Is Instant Coffee Acidic or Alkaline?
Coffee, instant (prepared) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Prepared, instant coffee comes in at −1.2 per 100 ml, which makes it slightly alkaline: the soluble powder brings potassium into the water and hardly any protein. Brewed black coffee is a bit lower per 100 ml, and a lot depends on how much powder you put in your cup. A splash of milk keeps the direction the same, since milk itself sits close to zero.
In the Drinks category, instant coffee (prepared) ranks #24 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Fruit spritzer (general) (−1.3), Peach nectar (−1.4), Cranberry juice (−1.6). More acid-forming are Apple spritzer (−1.1), ACE drink (vitamin fortified) (−1.0), Mango nectar (−1.0).
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 instant coffee 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: Coffee, instant (prepared) has a PRAL of −1.2 per 100 ml, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much instant coffee do I need for a noticeable effect?
A glass (200 ml) of instant coffee adds −2.4 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of instant coffee roughly offsets one of them.
Why is instant coffee 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. Coffee, instant provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−1.2).
Coffee, Instant 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 Drinks: Drinks 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.