Are Green Beans Acidic or Alkaline?
Green beans (boiled) are strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Boiled green beans come to −5.6, making them more alkaline than fresh ones (−4.0). That's because 100 g of cooked beans contain a bit less water, so the potassium is spread over less weight. Canned beans (−2.0) score much lower because minerals end up in the liquid. As a side with fish or a German-style meatball, they offset a good part of the acid, especially with potatoes.
In the Legumes category, green beans (boiled) rank #1 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More acid-forming are Edamame (green soybeans) (−3.1), Chickpea flour (−2.8), Green peas (−1.9).
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.
Green beans: boiled, fresh, canned
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Are green beans 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: Green beans (boiled) have a PRAL of −5.6 per 100 g, so they count as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much green beans do I need for a noticeable effect?
A cooked serving (150 g) of green beans adds −8.4 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of green beans roughly offsets one of them.
Why are green beans alkaline even though they are not typical alkaline foods?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Green beans provide more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−5.6).
Green beans, boiled or fresh: which is more alkaline?
Green beans (boiled) is at −5.6, Green beans (fresh) at −4.0. So the "boiled" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Green Beans 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.
Free for Android · iPhone coming soon
Compare all Legumes: Legumes 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.