Low FODMAP Cranberry Crumble Bar Recipe – Mast Cell 360 (2024)

Earlier in my life, I wanted to be a restaurant reviewer.

I’m a bit of a foodie. I loooove new flavors and variety.

But eating out while on a low histamine diet is challenging.

And it was challenging to find low FODMAP desserts I could enjoy. Certain foods wouldtrigger what I thought was Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Or make me break out in hives.

This is why I pivoted to creating my own recipes.

Instead of feeling like I was missing out on fun foods, I learned how to make recipes that:

• Avoid common allergens
• Work for a variety of food intolerances
• Are mast cell friendly

This cranberry crumble recipe is a tasty one. But if you don’t like cranberries, don’t worry! You’ll learn how you can substitute other fruits.

This cranberry recipe is:

• Low histamine
• Low oxalate or medium oxalate
• Low lectin
• Low FODMAP
• Gluten free
• Lactose free

If you want to make this a simpler recipe, just make the bars. You can leave off the crumble topping and the whipped coconut cream.

But I think the coconut whip cream makes them extra tasty and special.

Before you change your diet on your own, make sure you’re working with a healthcare practitioner or registered dietitian who can help you with this. Never limit foods unnecessarily, and always have a licensed medical provider who is supervising your case. This is not a substitute for medical advice.

Are Cranberries Low Histamine?

I love the tartness of cranberries.

It’s one of my favorite foods to use in recipes since cranberries are a low histamine food.

And even better, cranberries have been shown to reduce inflammatory molecules that can trigger mast cells and increase histamine.

Cranberries are also rich in important antioxidants.

When I wanted to be a restaurant reviewer, I learned that the tart flavor of cranberries goes great together with citrus fruits. That’s why you’ll often see recipes with the common combo of cranberry orange.

But here’s what you need to know when it comes to cranberries and citrus fruits.

Citrus fruits like grapefruit and oranges are high histamine foods. This is because they are histamine liberators.

So, skip citrus juice or orange zest if you have Histamine Intolerance.

And when it comes to choosing cranberries for this recipe, here’s a tip.

Technically, you could use dried cranberries in this recipe.

But dried cranberries have higher levels of histamine than fresh or frozen cranberries.

Dried fruit also runs the risk of being moldy.

I recommend sticking with fresh or frozen cranberries as your best lower histamine options.

Fresh cranberries will give a prettier presentation. Frozen cranberries are fine, but they will color the batter red like cranberry juice!

Cranberry Fruit Swaps

If cranberries are too tart for you, you could try these fruits with low histamine levels in your crumble instead. Here’s what you need to know.

Cranberries are an easy swap 1:1 with:

• Fresh or frozen blueberries
• Fresh apricots, chopped
• Fresh or frozen blackberries – avoid if you’re Oxalate Intolerant
• Fresh or frozen raspberries – may be ok if you’re in a later phase of the low histamine diet but not always tolerated in the elimination diet phase

You could also try it with extra apples if you aren’t FODMAP Intolerant. Share in the comments below if you try these substitutions!

More Low Histamine Resources

• The Best Antihistamine for Histamine Intolerance and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome
• Diamine Oxidase (DAO Enzyme)
• Low Histamine Supplements
• Histamine Intolerance vs MCAS

Making Low Histamine Cranberry Crumble

A big factor in all my recipes is that they have ingredients that are low histamine. But it’s even better when I can create something with histamine lowering ingredients.

Whenever possible, I want recipes to be:

• High nutrient
• Histamine lowering
• Mast cell supporting
• Inflammation lowering
• Satisfying
• AND delicious!

And since these bars don’t have sugar, they check all the boxes!

Related Article: Low Histamine Food List

I made this recipe low histamine with a few easy ingredient swaps. Here’s what I did.

Green apples tend to have less sugar than other apples. Plus, they are low FODMAP under 20 grams per serving (about 1½ Tablespoons).

Remember how citrus and cranberries go so well together? Well, the tart flavor of the green apples makes a great substitute for the tartness of citrus in this low histamine recipe.

The coconut milk is a great replacement for the traditional buttermilk that many dessert recipes use. Dairy can be a histamine liberator for some.

Here’s what else you need to know to keep the histamine content low. I share these tips so you can adapt your own favorite recipes!

Low Histamine Sweeteners

Store bought cranberry crumble is likely to have high fructose corn syrup or other types of sugar. (Not to mention the other additives, like preservatives that can be mast cell triggers.)

Here are the sweeteners that are less likely to cause mast cell activation.

I like to use a little of both in this cranberry crumble.

Use this 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.

You can add more monkfruit or stevia to taste if you prefer it sweeter.

Low Histamine Vanilla

Alcohol is high histamine. Vanilla extract is mostly alcohol. Use vanilla bean powder instead of vanilla extract.

Low Histamine Flours

Both cassava flour and white rice flour tend to be well tolerated by those with Histamine Intolerance. The important thing is that your flour isn’t a fermented food. Fermentation will make it higher histamine.

Many wheat flours and some of its substitutes are fermented.

Otto’s Cassava Flour isn’t fermented. If you don’t struggle with oxalates, cassava flour may be a good option for you.

With oxalates, the amount you eat can also be a determining factor when considering if it is high, medium, or low oxalate.

Related Post: What Are Oxalates? The MCAS and Oxalate Intolerance Connection

Otto’s Cassava Flour was tested as 17mg soluble oxalates per ¼ cup. That is considered a high oxalate level.

So, when using cassava flour, if one portion of a recipe comes out to ¼ cup of flour per serving, that recipe would be considered high oxalate. If it came out to ⅛ cup or less, that could be considered moderate.

But if someone is on a kidney stone diet and counting total oxalates, then the total oxalates at 53.8mg per ¼ cup would be too high.

It depends on how you are counting and what your limit is.

If you’ve had what you thought were urinary tract infections (UTIs), but the cultures come back negative, be sure to read about Oxalate Dumping in this post. The irritation from the calcium oxalate can mimic that.

If you are struggling with oxalates, you may consider white rice flour. Just remember that white rice flour isn’t as low lectin as cassava.

Please share in the comments if you have found a brand of rice flour that isn’t fermented. I’ll let you know what I find out about the fermentation in some of these brands.

That brings me to what else you need to know about oxalates.

Are Cranberries High Oxalate?

Cranberries are one of the lower oxalate fruits you can enjoy in desserts. You won’t miss rhubarb pie after trying this cranberry crumble!

However, you may want to skip the pecans or macadamias for the topping if you struggle with oxalates.

Learn more about the low oxalate diet.

Are Cranberries Low FODMAP?

Yes, cranberries are low FODMAP whether you get them fresh, frozen, or dried.

You’ll need to be careful about your portions if you have FODMAP Intolerance with this recipe.

Green granny smith apples are only low FODMAP below 20 grams. That’s about 1½ Tablespoons or one bar.

It’s also important to use green apples. They are one of the lowest FODMAP types of apple.

Some FODMAP Intolerance symptoms look a lot like IBS symptoms. I’ve dealt with some FODMAP issues, so I love this recipe.

Learn more about FODMAP Intolerance and the low FODMAP diet here.

More Low FODMAP Recipes

Enjoy these FODMAP friendly recipes:

• Low Histamine Tacos – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, and Low Salicylate
• Low Histamine Chicken – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, and Low Salicylate
• – Low Histamine, Low Oxalate, and Low Lectin

What to Serve with Low Histamine Cranberry Crumble

Here are low histamine recipes to try with it:

• Tulsi Rose Tea – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, and Low FODMAP
• Low Histamine “Pumpkin Spice” Drink – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, and Low FODMAP
• Baruka Nut Vanilla Mousse – Medium Oxalate, Low Lectin, Low FODMAP, and Low Salicylate
• Vanilla Ice Cream – Low Oxalate, Low Lectin, and Low FODMAP

You may be able to tolerate some lower histamine alcohol if you’re in a later phase of the low histamine diet. Check out my Low Histamine co*cktails and Lower Histamine Wine.

I hope you like these Cranberry Crumble Bars as much as I do! They are really satisfying!

More Low Histamine Dessert Recipes

• 6 Layer Cranberry Trifle – Low Lectin and Low Oxalate
• Carrot Cake – Low Lectin and Medium Oxalate
• Macadamia Nut Butter – Low Lectin, Medium Oxalate, and Low FODMAP

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References

FODMAP food list | Monash FODMAP. (n.d.). http://www.monashfodmap.com/about-fodmap-and-ibs/high-and-low-fodmap-foods/

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

Monash University. The Low FODMAP Diet. Monashfodmap.com. Accessed December 2, 2018.

Pappas, E., & Schaich, K. M. (2009). Phytochemicals of cranberries and cranberry products: characterization, potential health effects, and processing stability. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 49(9), 741–781. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390802145377

Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). (2021, November).SIGHI Histamine Elimination Diet(Version 2021–11-17). SIGHI.https://www.histaminintoleranz.ch/downloads/SIGHI-Leaflet_HistamineEliminationDiet.pdf