Is Crème Fraîche Acidic or Alkaline?
Crème fraîche (raw) is neutral: PRAL close to zero: hardly shifts your acid-base balance.
Classification
Crème fraîche is cultured cream, so it's mostly fat, and fat is neutral in the balance. The small amounts of milk protein and phosphorus are offset by the calcium, so the value stays at 0.0. A tablespoon in soup or on chili doesn't change your acid-base balance. What it does change is energy, at 265 kcal per 100 g, and the PRAL says nothing about that.
In the Dairy category, crème fraîche (raw) ranks #7 of 25, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Buttermilk (low-fat) (−0.1), Buttermilk (−0.1), Whipping cream (−0.2). More acid-forming are Schmand (sour cream, 20% fat) (0.0), Goat milk (+0.1), Cream (35% fat) (+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 crème fraîche 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: Crème fraîche (raw) has a PRAL of 0.0 per 100 g, so it counts as neutral in your daily acid-base balance.
Does crème fraîche count in the acid-base balance at all?
Hardly. At 0.0 per 100 g, crème fraîche is in the neutral range between −0.5 and +0.5. You can eat it without shifting your balance.
Crème Fraîche 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 Dairy: Dairy 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.