Are Green Beans Acidic or Alkaline?
Green beans (canned) are alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Canned green beans come to −2.0, half the value of fresh ones (−4.0). Blanching and the canning liquid cost potassium, which you usually pour away with the liquid. They're still alkaline, though, and at 21 kcal per 100 g, they make a light side. Home-cooked, at −5.6, they clearly come out best.
In the Legumes category, green beans (canned) rank #5 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Chickpea flour (−2.8), Edamame (green soybeans) (−3.1). More acid-forming are Green peas (−1.9), White beans (−1.2), Peas & carrots (−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.
Green beans: canned, fresh, boiled
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 (canned) have a PRAL of −2.0 per 100 g, so they count as 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 −3.0 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 (−2.0).
Green beans, canned or fresh: which is more alkaline?
Green beans (canned) is at −2.0, Green beans (fresh) at −4.0. So the "fresh" 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.
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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.