Is Falafel Acidic or Alkaline?
Falafel (prepared) is slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Falafel comes in at +3.5. The protein and phosphorus of the chickpeas dominate, and the balls lose water during frying, which raises the acid load per 100 g. Herbs and onions in the dough soften this only slightly. Tucked into flatbread with plenty of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and parsley, the serving becomes much more balanced. The value says nothing about the frying fat.
In the Meals & Fast Food category, falafel (prepared) ranks #71 of 118, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Sausage salad (+3.4), Pad Thai chicken (+3.2), Sushi with salmon (+3.2). More acid-forming are Beef goulash (+3.5), Veggie burger (+3.6), Spätzle (+3.7).
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.
What balances falafel
A meal (300 g) of falafel adds +10.4 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is falafel 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: Falafel (prepared) has a PRAL of +3.5 per 100 g, so it counts as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a meal (300 g) of falafel?
A meal (300 g) of falafel adds +10.4 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 120 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid falafel on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Falafel is slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Falafel 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 Meals & Fast Food: Meals & Fast Food 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.