Are Chickpeas Acidic or Alkaline?
Chickpeas (boiled) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion. Acid-forming, but only mildly and close to neutral: boiled chickpeas have a PRAL of +1.7 per 100 g, canned ones +2.4. Hummus comes in at +2.2, which makes it one of the milder spreads.
Classification
Boiled chickpeas are mildly acid-forming at +1.7. Part of the potassium goes into the cooking water, while protein and phosphorus stay in the chickpea. Uncooked, they come in at +1.0, canned at +2.4. In hummus with lemon juice and tahini, or in a vegetable curry, this small surplus hardly matters. The vegetables alongside turn the balance.
In the Legumes category, chickpeas (boiled) rank #16 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Soybeans, mature (+1.1), Green peas (+0.7), Kidney beans (+0.7). More acid-forming are Kidney beans (+1.9), Peas (+2.5), Lentils (+3.1).
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.
Chickpeas: boiled, fresh, canned
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
What balances chickpeas
A serving of boiled chickpeas (150 g) of chickpeas adds +2.5 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are chickpeas 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: Chickpeas (boiled) have a PRAL of +1.7 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a serving of boiled chickpeas (150 g) of chickpeas?
A serving of boiled chickpeas (150 g) of chickpeas adds +2.5 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 30 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid chickpeas on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Chickpeas are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Chickpeas, boiled or fresh: which is more alkaline?
Chickpeas (boiled) is at +1.7, Chickpeas (fresh) at +1.0. So the "fresh" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Chickpeas logged, balance checked.
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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.