Is Dried Cranberry Acidic or Alkaline?
Dried cranberry (dried) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Dried cranberries, at −5.1, are alkaline and well below fresh ones, because drying removes the water and concentrates the potassium per 100 g. They are usually sweetened first, which shows in the 287 kcal per 100 g. A 30 g handful in muesli or salad gives you about −1.5.
In the Fruit category, dried cranberry (dried) ranks #25 of 80, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Red currant (−5.3), Cantaloupe (−5.4), Black currant (−5.5). More acid-forming are Guava (−5.1), Kiwifruit (−4.9), Greengage (−4.8).
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is dried cranberry 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: Dried cranberry (dried) has a PRAL of −5.1 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much dried cranberry do I need for a noticeable effect?
One piece or a handful (120 g) of dried cranberry adds −6.1 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of dried cranberry roughly offsets one of them.
Why is dried cranberry alkaline even though it tastes sour?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Dried cranberry provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−5.1).
Dried Cranberry 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 Fruit: Fruit 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.