If you're looking for a low histamine salad recipe, then I think you'll love this fun vegan buddha bowl! Perfect as a tasty low histamine recipe for lunch or a light dinner, it's easy to do and combines new potatoes, herbed quinoa, roasted veggies and fresh salads. No fancy kitchen equipment needed, and packed with vitamins!
Do have a peek at my butternut and beetroot salad for another delicious lunch idea!
This post was updated with new photos and slight amendments to the recipe on 16 August 2023.
Making low histamine recipes (per the SIGHI list) has become second-nature to me now, but I know it can feel daunting to begin with. I know, I was definitely there too at the start!
I hope this low histamine salad recipe shows that your plate can still be fun, vibrant and full of tasty ingredients. It's a fresh vegan buddha bowl that you can easily adapt to ingredients you love best, and know work for you (be mindful that we all have personal sensitivities, so make sure only to use foods that you know you tolerate well).
Making this salad is very easy, with the potatoes, bell peppers and zucchini roasting together in the oven, an easy quinoa option and fresh salad vegetables.
I use a tahini dressing in this recipe, but if sesame doesn't work for you (it scores 1 on the SIGHI list, and is in the top 10 of food allergies), then make sure not to use and change up for an oil-based dressing instead.
Always work with a dietician if you have any concerns, and please note that this post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietetic advice in any way.
If you're new to the diet, you may like to see my affordable ebook, 'How to Stick to a Low Histamine Diet' for some of my tips and tricks!
Jump to:
⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Packed with veggies. We use a range of low histamine vegetables, starches and seeds to make a tasty lunch bursting with nutrients.
Simple ingredients. All the foods we use here are easy to get hold of in stores.
Easy recipe. Just a bit of roasting of vegetables, cooking of quinoa and dicing of vegetables!
🥗 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Zucchini and bell pepper - the key vegetables for this buddha bowl. We roast the veggies in low histamine spices to give them extra flavor.
- Potatoes and quinoa - the starches for this low histamine salad bowl, to make it more hearty. The Terrasoul organic white quinoa is good.
- Turmeric, sweet paprika and thyme - to flavor the potatoes. Make sure to use sweet paprika and not regular or smoked paprika. Sweet paprika is low histamine (as per the SIGHI list), the others are high histamine.
- Pumpkin seeds - such a good little topping for some crunch! The Terrasoul organic pumpkin seeds are good.
- Tahini - for the dressing (note that it is a potential allergen so only use if known to tolerate well).
📖 Swaps and variations
Salad recipes are typically quite versatile, so it's easy to make swaps to include foods you love, or omit those that don't work for you. The latter is important on a low histamine diet - only use those that you tolerate!
Swap the cold salad vegetables. Use those you have to hand, including cucumber, pak choi, celery or corn.
Swap tahini dressing for another dressing. Salad dressings can be a bit tricky, so you may like to see my low histamine salad dressings post for more ideas. Note that some people are not able to tolerate any vinegars, including those lower histamine ones used in these recipes.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this low histamine salad is very simple, with just a few steps and no need for any fancy kitchen equipment or hard to find ingredients.
Step 1: Roast the potatoes and vegetables
Halve the new potatoes, and dice the bell peppers and zucchini. Toss in olive oil, turmeric and sweet paprika, then spread in an even layer on a lined baking sheet (image 1). Roast for about 30 minutes, until fork tender.
Step 2: Cook the quinoa
Cook rinsed quinoa according to packet instructions, with the dried thyme in the water in the pot. Once cooked, leave to cool and then 'fluff up' with a fork to separate the grains (image 2).
Recipe tip: if your potatoes are larger in size, dice into thirds or quarters.
Step 3: Make the tahini dressing
Combine tahini and water in a small bowl and stir or whisk so that it becomes a creamy dressing (image 3). Add more water to thin, if required, to the consistency you like best.
Step 4: Assemble the salad
Arrange the cooked new potatoes, vegetables, quinoa and salad vegetables in your bowl. Sprinkle on pumpkin seeds (image 4) and drizzle over the dressing.
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Adjust the amount of herbs and spice to preference.
- Swap vegetables in and out to preference, as well as the low histamine nuts and seeds you use in the bowl.
- Add more water to the tahini dressing to thin the sauce, or more tahini if you like it thicker in texture.
- If tahini doesn't work for you, then you may like to see my low histamine oils post for more suitable ingredients to make a dressing.
📋 Frequently asked questions
This recipe uses ingredients that all score 0 on the SIGHI list, with the exception of tahini (sesame) which scores 1. You can easily use a different dressing if you prefer.
Rice, millet and wild rice are all low histamine grains to use instead!
There are so many low histamine vegetables including cucumber, asparagus, artichoke, sweet potatoes, bok choy (pak choi), cabbage, cauliflower, fennel and lamb's lettuce (SIGHI list).
There are quite a lot of low histamine nuts and seeds per the SIGHI list that can be sprinkled over the salad. For example, Healthline describes that hemp seeds are a good source of plant-based protein.
🍽 How to serve
If you want to make this low histamine salad as a side salad, or just fancy a few side dishes to enjoy it with, there are lots of ideas to try:
- Pair with my air fryer sweet potato wedges or my potato fritters for a bit of comfort food on the side!
- For some fun dips, have a peek at my beet hummus without chickpeas, or my tzatziki without yogurt if you're good with fresh dairy.
- Feeling super healthy? My low histamine green juice is packed with fruit and veggies!
- Add my broccoli and Brussels sprouts recipe or my pesto Brussels sprouts for some extra green goodness!
🥣 More fun salads
Choose from so many salad recipes here, including my popular broccoli beet salad, butternut squash quinoa bowl and my cucumber apple salad, as well as these recent recipes:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Low Histamine Salad Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups new potatoes halved or quartered
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ red bell pepper diced into bite-size pieces
- ½ zucchini sliced
- ½ cup quinoa dry weight
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ small carrot grated
- 4 radishes sliced
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- pinch salt to taste
For the tahini dressing
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 2 tablespoon warmed water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 390F / 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Once at temperature, add the new potatoes, red bell pepper and zucchini. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sweet paprika and turmeric. Roast for approximately 30 minutes or until the vegetables and potatoes are fork tender. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare the quinoa to packet instructions, adding the thyme to the water while cooking. Once cooled, fluff up the grains with a fork.
- Make the tahini dressing by stirring together the tahini and water until it becomes a creamy sauce. Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Assemble the salad by plating up your roasted potatoes, quinoa, roast vegetables and salad vegetables. Sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and drizzle over the dressing. Season with salt to taste, and some fresh herbs if you like.
Notes
- If your new potatoes are quite large then cut them into thirds or quarters rather than halves.
- Thin the tahini dressing with more water, or thicken with more tahini to preference.
- If tahini doesn't work for you, then an oil-based dressing is a good alternative option.
- Make sure to only use ingredients that you know you tolerate. Always consult with a dietician if you are unsure, and note that this post does not constitute medical or dietetic advice in any way.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- tahini (sesame seeds), which score '1'. If you prefer not to use tahini, then a herb-based oil dressing is also a great option.
Jennifer says
Delicious low histamine vegan power bowl. My go-to meal. Such a necessary and specific diet that I require. I often have everything on hand to prepare. I feel nice after eating it. Thank you, Claire for sharing.
Claire says
So happy you like it Jennifer!
Sheryl says
A real power bowl! Low histamine and delicious! Love your whole low histamine recipe collection too - it's a wealth of information. Thank you 🙂
throughthefibrofog says
Oh thanks so much! Glad you like and the other recipes, that makes me so happy 🙂
Kara says
I discovered your blog a few months ago and it has been a real help! Thanks for all of your work on it! I’ve made this recipe a few times and really enjoy it. This last time I grilled the veggies on the bbq. Very tasty!
throughthefibrofog says
So happy to hear that Kara! Grilled BBQ veggies sound so good - I'll have to try it that way soon!