Is Applebee's French Onion Soup High in Histamine?

Applebee's French Onion Soup

High histamine

This soup runs high in histamine, mostly from the sherry wine solids and yeast extract in the base.

Most of this is cooked to order, which is the best case for histamine. Even so, a restaurant kitchen preps ahead and holds things warm through a service, so freshness varies more than it would at home. The rating above comes from the chain's published ingredients. If a dish is borderline for you, asking how it is prepared tells you more than the menu does.

Dairy DAO Blocker

This is a slow-cooked onion soup built on beef fat, butter, and a seasoned broth, then finished with sherry and savory boosters.

Sherry wine solids — this is a wine-derived ingredient, and alcohol-based components like this both carry histamine and act as a DAO blocker, which is what makes the soup hard on histamine-sensitive folks.
Yeast extract — a concentrated savory flavoring that runs high on its own, adding to the concern alongside the sherry.

The onions and butter themselves are mild, but the sherry and yeast extract set the level, so a plainer starter is the easier call here.

This rating comes from Applebee's own published ingredient statement, read on August 11, 2026. Restaurant recipes vary by location and change over time, so always check the current listing: source 1, source 2. How we rate foods →

Applebee's French Onion Soup and Applebee's are trademarks of their respective owners. This page is an independent histamine reference and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the brand.