most people with histamine intolerance. It is used here in small quantities across 12 muffins, which puts the per-serve amount very low.
Struggling to get answers about your histamine intolerance symptoms?
Watch my free Masterclass – The 5 Steps to Healing from Histamine Intolerance.
You will learn my 5-Step plan, the exact same method I used to recover from histamine intolerance. These 5 steps everyone with histamine intolerance must know to resolve all those confusing symptoms and get back to eating foods you love without fear!
About Luanne Hopkinson
Luanne Hopkinson (GradDipHumNutr BSc ADipNutrMed, MRC Healthy Gut Practitioner) is the founder of Happy Without Histamine and a clinical nutritionist and neuroplasticity coach with a background in computer science and project management. She created the 5R Histamine Modulation Protocol™, helping women with MCAS and histamine intolerance for the last 8 years, across Australia and worldwide, to stop chasing triggers and start actually healing, by restoring the gut microbiome and regulating the nervous system so their body stops overreacting to everything.
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