Is Cucumber Acidic or Alkaline?
Alkaline: fresh cucumber has a PRAL of −3.3 per 100 g. Jarred pickles are alkaline too at −2.0, just slightly less, because pickling draws potassium into the brine.
Why cucumber is alkaline
Cucumbers are 96% water. Even so, the potassium they contain is enough for a clearly negative PRAL. Half a cucumber adds −4.9 to your balance at only 24 kcal. That makes cucumber an ideal way to add volume to salads and a great snack.
Pickled cucumbers lose some of their potassium to the vinegar and salt brine and absorb sodium. They end up at −2.0, so they are still alkaline. Both count toward your balance, with fresh cucumber counting a little more.
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 cucumber is 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.
Cucumber in different forms: raw, cooked, processed
How the PRAL changes with state and product. All values per 100 g or 100 ml.
| Food | PRAL |
|---|---|
| Cucumber (fresh) | −3.3 |
| Pickled cucumbers (pickled) | −2.0 |
| Zucchini (fresh) | −4.1 |
| Celery stalk (fresh) | −5.2 |
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Are pickles acidic or alkaline?
Alkaline, at −2.0 per 100 g, only slightly less than fresh cucumber (−3.3). Pickling draws potassium into the brine and adds sodium.
Should you eat cucumber with or without the peel?
With the peel. It contains most of the minerals and fiber.
Cucumber 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.