Is Curry Powder Acidic or Alkaline?
Curry powder (dried) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Curry powder is a blend of dried spices such as turmeric, coriander and fenugreek. Drying concentrates their potassium and magnesium, hence −17.3. As with all spices, the value is mostly theoretical: a teaspoon in a curry gets lost in the noise of your daily balance. It's interesting as a sign that dried spices are almost always alkaline.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, curry powder (dried) ranks #17 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Anise (−18.2), Tomato paste (−21.2), Pesto, red (−22.0). More acid-forming are Bay leaf (−17.2), Vegetable broth, powder (−14.1), Dill (−13.1).
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 curry powder 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: Curry powder (dried) has a PRAL of −17.3 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much curry powder do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of curry powder adds −0.9 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of curry powder roughly offsets one of them.
Why is curry powder 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. Curry powder provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−17.3).
Curry Powder 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 Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces 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.