November 5, 2026 · By ChefExtract Team
Low-Nickel Food List: Free Printable PDF
A printable low-nickel food list to download as a free PDF, print or share. No sign-up. Based on EFSA and published medical low-nickel lists.
This is a low-nickel food list to print and keep in the kitchen. Download it as a PDF, share it or print it: it is free and you don't need to sign up.
Before you use it. No food is completely free of nickel: "nickel-free" here means low in nickel. The list summarizes published lists that do not always agree. It is not a diet and does not replace your doctor. Follow a low-nickel diet only after a diagnosis (patch test) and with an allergist, dermatologist or dietitian.
How to read the list
- Low: the cited sources place the food among those lowest in nickel.
- Medium or varies: in the middle, or placed very differently from one source to another.
- High: the sources list it among the foods richest in nickel.
- Asterisk (*): the sources disagree. Ask your doctor how to treat it.
We don't print microgram figures: the nickel in the same food varies a lot with soil, water and processing, and a precise number would give false confidence.
Low-nickel food list
Grains
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| White rice (including basmati) | Low |
| Refined durum wheat pasta | Low |
| White bread and refined flour | Low |
| Corn and polenta * | Medium or varies |
| Whole-grain flour and bread, bran | High |
| Oats and oatmeal | High |
| Buckwheat and millet | High |
| Breakfast cereals and muesli | High |
Vegetables
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Zucchini | Low |
| Cucumber | Low |
| Potatoes * | Medium or varies |
| Carrots *Low on some tables, removed on some elimination lists. | Medium or varies |
| Broccoli and asparagus * | Medium or varies |
| Onion * | Medium or varies |
| Cabbage and cauliflower * | Medium or varies |
| Lettuce * | Medium or varies |
| Tomato * | High |
| Spinach | High |
| Canned vegetables | High |
Legumes
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Soy and soy products | High |
| Lentils | High |
| Beans | High |
| Chickpeas and peas | High |
| Peanuts | High |
Fruit
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Apples | Low |
| Peaches | Low |
| Melon | Low |
| Lemon (juice and zest) | Low |
| Pears *Removed on some elimination lists, missing from other tables. | Medium or varies |
| Bananas * | Medium or varies |
| Pineapple and raspberries * | High |
| Canned fruit | High |
Nuts and seeds
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios | High |
| Sunflower, sesame and flax seeds | High |
Meat, fish and eggs
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Fresh chicken and turkey | Low |
| Fresh beef and pork | Low |
| Fresh fish (sea bass, bream, cod) | Low |
| Eggs | Low |
| Canned tuna and fish *Some tables put canned tuna low; many lists remove all canned food. | High |
| Shellfish (mussels, clams, shrimp) | High |
Dairy
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Milk and plain yogurt | Low |
| Cheese (parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta) | Low |
Fats and seasonings
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Butter | Low |
| Extra-virgin olive oil | Low |
| Salt | Low |
| Baking powder * | Medium or varies |
Drinks
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| WaterIn the morning, run the tap for a moment before using the water. | Low |
| Coffee | Medium or varies |
| Black tea | High |
| Cocoa drinks | High |
Sweets and other
| Food | Nickel |
|---|---|
| Sugar and honey | Low |
| Chocolate and cocoa | High |
| Licorice | High |
* The cited sources place this food differently. Ask your doctor.
Table checked on November 5, 2026.
Sources
- EFSA CONTAM Panel (2020). Update of the risk assessment of nickel in food and drinking water. EFSA Journal 18(11):6268
- Zirwas MJ, Molenda MA (2009). Dietary nickel as a cause of systemic contact dermatitis. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol 2(6):39-43
- Sharma AD (2013). Low nickel diet in dermatology. Indian J Dermatol 58(3):240
- Braga M et al. (2013). Systemic nickel allergy syndrome: nosologic framework and usefulness of diet regimen for diagnosis. Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol
- ASIPAN (2025). Tabella alimenti nichel
- Iannicelli A. Dieta per allergia al nichel (dNa Milano)
Where the data comes from
The list is a ChefExtract summary of these sources, compared with each other:
- the EFSA opinion on nickel in food (2020), for the main dietary sources of nickel;
- the low-nickel diet reviews by Zirwas and Molenda (2009) and Sharma (2013);
- the Italian study by Braga et al. (2013) on the diet for systemic nickel allergy;
- the Italian ASIPAN 2025 sheet and Agostina Iannicelli's elimination list.
Where the sources say different things, we mark it with an asterisk instead of choosing for you. The reasons are in foods high in nickel.
From the list to the plate
A list tells you what to buy, not what to cook. Two ways to put it into practice:
- Ready-made recipes. Our 7 easy low-nickel recipes use only foods from the "low" column, with no asterisk.
- Your own recipes. With ChefExtract, on iPhone and Android, save a recipe from a reel, TikTok, YouTube or a website and create a custom variation: write your doctor's list in the description and the app proposes the swaps. The full method is in what to eat with a nickel allergy.
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