Don’t get us wrong. We love the crispy, cool crunch of iceberg lettuce.  

But in this recipe, you’ll substitute iceberg with more nutrient-rich leafy greens like peppery arugula and red leaf lettuce.  

You can use your choice of baby arugula or mature arugula. 

The leafy greens make up the base of this salad. 

But that’s just the beginning. 

For a crunchy topping, you’ll use macadamia nuts. This is a good swap for high histamine croutons or high oxalate almonds. 

Fruit is another interesting component of this salad. 

Soft, sweet cherries add variety in texture and taste. 

In this recipe, you’ll use cherries in 2 ways. Halved cherries provide a meaty texture to the salad. And pureed cherries add sweetness to the dressing. 

The dressing flavors are rounded out with fresh basil and good quality olive oil. 

We like this dressing so much, we’re already experimenting with how to use it with poultry and fish, too.  

This recipe is:  

• Low histamine
• Low oxalate
• Low lectin
• Dairy free
• Gluten free
• Vegetarian

Keep reading to learn more about the components of the dressing that make this a standout summer salad! 

Commercially prepared vinaigrette may contain: 

• Sugar
• Vinegar
• Soybean oil
• Lemon juice
• Unknown “spices”

Creamy dressings like ranch may contain: 

• Soybean oil
• Vinegar
• Buttermilk
• Corn syrup
• Lemon juice
• Numerous additives and preservatives

Those ingredients listed above may: 

• Have high histamine content
• Be histamine liberators
• Be potential mast cell triggers

But you can make your own lower histamine dressing at home easily.  

Keep reading to learn more about the top 3 dressing components in this recipe and their health benefits – olive oil, cherries, and basil. 

Let’s start with a key component of any vinaigrette-style dressing – the oil. 

For a basic vinaigrette recipe, the general suggested ratio is 3 parts oil to 1 part acid.  

That’s a good tip for making dressings with whatever you have on hand. 

But full disclosure… we didn’t follow that rule in this dressing recipe😊 

Why? 2 reasons. Fat content and flavor balance. 

First let’s look closer at the fats in olive oil.  

It uses coconut cream as a base.  

Some of you wrote in saying you liked it, too! But you also wanted an option for a lighter dressing, both in fat content and taste. 

Olive oil is going to be lower in fat content than coconut cream. 

But olive oil, like any fat, will add fat content to your dish. 

However, here’s what to know about the fats in olive oil. 

Fat is an energy source for your body.  

And it helps you absorb vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A, D, E, and K. 

These vitamins play important roles in immune function, cell health, and bone health. 

The fats found in olive oil are primarily unsaturated fats aka “good fats”.  

These unsaturated fats include monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. 

Unsaturated fats may aid in: 

• Heart health
• Brain health 
• Lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol
• Raising “good” HDL cholesterol
• Reducing the risk for strokes

Adding a healthy fat like olive oil to your meal plans has benefits. 

So, even if you’re watching your fat intake, keep some good fat in your diet. 

And if you actually want to bump up your fat intake, you could add a little more olive oil to the dressing. 

That means that the fruit used to make the olive oil comes from one farm or region. 

So, the soil and atmospheric conditions particular to that area really influence the taste of the olive oil. 

It’s not so different from how growing conditions affect the taste of wine. 

Kasandrinos is distinct to us in that it’s easily the smoothest olive oil we’ve tasted. 

The texture is light and buttery soft. 

This oil doesn’t have that bitter bite that some lesser quality olive oils have.  

It has a delicate olive flavor with finishing vegetal and peppery notes. 

Kasandrinos extra virgin olive oil is truly the definition of enhancing food, not overpowering it. We absolutely love that! 

And even though it’s smooth and delicate, you don’t need a ton of it to get maximum flavor. 

It’s a perfect match for the other dressing flavors of cherry and basil. 

Save 20% off your order of Kasandrino’s Olive Oil with code MASTCELL360 

Acid components usually come from citrus, like lemon juice, or vinegar, like balsamic vinegar.  

Citrus is a histamine liberator and vinegar is high histamine. 

Getting these acidic flavors in low histamine dishes can be a bit of a challenge.  

But we found that apples, in particular green apples, add a tang that loosely substitutes for citrus and vinegar. 

That led us to think about using other fruits, too. 

Cranberries are certainly on the tart side. As are tart cherries. 

But what about sweet fruits? 

Of course, sweet fruits don’t provide tartness. And they really don’t qualify as acidic at all. 

However, we experimented with sweet cherries and found they complement olive oil with their bright, fresh flavor.  

And their juiciness makes them perfect for adding the liquid needed to form a salad dressing. 

You can use fresh or frozen cherries in this recipe. These will have low histamine levels. 

You’ll need a little more prep time and a cherry pitter if you use fresh cherries. 

But it’s worth it in the summer when fresh cherries are at their peak! 

Just steer away from higher histamine dried cherries. 

TIP: If you’re using fresh cherries, be sure to pit all of them. After you pit them, cut the cherries for the salad in half for easier eating. But save time and keep the cherries for the dressing whole since they’re going into the blender anyway. 

Benefits of cherries include: 

• Source of vitamin c for good for immune health
• Antioxidant properties for good cell health
• Anti-inflammatory properties
• Source of fiber that may aid in digestion

Now, that doesn’t include all spices. We mention this since we list herbs and spices together on our low histamine foods list. 

A few examples of high histamine spices are: 

• Allspice
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cayenne
• Nutmeg
• Paprika

But there are many low histamine herbs like: 

• Basil
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Cilantro
• Rosemary
• And more

Basil has benefits including: 

• Antioxidant properties
• Anti-inflammatory properties
• Antifungal properties
• Antibacterial properties
• Antiviral properties

Basil has a bold, fresh flavor, making it great for recipes like low histamine pesto. 

It’s hard to describe the taste of basil. It’s so complex and so uniquely its own. 

Some experts suggest notes of black pepper with hints of mint, anise, and citrus. 

Perhaps because it’s so complex, basil pairs well with so many things. 

In each bite of this salad, you can taste the different components individually.  

And together they make for an even more delicious bite. 

Enjoy this easy to make cherry and arugula low histamine salad! 

Like this cherry and arugula low histamine salad? What other fruit and low histamine vegetable combos do you like? 

More Low Histamine Salad Ideas 

• Rosemary Chicken Salad Recipe – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
• Low FODMAP Salad & Dressing with Baru Nut Crusted Chicken – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin
• Waldorf Salad Recipe – Medium Oxalate, Low Lectin, with Low Salicylate option

The website provides approximate nutrition information. Users should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities they use in their recipes for the most accurate representation.  

Some links in this website are affiliate links, which means Mast Cell 360 may make a very small commission if you purchase through the link. It never costs you any more to purchase through the links, and we try to find the best deals we can. We only recommend products that we love and use personally or use in the Mast Cell 360 practice. Any commissions help support the newsletter, website, and ongoing research so Mast Cell 360 can continue to offer you free tips, recipes, and info. Thank you for your support! 

HappyForks. (n.d.). Recipe analyzer. https://happyforks.com/analyzer 

Harvard Health. (2023, August 2). Are fats so bad? https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/are-fats-so-bad 

Hayes, J., & Benson, G. (2016). What the Latest Evidence Tells Us About Fat and Cardiovascular Health. Diabetes spectrum : a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 29(3), 171–175. https://doi.org/10.2337/diaspect.29.3.171 

Kelley, D. S., Adkins, Y., & Laugero, K. D. (2018). A review of the health benefits of cherries. Nutrients, 10(3), 368. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10030368  

Korn, L., Ph.D., MPH, LMHC, ACS, FNTP (2024, April 26). The first, best change you can make for your brain and mood. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rhythms-of-recovery/202404/healthy-fats-for-mental-health 

National Academies Press (US). (1989). Fat-Soluble vitamins. Diet and Health – NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218749/ 

Persia, F. A., et al. (2014). Hydroxytyrosol and oleuropein of olive oil inhibit mast cell degranulation induced by immune and non-immune pathways. Phytomedicine, 21(11), 1400–1405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2014.05.010 

SIGHI. (2021). SIGHI-Leaflet Histamine Elimination Diet. https://www.histaminintoleranz.ch/downloads/SIGHI-Leaflet_HistamineEliminationDiet.pdf 

Swope, M. (2022). Low histamine diet. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/-/media/johns-hopkins-childrens-center/documents/specialties/adolescent-medicine/cfs-low-histamine-diet.pdf 

Vassilina, G., et al. (2025). Bio-active compounds and major biomedical properties of basil (Ocimum basilicum, lamiaceae). Natural Product Research, 39(5), 1326–1344. https://doi.org/10.1080/14786419.2024.2357662 

Wang, F., Baden, M. Y., Rexrode, K. M., & Hu, F. B. (2021). Abstract 9343: Dietary Fat Intake and the Risk of Stroke: Results from Two Prospective Cohort Studies. Circulation, 144(Suppl_1). https://doi.org/10.1161/circ.144.suppl_1.9343 

Zhakipbekov, K., et al. (2024). Antimicrobial and Other Pharmacological Properties of Ocimum basilicum, Lamiaceae. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 29(2), 388. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29020388