Are Green Peas Acidic or Alkaline?
Green peas (boiled) are slightly acid-forming: Positive PRAL: acid-forming after digestion.
Classification
Boiled green peas land at +0.7, just on the acid-forming side, while fresh ones are still at −1.9. During cooking, some of the potassium goes into the water, and the protein stays in the pea. For a side dish, that's still a mild value. Steaming briefly instead of boiling for a long time, or using the cooking water for a soup, keeps more potassium on your plate.
In the Legumes category, green peas (boiled) rank #13 of 26, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Kidney beans (+0.7), Mung beans (+0.5), White beans (+0.4). More acid-forming are Chickpeas (+1.0), Soybeans, mature (+1.1), Chickpeas (+1.7).
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.
Green peas: boiled, fresh
Same food, different state. All values per 100 g.
| State | PRAL |
|---|---|
| fresh | −1.9 |
| boiled | +0.7 |
What balances green peas
A cooked serving (150 g) of green peas adds +1.0 to your daily balance. These three bring it back; the grams shown offset exactly this serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are green peas 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 peas (boiled) have a PRAL of +0.7 per 100 g, so they count as slightly acid-forming in your daily acid-base balance.
How much lamb's lettuce offsets a cooked serving (150 g) of green peas?
A cooked serving (150 g) of green peas adds +1.0 to your daily balance. Lamb's lettuce (fresh) has −8.3 per 100 g, so about 10 g of lamb's lettuce offset this serving.
Do I have to avoid green peas on an alkaline diet?
No. What counts is the balance of the whole day, not a single food. Green peas are slightly acid-forming; with enough vegetables, potatoes and fruit on the same plate, the meal stays balanced.
Green peas, boiled or fresh: which is more alkaline?
Green peas (boiled) is at +0.7, Green peas (fresh) at −1.9. So the "fresh" version is more alkaline. Differences come from water content, cooking water or concentration during drying.
Green Peas logged, balance checked.
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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.