Are Carrots Acidic or Alkaline?
Alkaline. Carrots have a PRAL of −6.3 per 100 g and carrot juice comes in at −3.8, which makes them a reliable everyday staple, raw or cooked.
Why carrots are alkaline
Carrots bring potassium and hardly any protein. Their PRAL of −6.3 sits in the upper range for vegetables, between tomato (−4.2) and potato (−6.5). Canned carrots come in at −3.1, and the juice at −3.8. Cooking changes little, and it even makes the beta-carotene more available.
The carrot's advantage is less its top value than how easy it is to get: year-round, cheap, and easy to store, raw as a snack and cooked as a side. Two carrots a day add −12.6 to your balance, almost as much as a serving of potatoes.
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
The PRAL (potential renal acid load) estimates what a food leaves behind after digestion. It is not the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0. If you are asking whether carrots are acidic because of heartburn or reflux, that is a question of pH and your stomach, which the PRAL does not measure; talk to your doctor about it.
Carrots in different forms: raw, cooked, processed
How the PRAL changes with state and product. All values per 100 g or 100 ml.
| Food | PRAL |
|---|---|
| Carrot (fresh) | −6.3 |
| Carrots (canned) | −3.1 |
| Carrot juice (raw) | −3.8 |
| Parsnip (boiled) | −4.9 |
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Are raw or cooked carrots more alkaline?
They are practically the same. Boiling draws a little potassium into the water, while steaming keeps it all in.
Is carrot juice alkaline?
Yes, −3.8 per 100 ml. A 200 ml glass adds −7.7, but it also contains the sugar of about four carrots.
Carrots and everything else on your plate: calculated automatically.
Basentracker adds up the PRAL of every meal and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. Over 950 foods, photo scan, recipes, free.
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More vegetables & salad compared
All vegetables & salad with their PRAL: Vegetables & Salad table. Back to the overview Acidic or Alkaline?, or put together a meal in the PRAL calculator.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.