low histamine ice cream recipe

Easy Mango Low Histamine Ice Cream (Low Lectin, and Low Oxalate)

Do you love low histamine desserts? Have you seen any recipes for low histamine ice cream? 

If not, I’ve got one for you! 

I enjoy a refreshing sweet treat on hot days.  

But commercially prepared ice cream can have mast cell triggering ingredients. 

And unfortunately, with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), you may be dealing with various food intolerances, too.  

When choosing dessert, you may be considering: 

  • Histamine 
  • Oxalates 
  • Lectins 
  • FODMAPs 
  • Salicylates
  • And more 

That means no store-bought colorful popsicles or white-chocolate ice cream. 

I’ve felt disappointment in missing out on these treats in the past. 

I remember one summer when my husband and I helped friends move. We were carrying items from a storage unit without A/C. So, there wasn’t even temporary relief from going inside. 

I was only moving lightweight items. But the heat was so intense that day. Just being out in the open began to take a toll on me.  

Did you know that heat is a mast cell trigger? When we left, my feet hurt and had swollen badly. 

Swelling is one of my heat reactions. 

So, we stopped at Whole Foods to get something cold. 

I wanted ice cream. But I know from the many times I’ve read ice cream labels that there isn’t a single option for me. 

I settled on a bottle of sparkling water and a bag of frozen mango. Yes, I ate the frozen mango straight out of the bag. It was a two-hour drive home. And I was hot.  

That frozen mango gave me an idea for this ice cream, though! 

This mango low histamine ice cream recipe is: 

Keep reading to learn how to easily make this fruity, creamy dessert.  

But first, here’s why commercially produced ice creams may not work for you if you have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome and food intolerances. 

Why Low Histamine Ice Cream 

It’s important you know that this blog post is for informational and educational purposes. It’s not meant to treat any health condition or to be prescriptive for anyone. Always be sure to work with your healthcare practitioner. Before you change your diet on your own, please make sure you’re working with a healthcare practitioner who can help you with this.   

I was doing pretty well with my health that summer when my husband and I helped our friends move. 

I’d been eating a low histamine diet to address my Histamine Intolerance. 

And I’d also figured out that I was dealing with Lectin Intolerance and had some severe issues related to oxalates. 

I’d also started taking a diamine oxidase supplement, a histamine-degrading enzyme. It helped with my levels of histamine, too. 

Did you know that the amount of histamine in your body comes from foods AND your body’s own natural production?  

That means even if you are eating foods with low histamine content, you still may need a diamine oxidase (DAO) supplement, especially if you have MCAS. That’s because mast cells release histamine. 

So, all this to say that I knew what I should and shouldn’t be eating.  

And that’s why I knew store-bought ice cream wasn’t going to be worth the reactions I’d get from eating it. 

Like I said, I’d looked thoroughly (and hopefully!) at so many labels.  

That’s why I ended up with fizzy water and frozen mango on that hot summer day we helped friends move!

Here’s the good news, though. You can make tasty, low histamine desserts yourself. 

This low histamine ice cream recipe is easy. It’s almost as convenient as simply picking up a pint at the store.  

You don’t even need an ice cream maker! 

I’ll share how to make it coming up. But first, here are the top reasons you’ll want to make your own low histamine ice cream if you have MCAS, Histamine Intolerance, or other food intolerances or sensitivities.  

Gluten 

You might be thinking about ice cream as a dessert option because pies, cakes, and brownies all have wheat and gluten. That makes them higher histamine. 

You may have ruled these out already. 

But even if you find gluten free baked goods, they most likely have rice flour or almond flour. 

Rice flour is high lectin. 

Almond flour is high oxalate.  

But some ice cream will have gluten, too. It may be because the flavor is one with added cake, cookie dough, or brownies. 

And even some additives, starches, or flavorings have been known to have gluten, too.  

Another ingredient to beware of is dairy.  

Dairy Products 

Dairy causes a problem for many people with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome or Histamine Intolerance, too. 

Some dairy is lower histamine. You do want to be mindful of fermented products like yogurt and buttermilk, though. 

Fermentation causes foods to be higher histamine. This applies to dairy and other foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, or kombucha, too. 

However, with dairy products, you also want to consider lactose intolerance or casein intolerance. 

Lactose (a sugar) and casein (a protein) are in dairy products. I see a lot of clients with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome have sensitivities to dairy, likely due to lactose and casein. 

If you aren’t sure if dairy is an issue for you, you can consider talking with your healthcare provider about getting a Dairy Zoomer test.  

I don’t do well with dairy. 

So, I knew ice cream made with cow’s milk was out of the question for me. I checked out the ingredients in coconut milk ice creams in hopes they might work instead.  

Here’s what I found. 

They had a lot of sugar.  

Sugar and Sugar Substitutes 

Sugar raises histamine levels. It also increases inflammation and is a mast cell trigger.  

But other sweeteners like erythritol may be a problem. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol you’ll see in some low-calorie ice creams, both dairy based and coconut. 

For some people, it can cause a lot of gas and bloating. 

Additionally, studies are showing that erythritol may contribute to an increase in blood clot formation. This can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke. 

Some sugar substitutes like stevia and monk fruit extract powder may be good options for sweeteners if you have MCAS or Histamine Intolerance. 

When I realized I wasn’t going to find an ice cream I could eat, I considered sorbets. 

But like ice cream, they are packed with sugar. 

And nearly all the frozen desserts have additives that can trigger mast cells. 

Related Article: Low Histamine Foods List 

Additives and Preservatives 

Commercially prepared foods often have a lot of preservatives. This helps them last longer in the grocery store. 

And they can also have additives to help make the color more appealing, enhance flavor, or create a desired texture. 

Some of these additives and preservatives can be mast cell triggers. 

Here are some of the top mast cell triggering additives you may find in store-bought ice cream: 

  • Artificial colors  
  • Artificial flavors 
  • “Natural” flavors  
  • Carrageenan  
  • Citric acid  
  • Lecithin  
  • Maltodextrin  
  • Xanthan gum  

You also need to be aware of additives and preservatives when you are making your own ice cream. 

Almost every coconut milk I’ve seen has xanthan gum, or another thickener. 

Native Forest Simple Coconut Milk doesn’t. This is the only coconut milk I use now. 

Low Histamine Ice Cream Recipe Tips

Here are a few tricks before you get started so your low histamine ice cream turns out delicious!

Use Frozen Fruit 

Generally speaking, fresh fruit or frozen fruit are your best choices if you have Histamine Intolerance. Typically, dried fruit will be a little higher histamine and it runs the risk of having mold. 

But for this recipe, you must use frozen fruit. It’s what’s going to give this dessert its cool, refreshing quality. 

You might even want to experiment with different fruits for your low histamine ice cream. 

Some low histamine choices are: 

  • Nectarines 
  • Apricots 
  • Blueberries 

If you can’t find these frozen in the stores, you can freeze fresh fruits right after purchase. 

You can also buy packaged mixed fruits. 

But be careful the blend doesn’t have high histamine foods like:

  • Papaya 
  • Strawberries 
  • Bananas 
  • Pineapple 

You can find the best fruits for your dietary needs in our food lists: 

Use a High Speed Blender 

Because you are using frozen fruit, you’ll want to use a high-speed blender.

Don’t use a regular blender. You’ll burn out the motor. 

I used my Blendtec Blender on high.

This would also work with a Vitamix Blender or Ninja Professional. 

Blending the mango in the Blendtec gave me a thick, sorbet texture.  

I also tried blending 1½ cups frozen mango with ½ cup frozen raspberries. This was also good. But it wasn’t as creamy as I wanted. 

That’s when I had the idea to add coconut milk. 

You have to get the mango to coconut milk ratio just right for ice cream.  

If you don’t have enough coconut milk, then the blender will have a hard time turning. 

If you use too much, it will be more like pudding than ice cream. But not to worry, if you make pudding instead of ice cream, it is still delicious! 

It depends on the type of high-speed blender you are using as to how much coconut milk you’ll need. Start with less and slowly add more, as needed. 

Optional Ingredients and Toppings 

I think this ice cream tastes amazing as it is. 

I don’t add any sweetener to this. I really like it with just the two ingredients: mango and coconut milk.

But you might like to make it a little sweeter. In that case, you can add some pure monk fruit extract to taste. 

Or, depending on your taste buds, you can use a few drops of Better Organic Stevia.

If you’re extra sensitive, you may want to use this alcohol free Stevia with glycerite.

If you want to make this low histamine ice cream more decadent, you can whip some Let’s Do Organic Coconut Cream to add on top.  

Think of it like a sundae. You could even add some chopped pecans or macadamias. 

Pecans and macadamia nuts are low lectin and low histamine foods. And they are low oxalate as long as you stick to ¼ cup or less. For a topping for one serving, you’d need less than 1 Tablespoon. 

And you could top it with a fresh cherry! 

Delicious! 

My favorite part of this low histamine recipe is that the basic recipe is only 2 ingredients. How easy is that? 

And even better – both coconut milk and mango have histamine lowering properties! 

I really hope you enjoy this recipe! 

If you own an ice cream maker, check out this Low FODMAP ice cream recipe that’s vanilla flavored.

low histamine ice cream recipe

Mango Low Histamine Ice Cream

Enjoy this coconut mango low histamine ice cream that's also low oxalate, and low lectin!
No ratings yet
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 1 serving
Calories 314 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

Mango Low Histamine Ice Cream

Coconut Cream Topping optional

Instructions
 

If Using Coconut Milk, Instead of Coconut Cream, for Topping

  • Refrigerate Native Forest Coconut Milk overnight, so it thickens.

Low Histamine Ice Cream

  • Put frozen mango chunks into a high speed blender.
  • Add 4 ounces of coconut milk to start.
  • Turn blender on high. 
  • If the blender is struggling, add 1 more ounce (2 Tablespoons) of coconut milk. 
  • Turn blender on high again. 
  • If necessary, add 1 more ounce at a time until blender can just blend. 
  • Blend on high until the mixture is creamy and has a consistent texture. 
  • Top with coconut cream topping (recipe below) if desired. 
  • Add chopped pecans or macadamia nuts and a cherry for a sundae! 
  • Serve in a bowl and enjoy immediately! 

Coconut Milk Whipped Topping option

  • Remove can from fridge. Open and scoop the thickest cream from the top of the can. 
  • Whip this thick cream, monk fruit extract, and raw vanilla powder with a hand-held blender until fluffy. 
  • Top ice cream with coconut cream. 
  • You can use the leftover coconut milk or coconut cream for smoothies or other recipes. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray to make it easier to use. 

Coconut Cream Whipped Topping (preferred option) 

  • Scoop out 1 cup of coconut cream. 
  • Whip the coconut cream, monk fruit extract, and raw vanilla powder with a hand-held blender until fluffy. 
  • Top ice cream with coconut cream. 
  • You can use the leftover coconut water or coconut cream for smoothies or other recipes. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray to make it easier to use. 

Notes

Nutritional Information includes coconut cream whipped topping. 
Be careful to not over consume nuts if you are watching your oxalates. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Mango Low Histamine Ice Cream
Amount per Serving
Calories
314
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
27.8
g
43
%
Carbohydrates
 
18
g
6
%
Sugar
 
12
g
13
%
Protein
 
3.5
g
7
%
Vitamin C
 
32.5
mg
39
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Keyword dairy free, gluten free, grain free, low histamine, low lectin, low oxalate

And now, I’d love to hear from you. What toppings do you like on low histamine ice cream? You can leave your comments below! 

More Low Histamine Dessert Recipes  

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References 

Erythritol and cardiovascular events. (2023, March 28). National Institutes of Health (NIH). https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/erythritol-cardiovascular-events 

TMS – The Mast Cell Disease Society, Inc. (2022, September 21). Nutrition – TMS – The Mast Cell Disease Society, Inc. TMS – the Mast Cell Disease Society, Inc. https://tmsforacure.org/nutrition/#:~:text 

University of Arizona. (2012). Identifying Gluten in Packaged Foods. In University of Arizona. Retrieved May 31, 2023, from https://health.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/gluten_free_food_labels.pdf  

Comments

  1. Kristine Northup

    Oh So Delicious coconut milk, which you can get at the grocery store, does not contain guar or xanthian gum, however it does contain locust bean gum and gellan gum. Are these harmful?

    1. Beth O'Hara

      Hi Kris! They can be triggers for some people. You can test it out for yourself. I prefer to use foods with no additives, because I feel so much better. I’m not sure that this would give the same creamy texture. Please let me know how it works for you!

  2. Kristin

    Trader Joes coconut milk is 100% coconut milk with no additives!!

    1. Beth O'Hara

      Great to know – Thanks Kristin! Is it in a can or in a tetra pack? I try to use the tetra packs when possible to avoid the toxins in the can liners. Let me know!

  3. kayla

    how about vita coco coconut milk? these are the ingredients

    Coconut Water from Concentrate (Water, Coconut Water Concentrate), Water, Coconut Cream. Contains less than 2% of Stabilizers (Cellulose Gel and Cellulose Gum). Fortified Vitamins and Minerals: Tricalcium Phosphate, Magnesium Sulfate, Vitamin A, Zinc Sulphate *vs whole dairy milk which contains only 30% of your daily value of calcium

    i was just diagnosed with MCAS a month ago, and am still figuring out what i can and cant have, its pretty exhausting

    1. Beth O'Hara

      Hang in there, Kayla! I have a 3 part series coming out starting Tuesday on how to do the Low Histamine Diet. Those will probably help you. This *may* be ok, but I don’t know about the stabilizers for you or the forms of fortification. I like to simplify things and just use the coconut milk in the post. That way if you react to it, you’ll know it is definitely the coconut milk and not the additives.

  4. Carmen Baez

    Hi Beth,
    I just made the Mango Ice cream and it is Delicious! I didn’t have reaction to it! Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
    Carmen

  5. Teresa

    Bomb ice-cream!!!! Holy s**t! So good! It came out perfect in my vitamix!!!!
    I made the coconut cream topping but I made a mistake and put the heavy coconut cream in the refrigerator the night before. It turned into blocks of hard material so I had to put that in the vita mix by itself to get it to turn into whipping cream again. But all in all it was a success.

      1. Kathleen Palladino

        Hi what other frozen fruits could be used. I am not sure if I might be allergic to mangos

        1. Suz, Mast Cell 360 Team

          Hi Kathleen,
          We’ve only made the mango version, but you could use any low histamine fruit from the low histamine foods list. We won’t be able to guess proportions since we haven’t tried it yet ourselves. Blueberry might be really tasty. Whenever I experiment with a recipe, I only make a half recipe so if it doesn’t turn out, I can learn how to make it better next time without all the waste. Please keep us posted if you have success with other fruits!

          Suz

  6. Victoria V

    Hi Beth,

    Firstly, thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us via this site. It is by far the most useful resource about histamine intolerance and mast cell activation syndrome I could find.

    My question is not quite related to this recipe. I’ve noticed a few times, including in this post, that you don’t recommend using Monk Fruit that contains Erythritol. I live in Australia and the Pure Monk Fruit brand isn’t available here, even through Amazon. According to a couple researches that I’ve read, the only side effects of Erythritol are bloating and digestive upset, which I haven’t personally experienced. Is there any other controvercial qualities that I should be aware of?

    Thanks,
    Victoria

    1. Beth O'Hara

      Victoria,
      Thanks so much – I’m really glad to hear the website is so useful! On erythritol, if it isn’t bothering you, it’s probably ok for you. I personally try to avoid them because they are more synthetic. You could also sub stevia, if you like.

  7. Kristy

    Native Forest makes a version of their coconut milk without any gum, it’s their can marked “Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk Simple”. Natural Grocers (in AZ) and Thrive (online) carry it. It’s ingredients are just organic coconut and filtered water.

  8. Julie Meyer

    Thank you so much for posting!!! I have a family with teens and we all love this recipe. You are a life saver.

    1. Beth O'Hara

      Hi Julie! Thanks so much for letting me know you liked the recipe!

  9. Caroline E Gettys

    Hey, we have a coconut allergy, do you think hemp milk could work? Or I could also do flax or chia milk.

    1. Suz, Mast Cell 360 Team

      Hi Caroline,
      Beth says:
      I haven’t tried it, but you could experiment and see. If oxalates bother you, keep in mind hemp and chia will be high oxalate. Also, watch out for things like guar gum, xanthan gum, and carrageenan.

  10. Chloe

    According to the monash app mangos are high fodmap. What serving size is necessary to keep it low fodmap? Thank you

    1. Jamie, Mast Cell 360

      Hi Chloe you are correct, Mango is higher FODMAP. The recipe calls for 2 cups of frozen mango, and 1/5 cup of chopped mango is lower FODMAP, so about 1/10th of the entire recipe would be considered lower FODMAP.

  11. Janel

    This is listed as low FODMAP, however, it says one serving. Mango is only low fodmap at 1/5 cup (40g), also coconut milk is low at 1/3 cup (80g), so the 4oz is a bit high, even before potentially adding the coconut cream. Is this not really supposed to be a single serving, or did it somehow get mislabeled? It is helpful to have recipes that follow both low histamine and fodmap, but we all know how detrimental it can be when things are inaccurate. Just trying to get my facts straight.

    1. Jamie, Mast Cell 360

      Hi Janel, thank you so much for commenting. We’ve reviewed our resources and have removed the low FODMAP label from this post. We appreciate our community for finding things like this and bringing them to our attention!

  12. Laurie

    Hi Beth,
    I haven’t tried this recipe yet, since it wouldn’t be good for me to eat it all at once. Can I freeze leftovers? Can I freeze leftover Simple coconut milk?

    1. Jamie, Mast Cell 360

      Hi Laurie! Yes you can certainly freeze the leftover mango ice cream! It will harden up though so you’ll want to take it out about 15 minutes prior to when you want to eat it next to let it soften up a little. You an also freeze leftover coconut milk! I frequently do this and then use the cubes in smoothies later.

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