Is Baking Powder Acidic or Alkaline?
Baking powder (raw) is strongly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
On paper, baking powder reaches +339.2, because its acidulant is usually a phosphate. The PRAL formula counts the phosphorus as acid but does not count the sodium from the baking soda at all. For your balance, the value is meaningless, because one packet is spread across an entire cake. Mostly it shows that PRAL is meant for foods, not for leavening agents.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, baking powder (raw) ranks #75 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Gelatin (+39.2), Nutritional yeast (yeast flakes) (+21.2), Mustard powder (+14.4).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
What balances baking powder
A teaspoon (5 g) of baking powder adds +17.0 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is baking powder acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Baking powder (raw) has a PRAL of +339.2 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a teaspoon (5 g) of baking powder?
A teaspoon (5 g) of baking powder adds +17.0 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 200 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid baking powder on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Baking powder is strongly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Baking Powder logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
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.