Papa Murphy's Basil Pesto Sauce
This basil pesto is high in histamine, mainly from the aged parmesan cheese.
This is sold raw and you bake it at home, which is the freshest case on this whole list. Nothing sits in a warmer, and you control how long it waits between the shop and the oven. Refrigerate it as soon as you get home and bake it the same day, because histamine builds up as protein foods sit whether that happens in a kitchen or in your fridge.
Yes, Papa Murphy's Basil Pesto Sauce is high in histamine. Parmesan cheese is the reason: it is an aged hard cheese, and aged cheeses are among the most histamine-heavy foods there are.
Why papa murphy's basil pesto sauce is rated high
Fresh basil and canola oil are not a histamine problem. What turns this sauce high is the parmesan blended into it. Parmesan is aged for months, and aging is a slow bacterial process that converts the protein in milk into histamine. That is baked in before the cheese is ever grated, and no amount of blending or baking on a pizza removes it. Pesto as a category reads high on HIT lists for the same reason: it is built around aged cheese. The dehydrated garlic, salt, citric acid, and sugar are minor players next to the cheese.
What changes your risk
- Parmesan sets the level — the aged cheese is the single component carrying nearly all of the histamine in this sauce. It arrives already high and stays that way.
- Baking does not help — heat does not remove histamine that formed during the cheese's aging, so a baked pizza with this sauce is no lower than the raw sauce.
- How long the sauce sits — pesto with cheese in it is a protein-containing, perishable sauce. A freshly opened container is the better bet than one that has been sitting out on the make line for a long stretch.
- How much goes on — the level does not change, but a lighter spread means less parmesan per slice than a heavy one.
Lower-histamine alternatives
If you want to build a pizza at Papa Murphy's with less histamine, the items at this chain that rate lower in this index are Chicken, Onion Mix, and Zesty Herb Blend. Those can give a pizza flavor and protein without reaching for the parmesan-heavy pesto. There is no lower version of pesto itself to recommend, since the aged cheese is what makes pesto pesto.
How to lower the risk
Papa Murphy's is a build-to-order counter, so the sauce is your call at the start. The Basil Pesto Sauce is basil, canola oil, water, parmesan cheese, cultured dextrose, dehydrated garlic, salt, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and sugar, and the chain does not publish a way to change what is in it. If you are avoiding histamine, choose a different sauce and lean on Chicken, Onion Mix, and Zesty Herb Blend for flavor. If you do go with pesto, ask for a light spread from a freshly opened batch.
Common questions
Why is pesto high in histamine if basil is fresh?
The basil is fine. Pesto is high because of the parmesan blended into it, and parmesan is an aged cheese that carries a lot of histamine from its months of aging.
Does baking the pizza lower the histamine in the pesto?
No. Heat kills bacteria but does not break down histamine that already formed in the cheese, so a baked pesto pizza is no lower than the raw sauce.
What is a lower-histamine option at Papa Murphy's?
In this index, Chicken, Onion Mix, and Zesty Herb Blend rate lower at Papa Murphy's. There is no lower-histamine pesto.
Is the garlic in the pesto a histamine problem?
Garlic is not a histamine liberator and is generally low. Some people do not tolerate garlic for other reasons, but it is not what makes this sauce high.
This rating comes from Papa Murphy's own published ingredient statement, read on August 10, 2026. Restaurant recipes vary by location and change over time, so always check the current listing: source 1, source 2. How we rate foods →
Papa Murphy's Basil Pesto Sauce and Papa Murphy'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.
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For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for personal guidance.
References
- SIGHI Food Compatibility List — SIGHI (2026)
- Histamine and histamine intolerance — Maintz & Novak (2007)
- Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art — Comas-Basté et al. (2020)
- Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? — Sánchez-Pérez et al. (2021)
- Histamine Intolerance: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Beyond — Jochum (2024)
- Guideline on management of suspected adverse reactions to ingested histamine — Reese et al. (2021)