Is Coconut Oil Acidic or Alkaline?
Coconut oil (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Coconut oil comes in at 0.0 per 100 ml, because pure fat contains no protein or phosphorus and no potassium or magnesium either. The coconut's minerals stay in the flesh during pressing. Whether you fry or bake with it makes no difference to the acid-base math. The 900 kcal per 100 ml are a better reason to use it sparingly.
In the Oils & Fats category, coconut oil (raw) ranks #12 of 22, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Walnut oil (0.0), Soybean oil (0.0), Almond oil (0.0). More acid-forming are Olive oil (0.0), Lard (+0.1), Clarified butter (+0.1).
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.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is coconut oil 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: Coconut oil (raw) has a PRAL of 0.0 per 100 ml, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does coconut oil count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At 0.0 per 100 ml, coconut oil is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Coconut Oil 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.
Free for Android · iPhone coming soon
Compare all Oils & Fats: Oils & Fats 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.