Is Chickpea Flour Acidic or Alkaline?
Chickpea flour (raw) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Chickpea flour is alkaline at −2.8 because the potassium and magnesium of the ground chickpeas outweigh their protein and phosphorus. That puts it on the opposite side from wheat flour. For socca, pakoras or pancakes, you can easily replace part of the wheat flour with it, and the vegetables you fry with it strengthen the effect.
In the Legumes category, chickpea flour (raw) ranks #4 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Edamame (green soybeans) (−3.1), Green beans (−4.0), Green beans (−5.6). More acid-forming are Green beans (−2.0), Green peas (−1.9), White beans (−1.2).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chickpea flour 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: Chickpea flour (raw) has a PRAL of −2.8 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much chickpea flour do I need for a noticeable effect?
A cooked serving (150 g) of chickpea flour adds −4.1 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of chickpea flour roughly offsets one of them.
Why is chickpea flour alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Chickpea flour provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−2.8).
Chickpea Flour 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 Legumes: Legumes 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.